I received an email from Bob Danielson at BD cues in Benton, Washington, with a request to test his SS 360 shaft. I agreed and asked Bob to send me a shaft comparable to my playing shaft, the 11.75mm Tiger Pro X, which is also in the same class as the market leader, the Predator Z2.
A few weeks later, the SS 360 came in. Since I really wasn't familiar with BD cues, or knew anything about them, I had absolutely no expectations. I did not expect a high tech LD shaft comparable to the best shafts out there, but that's what I got.
Appearance: First of all, I was impressed with the quality and appearance of the shaft. It is a six piece laminated shaft with pieces cut in pie shape fashion. If it weren't for the grain and color differences, the glue lines would be nearly invisible. The wood grain is a little darker than the typical maple shaft. Bob prefers maple that is not vacuum dried, so the appearance is more natural. The ferrule is Juma, 5/8" long - which is not typical to the current trend of very short ferrules. The tip is a Kamui.
Overall, the shaft comes off as a professionally manufactured shaft and is very well done.
Taper and weight: This cue has a very long, thin taper. It only gains .75mm the first 12" from the tip, versus 1.65mm for the Z2 and 2mm for the Pro X. Why does this matter? This is more of a taper one would find on a 13mm shaft. The smaller tipped shafts generally have a steeper taper, to increase stiffness and mass, while still keeping weight off the last few inches - to keep the squirt down.
Visually, one has to adjust to the long thin shaft, and a shaft tapered this way tends to be more flexible and lighter. As such the SS 360 weighs in at 3.5 ounces, similar to a Z2 but not the 3.8 to 4.0 ounces I prefer.
Squirt: The shaft is low squirt, very manageable. I didn't have to adjust much from my Tiger Pro X. I measured the pivot point at approximately 18.5", which would give it about the same squirt as a Predator 314. The Pro X and Z2 are in the approximately 21" + range.
Playability and Feel: First of all, the shaft is very solid. It plays great, transmits feel like a conventional shaft, and can pull off just about anything. It is more solid than a Z2 and is a little more flexible than my Pro X - which makes it a fairly lively shaft. In fact the shaft gets great spin and cue ball action.
That being said, I believe this shaft would be even better in a 12.75mm to 13 mm version. I believe the taper and dimensions are more appropriate to a thicker shaft. I would like to see an altered taper on shafts with the smaller tip.
If you want low squirt in a lively shaft that is very well built, and like a long taper, then this is your shaft! For $160, it is a good deal and Bob is great to deal with:
http://www.bdcuesandcomix.com/category/1
A few weeks later, the SS 360 came in. Since I really wasn't familiar with BD cues, or knew anything about them, I had absolutely no expectations. I did not expect a high tech LD shaft comparable to the best shafts out there, but that's what I got.
Appearance: First of all, I was impressed with the quality and appearance of the shaft. It is a six piece laminated shaft with pieces cut in pie shape fashion. If it weren't for the grain and color differences, the glue lines would be nearly invisible. The wood grain is a little darker than the typical maple shaft. Bob prefers maple that is not vacuum dried, so the appearance is more natural. The ferrule is Juma, 5/8" long - which is not typical to the current trend of very short ferrules. The tip is a Kamui.
Overall, the shaft comes off as a professionally manufactured shaft and is very well done.
Taper and weight: This cue has a very long, thin taper. It only gains .75mm the first 12" from the tip, versus 1.65mm for the Z2 and 2mm for the Pro X. Why does this matter? This is more of a taper one would find on a 13mm shaft. The smaller tipped shafts generally have a steeper taper, to increase stiffness and mass, while still keeping weight off the last few inches - to keep the squirt down.
Visually, one has to adjust to the long thin shaft, and a shaft tapered this way tends to be more flexible and lighter. As such the SS 360 weighs in at 3.5 ounces, similar to a Z2 but not the 3.8 to 4.0 ounces I prefer.
Squirt: The shaft is low squirt, very manageable. I didn't have to adjust much from my Tiger Pro X. I measured the pivot point at approximately 18.5", which would give it about the same squirt as a Predator 314. The Pro X and Z2 are in the approximately 21" + range.
Playability and Feel: First of all, the shaft is very solid. It plays great, transmits feel like a conventional shaft, and can pull off just about anything. It is more solid than a Z2 and is a little more flexible than my Pro X - which makes it a fairly lively shaft. In fact the shaft gets great spin and cue ball action.
That being said, I believe this shaft would be even better in a 12.75mm to 13 mm version. I believe the taper and dimensions are more appropriate to a thicker shaft. I would like to see an altered taper on shafts with the smaller tip.
If you want low squirt in a lively shaft that is very well built, and like a long taper, then this is your shaft! For $160, it is a good deal and Bob is great to deal with:
http://www.bdcuesandcomix.com/category/1
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