I didn't notice a big difference distance wish. Personally, I think it works great for senkos. Here in NE, there are a lot of toothy critters that steal a pack of wacky hooks a day, so I Texas rig my senkos and the stiffer action helps in hooksets.
About a month ago, my st croix elite ML spinning setup flew off my boat because I didn't strap it in ... $700 gone. So i'm in market for another ML setup. I was considering getting another zbone but I do like my ML with a little softer tip.