I have the 5wt A-5...Seems just a tad shorter than my 9-foot rods, so it must be an 8'-6" rod. I've had it and used it quite a bit over the last year-and-a-half. I really like it! Its a great rod, casts great, fights fish great. Its light.

I picked up a Sage Z-Axis at a store one day (Bass Pro or Cabela's). The rod felt and LOOKED like the A-5! Does it cast the same? I can't answer since I've never cast line on the Z-Axis...although I think both rods were compared in the "5 wt Shoot-out" article that you can access via the Albright website. I would never suggest the two rods are identical. But the similarity was enough to make me wonder about who actually manufactures the blanks for those companies.

So, in summary, yes the Albright A-5 is a VERY nice fly rod, and the price you quoted is certainly a bargain for what you'll get.