What's the best ld shaft on the market?
- Thread starter brian0741
- Start date
The best LD shaft is the one that feels best to you. You should try out as many LD shafts as you can before you buy. When I first started out with my LD experiment I went to the Super Billiards Expo (2007). I got to try all the LD shafts out there and settled on a Predator Z2. If I would've gone by just suggestions I would've bought a Predator 314-2 shaft or an OB-1.
Who is the best car manufacturer? Like this one, your question cannot be answered because it's a matter of opinion.
I offer mezz wd700 as my opinion for the best feeling low deflection shaft.
I offer predator as my opinion for lowest deflecting shaft regardless of feel.
Yes, because the mass at the end (last 6" or so) contributes largely to the amount of deflection. A thicker shaft will have more endmass all other things being equal.
I have the tiger x-pro, and have hit the Jacoby highbrid edge. I like the x-pro, but while it is reasonably stiff and has a solid hit, I would prefer it to be stiffer. It definitely has lower deflection than my standard maple shaft, and i believe it has lower deflection than the jacoby shaft I hit. That stands to reason though as the jacoby was 12.75mm and the tiger is 11.75.
I would definitely hit them if yuo can before buying. The feel can be very different amongst the different shafts, as is the weight, which will change the balance of your cue. Also, while I like the smaller diameter tip, not everyone does, so make sure you try before you buy.
I would definitely hit them if yuo can before buying. The feel can be very different amongst the different shafts, as is the weight, which will change the balance of your cue. Also, while I like the smaller diameter tip, not everyone does, so make sure you try before you buy.
I have owned Z2, 314, 314-2, OB1 and OB2. Peronsally I like the hit and feel of the OB shafts.
Do you know what makes the WD700 low deflection? I understand that it is 100% solid maple shaft.
Does it have holes drilled in the front of the shaft?
What is the ferrule material made of?
What is the diameter of the ferrule material.
Thanks,
my vote goes to Mezz HPII
Yep, you're right. It's hollowed out at the end. Not as much as the Hybrid Pro II, but enough that it has comparable performance due to really only the last 6" of the shaft's endmass contributing to the deflection properties.
The ferrule is made of Juma.
Currently 12.5 I believe and the older ones were 12.75. I'm not positive on this though.
http://mezzcues.us/shop/index.php?m..._id=14&zenid=2ca90a10282ea8cdfdff924d00fc05e0
My vote goes to Mezz Alpha Hybrid. A bit more deflection than HPII. But it is a full shaft at 12.9mm with reasonably low deflection. Very powerful and firm hitting.
My Vote
I vote for the OB classic pro. I have played with the tiger, predator and a couple of others, and hands down the OB line of cue shafts offer what I was looking for. As mentioned before you gonna just have to try a few out for yourself. I think the OB2 has the lowest deflection on the market, again this is just my opinion. It has a little more softer hit but still very solid. But the classic pro give you a much crisper, firmer hit with a minimal increase in deflection. That is exactly what I was looking for. Good luck in your search.
Frank
I vote for the OB classic pro. I have played with the tiger, predator and a couple of others, and hands down the OB line of cue shafts offer what I was looking for. As mentioned before you gonna just have to try a few out for yourself. I think the OB2 has the lowest deflection on the market, again this is just my opinion. It has a little more softer hit but still very solid. But the classic pro give you a much crisper, firmer hit with a minimal increase in deflection. That is exactly what I was looking for. Good luck in your search.
Frank
In effect, yes. Deflection is determined by the tip-mass of the shaft. Smaller tips have less mass, simply because there is less wood behind the tip, and to a much smaller extent, the thinner shaft is more flexible (so the shaft moves off line rather than the CB moving off line).
Before the drilled shafts of the current LD generations, one could make a std maple shaft into a LD shaft by turning it down so that the tip was 11mm (or so). The difference in the modern LD shafts, is that by drilling the wood out from the center (rather from the edge) the shaft retains most of its stiffness (lack of whippiness).
Smaller tips require somewhat finer delivery of the smaller tip to the same sized CB as one strokes the shot.
just a few clarifications on the wd700:
it is hollowed out, but the bore is filled with some sort of styrene material.
the ferrule is not juma, they call it the "X" ferrule. it is some sort of fiber nylon material. i believe also they use a large tenon, 3/8" with a thinner than normal cap, which reduces the ferrule mass.
the current wd700's are 12.5mm, the first ones were made in 12.8mm. though you can special order them from Mezz in any diameter you want.
my wd700 and hp2 deflect about the same, can't tell any difference in that regard. though it may vary shaft to shaft.
Which shaft do you prefer? BTW, thanks for the clarification on the "X" ferrule material. Still don't know what material but it keeps my curiosity up. Still, I will probably just find someone who has the Mezz shafts to see how they play before buying one.
Mezz also has a 3rd shaft option called Alpha. On my Mezz cue with united joint, the Alpha has a stiffer more solid feel compared to the WD700. WD700 was already stiff and solid. Alpha is more so. Deflection is increased, but so is feedback. Shaft diameter is slightly thicker than the WD700.
Both play great.
Both play great.
that's a really hard to answer, all the mezz shafts are really great, i own them all and several mezz break shafts and jump cue. they really are the top of the line in quality for production cues. i am mainly playing with the mezz standard maple shaft right now and sometimes the alpha, because i like the feel and haven't been doing the LD thing for awhile now. when i was playing with LD shafts, I mainly preferred the hp2, because i like the stiffness and harder hit.
hp2 - similar deflection to wd700, plays very stiff, harder hit than wd700 due to carbon core
wd700 - low deflection, stiff but not overly so, feels most like a regular shaft
alpha - deflection-wise in between a regular and wd700/hp2. similar stiffness to hp2 and the same carbon core type feeling. thicker at 12.8mm.
The older Predator shafts are great and the new ones are okay but not like the old ones.For a smaller diameter LD shaft I really believe the I3 shaft from Mcdermott is a freakin awesome shaft with super low deflection and great feel.They are a lighter shaft which is fine to me.If you put a Ob2 and a Z-2 together and had a baby,it would be the I3 shaft.