Name your top two favorite higher end brands for spinning and casting and two cheap brands.

Expensive

Casting- St. Croix, Shimano

Spinning- St Croix, Fenwick

Cheap

Casting- Berkley, Cabelas

Spinning- Berkley, Ugly Stick

I can't spend over $150 for a rod, but these are my favorites.

Cheap- 6'6"Ugly Stik lite, 7' Guide Series BC

Not Cheap-St. Croix Avids, Falcon Lowrider XG's

Expensive

Casting: G Loomis

Spinnging: G Loomis

Cheap:

Casting: BPS, Cabelas

Spinning: BPS, Cabelas

Expensive

Casting: St. Croix, G Loomis

Spinning: St. Croix, G Loomis

Cheap

Casting: Cabelas, BPS

Spinning: Ugly Stick, Cabelas

Expensive

Casting- G-Loomis, Quantum Tour PT (under 200 bucks, but IMO better then allot of rods over 200) (Powell tied for second)

Spinning- G-Loomis. Powell

Cheap

Casting- All Star, Shimano

Spinning- All Star, Shimano

On the high end. St. Croix and G.Loomis.  

On the budget end alot of store branded rods cabelas, gander, bass pro and some others.

Expensive Casting:  St. Croix and G-Loomis

Expensive Spinning:  St. Croix and G-Loomis

Cheap Casting:  Ugly Sticks and Berkley

Cheap Spinning:  Ugly Sticks and Berkely

Later,

I too can't spend $150 plus on a rod.

So the cheaper rods that I like to use

casting - Diawa Heartland Series / Ugly Stick

spinning - Ugly Stick

Expensive :

Dobyns Rods only

Cheap:

BPS Extreme rods on sale at $64 great for any budget angler.

More costly:

Gloomis and St Croix

Less costly:

Fenwich HMG

Expensive- Loomis, St. Croix

Inexpensive- Shimano, Fenwick

Expensive

Gloomis > shimano

Less expensive

Used Gloomis ,Shimano

If you shop around you can get some used rods for 1/2 or less then retail.  

expensive : loomis, st. croix

less expensive : st. croix, bps

I fish middle of the road St. Croix , Kistler, and Team All Star.

I fish all St. Croix. Love their products

High end: G. Loomis GLX and St. Croix Legend Elite

Intermediate: Loomis IMX and St. Croix Avid series

8-)

I'm the opposite of RW-

My "high end" stuff is still under or right at 100 bucks, so....

"high-end"-Quantum, All Star

"low-end"-Shimano Sojourn (25 bucks at Academy, and an ABSOLUTELY fantastic spinnerbait rod)

My stuff is less than $200 but store brands

High End

Spinning: Cabelax XMLti and XML

Casting: Cabelas XMLTi

Inexpensive

Spinning: Cabelas Tourney Trial

Casting: Cabelas Fish Eagle II

High end, St.Croix Avid spinning and casting( as far high end as I can afford)

Low end, Gander Mt tournament series (Great rods for the money)

High End - St.Croix

Low End - BPS, Berkley, still decent stuff.

Enjoy all.

Expensive: Loomis IMX and St. Croix Legend Elite

Cheaper: Shimano Crucial and St. Croix Avid

Beater Rods: Shimano Clarus

St. Croix IMO is the best in terms of quality and price.

Can only post what I have...

High End: Kistler and Carrot Stix Gold

Lower: BPS and Berkley

expensive

casting: dobyns

spinning: dobyns

inexpensive

casting: shimano clarus, BPS crankin' sticks and prolite finesse

spinning: BPS prolite finesse

in the middle: anything powell and shimano crucial