I paired it with a daiwa BG 5000 It'll definately take misuse to cause any kind of damage to this rod It's a broomstick !!! Nice and beefy Edit : the gimbal cover falls off very easy and the insert fell out of the top eyelet I use but not abuse my rods I take extra care when transporting and fighting fish so I have no idea why the insert came out Granted it happens Dropping my rating due to customer service with not only the seller via this rod but also penn themselves when trying to find a replacement for the insert and gimbal cover I've got mine setup for catching turtles from ponds and catfishing from my kayak It being shorter makes it more manageable while in a kayak