Am I the only one that cannot warm up to low deflection shafts?
- Thread starter ron3
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I've tried 6 by different mfgrs. All top rated / expensive and touted excessively and have the same problem. A long time highly skilled cueist am I 3 cushion, pocket, snooker plus.. The tight grain / high quality / density solid hard woods for me all the way. Preferably OLD wood, however a rarity shows up once in a while. Although I've never read this before anywhere about laminated: my experience in wood working and knowledge of some excellent wood workers, has always indicated that the primary usage of wood strips / laminations was to take cheaper / less quality pieces and by glueing / applying pressure / forming and machining it becomes possible to create strong items with cheap {maybe throw away pieces} pieces of wood. Although there is the ferule, tip, joint, taper etc. involved - cannot it be that somehow the inconsistency of the numerous segments come into play ? How could it actually hit the same at every point on the compass ? Just thinking !!!I have a few low deflection cues and have been using them for several months. but just cannot get the control and consistency from them I do my old Mcdermott standard deflection shafts. Am I the only one that has this problem.
Any scientists out there? And I've tried very lengthy, diligent efforts to no spectacular, noticable, great results with the laminates. Certainly have value once adjustments are considered BIG HOWEVER !!!!!!
Tone
You're not alone. I've tried most everthing, the only one that remotely felt good to me was the Lucasi Hybrid. I shoot with a Gulyassy SPTX, it's not LD technically, but has LD properties...it's a solid shaft and actually hits stiff for how thin it is. I guess you'd have to count me in the stock shaft camp. I can adjust to LD, I just don't like the feel...they feel dead to me.
I have never played with an LD shaft at all. I played pool extensively through my teens & 20's, stopped altogether in my 30's & now have taken it back up at 41. I'm leaning toward buying a low cost McDermott G-Core taken down to 12.75 or 12.5 mm but I really don't know if I want to try & "re-learn" aiming again.
Is there actually that much of a difference or are we talking about literally millimeters here in aiming adjustments? For what it's worth I play on 9 foot tables.
Is there actually that much of a difference or are we talking about literally millimeters here in aiming adjustments? For what it's worth I play on 9 foot tables.
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Im the same. Ive tried most LD shafts and just can't get used to them. If they work good for you great, cant bash them, just not for me.
Millimeters are big when you're talking about aiming and contacting the cue ball in pool. In this case it's an angular adjustment, so if you're talking about the difference in the point on the object ball you're "aiming" at, it depends how far away that object ball is. For short shots with moderate english, it could be millimeters, but across the table with heavy english, it could be a whole ball width.
If you are used to playing with a regular shaft and try to thinly cut a ball from across the table with outside english, you are apt to miss the ball entirely with a LD shaft until you get used to it.
I shot for the most part with a 25 year old Schon shaft, the LD's are ok, but, kept going back to my old shaft. However, I did get in some OB XL low deflection shafts that are 13mm, a few are 12.9 mm, but, so far, playing around with them, much more comfortable. Maybe it's us old 13.0 mm guys just are so use to the 13 mm shafts ?? If your interested in trying one, let me know as I have 5/16 x 18 thread, 3/8 x 10 thread and some 5/16 x 14 threads.
Many POO POO feel - That's all there is IMO. Using Everest tips or Barringer ELK DUDS on my conventional shafts = GOOD FOR ME Everyone and virtually all billiard tables different OF COURSE. Better catch on quick or !!!!! stick to purely fun.
Have you tried a low deflection shaft that is NOT laminated? I absolutely hated them until a cue maker made me a pair based on his conception of ld being more to do with taper and ferrule length/material. I've played with mine on and off for about three years now. I like them and think I pocket balls better but seem to get a hair more cue ball movement after contact than I want. Much more noticeable playing Straight Pool.
Been playing with a maple shaft for my entire life. Tried a few LD shafts. I'll stick with maple. Like cue designs, it's what a person likes and is comfortable with.
In post number 7 Matt said:
If you are used to playing with a regular shaft and try to thinly cut a ball from across the table with outside english, you are apt to miss the ball entirely with a LD shaft until you get used to it.
This is very similar to a shot I have people shoot with my 10 mm palmer.
I freeze a ball on the first diamond of the short rail, cue ball on the far spot and have them try to hit it the corner rail first with inside spin, A not to hard shot for a pretty good player.
Without exception every player has missed hitting the object ball by just about a full ball.
And if I use their 13 mm or whatever mm they use I will hit the ball full in the face
Now, I am not sure what all this means, But I Know my stick hits it just about exactly where I am aiming.
Could it be naturally Ld?
the shaft is the original shaft my cue came with back in 1988. nothing fancy about it.
btw, I have never tried a low d shaft.
If you are used to playing with a regular shaft and try to thinly cut a ball from across the table with outside english, you are apt to miss the ball entirely with a LD shaft until you get used to it.
This is very similar to a shot I have people shoot with my 10 mm palmer.
I freeze a ball on the first diamond of the short rail, cue ball on the far spot and have them try to hit it the corner rail first with inside spin, A not to hard shot for a pretty good player.
Without exception every player has missed hitting the object ball by just about a full ball.
