Loomis rods have been around for a lot of years, pretty much when graphite rods started to hit the market. They were originally produced in the usa and then found their way overseas. The amount of time they have been around contributes to their popularity because of the name and the quality of the product. As to who makes the blank now i am unsure but originally by Gary Loomis hence G.Loomis. They are now distributed here in aus by EJ Todds. Now because of the advancements in graphite manufacting a lot of companies have caught up with the quality in the production processes. To say one rod is better than another is more to the opion of the user as just about all rods act differently due to many different aspects (taper, length, quality of graphite etc). But Loomis have been a popular choice for quite a few years now and will be in the future. I hope this sheds a bit of light on a subject that could take quite a while to completely explain. Yell out if you would like some more info.