Tiger vs. SS360 Shafts

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Phil Ballard

PhilEB
I’d like to find out the communities recommendations of the two brands and two models of each shaft I am considering.

As far as my experience/ability. I have been playing pool seriously for about 20 years and have been in the APA for 17 years. I purchased my own table a year or so ago and am putting in about 7 – 10 hours of pool in each week. I am ranked a five in both 8 and 9 ball and can most the time use draw, follow and masse to get to or near the position I am trying to get to on the table, but still working to use those effectively on a consistent bases. I am just starting to adjust for cue ball squirt so I figured that this would be the time to consider a LD shaft.

I am considering the Tiger Ultra LD and X Pro as well as the SS360/2 standard and pro versions and have seen information on the boards about each but no comparison.
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• Regarding moving from a 12.75 tip to a 11.75 tip, will I notice a big difference on miss-cues. I have only used a 12.75 mm tip so far but usually (about 85-90% of the time) hit the spot on the cue ball that I am trying to hit based on the action I am trying to get on the ball.

• Regarding Deflection and feel, how do you think the two Tiger and Sweet Spot shafts compare. If I am going to drop $200 on a new LD shaft, I would like there to be much less deflection than what you experience from a standard maple shaft but don’t want to sacrifice the feel too much. I am currently using a Dale Perry Stage iv shaft on one cue and a G-Core on another.

• Have you or anyone you know put a standard uni-loc radial shaft on the proprietary pin that Dale Perry uses on his cues? I was told that that it is close fit but not exact. Will I be doing damage to the threads on the shaft by screwing in a DP pin repeatedly?

Thank you in advance for any advice that you can offer.
 
SandFox

SandFox

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What did you learn on a Ld Shaft or a maple shaft? Personally I like the SS great feel and better quality then most things ive seen out there.
 
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Phil Ballard

PhilEB
I have only used maple staffs and probably have been adjusting for squirt/deflection subconsciously on the long shots (ie aiming further left on the left English and right on the right English shots) however now I am starting to think more consciously about the effect of squirt, especially on the close up shots where side spin is required so I figured if I am going to make the switch to an LD shaft, this would be the time. If I switch, I wouldn't want a shaft that only decreases the deflection a little but I also don't want a shaft that feels completely different and takes a long adjustment period.

Generally, to what degree does the SS360/2 decrease deflection. From what I have read on the AZB boards the feel of the SS360 is really nice so I'm wondering if it sacrifices in deflection to get that nice feel.
 
SandFox

SandFox

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well I shoot with a few different shafts 2 ld shafts the SS and an Ob pro then the maple one, By far the best is the SS feel wise its just like my maple shaft deflect wise its just as good as my Ob pro.

If you learned on Maple go with the SS in my opinion.
 
cj609

cj609

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you move down to a 11.75mm you will not have to go more then a tip away from center ball to get the english you desire. You will need to make sure your stroke is on point and your accuracy on where you are hitting the cue ball. You will get unwanted english if you are off which will cause misses on shots you normally would make, especially on longer shots. Good luck.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk
 
Sedog

Sedog

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I believe you are worrying too much about deflection. The brain will adjust in a fairly short time. I switched from a Meucci 13 m shaft to a predator 11.5 m shaft and it didn't take long to adjust. If I remember correctly I harley noticed the difference. I shoot with a Bob Danielson cue that has a SS360 shaft and I really like it. Sold my Predator shaft!
 
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garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Never owned a Tiger shaft but i have used OB(original,Classic, and Classic+) and a SS360/2. All were used on a ss piloted-joint cue. The Classic+ and SS360 were very close in both feel and deflection. I had to put harder tips on both to get the "clicky" hit i wanted but i liked them both. The only Tiger i've ever hit was 11.75 conical(don't know model name) and it hit ok but that taper and tip size just aren't for me.
 
lakeman77

lakeman77

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have had both, liked both, excellent quality. To me, they felt and played the same. Finding the exact SS360 you want can be difficult, stock often limited. The SS360 seemed to deflect a bit more, but I could be wrong, and it felt slightly more solid.
Both play well.
Personally, I'd go with the Tiger, you can get one in a day or two.
 
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garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You might want to look at the Jacoby Edge also. Great playing shaft. Tried one recently and am seriously thinking of one for my Schmelke sneaky. I really like the long taper of this shaft. Inside english is usually tuff for me but this shaft its super easy.
 
TWOFORPOOL

TWOFORPOOL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tiger vs SS360

I have played with several limited deflection shafts over the last 10 years. This would include: Predator 314, 314-2, Vantage; OB1; Tiger Ultra LD; SS360/2. They were all 12.75 MM except for the Vantage which was 12.90 MM. I must say I like the SS360/2 shaft the most and they are cut above the other limited deflection shafts.
 
