You're right about Raven making you pay for the replacement piece and return shipping....I completely forgot and I had my rod break 2 times. I have a friend who bought his Raven im8 from Sail who broke his top section twice. He was able to exchange it to Sail free of charge. I don't know how he managed to do that.
I had a Avid break on me and I returned it to Sail for warranty. I was charged $40 to mail the item back and it took 6 weeks to get my replacement piece.
I guess its all about convenience with me. When I dealt with Raven, I was able to get my replacement piece right away.
Also I was offered a good deal on a Avid float rod when I bought my gold Islander, I turned it down because I wanted to stick with Raven float rods.