OB-1 or 314-2

When you read my signature you might think that I'm biased, but here is my consideraton - and I'm sure you could find many more with a search ;

OB1 ; Has the same diameter as Pred 314. I played with the original 314 for some time (have 3 of them)
but I had to engage a lot to get english (for instance draw).
Then I was ordering a 314^2 and waited for months.
This was in a retrospect when the 314^2 showed up with the glue problems and the shafts was withdrawn for
a repair over a long period.
Well, tired of waiting and after talking to Charlies Pro Shop I knocked my self in to a, at that time,
OB1.
Reaction: Much easier english and a feel which reminded me about the old days.
The hard feeling was not as dominant as the old 314 I had and I had to
engage/stress less than with my 314 shaft which had me missing less balls.

OB2: I had never liked the thin Z shafts so this was never a option when I was using the 314.
The Z shaft felt simply like a tooth pick for me when I tested
some of my friends shafts...
However, when I moved from the OB1 to the OB2 shaft it simply did not feel thin at all.
The diameter was actually the same as the Z but the tapper was made so
that the feeling made it feel not that thin due to differences in the tapper ...
I also felt more assured on longer shots and the transition was not at all "toothpick" like.

Regarding "dead" hit or not : I have players which have been swearing to Predator
for a long time but have changed to OB and said the opposite "Predator is so dead".

Now, I know all of my mentioned statements could - and most likely would - be very subjective "stamped".
However as a player since mid 80s I have no problem
saying exactly what I mean and feel about a product.
Service and support is for sure something which should be mentioned
where Royce and OB cues stand behind their products and support the end customers
with - for me - some of the best support you can get.

Now - all of this mentioned - I think those who have not moved over to a
OB product due to the lack of "clicking" / "Ping" sound should stay tuned
and look out for the already mentioned announcement from OB Cues.....
With the same service and support I can't see any reason for not choosing
a US made product like the ones OB Cues supply.

W.r.t all the other vendors out there : I have not tested any thing else...

Aiming point or "deflection" : Get used to it... What ever you are currently playing with -
there is usually a difference moving from one vendor to the other.

Anyway,
Happy shooting.

K
 
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I used to play with nothing but Predator since 1995, once I put the OB in my hand, there was no looking back! It feels better, sounds better, performs better, is 100% made in the USA and is less money!....What more can you ask for?!...I have since gone to the OB-2 because I like the smaller tip being an ex-snooker player.
 
I have an OB-1 shaft, I just got it in December and i couldnt be more pleased with it. I would recommend it to anyone.
 
Poolplayer

I'm not sure I understand your question. I didn't say anything about changing the OB-1.

Our current shafts will stay the same.

We have 2 new shafts, the Classic and the Classic Pro. These 2 new additions to our product line up will be stiffer than our current cue shafts of the same tapers.

I hope that got it!

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com

yeah i phrased that question wrong. you covered it though. when are the new shafts going to be available?. i'd like to try one out. i'd use an ob1 if they were stiffer so i get the feeling i'll dig the new ones.
 
Ok,

Here's a little info.

We have two new shafts in production right now.

The will be called:

The "Classic" and the "Classic Pro".

Launch date for these is March 18th. We will have inventory available to our dealers prior to the launch date, so they will be available!

Both shafts will be our same SR-6 blank construction, but with a few twists.

First, there will be no sound dampening core in the center. What this means is there will be no hole, so the shaft is much stiffer. It also means that the sound dampening is gone, so the shaft will make that "ping" that many are looking for.

Secondly, they will have a white ferrule. We have developed a method to install a small white ferrule and still keep the LD properties of our cue shafts. The plastic ferrule makes the hit a little more firm, even over and above the already harder hit with the solid blank.

The Classic will be tapered like the OB-1, and the Classic Pro will be tapered like the OB-2.



That's probably more than I should have said at this point, but there it is.


Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com

Royce, will the Classics be equal to the low deflection aspects of the OBs 1and 2 or was there a compromise? I honestly thought you guys were going to come out with something in between the OB1 and 2 in diameter and taper, like a 12.35mm or something. I think you guys should consider such a product in the future, I could see it being quite successful.
 
