I just finished reading the latest news from Tackletour.com. They were doing short reviews of new rods from some of the major manufacturers and I noticed that more of the major manufacturers were employing more custom features that we've been using over the last few years.

More noticable were the aluminum winding checks that Kistler may be adding to their no foregrip rods and the split grip handles that are on St Croix's Legend series rods. Also Quantum is using Fuji's new ACS casting reel seat on their PT edition rods along with split grips and no foregrips. It looks like "stealth" is comimg into play more than ever. The Shimano Cumura looks like a rod that came directly from a custom builders work bench. And the Airrus brand rod. I had a chance to see and hold one sometime back and that's a rod that even Darth Vader would be proud to own. The handle is integrated into the rod along with a split grip and spiral wrapped guides.

We are seeing a lot of new innovations along with some that the custom builder has been using for quite a few years now come into play in these last two years by the major manufacturers. I think a lot of it has to do with this website,rodmaker.org and Rodmaker magazine. The manufacturers are closely monitoring these pages and listening to what a person wants in a rod be it custom or mass produced and it'll be interesting to see what the next few years bring.

Most of the major commercial rod companies subscribe to RodMaker. I have to believe they pay attention to trends in the custom rod building world. There really wouldn't be any other reason for them to subscribe.

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YOu mean they don't subscribe to see the pretty pictures, lol?

Lance, you left out that Quantaum is also using the VSS Spinning seat on their factory rods. At least now I know (assume) why these reel seats werent' available to rodbuilders until allegedly Late June...Quantaum wanted to be the exclusive user of them at teh ICAST show. I still havent' seen or heard that tehy are available to us.

"Stealth" has been around a long time, that is what I call the sanded but not finished blanks. You'd be surprised at how many customers are impressed with the "New Stealth Finish". Jesse

Billy, I have seen and handled one of the ACS casting reel seats and wasn't impressed with the feel of it. I didn't find it be be comfortable to hold. I haven't seen the spinning version until I went back and looked at the picture of it.

Take a close look at the spinning seats on the Daiwa Steez spinning rods. Looks to me like the VSS seat, but with a different locking nut assembly.