I didn't want to buy this because of the negative reviews; However, all of the extension cords seemed to get about the same rating. I'm glad I bought this stick. I've used it for snorkeling and panga shore tours. He survived sea lions and small sharks. This gave me the correct spacing for the fish/corals etc. Yes it was extremely difficult to get all four pieces together and pull them all the way out. It's not something I would try underwater. I pulled and pulled the rod out of the water and then jumped in. There was no slippage, it was solid and did its job well. Others who had short poses or rods that didn't extend that far were jealous. If that doesn't work in the future, well, it worked out great for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.