I've played with Predator 314 and 314-2 shafts for quite a while. I had to find out what all the hype was about with the OB1 shafts and I found a used one for sale on this forum with ring work that matched my cue for a good price. I bought it and i've never played with a better shaft. I can't say a bad thing about it. I also like my Predator shafts so I guess it's up to the individual as far as which shaft is best for them.

One of my good friends (he's one of the best bar table players i've ever played) switched to an OB1 a year ago and he loves it.

James
 
yeah i phrased that question wrong. you covered it though. when are the new shafts going to be available?. i'd like to try one out. i'd use an ob1 if they were stiffer so i get the feeling i'll dig the new ones.

Poolplayer

The launch date is March 18th.

We will have them available at the Super Billiards Expo, and participating dealers will have them available for sale then too.

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
Royce, will the Classics be equal to the low deflection aspects of the OBs 1and 2 or was there a compromise? I honestly thought you guys were going to come out with something in between the OB1 and 2 in diameter and taper, like a 12.35mm or something. I think you guys should consider such a product in the future, I could see it being quite successful.

Jaws,

We have not done any formal testing but our impression is the squirt is about the same for either shaft. I regularly go back and forth between the OB-2 and the Classic Pro with no adjustments at all. Don Owen, by business partner feels the same way about the Classic versus the OB-1.

As for the tip diameters, we can build an OB-1 or a Classic at 12.35mm for you. We don't build them for stock because the demand isn't enough. Keep in mind that we offer 17 different joint configurations in each model of shaft. So right now, including 6 joints in the break shaft we have 40 different shafts to keep in stock. Adding the Classic and Classic Pro will add another 34. It's allot easier for us and our dealers to keep what we have and build the in between sizes as a special order. We have this flexibility because we build them all right here in Plano.

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
Jaws,

We have not done any formal testing but our impression is the squirt is about the same for either shaft. I regularly go back and forth between the OB-2 and the Classic Pro with no adjustments at all. Don Owen, by business partner feels the same way about the Classic versus the OB-1.

As for the tip diameters, we can build an OB-1 or a Classic at 12.35mm for you. We don't build them for stock because the demand isn't enough. Keep in mind that we offer 17 different joint configurations in each model of shaft. So right now, including 6 joints in the break shaft we have 40 different shafts to keep in stock. Adding the Classic and Classic Pro will add another 34. It's allot easier for us and our dealers to keep what we have and build the in between sizes as a special order. We have this flexibility because we build them all right here in Plano.

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com

Royce,
I could just scream. Ugh. After going through a ferrule replacement on an USS shaft, I started thinking, "gee, wouldn't it be cool if OB put a small ferrule outside of the wood ferrule....."

talk about reading my mind,
tim
 
curious

Hi guys, great thread! I've been thinking about getting a LD shaft for about 2-3 months.I've played with a viking for about 12 years and always just used there shafts( imo they play great ). but with 2 young kids I don't play very much and when I do I really struggle with certain shots using inside english. I have a few problems, the first is I'm cheap!, i've gotten free shafts for twelve years. the second is LD shafts are expensive and if it doesn't work for me I'm out the money! thirdly I've always played with 13mm shafts, does OB make a fat shaft like predator? and has anyone used a fat shaft from pedator? anyways, I'm hoping to get to SBE this year and try both, any input or advice is welcomed! thanks
 
Hi guys, great thread! I've been thinking about getting a LD shaft for about 2-3 months.I've played with a viking for about 12 years and always just used there shafts( imo they play great ). but with 2 young kids I don't play very much and when I do I really struggle with certain shots using inside english. I have a few problems, the first is I'm cheap!, i've gotten free shafts for twelve years. the second is LD shafts are expensive and if it doesn't work for me I'm out the money! thirdly I've always played with 13mm shafts, does OB make a fat shaft like predator? and has anyone used a fat shaft from pedator? anyways, I'm hoping to get to SBE this year and try both, any input or advice is welcomed! thanks

Hello,

Royce informed me in another thread ( or perhaps this one? ) that they do indeed have a "Fat Shaft" which I believed was called the OB XL or something, basically an OB-1 at a 13.25 diameter. I currently play with a Predator FAT which is the same taper as a 314-2 but a 13.20mm diameter and only at 5% more deflection.
I do love the FAT but my dream shaft would be lower deflection then the 314-2 but a little stiffer and I wouldn't really want anything under 12.35mm. Today I tried both a Z2 and an OB-2 and liked them both but I'm not confident with the 11.75mm tip.
 
