I see bunches of broken rods. I would imagine that things are skewed a bit due to idiot proof warranties on most of the high end gear, but it is still amazing the number of higher end rods I see for repair. I hear what was done to the rod and how it was broken. I see a few tip sections broken from big fish but the vast majority are abuse. I tend to discount the big fish stories because, well... it is a fisherman bringing me the rod.

All in all, I think the lower priced rods hold up just as well as the high end ones. The $40 reel that Bass Pro Shop sells is a good little reel if not as pretty as some of the higher end ones. I have a friend that sells some very nice looking CNC machined reels out of China that are almost bullet proof and have a great nylon disk drag at under a c-note! Quality does not have to be expensive.