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I found this link to an excellent rod comparison done on 5 weight rods. The Z axis wins but the testing is very interesting and has me rethinking the way I will evaluate rods before I purchase from now on.
http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/Fly...rodtesting.asp
I looked at these rod comparisons before I went and got a new 5 wt this year. The thomas and thomas helix scored very low on this comparison, but for my casting style, i found it to be the tops for me. A big part of these tests are accuracy for the guy casting it, it seems to me george anderson loves the fast action rods. I on the other hand don't like em so much.
The g.loomis rod was near the top in that list, but for me, it was a lot closer to the bottom. I also have some pals out in montana that swear by the biix, that's another rod that just doesn't do it for me.
I hear you. A lot of it is subjective to casting style, which is why I appreciated the counter points and explanations they gave in the review. I guess at the very least a review like this gives you a base to begin with. There are so many rods out there. I also appreciated the lower cost rods that were tested. That Albright rod looks interesting. They did an 8 weight review that I posted under saltwater also. It was a little more thorough andhhas a lot of good info.
I have a few albright rods, a gp, a xx, and a a5. They are dirt cheap right now from their website, like 50 or 70 precent off. Definitely worth the money, better than average, but nothing jaw dropping. I like the action on the a5 the best. I also have a few different reels from them, they aren't bad either.
I agree that these comparisons are great bases to begin with. I wouldn't have even looked at the tnt if it wasn't for the review. It's not a company that you hear too much about. At least not where im originally from.
Winston BIIX and BIIMX for me all the way! Although I have a 3 weight Z Axis that is sweet!
I want to try that A-5. Those internet deals are incredible. I need a bigger rod for the Upper D and am considering the Z but the dollars are hard to justify. I'd like to try the Winston BIIX too
I used to own the Winston BIIx in a 9' 5wt. I loved it. Great for the Delaware. I might like it more than the same line weight and length Z Axis.
Echoing what others have said here, it mostly boils down to personal preference & casting style. Try casting different rods and let your arm tell you which one it likes best. Having said that, I've never seen a series of rods received as well by customers as Sage's Z-Axis, almost everyone loves them, from novices right up to the real experts.
I looked at a couple of rods today From tfo ,one was an 11' 5wt , professional it is kind of a switch rod designed ,by mr. wotton ,it was very nice ,and not to flimsy ,seemed like it would be good for wets as well as drys ,and maybe good for czech nymphing .I thought it was a nice rod .
I also checked out the professional 10' 5 wt seemed very flimsy ,I wasnt impreesed ,I then looked at the teeny 5wt , this is a much stiffer rod with some back bone . It might have a slower action ,this would make a good nymph rod in my opion ,but I like stiffer rods for there roll over capabilitys .I roll cast alot when i nymph fish .Those are somwe better priced rods ,I really liked the 11 foot rod because it have the bottom handle removed to make it a single hand rod . On the upper d that might be nice to be able to switch over .The z axis is a great rod ,we all no that ,but the price of these rods is out of control .Im not a doctor ,or a lawyer ,or for that matter a teacher ;D So I need to look at cheaper rods .
nutman: That's a good assessment! I have the Temple Fork Professional 10ft 5wt and like it for Euro nymphing and wet flies, where a softer tip is required. For Euro nymphing the softer rod gives more sensitivity for strike detection and for wet flies the softer rod lets you animate the flies more. I bought this rod after Davy Wotton's class where he taught us the animation methods with it. You are correct in that I find it hard to use that rod for roll casting, where a faster tip makes it a lot easier.