Hey another night owl! Its hard to compare them thowell , especially when the xf2 that I just bought is an 11 ft 4 wt. Its a totally different animal. I will say that the reel seat on the xf2 s an upgrade over the old style and it has a small butt extension below the reel seat which serves very well as a resting point on your forarm. This is a good feature over the old as it lessens fatigue and helps with strike reaction time.