If you look at the price that other fly rod companies sell their top end made in America fly rods for, the Orvis Helios at $495 is a pretty good deal. Heck if the only difference between a $700 Helios and a $500 Helios is $20 in components I'd say the consumer is the winner here.

I for one think it's great that a company that has become better known for it's dog beds is making a fly rod as nice as the Helios in Vermont; a state not particularly well known for cheap labor and manufacturing.

No doubt it was a clever marketing strategy to introduce the Helios with a very high price tag and later sell it much cheaper with a few token downgrades in components. I bet Orvis will sell a ton of them.