are any of the cheaper crankbaits work to start out with like a $2 manns, or a berkley frenzy

Manns minus 1 are decent,but stay away from berkley frenzy(junk)

You get what you pay for dude, there ain 't no point in spending 2 bones in a crankbait that don 't run straight and no matter what you do it always runs crooked.

Multiply that for 10 and you could have started with 3 or 4 five to seven dollars baits that run straight out of the box like Rapalas or Storms.

Try using Normans, they are 4 bucks, but have alot of variety and colors to choose from.  A majority of my CB's are normans.  I've had 1 that wasn't true when I took it out, but the rest run straight.  I'm pretty happy with these for the price.

Aot of people don't like the Berkley Frenzy and have problems with them but, I've caught quite a few fish on them. Not my first choice but a good buy when they are on sale.

go with rapalas. they are the best crankbait short of lucky crafts. not sure if lucky crafts are much better either. they are more expensive tahts for sure.

there are no $2 cranks that are worth buying. (unless its a good bait in a bargain bin somewhere)

I never owned one but plan to.

Bandit baits supposedly run true and they are cheap.

anyone with experience ?

Manns minus 1 are decent,but stay away from berkley frenzy(junk)

Ive never used those cranks but the frenzy jerkbait isn't bad.

I never owned one but plan to.

Bandit baits supposedly run true and they are cheap.

anyone with experience ?

I love bandit crankbaits. Majority of my shallow to medium are bandits and my deep divers are norman. both about 4$  range.

I never owned one but plan to.

Bandit baits supposedly run true and they are cheap.

anyone with experience ?

I love bandit crankbaits. Majority of my shallow to medium are bandits and my deep divers are norman. both about 4$ range.

An excellant cheaper bait. I've caught many a bass on them.

how much do storm wigglewarts cost nowadays? ive always done good witht hem

BPS has them for 4.69. They have went up .90 over the last year or so.

I've faired pretty well with bomber fat free shads 5 bucks at BPS.Also rapalas(available at most wal-marts).Manns are good too but my limited experience with the frenzy is they never caught anything for me and the paint wore off really quick.So pretty much cankbaits are like most things,you get what you pay for.

I never owned one but plan to.

Bandit baits supposedly run true and they are cheap.

anyone with experience ?

bandits are awesome crankbaits. they are my runner up crank (after rapala). my favorite bandit crank is the footloose. i like this because it has something rapala cant offer to me, a waking crankbait. i also have the bandit 100's and 200's and they are great cranks, but i would use a rapala DT 3 or 4 before i'd use a bandit.

Bomber Fat As and Flat As are pretty cheap, run true, and are great producers.

I never owned one but plan to.

Bandit baits supposedly run true and they are cheap.

anyone with experience ?

bandits are awesome crankbaits. they are my runner up crank (after rapala). my favorite bandit crank is the footloose. i like this because it has something rapala cant offer to me, a waking crankbait. i also have the bandit 100's and 200's and they are great cranks, but i would use a rapala DT 3 or 4 before i'd use a bandit.

Thats a good point I wish Rapala would make a wake bait. I tired the Footloose, they are good choices but I havent found a wake bait that I can gt the feeling of yet

I am a bass angler who doesnt have as much money to play around with as most, so I like the cheaper crankbaits. I do go extremely cheap but you will certainly find me digging around the bargin bins often. Yes, I know the cheaper crankbaits need more tuning, have crappier hooks, and may be less durable. But, I can buy 10 cheapies for the price of one lucky craft. That means I can be a lot riskier with my cranks. By the time ive lost ten its like i lost one lucky craft. Would I use cheap cranks in a tournament situation? No. But they are good for the angler on the budget.

I'd go with, in order, Rapala DT's, Bomber Model A, and Norman Lures.

Just remember sometimes you can find a good deal on a good bait and if it doesn't catch fish no matter if the lure is $2 or $15, it aint worth it.

The Frenzy FLICKER SHAD is a super-good little crankbait!   Very underrated lure when you need a "Shad Rap" style bait in a finesse situation.  

As a bonus - they also work extremely well for walleye...

If you have a Academy around check out their H20 store brand. Look good and run true. $2.99 and $3.49 each.

I agree with Stringjam. The Frenzy Flicker Shad is a very good lure for the price. I've caught many smallies on mine and for $2.99, you can't beat the price.

Falcon

Bandits are the cheapest crankbait i use,  i like them because they work and i am not afraid to lose them, or toss them in a place were i might lose them

The Lew's speed lures are pretty good and they sell for about 2.80 I think.  

They are good lures to use. Their paint job is good, so is their action in the water. The only thing that I do not like about this lure is that there hooks are crap. However if you are on a low budget these hooks are fine just that you might have to sharpen them after every fishing trip.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=29993&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=44609&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=29987&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults\

The Lew's speed lures are pretty good and they sell for about 2.80 I think.

They are good lures to use. Their paint job is good, so is their action in the water. The only thing that I do not like about this lure is that there hooks are crap. However if you are on a low budget these hooks are fine just that you might have to sharpen them after every fishing trip.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=29993&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=44609&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=29987&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults\

These are actually pretty good baits (I agree with you).   But those hooks suck.  I replaced the hooks on mine.  They aren't as great a deal once you start putting decent hooks on them.  Mine are dwindling down and Ii won't be buying anymore.  (I got many of mine as gifts from my kids.)

For cheap cranks, I like Bandits, Berkley Frenzy medium and shallow divers (haven't tried the flicker shad), and Bill Normans.  I have to say, the Berkley Frenzy divers have a 'searching' wiggle that produces great results in cool prespawn water.  I have one tied on right next to my more expensive cranks.  It's all about the action...not the price.