skor said:

Rhino won't be the "best" option, it's a financial compromise...
You better save some money on the butt and get a better shaft. a $1000 budget will allow this.

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I'd better save a little on the shaft and have really nice inlays and wood than the opposite. depends what best "all around" means. I wouldn't trade my setup for a REVO + "simple" butt.

It's supposed to supply visual references for aiming. Go figure.

Ģüśţāṿ said:

I've had both and the Mezz deflects slightly less, but the cynergy feels so much better. Mezz feels like a steel pole, similar to revo.

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Personally, I don't care how a cue sounds or feels or looks. I just care that the CB goes where I want with the speed and spin I want. See:

Poolmanis said:

Swerve shots seem to be harder with low deflection.

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How would you describe the difference as compared to a high deflection shaft? I've never experienced this, but I would like to test it out based on what you explain.

uk_9_ball_convert said:

I've never used a low deflection or carbon fiber cue. Came from English pool where (at least when I played, not sure if it's changed) everyone was using a traditional wooden cues. Since I've taken up American pool I've been a broke student so haven't had money to buy a cue and just been using the club's cues.

Was thinking when I finally finish my studies and get a job I'd splash out on the lowest deflection cue I could find, as I've never been great at compensating for it. So thanks for this video, it was really useful to give me an idea which cues have the least deflection.

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Less CB deflection isn't always better for all people. See:

Although, CF shafts do offer advantages. See:

uk_9_ball_convert said:

But occured to me watching that video, is a downside of a low deflection cue that if I'm only slightly snookered and want to swerve around the ball it will be harder with the low deflection cue?

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I have not experienced this. Although, it is definitely more difficult to jump with an LD shaft.

GideonF said:

Interesting. My buddy had a 11.8 Cynergy and found that his new Mezz 12.2 had less deflection.

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I've had both and the Mezz deflects slightly less, but the cynergy feels so much better. Mezz feels like a steel pole, similar to revo.

mikepage said:

At this point it is a feature, not a bug, to have the match decision based on something that is in both players control from there. There is a true back and forth--no luck of who came up dry or made a ball and got hooked or had a cueball kicked in or had an open table on a single game.i

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I have mixed views on the shootout. I do find them exciting, and yes, both players get an even chance.

Ultimately, I tend to favor whatever makes the game of pro pool more commercially successful. Such success is what will support the game and its players.

As such, credit to Predator for experimenting with new formats. The game needs to change. It can't stay stuck in the past.

mikepage said:

The best-of-3 races to four match is as discriminatory as between a straight race to 8 and 9, but closer to 9.

It is, imo, a superior approach to a straight race to 9 largely because there is far more intermediate drama. That is, the drama for viewers is spread out better over the entire match, including the early games.

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I see your point, but I am not sold on best of three races in the Predator format for the semis or final. Earlier in the event, sure. But
at the very least, I think the finals should be three of five.

I still favor longer races as the best format for major events. I find plenty of drama in the early going. In the Euro finals, I wondered: How long can Mario He keep going? And what will Mortiz do when he gets a chance?

With winner break, every mistake is magnified right from the opening rack. There is less margin for error.

Albin Ouschan made this point, inadvertently, when praising the new Predator sets format a few years ago. He said a match involving sets meant you could still win even if you fell behind by a lot early. But in a race to 9 or 11, falling behind 6-1 or so was like a death sentence.

I thought Filler's performance vs Gorst in the Las Vegas final was exceptional. But what Moritz Neuhausen did in the Euro finals, imo, was even more impressive. He had to maintain a stratospheric level of play for 11 straight matches to prevent He from getting another chance.

Incredible stuff.

Rocket354 said:

I'm happy to send along a Cynergy 10.5 for testing. I can even put on a tip of choice for consistency between shafts. I'd have to let others volunteer other shafts.

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I appreciate the offer, but I would prefer to have somebody send me a a wide collection of popular shafts that I have not tested yet so I can test them all at once without too much trouble. BTW, I have tested a Cuetec Cynergy already:

You would want Shelby Williams to finish the cue then, he has the deepest, shiniest finish I've seen recently. The finish has incredible depth, not sure what his process is, but he certainly has it nailed down.

Lawnboy77 said:

All this talk about about Superspeeds vs. Artemis has got me thinking about doing another video comparing the two. Both sets of my rails are about the same age (rubber wise). It would be interesting to check the rebound again to see if one has aged better than the other. I think I’ll do it! Stay tuned, more to follow on this subject. Just a quick cliff notes on this, I did a video comparing the two when they were new using a ramp incline that would get basically a 1 rail lag. The Superspeeds actually traveled further by a few inches, but my hunch is that Artemis will yield more energy on harder hits.

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Very interested in the outcome of this comparison. I am in the process of redoing a new to me Gold Crown 3 and came across this post researching cushions. I am just about to the point where I need to order cushions and was taken back at the difference in price between the Artemis and the Brunswick. If you know of anything I should consider please let me know. I am leaning towards the Brundwick Super Speed since I am 67 yo now and not sure I will need more than ten years.

Was talking to a table mechanic about possibly doing the cushions and felt. He was saying that I would need to run the rails through a track saw to ensure they were smooth prior to installing the cushions. Really? I just removed the old cushions cleaned and then lightly sanded down to the wood. Everything feels smooth with no gouges or dips along the surface. Of course he had not seen them and we were just talking over the phone. It just seams as if he was already trying to up sale the job in my mind. What should this service roughly cost? I would have to take the rails to him,and he would complete the job when finished with the rails. He is about one hour travel time from me.

sjm said:

It's about all-around excellence. not just 9ball and 10ball titles, and we must recognize that the 9ball majors and 10ball majors are about equal in number and produce fields of similar quality.. As you suggest, 8ball, one pocket, bank pool and 14.1 all have relevance in the greatness discussion.

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I concur that games other than 9 and 10 ball should be taken into account when judging a player. But only, imo, if they have had success in rotation games too. Filler, of course, has that in spades.

I really credit Filler for broadening his game to include everything. He's made a concerted effort to travel to the U.S. to play in banks pool, one pocket, straight pool. Other than a few Filipinos and the odd Euro here or there, few non US players have done this to the same degree.

And now look? Filler is one of the best bankers in the world and a supreme tactician.

jokrswylde said:

Thanks for the insight. I imagine it just adds another obstacle to reaching that level...especially for a game like pool...

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As far as I know, the only top women's player who has a child is Han Yu. And she doesn't play or travel as much as some other top women.

I wonder what will happen pool couples like the Fillers, or the Styers. Can couples who are both among the best in their sport live a normal family life and have kids? I guess we will see.