Just like spinning gear, you get what you pay for. I'm in the camp that chooses not to fish with a wobbly piece of crap that feels like a log in hand. But like everything else in this dumbass thread, I say to each his own and don't worry so much about keeping up with the JonesesCould also argue that fly fishing can be the cheapest. A 5wt rod and a pair of waders can get you effectively fishing a lot of world class trout streams. I'm going on a week long trip to ID in June and i wont even spend $500, most of that will be gas money.
