There is nothing wrong with using this machine, and it's true that it IS very accurate, but I look at it like using a measuring cup to test that your coffee cup will hold exactly a cup of liquid.

What I mean by this is that balancing your plane is not something that you need to go to any great lengths to achieve.

The initial balance is the ONLY time you need to actually check anything - and even then, it only needs to be close (as long as it's on the nose-heavy side)

The reason I say this is: The manufacturer gives you a "range" in which to balance your plane. Depending on the size of the plane, this range can be .5" to 1.5". So where in this range should you balance it?

Let's say that two people have identical planes and they both are balanced in the middle of the range. They both fly them, but one guy wants his plane to be more on the nose-heavy side, while the other wants his to be more tail-heavy. There's no need to re-balance it, just add small amounts of weight and fly it again until it flies the way you like.