In today's world, the weight of a bamboo rod does not mean as much as it once did. I have fished with most of the rods previously named in my earlier post in lengths up to 9 ft., including Heddon's and Grangers, with a couple of South Bends thrown in for good measure, and I do not find them to be any heavier, or 'tiring' to cast, than any of my graphite rods. I even have a 9ft. Shakespeare "Texas Bass Bugger" that is classified as a 'heavy' bamboo rod, yet it is definitely useable.
With respect to Heddon, they had a very unique way of 'referencing' their rods. It was based on their own numbering system for the ferrules. They were numeric alpha, with F being the alpha component in all of them. By way of example, a 1F would be a trout rod, whereas a 2 3/4F would be a heavy trout/bass rod.
There is currently a 8 1/2 ft 3/2 Montague "Redwing", a highly prized rod, listed that is currently at under $90.00. It comes complete with bag and tube. Any "sets" in it should not be a 'deal breaker', as sets are very easy to fix.
Just make sure that ALL sections are the same length! There is one currently listed that claims all sections are the same length, but the posted photo clearly shows one tip shorter than the other! However, given the rod brand, the current bid is not unreasonable.
It would help if you stated what kind of fishing, and under what conditions, you plan to use it.
If you have never cast bamboo, it will take some getting used to, as they typically require a much slower casting stroke than graphite. Also, once you get them 'loaded', they all but 'cast themselves'.
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