Balancing a Levante

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hokiehi
Senior Angler
Senior Angler
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2017 2:58 pm

Balancing a Levante

Post by hokiehi » Sun Jul 07, 2019 11:20 am

A few months ago I picked up a Levante Braillist from Tackle Warehouse after sifting through countless reviews. I loved the styling of the rod and the action was just right for throwing texas rigs and mid sized jigs. The only thing I couldn't get past was how tip heavy it felt in my hands. I didn't want to send it back, but I also didn't love the idea of spending $200 on a rod that was super unbalanced. I looked up balancing kits online but didn't really feel like waiting for a week or two for shipping to come around, so I decided to make my own DIY balancer.
I found the balance point that I wanted by lining up my finger on the point and pulling down on the butt with a scale. The weight came out to be about an ounce or just over and by using a 3/8" galvanized steel plumbing cap, some electrical tape, and 1.5" heat-shrink tubing, I was able to balance the rod to where the balance point was almost on the spool of my reel.
This is the second time I've re-balanced the rod. It was perfect the first time but I realized someone else may benefit from this.
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~5" section of 1.5" diameter heat shrink tubing, plumbing cap, and electrical tape.
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First I taped the cap to the butt of the rod using electrical tape. I made efforts to make this look pretty even though no one would see it.
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The tubing should cover the entire butt of the rod.
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Completed product. It doesn't look or feel pretty but I never touch the butt end of my rod while fishing anyways so it's not a deal-breaker for me.

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