Also, what other processes put St. Croix rods in advantage from the competition?
J. Schluter: IPC or Integrated Poly Curve refers in the mandrel. The mandrel is the mold from which rod blanks are made. IPC mandrels are a superior design over the compound-tapered mandrels used on most blanks because they provide the blank a more uniform wall thickness which in turn creates stronger blanks. With IPC weve virtually eliminated the transition points. IPC-engineered rods also deliver smoother casts. This is really evident in a fly rod, especially 4-pc models. IPC allows us to build a 4-pc fly rod that feels and casts like a 1-pc. ART or Advanced Reinforcing Technology is an exotic carbon fiber material that adds a magnitude (10x) of strength with virtually no increase in blank diameter or weight. ART significantly improves the hoop strength of the blank by preventing it from deforming or ovaling under a severe load, such as a powerful hook set or fish battle. ART is also a critical part of our slim-profile ferrule design. The slim-profile ferrule has less mass resulting