Ob-2

What's the difference in the taper between the OB-2 and the Z. Sounds like the OB-2 has a bit different taper, I just didn't know how so. I'd really like to try a smaller tip for the control, but in very limited experience I could never get the feel for a closed bridge on a shaft that didn't have a consistent diameter in the bridge hand area. I am a lot more comfortable at the table now than I was last time I used a shaft like that, so even though I have a predator cue (p2 black leather wrap and a 314 shaft) I'd try an OB shaft if the taper felt better.
 
tip size

anyone knows of disadvantage with a 11.75mm tip?

The main thing is the shaft diameter and the taper. The pro taper (which is at least 12" of the shaft with a uniform diameter) is much easier to stroke with a closed bridge and not have any slop in the bridge. The smaller diameter of the shaft combined with a taper make getting away from a pro taper difficult for some. Just guessing here, but a 11.75 or 11.25 (the z) diameter shaft in a pro taper would be way too whippy.

I'm far from the expert, but I would think inadvertant spin would be an issue too. They are better in terms of squirt, but I would think you might miss some shot by throwing the object ball when you didn't intend to. Kind of like a golf club, the biggest sweet spot offers less throw/spin, but you don't have the freedom of controlling the ball as much?
 
Mr. Griff,

The taper on the OB-2 may not be to your liking.

Basically, it's about the same diameter at 10" as the OB-1, so the first 10" does grow or get bigger. The reason for this was to have the same size shaft in your bridge when the tip is at the cue ball. We wanted to give the advantage of the smaller tip size to those that were not comfortable with the small shaft size. Many players are surprised as it does not feel drastically different than their traditional sized shafts.

I too play with a closed bridge quite often, but I don't find that the looseness of the shaft in my bridge when I am on the back stroke to be an issue. I know that when I am going through the ball, the bridge will be just like I like it.

I hope that helps.

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
Last Wednesday, I made the switch from 314-2 to OB2. The following weekend I placed 13-16th at the Swanee Tourny. Did it help me do good in the tourny? I believe it did, along with the ear plugs I bought. :D :)

Royce-- Nice job on the product!! I really love the feel of the OB2 shaft. To me, it made the hit feel more "connected" and solid. My 314-2 didn't have me feeling connected. Kudos! :thumbup: Btw, I played with my 314-2 for a couple of years.


Regards,
 
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Thanks Royce

Mr. Griff,

The taper on the OB-2 may not be to your liking.

Basically, it's about the same diameter at 10" as the OB-1, so the first 10" does grow or get bigger. The reason for this was to have the same size shaft in your bridge when the tip is at the cue ball. We wanted to give the advantage of the smaller tip size to those that were not comfortable with the small shaft size. Many players are surprised as it does not feel drastically different than their traditional sized shafts.

I too play with a closed bridge quite often, but I don't find that the looseness of the shaft in my bridge when I am on the back stroke to be an issue. I know that when I am going through the ball, the bridge will be just like I like it.

I hope that helps.

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com

Absolutely does. I will give it a try because I really have been wanting to try a smaller tip, and up till now I have been looking for a used predator z shaft (something I could flip if I didn't think it could help me). The overwhelming majority of the people who have tried both shafts seem to love your guys product, so I will give it a try. Its quite possible the diammeter of the shaft at impact will be a bigger factor for me than the uniform taper (big hands), so I want to give it a go.

I grew up on the 314 shaft, but am looking forward to trying something different. If it looks like a small tip or tapered bridge area is just too much for me, I will definately give the OB-1 a shot for a permenant replacement too.

As for i4pool, thanks for the story, I'd like to be posting the same in a month or two. In 3 years I've played the exact same cue/shaft, so I'd like to see if a change might add a little someting to my game.
 
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