Good topic BredMan.
I use Sage and Redington rods, some older, some newer, one inherited. Reels are Lamson, Ross, Redington, Allen, Cabela's. I used to be a Cortland only line user, but now I am SA almost exclusively.
None of the aforementioned brands nor the amount of money spent has anything to do with the incredible fun I have fishing - either solo or with my buds.