I purchased the rod and received it from one coast to the other in two days, kudos on shipping.
I’ve had my eye on this rod since it was released. They are offering 30% off for the holiday season, couldn’t pass it up. The rod itself is well put together, no complaints. Nicely sized and traditionally shaped cork handle is excellent, as good as I have seen on any Japanese rod I have owned. The hard cordura case is nice, a new favorite, wish they were all like this one. Comes with spare top two tip sections and a lifetime warranty. The black rod sections, although a bit shiny are much appreciated, the rod is tastefully unadorned or over scripted.
With regard to action. I haven’t fished it, however I lawn cast it with a 3.5 level line. It is a fairly long rod nested, fewer sections are nice. The tip dampens nicely, and is soft enough to cast a 3.5 line. The rod will cast heavier lines, including fly lines nicely if needed. It is a tip flex rod as expected, at 12’ 3" it has the same CCS and RFI rating as the Gamakatsu MultiFlex Suimu 4.0. It doesn’t feel tip heavy, it’s well balanced. My intended use for this rod is ESN to include small streamers, and I have no doubt it will be a winner.