It's really easy to solve the balance problem. I took my 10.5 foot Lami. Cert. Pro and added a stack of quarters (about $5.50 worth) using strapping tape then three coats of Dip-It. Voila! Perfectly balanced rod. No elbow owee. You can also use 1 inch shrink tubing instead of the Dip-It, or buy the rod balancer thingy from Cabela's. But another advantage of the quarters is that you have bus fare, anytime.