I bought this rod second hand and was definitely in two minds about spending the £140, or less, on a new rod. This one had obviously seen a few concrete walls in its time. 13ft, 2 piece, Fuji Rings. Casting - great feel, accuracy and ease with the 4-6oz leads that I have used, regardless of whether you are whacking them out as far as you can go (I'm never going to win a prize for that) or fishing close in. Bites - a 4oz Pouting at 100 yards is enough to make the tip give a very clear indictaion of a bite. Wind/Waves - the tip stays comparatively stable in harsh conditions, whilst others are bobbing all over the place making small bites near impossible to detect Pulling Power - I've had a 6-7lb lump of stone off the seabed with this - found out the limitations of my reel but the rod was fine. I'll add that this is quite a substantial rod - fine for me at 6ft but my wife and boys at 5ft 4ish didn't stand a chance when they tried it.