I spent a good 45 minute waving around quite a few rods today at Bill Jacksons here in the Tampa area. I didn't want to start casting without my other rods there to compare them to, but they said I could come back and cast them anytime. Here is a couple of thoughts of what I could discern relating to some of the rods we are talking about in this thread.
First, they had a PURE 376. My first impression is, WOW, a truly sweet feeling, fast recovery rod. It is very neat and has the Winston feel from tip to tail. A true 3wt, very light, evenly progressive, perfectly progressive all the way down the blank, and yes I had to whip it pretty good to feel that. That beautiful little rod is in perfect harmony with itself. Now, maybe don't buy this rod sight unseen, because it is truly a light 3wt (or less !) It does not cross into 4wt territory, or even come close to it. It is not a 3.1 weight. If a guy had any indication that he was going to throw drys 30' most of the day, then he needs to cast it, because he just might really want the 476 instead of the 376. This rod is a little piece of fly rod heaven, I feel its only competitors are going to be the very top glass rods in the same size and weight. Next to it on the rack was a 804 bIII LS. Well, this was a nice rod, but it flexed a little at the tip and then bent much farther all the way down the blank, and you could tell the "Winston Feel" had also been upgraded with the new rods, Pure and AIR. They are more cohesive feeling rods. You could say the BiiiLS felt a little dated compared to the PURE. Also, next to the PURE was a 764 or 804 Orvis SFC - Super Fine Carbon. Without going into it, those also felt dated. It is like its first flex is far down into the blank (which could be a good thing), but still they didn't have the perfect progression and not as smooth. To be fair, they are also half the cost. Lastly and not leastly was a 376 Sage Dart. It is clear this is a current new release. The progression is perfect and smooth. The quality is all there. To its differences between the pure. First is stiffness. One a scale of 1-10, I would say the Pure is from 1 at the tip to 7 at the reel, with a clean and fast recovery. I would say the dart was a 2 at the tip, and pregressed to a 8-9 by the time you got about a foot above the handle, with a very quick recovery. The perfect progression was impressive, but it was a faster progression. You went from 2-9 in a shorter distance. Its like the DART is a 3.5 weight as you get lower in the blank, so it felt like it had an extra gear down low. As for feel, the PURE felt smoother, and the Dart had a really good feel that is hard to pinpoint. Very high quality, very competant. All of the Sages feel like Sage, all of the Winstons feel like a Winston. (although the Xs are 1/2 way to Winston smooth - like the Asquiths)
Okay, other small notes. Like Osseous, the first time I swung the AIR Salt and the Igniter, I also thought the AIR SALT was faster, but I wanted to be double sure before I commented on it, and this is before I cast them next week, but now I am quite sure, at least for me that Igniter is Stiifer and Faster than the new Winston. Now, the AIR Salt is bigger around in the blank, especially at the base and I think that increased its swing weight, or maybe swing feel, for me. I think they nailed the taper on the Igniter just right, its stiff but its progression is perfectly tuned. I was very imopressed with the Igniter and if I had to buy a 8wt, without getting to cast them, it would be the Igniter. Air Salt, Sage X, Igniter, Orvis Helios 3D, even Asquith in 908, which I loved, today I would have got the Igniter and been done with it. Next time I get to cast them. I did mention the Winston Air Salt to the guy at the Fly Fishing Desk, a guy who I have listend to before and bought stuff from. He said basically everyone is Really Really impressed with the Air Salt. Maybe it has to do with the way you feel like you are carrying the rod's weight close to your hand, very unlever like, so you can get all your muscles into it. They did have a Sage Salt HD, but I really didn't like the feel of it, not at all. Too stiff, too fast, too tough. The 8wt was probably a stronger stick than any 10wt I've ever cast. In fairness my right rotator cuff is not in the best of shape and the Sage Salt HD is a mans stick, so there you have it, its already getting big kudos for its huge lifting power.
Lastly, the Helios 3F 904. (which I will also cast next week) I like Orvis, usually a lot. First, the badges look MUCH better in person, they are pretty cool actually. Photographs make the badges look much whiter and brighter than they actually are. I have a Scott GS 884, which is very very good. Without going into it, I've been thinking about trading for a GS-904. My Hardy 3/4 fiberglass rod is such a good rod, but it also crosses the line into the 884's territory surprisingly well, and sometimes with the 884 on a mid size river, I wish I was hitting another 5 yards without any strain. That is just my casting ability, my limit. I'd like another 4-5 yards. So I've alerady decided to trade it for a GS-904. Well, I doubt I will get the 3F 904, but let me tell you that baby is screaming its all around trout-catching-goodness. Its a 22 year old 5'7" 125lb blond C-cup climbing into your car that IS NOT your neice. I picked it up and could instantaneously feel the tip. I was like "whoa, did I just pick up the best rod ever?" I wiggled it, waggled it, swung it hard, just about took out an over head light with it. This is one rod you absolutely will catch more fish with. You don't need a fly, hell, you don't even need a line. And its actually a great looking rod too, its very sporty look goes with its very sporty feel. The tip is stiffer than my Hardy, GS, or AIR, and it doesn't bend as deeply as any of them, its a fast action rod with quick recovery. If I actually wanted a 904 all around, I would have got it today and been excited about fisihing it every chance I had. However, I know me and I really just want another few yards out of my 884 so I'm sure I'll get the Scott in 904, but still I can't wait to cast that 3F.