Can anyone tell me in all honesty what the difference is in a 12ft carp and a 12ft barbel rod of equal test curves.In the £100 price bracket they are all much of muchness with virtually the same blanks and runners.Its not the rod its the angler and a lot of the technicalities are a load of bollocks

No difference in most except the label, although some of the better barbel rods have slightly softer tops to help bite registration.

Think so Graham and like you say the more expensive ones are better.I tend to hold the rod so i like a light rod and thats where the expensive rod has the advantage as i found out when i bought an Antares.The rod is too expensive for what it is but very light unlike the Beastmaster which i also own(very heavy)
Dont know why they dont just call them all specialist rods(mind you some anglers like to be Bennets tackle shop on the bank)all display and no action

There is not much difference in most carp/barbel rods, however the best barbel rods tend to have more of a through action. This is certainly the case with the Harrison Chimera rods I use on the Trent.

A lot of carp rods are used for distance casting and tend to have a faster taper. You don't want a poker when you have a decent barbel plunging under you rod tip.

Test curves by the way can mean absolutely nothing, especially when the whole concept of the test curve is flawed.

Read Dr. Steve Harrisons comments on test curves in the Harrison Website.