OB-1 Shaft & BreakRak Review

TannerPruess

TannerPruess

PBIA Instructor
Silver Member
I received both as Christmas gifts and tried them that day.

The OB-1 Shaft is very unique in it's construction and looks quite different from other shafts. I talked to Royce Bunnell and he said they can fit the shafts to 90% of different joints. I have shot with a few low deflection shafts (schuler & 314) and this one seems to have the least deflection. It was pretty easy to adjust to the shaft after shooting a rack or two. Not really sure how people categorize the hit of the shaft, but I really like it. You could probably call it a solid hit. You can really get some spin on the cueball if you need to go a few rails for position. The only thing the I might change about the shaft is the tip. The standard tip is triangle, which is what I use to shoot with, but now I shoot with a layered tip and I have better control. Once I get a new tip I will tell you more about it.

The BreakRak is quite a training tool. I got the BreakRak II which fits on our 7 foot table. It takes a little muscle to get the bow system in place, but after that it is a breeze. Setting up takes about 45-60 seconds. After breaking a few times and looking where my cueball ended up I saw I really wasn't controlling whitey the best I could. I practiced with it for a few sessions of 45 minutes so far and have improved my percentage of making balls on the break and parking whitey near the center of the table. Charley Bond makes the BreakRak and treats his customers well and answers any questions you have right away. I am now thinking of buying his book The GREAT Break Shot which covers everything about breaking and racking, should be a good read.

Tanner Pruess
www.obcues.com
www.breakrak.com
 
thanks for the review, ive been following a thread on ccb regarding the ob1 shaft for a few weeks. I may take the plunge b4 too long myself
 
I agree about the OB-1, Although I have a couple of 314 shafts, I find that the OB-1 deflects slightly less. I have not yet tested it against a Z shaft though. The OB-1 definately feels more solid than the 314 although if you tap the side of the cue with your palm, you'll see that both shafts vibrate a lot. The diference I think is the foam core of the ob-1 it feels like it vibrates less.
 
TannerPruess said:
improved my percentage of making balls on the break and parking whitey near the center of the table.
Click to expand...
Recently I've been parking the cue ball nicely in the middle of the table with some consistency. However it gets kicked most of the time by other balls. It's very frustrating.
 
Hal said:
Recently I've been parking the cue ball nicely in the middle of the table with some consistency. However it gets kicked most of the time by other balls. It's very frustrating.
Click to expand...

That's the reason why FL suggests when breaking to try to bring the cue ball straight back uptable to around the 3rd diamond, right in the middle. Tougher to do but very worthwhile, IMHO.

Flex
 
twilight said:
I agree about the OB-1, Although I have a couple of 314 shafts, I find that the OB-1 deflects slightly less. I have not yet tested it against a Z shaft though. The OB-1 definately feels more solid than the 314 although if you tap the side of the cue with your palm, you'll see that both shafts vibrate a lot. The diference I think is the foam core of the ob-1 it feels like it vibrates less.
Click to expand...

The OB! is a very solid hit.
There is a yooung lady on Fast Eddies 9-ball tour who uses one (plays quite well too) and plays very well with it. Tanner miht help me here, but I think the SDKID plays with one as well.
We contacted OB1 and now they are going to exhibit them at all Fast Eddies stops this next year.
In fact, you can reach them at www.obcues.com.
 
Just on a side note does anyone know where I could get the joe tucker racking secrets double dvd in the uk, cos I have tried amazon no luck, found it on ebay but its gonna cost a fortune between bidding price and shipping costs, so can anyone help as I am desperate to get this dvd.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
OB-1 Shafts

Hello ALL,

My name is Amanda and I am sponsored by OB Cues. I LOVE this shaft and it did not take me long to adjust to it at all. I am happy to read all the good reviews (which I hope helps their sales:D )! I have YET to hear anyone say anything "negative" about this product. I am happy to be associated with them and I am sure that their success will grow! They also happen to be really nice people and definitely want the sport of "pool" to reach new heights!

Please check out their website to learn more about them!
www.obcues.com

thank you all!

Amanda
 
OB1 on order

I just ordered an unfinished OB1 that my cuemaker will fit and match to my Southwest. I can't wait to try it!

Royce (co-owner) is a really nice guy and the quality and performance of their product clearly means a lot to him. He also took my call this morning and shipped my shaft this afternoon after I explained my urgency to get it ASAP (I'm moving).

I'll have a report next week when I have a chance to put it into play.
 
Thanks for the reviews. I, too, have an OB-1 and really like it. I also have a BreakRak, and have seen the benefit it provides. Both Royce and Charley are good people to deal with.
 
I would love a breakrack, but I don't own a pool table. Anyone ever take theirs to a pool hall?
 
I just put a new Kamui soft tip on my ob-1 shaft last night. That combo feels really good to me. It is a lot easier to control the cueball and put it where I want the cueball to go. What does everyone else have for a tip on their ob-1 shaft?
 
the scorpion said:
Just on a side note does anyone know where I could get the joe tucker racking secrets double dvd in the uk, cos I have tried amazon no luck, found it on ebay but its gonna cost a fortune between bidding price and shipping costs, so can anyone help as I am desperate to get this dvd.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Try Here:

http://www.joetucker.net/start.html
 
Thanks Tanner for posting your thoughts on the OB-1. I'm anxious to also hear from anyone who uses a Z-shaft regularly and how the OB-1 compares.
 
TannerPruess said:
I received both as Christmas gifts and tried them that day.

The BreakRak is quite a training tool. I got the BreakRak II which fits on our 7 foot table. It takes a little muscle to get the bow system in place, but after that it is a breeze. Setting up takes about 45-60 seconds. After breaking a few times and looking where my cueball ended up I saw I really wasn't controlling whitey the best I could. I practiced with it for a few sessions of 45 minutes so far and have improved my percentage of making balls on the break and parking whitey near the center of the table. Charley Bond makes the BreakRak and treats his customers well and answers any questions you have right away. I am now thinking of buying his book The GREAT Break Shot which covers everything about breaking and racking, should be a good read.

Tanner Pruess
www.obcues.com
www.breakrak.com
Click to expand...

Thanks Tanner for your review. You will enjoy the book, when you get one. The BreakRAK has become a real success for me & my customers. I appreciate each & everyone of you. Good Luck to all.... CB
 
Are you saying ....

That the OB-1 shaft has foam on the inside of it? If so, how much? I would think that would take away from the hit. How much and how far down in the shaft does it run? Do you have a cross section view?
 
Snapshot9 said:
Are you saying that the OB-1 shaft has foam on the inside of it? If so, how much? I would think that would take away from the hit. How much and how far down in the shaft does it run? Do you have a cross section view?
Click to expand...
I'm not willing to cut my shaft in half to see the cross section. But from their construction page:

"After installing the sound dampening foam core, its mostly common shaft construction steps from this point."

It's one partial explanation of what gives the OB-1 its "feel". Think of a steel hammer hitting concrete and how it would bounce/vibrate. Now, think of how the steel hammer would feel if it were filled with dense foam. You still get a firm solid hit, but without as much reverb.

And, it's not like there's NO vibration as some might think. On the cue, there is less front-to-back vibration due to the foam core, but there is still plenty of top-to-bottom vibration, which is what gives the shaft its great "feel".

Hope that helps a little bit.
 
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