Recently, I got to fish with the new 13'4" 8 wt rod from TFO for 5 days (March 20-24) on the Skeena River downstream from Terrace, B.C. I found the rod's action to be moderately fast, easy to load, and cast. It has a smaller diameter handle which was a concern before I started fishing as my hands are large. Surprisingly, this rod is easier and less tiring to hold and fish than many of my other rods. This might be because it does not have to be as tightly gripped. The composite cork is very nice as it does not get slippery when wet and cold/icy. An Airflo compact Skagit head of 570 grains worked beautifully. As the river was low and icy a 15' Type 3 tip with 5' or so of 15 lb Maxima for leader was the ticket. The rod is easy to cast and is forgiving regardless of fly swung. That said, it has plenty of "backbone". My friends and I make a point of getting fish to hand and released as quickly as possible. This rod meets our requirements without losing its sweet feel. I fished everything from big weighted intruders to smaller unweighted tube flies with ease. It has quickly become my go to rod for swinging wet flies. For what it is worth my favorite rod for skating dries is Gary Anderson's 7wt.
Don't know if Kiene's has this rod in stock yet. If, when they do try it out. I think you will be impressed. Especially given the price.