One of my friends worked for Orvis for years, so he could get discounts on stuff (like a lot of the guys he knew there) and on one trip for false albacore in NC he brought along some of the latest rods to try out. They were being touted for their light weight/fast action which would allow a good caster to throw the whole line with minimum effort (at a cost that reflected all the engineering advances); ended up busting 3 of them on fish that were not of epic proportions. Meanwhile, none the older rods, a combo of Sage and Orvis, had any issues and a lot of fish were boated. The new graphite may have made for exceptional casting (I couldn't tell the difference, but I'm a mediocre caster) but it was pretty gutless when it came to fighting fish.
Thanks to Sage's rod repair warranties, I haven't had to buy any new rods in years and as long as they keep the parts in stock for my RPL's, I won't have to.

Regards,
Scott