I test cast some of the rods which you are considering. I was in the market for a 9' long, 5-weight, 4-piece.
Test cast as many as you can. You'll find subtle differences - and your personal favorite.
Following are my personal impressions of some of the ones I tested:
St. Croix Legend Ultra
This is a beautifully finished dark green blank with well apointed hardware. A very pretty rod.
The cork grip and the blank are high grade and slim & light in size. This rod is extremely light in the hand and feels almost delicate.
This rod is quite fast. A lot of reviews on the net have described it as medium-fast but I disagree.
Personally, I had problems with test cast accuracy using this rod. I could cast quite far though. Nice for $310.
If someone gave me one, or I won an Ultra - I wouldn't bother to shop for another rod.
Redington Wayfarer
This was a 5-piece rod. As I remember it was a dark grey blank - not real flashy.
The hardware appears to be a good grade, and the blank is a little on the thick side. The grip average size.
I would describe the action as on the slow side of medium-fast. Pleasant to cast.
The immediate thought that crossed my mind when I first held it was that it is a heavy rod.
I felt that waving this one around all day would prove to be tiresome.
Casting accuracy and distance were very good, though. For $165 this is a STEAL ( really ).
Orvis
I did not test a Clearwater. I did test the TLS. For $375, I almost bought this one. Still have second thoughts.
The TLS is a real value in my opinion. Lighter in the hand & about the same speed as the Ibis & XP.
The Orvis T3 was my total favorite ( but not by much over the XP), but too expensive at $625.
A lot of people bash Orvis, but I like their products a lot. I own a ( now discontinued silver label ) 4-wt.
Winston Ibis
This is a good looking rod and well finished, too. A dark cranberry blank with well appointed hardware.
The cork grip is high grade and is on the large size compared with other rods in this class.
This provides a very comfortable grip for someone with long fingers, or prefers something more substantial to hold on to.
In the hand, it is not a light as the St. Croix or XP or Orvis lines but is lighter than the Redington. It is not really a heavy rod.
The blank is larger in diameter at the butt than others & appears to be a large diameter, thin walled blank.
The rod is quite fast ( but not as fast as the St. Croix or XP or T3 - just a tick behind ) and exhibits that smooth Winston feel.
The feel is one of the key points on this rod.The Ibis is very comfortable & able to cast long and accurately.
This is a real nice rod for $300. I liked it a lot. Winston would probably sell more of these if they charged more.
I kept asking myself, what is wrong with it if it only cost $300 ???
Sage
I wanted to cast the VPS, but did not do so. I also wanted to try the faster XP. I did, and bought the XP.
GLoomis.
I wanted to test cast the GLX but did not. It, like the T3 is very expensive ( but I hear its real nice ). Try a GL3.
