One thing that I did notice about the 11' HJ 1327, after fishing it for a week, is that I am getting a slight amount of twist in the upper half of the rod while fishing. I've pretty much split its fishing time between throwing big surface plugs, and jigs or lead/plastic combos to 4 oz. One of the things people have told me is that the sections are hard to separate once you've set them and fished the rod for awhile, as is the case of the ferrules on the Mojo line from St. Croix. I did follow the advice that Ron Arra gives out, about lubricating the male part of the ferrule with one's facial oils before putting the sections together. But, as long as the sections don't lock in place with the guides out of alignment with the reel, I can live with it. It's just a little surprising, as I watched a couple of guys struggle to get one apart at the show.
The rod fits my casting style better than a GSB or SSU. As far as an XRA 1322 goes, I can't really do a fair side-by-side, as the Century has a concept layout with very light guides and short wraps, and the Arra has a COF layout with heavy V-frame Hardaloy guides (starting with a 50 mm) and longer wraps, including underwraps that traverse the entire length of the guide. My impression is, right now, both rods being built as they are, the Century throws farther starting at around 2.5 oz and up. Plus, it handles lead better. I haven't hooked into anything better than 20 lbs with it, so how it compares to the Arra when playing a fish is an open question. I've always felt that the 1322 fought a fish in current better than any other Lamiglas rod. Learning where the "power curve" of a rod works best on a big fish can only be done out there, with a big fish on the other end of the line.
As I stated before, I don't see any real similarities between the action of the 1322 and the HJ 1327. The Century is a lot faster in the tip, and the way it works a pencil popper is totally different. I would not want to even try to whip a pencil from an open beach, with no current, using the Century, and while the Arra may not be the ideal rod for it, it's certainly doable. To compare it to other rods that I've owned, to me, the Century is more like the All Star GSW 1267/2 than any other rod. Same tip size, too (9/64"), and very similar bend.