I have one and it casts well. I am not an expert by any means though. My complaint is the finishing on the rod. It doesn't seem to be put together very well. The epoxy around one of the ferrules has chipped and the covering doesn't look very good on the rod guides. If you are considering a blank I think they are pretty good for the price, if you are buying one of the finished rods from EBAY, I don't think they are finished well.