Well, I guess I'm going to be the odd one out then. (At least until Minnflyer chimes in here, because I know that both of us do the same thing). I don't really balance props. I check them when I first get them to see if they are grossly out of balance. If they are then I discard them (actually will try to get my money back if possible). If they're not way out of balance I put them on the plane and fly it. I know that many are going to talk about the "massive" vibrations that will be produced and such. But in reality, as long as the props aren't way out of balance (which aren't used in the first place) the vibrations are going to be minimal at the level of of our engines. And for beginners in this forum it's my opinion that balancing props is a waste of time. Why? Because the very first time the tip of that prop touches the ground/runway it's going to be out of balance again anyway. And if you stop to think about how many times a training pilots does touch the prop to the ground you'll see what I mean about it not being worth the hassle. Heck, most beginners would be pulling the prop off and re-balancing it every flight. Small strikes are not big deal for props, but if a "chunk" of the prop is knocked out then the prop should be replaced immediately. Please don't get me wrong, if people want to balance props then there is nothing wrong with it. But at this level of flying I feel it's not worth the effort and I don't worry about it. And I don't feel it wears out engines or airframes either, as I have engines and planes with hundreds of flights on them with no problems at all. Anyway, that's my take on it.

Ken