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Maybe I can provide a different perspective on Per and his rods. I have cast a bunch of his rods and own a couple, so have some experience with them. Those rods are certainly among the finest rods I've ever cast and fished. I think Per has a very unusual combination of talents that show in his rods. Other rodmakers also may have similar talents, but few, in my opinion, have them all.

Per is an outstanding caster and angler, who can feel very subtle differences in actions and identify how a rod is bending and whether it's to his satisfaction. Among rodmakers, there are very few who can judge casting qualities as well and have that feel for action. As a tournament caster, he definitely understands casting as few others do. Glenn B. does come to mind.

He's a very analytical guy who has studied rods by buying them to see how they work, miking them, comparing notes with other makers, etc. He has an extensive taper library he created from rods he owned or borrowed. A look at the strobe photo on his website (and other photos he has) gives an idea of how he analyzes a casting stroke.

Per has the very rare talent of knowing what a change in tapers will do to the feel and action of a rod. Doug Merrick of Winston had that ability, but most others have to sort of feel their way along in more of a cut-and-try way.

Per's rods are mostly hollowbuilt and hollow into the tip section, where it really counts. Among all current builders he was in the first few who realized the benefits of redistributing dead weight out of the tip section on the action of the rod. His rods have a lightness and recovery that are difficult to match and basically not possible without hollowing. His tapers and actions are, in my opinion, as good as they get.

More generally, Per is an innovator who's tried many experiments to improve his rods. That's part of the reason he doesn't make as many rods as other makers who stick to the tried-and-true. Micro ferrules, staggered butts, spliced joints, hollow quads, spey rods, tournament tapers and many other experiments (some successful, some not) have contributed to the development of the craft.

Per's craftsmanship in the wood is certainly outstanding. Though I'm not qualified to judge node-by-node as a rodmaker could, I can definitely see the high level of his woodwork and have heard other makers talk about the high regard they have for his work.

As to whether he worked in the mother shops of Leonard, Payne, Young, etc., I don't think that matters as much as the time he's spent sharing ideas with and studying the work of other builders, both eastern and western. Though he's from the East and is friends with most of the prominent builders (Aroner, Gray, Dorsey, Carmichael, Carpenter, etc.) there, he's also spent time in the West and knows well Glenn and the guys at Sweetgrass, Tom Morgan, interviewed extensively those who worked with E.C. Powell, shared a shop with Mario Wojnicki and made rods for the discriminating caster/anglers at the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club. He's one of the few makers who's been part of both the eastern and western bamboo rod traditions.

People understandably may not like his pricing and waiting time, but to dismiss his rods and his skills because of them would be a mistake, especially without ever trying one. He has a combination of talents that is rare, if not unique. It's defintely not just hype. Whether his rods are worth the money and the wait is up to the buyer.