Scierra XDA vs Shakespeare Agility

[birds_nest]

I've got a Scierra XDA 9'6" rod and XDA 79 reel which I've had for about 10 years.  I don't know much about gear but it seems a nice bit of kit and has served me well but does seem to feel a bit weighty.  I'm thinking about replacing with a new 7 wt Shakespeare Agility rod and Sigma reel.  Tesco have them for around £50 and £30 respectively and with Clubcard boost on at the moment I can get them for half that.

I'd be grateful for advice on whether a new Shakespeare is better than a 10 yr old Scierra.

[burnie]

What sort of fishing do you do, is it river or lochs? I always seem to over gun and am loving using a #5 weight just now, do you need a #7 weight?

[Noddy]

Got 4wt 8.5ft Agility Rise and using a 5wt Stream Stealth Floating line with it on a small river. 

Jim

[birds_nest]

Actually I wasn't going to admit this but I bought myself an Agility 5wt a few months ago but would still like to have something a bit heavier for windier conditions or occasional light salmon or sea trout fishing. I know I don't need to change my Scierra but since when did need come into buying gear.  It just seems a very good deal but I'm not very clued up on the relative qualities of makes of tackle.

[haresear]

Actually I wasn't going to admit this but I bought myself an Agility 5wt a few months ago but would still like to have something a bit heavier for windier conditions or occasional light salmon or sea trout fishing. I know I don't need to change my Scierra but since when did need come into buying gear.  It just seems a very good deal but I'm not very clued up on the relative qualities of makes of tackle.

Like many things in life, choice of rod comes down mainly to personal preference. The only way to decide between the two is to have cast both rods.

I don't know the Scierra XDA, but I fished with a Shaky Agility 8'6" #4 last week. It was ok for a cheap rod, but not the sort of rod I would use in a wind.
Admittedly I'm comparing it to top end Sages and the like, so with that considered, yes it was a decent rod.
It certainly felt well balanced which is I would argue more important than weight. I had an Orvis Frequent Flyer which was pretty light, but was tip heavy. It isn't now as the tip is lying somewhere in another continent :lol:

Alex

[Wildfisher]

It was ok for a cheap rod, but not the sort of rod I would use in a wind.

That one sentence sums up nicely the difference between run of the mill, average and very good rods.