IFTD 2017 Update: St. Croix Imperial (Redux)

Are you sensing a theme here?  Legendary names, retooled, restyled for a new era?  A nod to the past with a focus on the future?  Good.  So do we.  And St. Croix is right in that mix as well with the advent of an all-new for 2018 Imperial.  Imperial has made a living for the past decade or so by being a strong performer, with good looks and flash, at a reasonable pricepoint.  In this case the new Imperial ranges from $230-$330, depending on size and model.  They feature high-modulus/high-strain SCIV and SCII graphites in different points on the rod, and slick components.  Most compelling, perhaps, is that the rods carry a 15-year transferable warranty, and are manufactured in the United States.  This is the rod you recommend to 99.99 percent of real-world anglers who likely cannot feel the difference between $300 and $800, and they’re not buying the patter meant to get them to shell out another $500.