I would agree 100% with you Will about the try before you buy side of things. The only way to be sure.
The problem I have is that I live out in the sticks and theres nowhere available to try a demo rod, so the next best thing is to get a consensus of opinions and go from there
I might have a slim chance of trying one in the not too distant future, but I would still be very grateful to hear as many opinions as possible
Thanks for your experiences with it. By the way, what line was on the demo rod you tried ?