[juro]

Moose -

If you are talking about the Airflo Long Delta 9/10, rated to 695 grains over 65.5 ft, I would say that it will match the rod beautifully. I also like the Airflo traditional 8/9 on that rod, which is rated to 725 grains over 85 ft. The shorter the head length, the less grains it takes to load it on average. Should be perfect!

Thanks for the kind words FLGator, I am sure Nobuo will be pleased with your enjoyment of the rods. I sincerely feel that the Expert series is among the most under-rated rods on the market, if you will allow my saying so.

 

[juro]

That line should work very well on this rod. Although the grains vary slightly from line to line I looked up the grains stated on the technical section of Tim Rajeff's site (http://www.rajeffsports.com , our sponsor).

You're good to go!

 

[juro]

Flytyer, et. al. -

FYI the Expert and Custom Series have gone up $30 effective 2004. The Expert 1306 used to be $265, it's now $295 etc. Specialist rods will remain at 2003 prices; Atlantis remains at it's introductory pricing.

ref: http://cndspey.com/products.htm

The increase is wholly allocated to upholding the warranty program at the level we kept it in 2003.

 

[juro]

Moose -

Please email or PM me the contact info for the local flyshop that you've been most pleased with and I will see if they can handle the sale for you.

Or else contact one of the great dealers who may have it in stock and I'm sure they'll ship it to you if you'd like.

We don't sell direct out of respect for our dealers but thanks for your interest and I know you'll enjoy the rod!

 

[juro]

??

The fact that these two models were chosen has nothing whatsoever to do with the products, it had only to do with their super low introductory 2003 prices.

Warranty is handled from a general fund, there are no model/series specific buckets. And I must admit it was a tough pill to swallow...

Let me take a headcount... everyone who paid for repair and replacement of a CND rod due to accidental breakage and misuse please raise your hands... <cricket.... cricket>

That's because I covered nearly all of 'em from the slim margins we got from such low price points, in the loss column. From Specialists torn to pieces in accidents to sending second rods to faraway countries, whatever it took I covered them and it felt good, as a hardcore angler myself I can really relate.

Case in point - the Expert 13' 6/7 was priced at $265, and the Custom 13' 7/8 was priced at $365. I think you'll agree that these rods are of excellent quality, their design precision engineered by a master rod designer, and the materials and workmanship are excellent, and most of all they cast beautifully.

These rods were underpriced and are still underpriced at $295 and $395. We're told all the time that all models are underpriced, but it's much more obvious in the Expert and Custom series because of their lower price brackets.

Summary: No, the decision had nothing to do with the series or models, except that these models were way underpriced when compared with other rods of comparable quality on the market and could certainly serve to support customer service goals.

Come to think of it, the Specialists are underpriced too.

Hey thanks for the reminder! :devil:

 

[juro]

I received an email that our material cost for Fuji guides (only the best) will be going up double-digit percentages for 2004. Can't win!

BTW - there will be no further rod price increase despite this news.