They were meant for the top 10% of casters. I guess those folks have um by now.
It’s replacement, the TCX is suppose to be much more user friendly.
I tried a 8wt tcx last week at out local fly shop—incredible—wow and it casts short also!—800 bucks!—looks like im back building rods again!
Hi Jerry,
If the Sage TCR was intended for only the top 10% of the fly casters, that may not have been the rod for me. At $800 bucks, the Sage TCX is DEFINITELY NOT the rod for me even if it’s so user friendly that it makes my coffee in the morning and warms my waders. It may be time for another high end/low end equipment question. 8T 
I was looking at the descriptions/prices. They seem to have pretty similar descriptions - Gen 5, light, top of the line, etc. But the TCX is $795 for a 690-4 and the Z-Axis $675. I wonder if that is purely a marketing/pricing ploy or if there’s a real difference? Bet you could go pick up a used XP for MUCH less and have about the same rod as the TCX.
the tcx is definitely a great rod—i was able to cast tighter loops with less effort and no hauling than any rod ive cast before—in my opinion, it is an improvement over the tcr and the z-axis (i ended up buying the z-axis because it did better in close for me than the tcr)
my question is and it might be a topic for a new thread…
Which composite rod manufacturer will break the $1000.00 threshhold for a production rod?
broke the 1,000 barrier at least a year ago with the Hardy Angel.
Martin Fishing.
Dang, I just blew Mountain Dew out my nose.
My first “spool on a tent pole thing that looked vaguely like a fly rod” was a Martin. Totally unusable. But what should I expect for $20. 
I’m MUCH happier with my new TFO Lefty Kreh professional and Cabelas SLA reel. At $300 for the combo it’s nowhere near the price of the Sage. Maybe, some day, I’ll be able to both afford and appreciate a Sage rod. I look forward to the day that I understand casting and fly fishing well enough to need one.
I’m almost reluctant to post this, but I think the price of some fly rods is getting crazy.
Is any fly rod worth $800.00?
Randy
If I was going to spend that kind of money, then I’d get a nice custom bamboo rod.
Only if I’m selling it.
I love that rod but my XP will also perform pretty good as well~