And if I use their 13 mm or whatever mm they use I will hit the ball full in the face
Now, I am not sure what all this means, But I Know my stick hits it just about exactly where I am aiming.
Could it be naturally Ld?
the shaft is the original shaft my cue came with back in 1988. nothing fancy about it.
btw, I have never tried a low d shaft.
I have a few low deflection cues and have been using them for several months. but just cannot get the control and consistency from them I do my old Mcdermott standard deflection shafts. Am I the only one that has this problem.
Consistency is a function of many variables, cue shaft / tip is one of them. I have been there, as you change playing cues, you are probably changing where to grip and bridge. Try to be consistent when changing cues and let us know what is the out come. Thanks.
I have a few low deflection cues and have been using them for several months. but just cannot get the control and consistency from them I do my old Mcdermott standard deflection shafts. Am I the only one that has this problem.
There are enough player's who don't do well with them. The percentage is higher than you might think. I'm not sure why, but usually symptoms are a slowly degrading game and ultimately a lack of confidence.
You have to remember, that on many, many shots, I don't adjust at all with an LD... just no need because of the distance if the cue ball to the object ball.... and just using a little juice on a longer shot.. I don't adjust for that either...
So, it's not just smaller adjusting, most times there is not adjustment at all... and I like that... of course, others don't, and that is cool too.... maple or LD, there are two ways to go, and I have zero problem if someone wants to shoot with a maple and never tries and LD.... just does not going to affect my game if someone else changes
Ron you don't say what shaft you are using. Most cannot pick up a 11.75 shaft and shoot well with it if that's what your using.
What he said....
I have shot both LD and Regular shafts. I came back to the game of pool after a 20+ yr absence. Since coming back to the game 3 yrs ago, I did the switch to an LD shaft. I didn't do it for deflection per say; I did it b/c LD's are thinner diameter, and more rigid. (supposedly). I had to forget adjusting on long runs for deflection with the LD's. That has made life a lot easier.
I have tried many LD shafts, and reconciled on these two,(mind you this is just my opinion). OB (OB2), & Predator (Z2)
I also have an "aged" shaft from a cue-maker with a conical taper.
I like to shoot them "long & thin" so to un-scientifically test these shafts,I shot several hundred "long & thin" shots long table (8ft).
Here is what I found:
Standard non LD shaft -- 1 1/2 to 2 " deflection
Conical "aged" shaft -- 3/4 to 1 1/4 " deflection
OB-2 (laminated) -- 3/4 to 1 " deflection
Z-2 -- almost 0 to 1/2" deflection
I did have a cuemaker turn the Z-2 to a superpro taper, not so sure that would make much of a difference.
I shoot them all (depending on the game), but in rotation games I have a preference for the Z-2.
I have shot both LD and Regular shafts. I came back to the game of pool after a 20+ yr absence. Since coming back to the game 3 yrs ago, I did the switch to an LD shaft. I didn't do it for deflection per say; I did it b/c LD's are thinner diameter, and more rigid. (supposedly). I had to forget adjusting on long runs for deflection with the LD's. That has made life a lot easier.
I have tried many LD shafts, and reconciled on these two,(mind you this is just my opinion). OB (OB2), & Predator (Z2)
I also have an "aged" shaft from a cue-maker with a conical taper.
I like to shoot them "long & thin" so to un-scientifically test these shafts,I shot several hundred "long & thin" shots long table (8ft).
Here is what I found:
Standard non LD shaft -- 1 1/2 to 2 " deflection
Conical "aged" shaft -- 3/4 to 1 1/4 " deflection
OB-2 (laminated) -- 3/4 to 1 " deflection
Z-2 -- almost 0 to 1/2" deflection
I did have a cuemaker turn the Z-2 to a superpro taper, not so sure that would make much of a difference.
I shoot them all (depending on the game), but in rotation games I have a preference for the Z-2.
Just like every thing in pool, if your forget to do something, you will miss. If you intend to pivot the shaft at final delivery and forgot, your squirt will be higher than what you had in mind; similarly if you intended to have parallel shaft using english, and forgot to make sure it is, your squirt could be less than intended. If you forgot about where to bridge for zero squirt and bridge at shorter pivot you will squirt more, if you shoot soft and forgot about squerve you will miss, if you forget about how fast cloth is, and did not account for throw you will miss.
At the end of the day, a player has to choose shaft performance based on their natural bridge length, and not have to force a long or short bridge. IMO LD shafts are easier to deal with, provided the tip on the shaft has same characteristics as the original tip.
Just like every thing in pool, if your forget to do something, you will miss. If you intend to pivot the shaft at final delivery and forgot, your squirt will be higher than what you had in mind; similarly if you intended to have parallel shaft using english, and forgot to make sure it is, your squirt could be less than intended. If you forgot about where to bridge for zero squirt and bridge at shorter pivot you will squirt more, if you shoot soft and forgot about squerve you will miss, if you forget about how fast cloth is, and did not account for throw you will miss.
At the end of the day, a player has to choose shaft performance based on their natural bridge length, and not have to force a long or short bridge. IMO LD shafts are easier to deal with, provided the tip on the shaft has same characteristics as the original tip.