I guess I'll put my 2 cents in I've found with any product you can buy Expensive, Cheaper and Cheap. Expensive is not always better than cheaper, and cheaper doesn't mean it has to be cheap. A better rod will usually cost you more money, but just because it expensive doesn't mean it is better. I'm sure there are plenty of expensive rods out there that the price is based more on it's hardware and name than the quality of the blank. There are also cheaper rods out there with great blanks and inexpensive hardware that great to fish. There are also cheaper rods that are just cheap (I don't just mean the price but also the quality). More or less what I'm saying is if you want a better rod you should expect to pay more but don't think just because a rod is more expensive it is better. Like many posts I've seen people make before say, "try a rod before you buy it".

To go with all the other car refferances in this thread....
I have never seen a car withstand the abuse that the Diesel VW Rabbit that my brother bought in the 90s for $100 withstood. (I'm a mechanic for a Chrysler dealer by the way). He used to take that thing off roading, drive with over 10 people in the car, and even flip it on it's side to work on it. This is an example of something that is cheaper without being cheap.