Daiwa Presso spinning rod review

     Spring is in the air and cabin fever has me pondering one of mankinds greatest crux, fishing gear. Here's a review of a Daiwa Presso 8'2" UL 2 piece spinning rod (2lb-8lb test).
 
      I purchased this rod in December, 2013 for $75. I was looking for something handy for drift fishing and flimsy enough to liven up a fight from stocky trout. After receiving it via mail, here are my observations. 
 
     The blank isn't finish sanded, having a cylindrical ribbed texture to it, running your hand along it gives you the feeling your losing flesh. Unique in appearance for a finished rod, eventually I concluded it's appearance as, well, unfinished. The handle is a cork split grip style, very comfortable with cork opposing the reel seat which I love. The cork grade is lousy, open grained with many gaps, inclusions and unsanded edges that will surely chunk off with use. The reel seat hood has a carbon fiber look with chrome bezels, futuristic in appearance, more suited for the interior of a teenagers drag racing chevy cavalier. I had a bezel work loose after the 2nd time I used it. Line guides are satisfactory aluminum oxide.
 
     Impressions on the water:
 
      I paired this rod with a Daiwa Capricorn XTC1500 reel I had laying around and spooled up 4lb fluorocarbon. Line mending is a breeze, nice loading for far reaching casts, blank is fairly sensitive, ferrule fit on blank is somewhat loose, aligning guides often is a must. Fighting fish is a blast, UL action never gets old when your tight lining. Managed to muscle in a 24 inch+ rainbow in fast current and the rod held up.  
 
    Bottom line:
 
     I purchased this rod as a novelty item to do some drift fishing in the dead of winter and it served the purpose. However, for $75 the build quality was shoddy, cheap cork and reel seat hood bezel coming loose were disappointments. I don't believe this rod would hold up season after season so I have since returned it. Experience has taught me you get what you pay for. 
 
     If you have used or own one of these rods, I'm interested in hearing your comments, so please post! I have since decided to upgrade and purchased a St. Croix Premier 7'6" MLF 1 piece (4lb-10lb) will post a review in the near future. Tight Lines!!!