I live in southern new jersey and have fished lakes around here since i was a kid. I know the salt a lot better than i know the freshwater so that's why i'm here. I am not a serious bass fisherman but i do it quite often since there are small lakes everywhere around here. I use mostly soft plastics and spinner baits since they have been the most effective for me. I rarely use hard plastics because they haven't really produced for me, but then again i don't think i have used them enough to know. I wanted to get into cranking and i needed some recommendations. I was looking for a good brand of crankbaits that weren't too expensive so i could fill a box with different colors, sizes, and depths. I have heard good things about strike king and bomber and would like some opinions. Thanks for the help and any other opinions and tips would help out!

Bandits, Rapala, and Norman are all excellent.

Rapala

Strike King

Norman

Bandit

Bomber

Falcon

my personal favourite, for large and smallmouth, is the old faithful Big-O by Cotton Cordell, in white or perch.

Bomber is my favorite, it's dynamite on smallmouth bass in the lake near me.

H2O's from Academy Dude...If you don't have an Academy near you get with me.  I ship them all over the U.S. and I don't overcharge like the guys on FleaBay.  I mark 'em up $1 per bait and charge you shipping.  I'll even send the receipt with your order.  They are made by the same company that makes Lucky Crafts (or so I have been told) and they have some killer colors, VMC hooks and only cost around $3.50 a piece.

Other than that I use Bandits and Normans more than anything else.

Rapala DT series

I second Midnighthrasher's opinion.  I never did well with crankbaits until I got Rapala's DT series.  Then, I was catching bass left and right!  Also, another good crankbait is BPS XPS Nitro crankbaits.  They have done very well for me! 

One more thing, learn the Rapala knot for crankbait fishing (if you do not already know it)  I think it really frees up a crankbait for better swimming action.

Before buying a bunch of hard baits, buy a few, catch a few fish on them and gainsome confidence, then expand from there. Here are some baits that catch tons of fish inthe right time/place:

Sub surface: Manns Baby 1-

Shallow : Bandit 100 series

Mid Depth: Rapala Shad Rap

Lipless: Rat-L-Trap

Natural colors like Shad,perch, bluegill, babybass, and craw patterns are standbuys and will catch fish any where. Get a few fish on these lures, learn when/how/why they work and go from there.