I recall requiring the magnet counterweight from the beginning on both GSO scopes. Swapping between a small 1.25" plossl and a 2" 35mm Panoptic was a strain for both!
There was only one answer in due course - buy a custom-made scope with superb movement and balance across the full range of eyepieces! SDM Telescopes
And, of course, now there is this new supplier of superb scopes - Gondwana Telescopes
