Those I have talked with in the salt water flyfishing community are VERY,VERY impressed with the performance these rods,but because they are designed for heavy salt water use,they won't appeal to the majority of freshwater anglers out there I don't think.
I have played around with a few factory models,and have a 9wt blank to build on myself.Here are my impressions of these blanks,
These,along with the Nano Ti and DFR,are top of the line rods made by Redington before Sage took over.Unlike the cheaper models(Wayfarer,DS2,Redfly,etc) that are made in Korea or somewhere,these blanks were made in New Zealand,by Composite Develpments and are definitely high end.The Nano Quartz and Nano Ti are VERY,VERY high modulous rods,with very fast actions.The Nano Ti retailed for around $700,while the Nano Quartz was a bit more I think.
Casting performance wise,the Nano Ti is fantastic for those who like a fast action,rather stiff,and fast recovery rod,but it had some serious problems with durability from what I heard.The high modulous was just too brittle I guess and it didn't seem to sell that well once word got out or get too many great online reviews from what I saw(for the past 5yrs I have been at home injured nad spend most of my days surfing the online fishing forums in North America,the UK,and Australia so I get to read a lot of feedback from guys on the various salt water fishing forums especially).The Nano Quartz on the other hand got a considerable amount of praise by some of the better known salt water anglers(quite a few post on Dan Blanton's website).
The Nano Quartz was basicly the same rod,but with the addition of a Quartz coating that boosts durability considerably.It definitely solved the breakage problem and was getting a great reputation as a really fast action,powerful rod that can take a beating.The down sides were increased weight(the quartz adds a good bit of weight to the blank,and maybe some extra stiffness too) and a very high cost(something that many in the US can't justify paying for a "overseas" rod).Being it is a salt water specialty rod,the weight increase isn't that much of an issue and is well worth the trade off for durability.
The quartz coating makes these blanks very unique looking.The blanks are unsanded spiral finish,with a bluish gray opaque look to it.Very different in both look and feel from most blanks for sure.The seats and guides on the factory rods are all REC models.The seat is a RFTS model in titanium finish with Redington name silk screened on to it and the guides are REC Recoils.About a month before getting my Nano Quartz blank I managed to get one of the Redington Nano Quartz REC reel seats for a steal,and I already had a nice Redington Nano Quartz tube from a deal last year,so grabbing the blank afterwards once I saw one cheap enough seemed like the right thing to do,LOL!
If you are looking for a salt water rod for fishing the flats,or from a boat,the Nano Quartz is a GREAT rod that will excel at the roughest salt water conditions and biggest fish you can throw at it.Basicly,it's a BEAST made for lifting BIG fish up from the depths(I read that the 10wt can dead lift a 35lbs weight off the floor),casting HEAVY heads.It's not a rod that I would choose for lighter freshwater applications though.There are many lighter,less expensive,and more enjoyable(more feel) rods to fish with if you don't actually "need" a bullit proof coating on your rod.Most conditions obviously don't require such a thing,so I wouldn't want a rod like this unless I was fishing in some nasty conditions(salmon/steelhead fishing maybe,and salt water angling).
Here is a link to a review of the 8wt Nano Quartz you may find interesting, [
www.tackletour.com]
Basicly,the Nano Quartz is an exceptional casting and big fish fighting tool,but is only really suited to certain conditions.If you are using it in those conditions,chances are you will be EXTREMELY impressed with it's casting and lifting power,as well as it's durability,and the extra weight will feel like a minor issue,but if you are like most of us who fish more in freshwater,it's probably not the kind of rod you should be looking at unless you are say a salmon/steelhead fisherman and clamber around on 1/2 frozen river beds chasing BIG fish in moving water.The Nano Quartz' strange look,extra weight,and extremely high price are sure to turn off many anglers,especially those looking for a lighter medium to medium fast action freshwater rod or something.
You can't compare a rod like this to a Sage XP or Loomis GLX for example because they are VERY different rods and not made for the same conditions.The Nano Quartz is all about casting power(rather than feel or precision),lifting power,and extreme durability for a high modulous graphite rod,and is made specifically for tough salt water conditions.
