hi this is shane from elite custom cues i just got done reading your post on soft hitting cues. the one thing that wasnt brought up was ferrule material. the softer the ferrule the the quieter the hit and the more "action" you can get on the cue ball. being a southpaw i like a very smooth quit hit and i cant stand and kind of pings or vibes. so the best solution i have found so far is a juma ferrule with a ultraskin med or soft. this is how i set up all my new custom cue on less the customer asks for some thing specific. if i can be of any help just shoot me a pm or email at elitecues@yahoo.com. (ps if you want to see one of my ferrules i have a cue for sale in the wanted/foresale area) thank shane