I second the St. Croix line. I've broken two of them (the first was a factory defect, and the second was 100% my fault). In both cases they've supported the product (I have the 7 foot Tidemaster) and replaced it. These have a great feel and can easily turn the head on a fish.
As far as a lower price unit, I've started doing spin casting from the rocks with the Ugly Stik G2 (one piece version). I haven't caught any large stripers yet, but have used it offshore for Mahi with no worries.