As one who has worked hard in the past years to try and wrap my head around this same question because i want to build them myself and sell them I honestly can say the closest to an answer I have gotten is quality.... 10 times better maybe not but not far off either. You really need to pick a boo builder and I mean pick him like he's going to be the one that has your back before you go into battle it's the subtle things that really make good boo, good boo. I have built several PMQ's and not just the tomato stake ones either I have built some from good tonkin cane and it takes a trained hand and eye to know when and how to do everything. Now all that being said the is a Payne taper a Payne taper??????? Pretty much but is it built from high quality cane or run of the mill with really good power fibers or decent power fibers, is it built by a master or a 15yr old girl payed .03 per hour to stand and feed strips into a machine, is it truly a labor of love or an end to a mean?????? The gentle man that has been working with me to learn all these intricate details told me to never build a rod to put food on the table, if it comes to that go out catch a fish and eat it with another rod. Only build because you love it and want to do it. Honestly though if it's something you want just to have and use once in a while the choice is up to you. I'm not going to tell you that one is truly the best end all be all of bamboo fly rods because I have seen the ones that come from over seas and they really aren't all that bad, but the ones built here for a premium price aren't all that bad either. As for buying local I agree, I'll buy everything I can from my local shops and suppliers until I find a deal that they can't beat.

Steve