Haha it's not that bad. I've never had a ruined fishing day because of my $50 rod. The only Fenwick I ever broke was the victim of my car door. I bring a $20 spare with me everywhere I go and it serves me just fine.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a Top Quality rod, but unless you have Top Quality rod holders/carrybags/protectors/boat etc. it hardly seems worth the "accident" factor. It all depends on your fishing style.
Either way, according to the masses, it sounds like the overall quality of the St-Croix's is better than the Fenwicks... but for $50 for a rod that is much better than anything else on the shelf, I'll take the Fenwick Highlander. Just my opinion of course.