Ike done with Daiwa?

I just heard how Mike Iaconelli signed an exclusive deal with Pure Fishing and will now expand from just Berkley soft plastics and line to the full arsenal including Abu Garcia rods and reels.  I know Abu makes some great reels like the Revos and has some cool new rods coming out like the Vengence and Vendetta, but how will these compare to the high end Steez from Daiwa? 

It seems like Ike has been with Daiwa forever and this was a big surprise to me.   The big shift from Daiwa in sponsorship came a two years ago with superstars like Jay Yelas, Denny Brauer, and George Cochran being cut from the team making Ike the biggest name left.


Now I'll be waiting to see when these go on sale.