I've certainly given Kistler a bunch of slack for trying to compete as an all-American company in a market that's swamped by Chinese-made blanks and components. They're just trying to break even as prices escalate. That's why I bought my Zbone last year, and even replaced the broken one at 50%/$275 (which is really high compared to other warranty policies). But that Xray blank was 95% of the reason I bought the rod (as was the TT review, which seems already obsolete now).Cal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:11 amMy suspicion is, this was in direct correlation to the cost of their blanks going up. If they're being hit with something similar in the ZBone, a move away from NFC could be a way to reel in the escalating costs. I'm sure this is a constant struggle for anyone not wrapping their own blanks in house.
Speaking of American companies, Dobyns feels like a pretty American company to me, using Chinese blanks. If I compare both shops, Kistler had a clear blank advantage because of the NFC (and particularly the Xray) blanks. If they're now moving to a new non-NFC blank, I expect that one to be on the level of an Xtasy blank: rolled somewhere else with high modulus Toray material, creating a very high-end (but not absolute top of the line, NRX/Xray-level) stick.
So, assuming that it is accurate (which isn't a given, of course): I can get an Xtasy for $550 and I get a high-end (but not NRX/Xray!) blank with a great build, good styling and awesome balance when I buy Dobyns. Or I can get a $550 Zbone with the same quality blank but below-average build and bad, tip-heavy balance.
Of course that might not actually be true and the new Zbone blank is awesome. But we don't know, and I'm not sure when somebody will take the plunge to buy a 2021 Zbone and to tell us, so... Kistler, to me, just lost their competitive edge. At least with the TT-super-grumpy-high-end-enthusiast crowd