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Phil Ballard

PhilEB
Thank you all for your help. I just ordered the SS360/2 which of course has the 12.17 tip. I figure I can go with a dime shape if I want the feel of a little smaller tip. I have been shaping my tip to about half way between a dime and a nickle.
 
QuietStorm

QuietStorm

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Phil Ballard said:
Thank you all for your help. I just ordered the SS360/2 which of course has the 12.17 tip. I figure I can go with a dime shape if I want the feel of a little smaller tip. I have been shaping my tip to about half way between a dime and a nickle.
Click to expand...

It appears that Seybert is now out of stock on all SS shafts. If you're lucky to buy one, congrats! It's a good, firm hitting shaft. The SS360/2 is my main playing shaft, and it replaced the 314-3 that came with my Predatory 8K.

Ironically, I'll soon be playing with the Tiger Pro-X, which is the smaller 11.75 diameter tip. I would have bought the SS360/P, but it's out of stock and I also heard good things about the Tiger shaft. My only concern about the Tiger Pro-X is its conical taper. The SS/2 is pro-tapered and I use a closed bridge for most shots, so the Tiger might take some getting use to.

Good luck with your SS.
 
M

marek

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ex Pro shaft by Mezz has the best from both world - it is ultralow deflection yet it has very nice crisp hit similar to full-maple shaft. You should give it a try ;)
 
QuietStorm

QuietStorm

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
marek said:
Ex Pro shaft by Mezz has the best from both world - it is ultralow deflection yet it has very nice crisp hit similar to full-maple shaft. You should give it a try ;)
Click to expand...

Only if Mezz made their Ex Pro with UniLoc joint, then I'll be one of the first to buy.
 
QuietStorm

QuietStorm

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pro X vs SS360/2

I've played with the SS/2 for a few months and I can definitely compare the quality and hit of both shafts.

The SS has a hit similar to a standard solid maple shaft, which has that 'ping' sound and feel (it's a "crisp" hit). In contrast, the Pro X is quieter and has less vibration than the SS. As for LD, the SS just doesn't compare to the ultra low deflection of the Pro X.

The Pro X has a more solid hit than the SS. The SS feels "weaker" with more vibration. It takes less energy to get the cue ball to move around with the Pro X.

I'm not going to compare english btwn both shafts, since the Pro X and SS/2 have different size tips; smaller tips are usually whippier and can generate more english. A better comparison would be the SS/P, which I've never tried.

The SS360-2 has helped me win many matches, and the Pro X will help me win many more where speed control and cue ball placement become critical.

(I'm in that stage where I'm collecting different shafts for no other reason than to find my prefered hit and feel. So far, I'm leaning towards the smaller diameter LD shafts. My next shaft might be a Z-3 or Hybrid Pro II).
 
skankhammer

skankhammer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm also in the Tiger x LD camp. It is the nicest Ld shaft I have ever owned. The lowest Ld? That is up for debate. I have owned the predator 314-2 , the original Ob, and the Ob Classic. The Tigers build quality is excellent and remains in my case, and is on my Schon when I play. The Ob classic is the next best. But that is only my opinion, you may prefer something else. I have tried the 360 shaft and it seemed nice also, but it was in a 3/8-10 and only shot a rack or two with it. I'm sure you will be happy with either.
 
AlexandruM

AlexandruM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm playing now with a Tiger Ultra X shaft (12.75 mm) and I'm thinking to buy a SS360/2 shaft, so I'll get the same tip size and feeling and a lower deflection.
I played with Predator 314/2, Z2, 314 and Z2 was too small to my abilities.

Is Jacoby Hybrid Edge better than SS360/2?
 
Straightpool_99

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
I used to play with a retapered Tiger and I prefer that by a large margin to the SS360. If you have to chose between those two, I'd pick the Tiger every time. Regardless of the Tiger shaft (they're all decent). That being said, the build quality of the SS360 may be a bit better, but playability wise I'm in the Tiger camp.
 
QuietStorm

QuietStorm

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Straightpool_99 said:
.. the build quality of the SS360 may be a bit better, but playability wise I'm in the Tiger camp.
Click to expand...

How do you know the build quality of the SS is better than Tiger?

When I bought my SS brand new, the joint kept leaking wood shavings for almost a week after every practice session. Since I didn't proactively scrape out all the wood shaving, the remaining wood molded to the inside of the joint insert, making it difficult to connect the butt and shaft without applying pressure in the last twist. I also bought my Tiger Pro X brand new and there's absolutely no wood shavings. The UniLock joints fit perfectly.

Since I'm not a cue maker, I'm the wrong person to judge the lamination of both shafts. They're both smooth and require little cleaning after each session. :p

With all of that said, you still can't go wrong with the SS360. I would still recommend the SS to anyone looking for a cheaper, solid playing shaft with LD attributes, AND it's ~$40 cheaper than the Tiger Pro X and Ultra X.
 
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