i decided to use all REC Recoil for the stripper and snakes since it is "fast glass" the light weight flexible snakes seemed to fit and won't slow it down. I have been looking at the ALPS seats for a long time an used one of there up locking seats before and liked the machining and general quality. this seat is also great quality but a bit over kill for a modern light 5wt. i think it would fit great on a 7-10 due to length and weight but it works and balances a light reel rather well and locks the reel like a vise so its not to far off. the triangle design is neat, the moving parts alway line up so mounting a reel is so easy. there are so many threads on how the epics cast so i won't get into it a lot but im a Steffen guy and this rod seems to fit my style of casting rather well. very smooth, progressive and a solid 5wt rod. no over lining needed. when you waggle it, it seems softer and slower than it really is when casting. it has a nice smooth flex and tightens up really well at the bottom, still smooth but increasingly more low end power. i don't have any 4 pc rods that i use a lot so putting all of it together and keeping it straight is different but it sure does fit nicely on the side of my pack so there is a nice spot for it in my line up. ill probably want to get my hands on one of the 4wts now that i know they are actually true to the designated weight, i think i can use a good 476 also. Side note i put off buying one of these for a long time partly due to the colors but i have to say in real life up close personal, they are very nice looking blanks with a little sparkle and great fit.

Very nice!

@picketpins52 i have had the REC guides on a steffen for many years and some lines do make them sing, i just ignore it, the rod casts like a dream. like many of us, I have used Snake brand almost all the time but those guides are so stiff. even the light wire guides don't hardly flex. on average those guides are about an inch long so if you add 8 of them (mostly to the tip section) your adding 8" of splint material to that blank. Im guessing most blank rollers take that into account when designing their blanks and make them looser so the action is correct when guides are added. here is the thing; we have many long threads about line weight on a rod being marked as on weight to light, 5wt rods working better with 6wt line. its all subjective, but i always wonder when im reading one of those threads "what brand guides are on that rod?" the recoil guides offer no resistance, they just bend and snap back.