By the way, this whole CF vs wood debate just reminds me the debates from 25 years ago of LD vs standard shafts.
Eventually the top players adapted to LD shafts and enjoyed their advantages.
Top players get sponsored. Sponsored players use the equipment their sponsors are trying to sell, or at the very least, equipment that looks, on camera, like it is the equipment their sponsors are trying to sell. That's the whole point of sponsorship. Very few players are good enough to pick and choose their sponsors so that they only have to use their own preferred gear. Free gear is generally better than gear they have to pay for, because as good players, they can play well with anything. To keep getting that free gear, they sing the praises of their sponsors' products, whether that gear is deserving of praise or not.
It is marketing hype that lower deflection is inherently better than higher deflection. They're just different. A certain amount of deflection is expected with any shaft. As long a a player consistently uses the same gear, they'll get used to playing with whatever amount of deflection that cue has.
