IMHO

reading these posts
It is All About How The rod is Fished Is it comfortable when using it Is the butt to heavy Or will it work and feel better being lighter Do the guides work better with a casting rod with them on top -- or at the 180 as a spiral You will never know untill YOU USE IT Go out and play with it

I think that is why they are Custom Rods

Bill - willierods.com

I am thankful that each of us can express our own ridiculous opinion on this forum with receiving an undue amount of abuse.

Most of the casting rods I make are split grip because I can add "bling" between the handle sections. This is where I like to put the owner's name.
Something I have used to make the butt heavier for better balance is to add rings of hardwood to the butt section. These rings seem to hold up OK if they are protected fore and aft by a more chip resistant material. I often use 1/4-inch thick composite rubber/cork as protectors. Mesquite, pecan, purple heart are my favorites. I have some oak ring material but have never put any on a rod. The wood rings must be sealed / covered with epoxy to be able to withstand weathering during use. Of course it goes without saying, it takes a lathe to shape these handle rings. To facilitate boring after the handle parts are laminated, I pre-bore the hardwood rings for a close fit whenever they are installed and ensure the "gap" contains plenty of "paste" at installation to ensure a uniform bond between the rings and blank.

I recently completed a cork ring / mesquite ring full length spinning rod handle for a friend, but the jury is still out on how it will stand up over time. Every fourth or fifth 1/2-inch ring is purple heart. I failed to make photos of this rod handle so I cannot remember for sure.
P.S.-purple is harder than a -o well- you get the idea. Purple heart is hard to work and to finish but it makes a really classy looking handle.