After some humming and harring, finally decided to get one of these full carbon rods. They are light,slim and easy to use and compress very well with a 4 or 5 oz sinker - ideal for an old codger like me. I can cast it well over 100 yds without a lot of effort using OTG style. They have Fuji rings and a decent thickness of carbon fibre unlike some other full carbon rods in this price bracket. Instead of the more usual black dupon "handles", they have mid blue rubber criss-crossed sheaths which I have come to like very much as they do not slip and are far easier to clean up after a session on the beach. They come in a tough dark blue purpose made bag which Shakespeare have thoughtfully attached some velcro strips to so that one does not have to mess about with those rather silly ribbons which are often seen. The rings are relatively few but I suspect that this makes the rod even more "castable" as the leader knot does not have so many obstacles to hit on it's way up the rod. It sits well on the rod rest in breezy conditions but still registers light knocks remarkably well. I understand that Mike Thrussell was involved at the design stage and can well believe it as it seems to be a true anglers rod. The value for money is incredible - I got mine for around £50, as it compares very well with rods costing up to double that price. Take care if you look for one though; I have seen some tackle shops cherging rip off prices for them.