Impressions: The first thing that struck me about this rod was the impressive case within which it arrives. This is a travel worthy bit of protection that is both handsome and functional. In fact, it's sturdiness cannot be stressed enough. Inside the case, the rod is further protected by a light, cloth bag that contains each of the four pieces of which this rod consists. The handle portion of the rod features a split rear grip, a foregrip/lockring combination, and an exposed blank reel seat. Each piece of the rod fits together via a friction-type, graphite joint to help maintain a continuity of materials. Once assembled, the rod feels surprisingly lively and is very well balanced.

Lab Tests: The first stop for our DC-644M was our lab and the infamous RoD WRACK. While rated between a 1/4 - 3/4 ounce lure weight, our suspicion, after assembling and handling the rod was that, typical of other JDM rods we've used, this rod was over rated for its actual power. One quick way to find out was to put it through our deflection tests.

Real World Test: Did I mention how much I appreciated the portability of this rod? The carrying case makes all the difference in the world with this product and makes it a breeze to toss into the trunk of my car and even into a storage bin in my boat. No worries of the stick getting banged around and broken during transport here. I fished this stick over the course of several months with several different reels and types of line to get an feel for it. It was fished both from the deck of a boat and from the shore.

Pitching and Casting: With its rather slow taper, the DC-644M takes a couple of casts with which to grow accustomed. Moderate action rods such as this load so easily it is natural to throw off target when switching from a more aggressively tapered rod. However, once acclimated, pitching and casting were a breeze and the slow taper was simply a non-factor. Each of our three reels felt equally at home on this stick as well. This is really a fun rod to cast.