I'm comparing this to an Ugly Stik medium ,6', 2 piece and by itself. First I must say I'm an Ugly Stik fanboy that just "wanted to try out the wannabe side it was less expensive". The casting , though a little lighter action, was actually a little more stiff , giving me a more accurate cast ability in wind and close to overhanging trees while bank fishing with ultra light type tackle (Crickhoppers by Rebel). At 6' is still not as precise as my 5'ultra light Ugly Stik in very tight areas casting side to side to really get under but casting out beyond the trees and reeling back in it was fine. I don't even use my U S medium for such fishing. I've got it set up with a Lews Tournament Speed 200 reel with 8# mono line and the balance is very nice , making casting/fishing for hours no big deal . I fished Sunday after work from about 2pm to 6pm using just the rod/reel to put it through its paces. I tried some different lures ranging from 1/8oz jigs to 3/8 oz top water poppers as well as crank baits, worms, lizards, etc to get a feel for top, middle and deeper water usage. The rod did very well in all aspects I put it through, catching a 3# large mouth . I literally put the same lure on the Ugly Stik medium and cast side by side using the same reeling technique to get a true feel for the differences in feel. The Rhino won every test I put it through with sensitivity of catching grass, rocks along the bottom, logs, nibbles all more prevalent on it. The only area the US was better at was distance casting, about a 15' difference using 1/4oz rattle traps, about 120' with the US vs 105' on the Rhino. 3/8oz lures were pretty much neck and neck, both easily casting well beyond 150'. On 1/8 oz jigs the US almost doubled the distance, with accuracy, of the Rhino, about 70 'vs 40'. Just tossing with no attempt at accuracy they were much closer on the light tackle. My only gripe, and it's not enough to take any points off, is the placement of the hook/bait holder on the side. More times than I liked when I first began to tell in the line the big eye let the line flop widely, no biggie usually, enough to catch on the holder. It gave the sensitivity a super boost but could actually cause abrasions in the line if left to rub the entire retrieval. Since most lures do best with momentary stops in movement I took it loose during a stop each time. I just personally don't like taking my eyes off the lure/line when retrieving to see if the line is rubbing and found this to be annoying. Some say a 2 piece can fly apart on a cast and I did notice, when new, it did move and start to come loose after a few casts but I just outraged it back down and twisted a little as I pushed and it never had buffed since unless I make it budge. All of my Ugly Stiks (ultra light 5', medium described above, 6' medium- heavy for a bait caster) stay taught unless I move them and have since day 1 with no extra twisting needed. I'll be honest I messed with this model at Wal-Mart, during a storm one evening when I went in there instead of fishing due to lightning, and I was sold but they only had it in caster handle so to Amazon I came looking for one with a spinner handle. Granted I'm not sure how other big dollar rods would compare but on this one I'm catching fish, can feel nooks and crannies along the bottom and I can tell if the bream is messing or serious about what I just tossed in the water. The bass I've been catching recently don't seem too picky about whether or not to eat the Mad Dad Shad lures that are driving them nuts so I can't really say if there's a real sensitivity difference there. On worms/lizards I can tell speculative nibbles that I don't even feel on either of my longer USs when seeking the elusive bass during the heat of the day . For under $30 this rod can't be beat and , like I said, I'm with the sensitivity practically able to close my eyes when reeling and get a topo map going in my head when bottom fishing. It has been a very pleasant surprise and is my do all rod/reel combo for the days I really don't feel like carrying my arsenal but want to be able to do more than just cast from an open area bank. I bought the combo hoping for something that would be usable from ultra light tackle to medium weight tackle and cast up close or long distance with the ability to skip lures on the water or slingshot them under low hanging branches. The rod has really filled the desire.