Dear Brad,
I am not sure why you classified the SP 78EXH as a PE12 rod, I think it is better rated as a PE8.
I have had a casting session with the Ripple Fisher 78H recently. These are some of the charateristics I personally felt.
78H Ripple Fisher is a forgiving GT rod. Its forgiving to cast and easy on the angler when engaged with a fish. The rod has a fairly soft tip but a gradual backbone locking in quite close to the stripper guide.
Casting with poppers between 140-170g seems to be ideal, the rod launches with a whip rather than a punch. When casting, the load is absorbed throughout the blank and whips out. For comparison purposes, the Carpenter rods when casting, picks up the weight at the loading point and punches the popper out. Such a characteristic on the Ripple would mean it is easy to cast with but may not be optimum in terms of casting distance (if we are picky) , and the distance and accuracy may drop further if in windy conditions.
Fish fighting wise, with the soft tip and a low locking point, it could be the next good thing for the angler's back after the Osim back massager. But it would mean that fish stopping prowess would be compromised.
Popper working is ideal with chuggers around the 150g mark. Have tried blopping the 170g GT3 with it and it was not so energy efficient.
These are just my personal opinion, let's agree to disagree if it differs from anyone's okie?
Still waiting for a chance to try the XH model.
Regards,
Ah Gu