Your either have no first hand experience with the ugly stick heavy casting rod or are a liar. I can throw it 80 yds or so with big baits. Only one beach I fish has breakers farther then that and it sucks for fishing. Most people just bandwagon something they heard someone else say or read on the internet. The spinning rods are noodles though, especially the little rods and that's where the saying come from. I got the 15ft spinner for a anchor rod and know people who have the 12ft spinner and they are not comparable to the 12ft caster. I can throw 8nbait as far as anybody else, I've never seen anyone throw it on a beach much further then like a 100yds. Your probably the guy who claims to throw 8nbait 200yds and adds 10 inches to every fish you catch and thinks your way is the right way, it's ok a lot of people do. You definitely come across as a tackle snob. I've out fished a few of those and then they come up with the best excuses, there's no skill in drum fishing, it's luck, but I beg the differ when it consistently happens Others I fish with have avets, fathoms, truths, squals, akios etc, ocean masters, battalions, ticas, diawa, okumas, st crois etc. I've never seen a one off them throw noticablly further then what I throw. They've even thrown mine and their only knock on it is it is it has bigger grips and is heavier and harder to handle then some and you have less sensitivity. So if your 5'6 with women hands steer away from it or if you plan to catch little fish on it. Battalions break it's a known fact same with the ticas. The ticas break at the tips and the battalions just explode but the first time it blows up Penn replaces it for $20 after that your out of luck. The battalion blew up when the cownose was running, not dragging up a beach or anything out of the ordinary. A cownose fights about the same as a big drum, just a little faster without the big rod pumps, they can't lock to the bottom like other rays. I've caught close to 30 over 40inches in October and my biggest is over 60inches back in 2008, I've caught 4 or 5 over 55 inches since then and plenty from 44 to 48 inches. You also don't have to throw a hundred yards to catch a red. Most of the drum in the surf feed at the first ledge and the beaches I fish it's anywhere from 15 to 50yds.
To the op just be aware most of these internet guys don't fish like they claim or catch what they claim and just regurgitate what they red somewhere online. If I was knew to throwing 8nbait I would get a tough rod cheaper rod and fish it untill I'm confident in my abilities. Which is why I got the ugly stick and recommended it. Maybe $200 dollars is cheap to you idk. Of everything listed I'd say the most reputable is the ocean masters, but I fished one and it seemed like a glorified uglystick. But again a lot of that is bandwagoning. Some one said it's good and then a few people follow suit. Some people get really caught up on names. The word Penn gets a lot of people going, the only thing worse then a Penn mark is a shimano mark.