Ferrules, opinions wanted

I dont have any experience working with Saber T but I have used a few materials and here is my take on them in short;

LBM. Hard, relatively heavy and a little porous, I dont care for it much and only use it if specifically asked to.

Aegis II, got some in stock but have only used it once. A little weird looking material with the grain pattern in my opinion and hit was surprisingly hard.

Elforyn: A soft, easy to work with and polishes up really well. Hits on the soft side. Available in white, ivory and black. I have some of the Ivory colour in stock for those who want the look of natural material.

Ivorine 4: Very hard and heavy, hits like a freight train. Rarely use it, still have the first rod going. Seems very durable and requires sharp tools and a steady lathe to cut.

Juma: A cheap, yet very good ferrule material. Hits well, easy to work with and durable enough for most applications. Looks good and is available in black & white. Always have some in stock.

Tomahawk: My favourite for LD shaft ferrules, lightweight and very durable. Stays clean well and polishes to a fine finish. I like the way it feels a lot especially on shafts with small, thin ferrules like a Predator or Jacoby edge. A little tougher to cut than Juma as it doesn't chip easily when turned. Currently the most asked for ferrule and what I recommend the most often. Available in white and black. A little pricier than Juma but well worth the extra in my opinion. j2pac here on AzB sells it and is the most pleasant gentleman to buy some from :smile:

Then I have some phenolic rods in black & brown and G10 in green & black for use on break or jump cues. Can also make tips out of the rods.

If I had to cut down my inventory to the essentials I would have G10, phenolic, Juma and Tomahawk in stock. The rest I can live without

Note that everyone will have their own opinion on what works well, many cue makers swear by LBM for example. All of the above relies on my personal, limited experience working and playing with said materials and hopefully some more experienced cue makers will chime in with their views. I am following this thread just in case there are other materials I should try out myself

Not much to add to Kimmos post.
I stock about the same selection. My only observation is that not all LBM is created the same way.
I like the one Schmelke used to sell best.
I also have the T34 rods from Prather, feels very much like Juma, but it's slightly more yellow in colour.
I also stock Hydex 202, for Bob's shafts, I also use it when repairing Mezz shafts, as it's very similar to the NX material Mezz uses.

cbi1000 said:

Hey folks. I need to restock on ferrules this week and was looking for some input. In the past i've only every used Saber T ferrules. They have always done me well and i don't have any complaints. I have never tried Juma, Elforyn, or Aegis. How do these three compair to Saber T? What is your favorite material to use and why?

thanks for the input.

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Do you make your own or you like them pre-made?

Where do you get Hydex 202 from?

Kimmo H. said:

I dont have any experience working with Saber T but I have used a few materials and here is my take on them in short;

LBM. Hard, relatively heavy and a little porous, I dont care for it much and only use it if specifically asked to.Can't get this anymore, or at least I can't find it. I don't much miss it either for Aegis 2

Aegis II, got some in stock but have only used it once. A little weird looking material with the grain pattern in my opinion and hit was surprisingly hard. Also porous like LBM

Elforyn: A soft, easy to work with and polishes up really well. Hits on the soft side. Available in white, ivory. I have some of the Ivory colour in stock for those who want the look of natural material.The "black" is Juma not Elforyn

Ivorine 4: Very hard and heavy, hits like a freight train. Rarely use it, still have the first rod going. Seems very durable and requires sharp tools and a steady lathe to cut.

Juma: A cheap, yet very good ferrule material. Hits well, easy to work with and durable enough for most applications. Looks good and is available in black & white. Always have some in stock. "white" will actually be off-white.

Tomahawk: My favourite for LD shaft ferrules, lightweight and very durable. Stays clean well and polishes to a fine finish. I like the way it feels a lot especially on shafts with small, thin ferrules like a Predator or Jacoby edge. A little tougher to cut than Juma as it doesn't chip easily when turned. Currently the most asked for ferrule and what I recommend the most often. Available in white and black. A little pricier than Juma but well worth the extra in my opinion. j2pac here on AzB sells it and is the most pleasant gentleman to buy some from :smile:

Then I have some phenolic rods in black & brown and G10 in green & black for use on break or jump cues. Can also make tips out of the rods.

If I had to cut down my inventory to the essentials I would have G10, phenolic, Juma and Tomahawk in stock. The rest I can live without

Note that everyone will have their own opinion on what works well, many cue makers swear by LBM for example. All of the above relies on my personal, limited experience working and playing with said materials and hopefully some more experienced cue makers will chime in with their views. I am following this thread just in case there are other materials I should try out myself

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Minor corrections/comments (very minor) in red above. Otherwise very good assessment.

SaberT is a fine material, but quite expensive for what it is. It's the best substitute for Spaulding melamine I have yet to find, but still not quite what I like. The old Spaulding was nearly bullet proof, clean, opaque white, and wouldn't stain with chalk. Best of all it hit great. I have found other materials that hit similar but they're either ugly or porous. If they have the right look & stay clean, they don't hit right. It's frustrating. Point being, if you like the Saber, stay with it.