I bought the rod. Here is some feedback so far.
The build quality is excellent, with lots of the little details in the finish. The rod tube is massive to accommodate the wide grinder eyes, so I have to rearrange my kit to fit it all in the cupboard. But I can also fit an 11ft and 9ft in the same tube for long distance travel.
The bionic finger works, and in fact I have to say its an absolute necessity for such a rod. I think these modern high modulus graphite rods pack quite a punch in the power department, so they really put a lot of pressure on your casting finger. I tried a few throws without the bionic and it killed my casting finger. This is quite strange, because I have been throwing the same weights with a glass fiber surf rod for years, and never needed a glove or anything on the finger. It did take a while to get used to the bionic finger, and you tend to initially release a bit late, giving a flatter cast, which is not a bad thing in the wind.
With all the power in the rod, I have to say that the old adage is true, that 'power corrupts'. It is a lot harder to control and is less forgiving than an old floppy glass rod. If you throw it right, it goes a mile, but you can also stuff the casts up quite horribly. So despite the high price tag, and the enormous potential, you have to work a lot harder on your technique to get the best out of it. I might go so far as to say, that the cheaper, floppier rods that are easier to load, but less powerful are much better options/more relaxing to fish with for beginners, than these high end offerings.
Sadly, not a lot of fish caught on it yet. They still prefer my light tackle bass outfit:?