Here are a few to look at for an idea:
Cheap Arse Entry Level:
https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/pr ... model.htmlActual Entry Level:
https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/pr ... -rods.htmlWhere You Should Actually Start If You Really Like Fishing:
https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/pr ... -rods.htmlhttps://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/pr ... -rods.htmlMid Range (as good as you will ever really need):
https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/pr ... -spin.htmlFor Those After Big Fish & With a Little Extra Cash To Splash About:
https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/pr ... odels.htmlThere are other brands but this selection is indicative of what is available for each price point.
The cheaper you go (generally) the less finesse you will get from the rod, the arch will be interrupted by lower quality spigoting which will effect precision casting, "contact" with whatever is on the end of the line, as well as "feel" while playing a fish.
My general theory with spin outfits is that you spend more on your reel than on your rod. If a rod snaps, you can still get that fish of a lifetime in but if your reel craps out or the drag is dodgy... bye bye fishy..... With a fly outfit, it's kinda the other way around; the reel is sort'a just there to hold the line.
When i walk into fish, i take a 3piece 1-3kg Shimano rod that cost me about $180 around 10 years ago (don't make this exact model anymore), a Daiwa Certate 3500 with a 6kg drap as smooth as silk (two spools with different capacity and line weights) that go for about $600ish and a small pocket box full of jigheads and a finite selection of plastics. This is for "prospecting", either covering water fast to check out new ground or for when conditions are such that sight fishing just isn't a viable option, however, at a pinch i would target almost any esturine or fresh water species with this outfit: if all else fails i can always point the rod at the fish and crank 6kg of hurt onto it which will move quite a decent fish.
I also take a 4piece Sage VPS #5 (cost about $650 14 years ago but they don't make it anymore: also a lifetime warranty so if i bust it, they replace it with new equivalent, very comforting when you are pushing the limits on a fish in tight spots!), the reel is a Pfleuger Trion that cost about $250 same time i bought the rod. The line is a weight forward #6 floating. The over weight line helps soften an otherwise stiff rod and making it more forgiving for a dodgy caster like me, also helps when you are casting into steady winds as i often do in highland lakes area. I use this for sight fishing.
Point is, you can get affordable performance but you can't get affordable (i mean cheap) performance from gear that includes specialised tech. Spacing and reinforcing spigots without creating flatspots, weaknesses and sloppy action takes a lot of R&D, expensive components and specialised gear. None of this comes cheap. The major problem with telescoping rods is that in order to have them maintain any sort of structural integrity the sections are generally kept equal length with a guide on each section. Proper fishing rods do not load like that and guides are spaced according to the parabola for optimum performance in both strength and finesse. I have seen one telescopic rod that was very well built, loaded nicely and you could feel the tip through your hand but it was priced horrendously expensive.
There's no free lunch. If you want to work to a low budget then expect severe limitations on what the rig will do and be prepared for it to fail on you at any given moment.
Don't get me wrong. I had a telescopic rod many many moons ago and caught fish on it... BUT... would i buy another one or suggest anyone else do so when a half decent pack rod is affordable and FAR superior to just about any telescopic rod? NO, i wouldn't.