The Berkley rods are a good buy in the very low-end $30 to $50 price point, and I'd pick them over probably any other "Wal-Mart" rod.
They are going to be heavier than a quality true graphite rod though - the reason they are so cheap is because you're actually buying a "composite" rod blank that is fiberglass with a little graphite mixed in. Since weight is at a premium when you're starting with a 12 oz. reel, shaving an ounce or two off the rod weight makes a big difference.
I have owned a few Berkley rods - when I was younger and broke, that's pretty much all I fished. But I kept coming across two problems consistently. First, the blanks seem to have a lot of flaws, and I bought 3 or 4 that broke for no good reason after only a few fishing trips. This was clearly a manufacturing defect, and they replaced the rods without question, but it was inconvenient to break a rod in the middle of a fishing trip. Who knows, maybe they've fixed this problem in the intervening years.
The other problem I have is that the inexpensive aluminum oxide guides wear out pretty fast. They are prone to developing nicks and spurs that will cause line abrasions or breakoffs. If you use braided line, the guides will wear out even more quickly.
Now, the Berkley rods are definitely a good value for the money, and if the guides wear out after a year or two of heavy use, you can just replace the rod. At $40 or $50, that's not very painful. I think you get better performance out of a true graphite rod though, so it's worth it to me just to spend the money for a premium product. You get what you pay for.
bd
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