For the 1st time ever, I am experiencing a Mezz United Joint shaft that will not fit on a Standard 5/16x14 pool cue butt (that is not a Mezz).

I wish I knew how to tap it, lol. I was sold a cue that I can't even screw together, lol. Shaft is warped anyways. Double bummer.
Easy
Get a tap and screw it into the shaft, use vise grips and slowly screw it in a little bit at at a time, taking it out to remove debris. Keep doing it until you can screw it all the way.

Really easy, I’ve done it with a 5/16x14 Rhino shaft

North Carolina Pool Rooms

Country Retreat Family Billiards & Grill in Boone, NC. This year we’re celebrating our 30 year anniversary of our opening - July 1996.

No alcohol, no smoking, great food, awesome employees and many loyal customers (many who eat here regularly but never play pool) have kept us going!
And top notch equipment too...though you do need a billiards top for your big baby.

$3000 BU Exam Challenge – Draw and Follow Mastery – Enter Online for Free

How much are you willing to offer?

Just from the math there is a huge difference between 72 out of 75 and perfect score (like running 75 in straight pool or running 75 in 4 innings).

So the chances to get a perfect score in both are astronomically little. With 90% to draw perfect target each shot its 0.6% (one in 133) to get the right position 48 times in a row.

And for most people (including myself) 90% is way too optimistic (at least at the moment). On most draws I am more like 60-75%.

So I did mean it as a bet. Getting some favorable interesting odds (as an idea). I would bet $ 100-200 of my own money to win potentially a few thousand. Neither sum would be a life changing amount but the bet would add to the motivation to find out, how close I can get.

This was the reason for my post.

As for your question of how much I would offer for a perfect score:

I could imagine to match your offer :) Something in the range of $500 - $2500 sounds interesting. (So that I could win something myself.) This way I would have a chance to win 50% of the prize pool and have a motivation to stay on the challenge.

If we make it AZB only then it would basically be a challenge between us two and perhaps Poolmanis (and potentially a handful others). With the knowledge, that in about 98% nobody will have a perfect score but the potential prize money could fuel lots of practice sessions trying to find out what is possible.

So I would match your contribution to a best total AZB score (or everyone under 720 Fargo to keep Bongers, Filler and SVB and the likes out) in both drills (say "have to exceed 180 points out of 200 and gets paid). Say something like $200-1000. And a bonus for perfect score (range $500-2500).

And we could do it in the same manner just for the follow drill (we post the same amount each for the perfect score and the first one getting 100 gets the prize, while the challenge also stays open to AZB and the participants that have already contributed to the challenge).

Evan Lunda Buffalos 2026 One Pocket Champion

We
For the guys that don’t have Facebook I thought I’d post this here.

This is a very nice post from Evan Lunda.
👇🏻




2026 Buffalo’s Pro Classic Champion. 🏆

I’ve taken a little time to let this one soak in before putting anything into words.

This one means a lot.

I’ve been fortunate enough to win this event before, but in many ways this one feels even more special.

Not because I won it.

But because of what it took to win it.

What started as another tournament turned into one of the toughest mental, emotional, and physical battles I’ve ever faced at the table. Against one of the deepest fields in professional one pocket and Fedor Gorst in the finals, every match felt like a fight.

For most of that final, I was behind.

The pressure was heavy. Momentum wasn’t on my side. Every mistake felt bigger than it normally would, and at times it felt like the title was slipping away.

Somewhere in the middle of all of it, I had to slow myself down and remind myself of something simple:

“You can still win. You only need two games.”

That moment changed everything.

Pressure doesn’t build character—it reveals it.

It reveals your composure, your belief in yourself, and your ability to stay present when everything around you feels like it’s moving too fast.

This victory wasn’t won in one moment. It was earned one shot, one decision, and one rack at a time.

There were times along the journey when I questioned myself, questioned the path I was on, and wondered if all the sacrifices were worth it. Moments like this remind me exactly why I kept going.

The truth is, no championship is ever won alone.

To my friends, family, supporters, fans, and everyone who has believed in me over the years—thank you. Every message, every conversation, every word of encouragement, and every person who supported me through the highs and lows played a part in this moment whether you realize it or not.

I carried that support with me throughout the week and especially through every pressure-filled rack of that final.

To James Leone, Steve Tesvich, the Buffalo’s staff, PoolActionTV, the commentators, and everyone behind the scenes who continues to make this event one of the greatest in our sport—thank you for everything you do for the game.

And to Fedor, nothing but respect. That final was an absolute war. Competing on a stage like that against a player of his caliber is something I’ll never take for granted.

When it was all said and done, the entire tournament came down to one final game with everything on the line.

Those are the moments every competitor dreams about. The moments that test everything you’ve worked for.

This title means far more to me than prize money, and in many ways it’s even more special than my first Buffalo’s Pro Classic victory in 2023.

Not because I won it.

But because of what it took to win it.

Being behind for most of the final, having my back against the wall, and finding a way to stay composed when everything was on the line taught me something about myself that I’ll carry long after the tournament is over.

Knowing my portrait will hang on that wall once again alongside so many great champions is an incredible honor, but what I’ll remember most is the battle it took to earn it.

Grateful for the journey.

Grateful for the people around me.

And grateful that I’m still growing.

This is only the beginning.

I’ve been quietly working on a few projects behind the scenes for a long time now, and I’m excited to finally start sharing more of that journey with all of you in the months ahead.

Hungry. Humble. Motivated.

🏆🙏
Well said from the former world champion.

Take all of the weight out of your break cue

I don't think the actual formula for ball speed versus stick speed was ever mentioned above.

The faster the stick moves, the faster the ball moves. Twice the stick speed, twice the ball speed.

In addition to that simple relationship, there is a multiplier that is related to the weights of the ball and stick. This multiplier says how much faster the ball will be moving than the stick was moving just before contact. Yes, the ball typically goes out at a faster speed than the stick comes in.

Ball_speed = Multiplier * Stick_speed

For a six-ounce stick, that multiplier is one, so the ball comes out at the stick speed and the stick stops dead.

For a ten-ton stick, the ball will have twice the speed of the stick, and the stick will slow down a tiny, tiny amount.

For more interesting cases, you can use the formula:

Multiplier = (Stick + Stick)/(Ball + Stick) where Ball and Stick are the weights (or masses) of the ball and stick.

For an 18-ounce stick and a 6-ounce ball (more or less normal) we get Multiplier = (18+18)/(6+18) = 36/24 = 1.5

That means that the ball will come off with 150% of the incoming stick speed.

In the real world, sticks and tips are imperfect and some energy is lost and the speed of the ball is reduced from the ideal. If you want to increase your break ball speed, the easiest way to do it is to get a more efficient tip. Hard tips seem to be more efficient. That change alone will probably give you more speed improvement than a two-ounce change in your break cue, if you currently use a typical playing tip.

Another source of energy loss is in spinning the cue ball. More energy into spinning the cue ball = less energy into its speed forward. The standard WNT break shot uses a lot of spin.

Dynaspheres and WNT Launch Major Partnership as the New Balls of the Tour

Nothing wrong with these balls.. you old timers like to complain about any change after decades of the same crap... it's time for a change..
1. I am an old timer
2. I like to complain.
3. I am for anything new as long as it makes sense. Changing the SHADES of the colors of the balls to make them easier to see? I am all in. Changing the colors (or mixing up the colors) completely for no reason, I am against.

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