Splasher,
I have both reddinton CPS 9wt, but the trident is a 10wt.
I guess being second hand, guarantees fall away, check this however. See which has a better guarantee. i know reddington you have to pay, but I have niot broken my orvis so not sure on their policy yet. Both mine were bought in the uk so not sure on sa policy or agents etc.
Reddington (Pros)
Its a very fast action and can throw a long line. I really enjoy this set up. I pair it with an orvis battenkill with orvis wonderline either sinking or flaoting, 9wt sink, 10wt float. Both cast well. I havnt caught any big fish on this rod so cant comment on its backbone, bit it seems decent.
Cons- At last check it was +_4-500 to get a reddington fixed. Not sure on current cost as this was 6 odd years ago. 5 yrs ago it was 40 uk pounds to fix one.
Other than this, i cant fault it.
Orvis trident 10wt.
pros- It was orvis's top model for a long time, and that says a lot. it has a slightly slower action but still plenty fast for me. it punches a decent line into the wind.
ity has serious backbone and can and has handled some pretty decent fish.
its an orvis.
orvis have a pretty good warrantee policy, but check it out.
Cons- I cant say anything bad about this rod. A mate had a orvis silver label, he traded it in at orvis london, he just had to pay the difference between a new SL and a trident. He then did another trade in between a trident and the newer model (cant remember its miodel now). I am not sure if orvis sa do this.
I have not had problems witht he CPS, but I traded a reddington wayfarer 5piece in for it. The wayfarer broke after 2 casts but was my fault. The replacement they sent me was a peice of crap. soft as hell. it broke at the ferrule after about 2 trips, the replacement of that just snapped mid section when still new, and another ferrule broke. at 40 quid a replacement I was bleak, hence the replacement and upgrade. I think it was hjsut that model problem.
IMO, The prvis is a better all rounder, you decide whether r300 extra ios worth it. IOf possible cast them, one may suit you better. If they have guarantees, check out relacement costs etc. The r300 may well be worth it.