3 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Oh why not - all my rigs balance around the same point. Here's a shot of my Finesse rig.

Thank you for the pic! I WISH my finesse rig balanced there. Currently, I am using St. Croix Avid X 6'9" ML/XF with Shimano Sahara FI 1000 and here's where the rod tips forward:

 

 

I like the rod and reel on their own... but together... I failed... I think I can find a better pairing. At the time I bought it, I just wanted a "light" combo and didn't think much in the balance aspect.

 

This being a popular rod, and seeing it recommended a lot, if anyone else is considering this rod, I think a 2500 size or bigger reel would be more pleasant to use rather than a 1000 reel.

10 minutes ago, ResoKP said:

I WISH my finesse rig balanced there.

I lucked out with this, bought the rig as a combo. Used it last year and was pleasantly surprised at the quality...Mitchell did good with this one.

Okay, so the practical difference would be that with MN Fisher's combo, I can hold the rod with 2 fingers behind the reel foot whereas with my combo, I would need to have all 4 fingers infront of the reel foot in order to experience the same balance feel.

In my experience - comparing older rigs that balanced further forward that I've retired to the newer ones. The difference in stress applied might only be a few ounces, but over a day of fishing those few ounces 'add up'. One of the reasons I upgraded all my rigs was for better balance as my wrist was less tired after a day of fishing with the better balanced rigs.

 

It might not make much difference to you...but to my aged muscles it makes all the difference.

2 hours ago, MrSmitty said:

Have no idea of total weight, just wanted to show off new Dobyn's 736 CB Glass with Lew's Tournament Pro!

I really want to try the new LFS Tournament Pro.. dang monkey. 

4 hours ago, Glaucus said:

I've never checked where my combos balance just like I don't check or compare the weights of rods and reels. Only in special cases for specific people could I ever see it mattering. Like who cares if one rod is 3.8oz and the other is 4.2oz. Who cares if one reel is 7.6oz and the other is 7.8oz. Who cares where I have to place my finger to balance a setup. 

 

5 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

In my experience - comparing older rigs that balanced further forward that I've retired to the newer ones. The difference in stress applied might only be a few ounces, but over a day of fishing those few ounces 'add up'. One of the reasons I upgraded all my rigs was for better balance as my wrist was less tired after a day of fishing with the better balanced rigs.

 

It might not make much difference to you...but to my aged muscles it makes all the difference.

Cases like yours is what I had in mind. Age, arthritis, disability of some sort, etc. 

And scene...