Finally made the jump to an LD shaft

T

tomatoshooter

Well-known member
So the local place had a sale, buy a cue get half off an LD shaft. I picked up a Viking B2506 with the V-Pro shaft and added a Predator 314 shaft. Wow! I still feel like a shoot a bit more accurately with the stock shaft but with the 314 I can put spin on long shots without sacrificing accuracy. Any loss in accuracy is made up for by being able to play position much more effectively. With a traditional shaft, putting English on longer shots was significantly reducing my chances. It's honestly weird how little correction is needed. I do think the stock tip is a bit hard and a softer tip might give me a little more margin against miscues. Maybe I'll get used to it.

So, yes, the hype is real. I'm glad I made the leap. I at least had to find out what it was about. It's possible that I could get better at putting spin on the ball with a maple shaft, and switch back, but I had to know and that was worth the price of admission.
 
Yeah, I want to see how my game develops but if the shaft were to explode tomorrow, I've learned the advantages and got my money's worth. I was struggling with the idea of paying $300 for a stick of wood with a little piece of leather on the end but now I understand the value. It's still too much to pay for 4 oz of wood but it's worth it for my game.
 
tomatoshooter said:
Yeah, I want to see how my game develops but if the shaft were to explode tomorrow, I've learned the advantages and got my money's worth. I was struggling with the idea of paying $300 for a stick of wood with a little piece of leather on the end but now I understand the value. It's still too much to pay for 4 oz of wood but it's worth it for my game.
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I have used many LD shafts, and always went back to 314^2, good balance of power, spin and so on. Never had 314^3 buy I'm sure it is just as good. As long as you don't break with it, it will last for years to come.
 
buckshotshoey said:
You will find you might have to play with the bridge length somewhat
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When I was using a conventional shaft I use probably a 10" bridge length and was getting by with adding a bit of back hand English and then adding another 30% front hand English. Now I'm almost purely front hand English and I'm doing better, instantly. I really started using English only in the last few months so there isn't a huge amount of relearning/reprogramming. It's so easy, it feels like cheating.
 
Wolven said:
don't break with it
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Yeah, I've got to start carrying a break cue now. I've broken with the 314 a few times but I'm not comfortable going to my maximum power. I was probably going 12-14 mph and, with my current "break" cue I get 15-16 before I lose the cue ball. Those numbers might be a little high because I'm breaking nearer the center of the table and I think I set the app for closer to the rail. If I can consistently get in the 16+ plus range and keep control of the cue ball, dry breaks should be acceptably low. In 8 ball, at my level, break and runs are rare, but a good break and choosing my group should easily win me 75% of games that I break.
 
Congratulations on the new LD shaft and results! Maybe someday for me, but I have been playing with my same Viking standard shaft on my customized F50 for 20 years. I'm so used to it that I fear changing would destroy my game! Guess I will just take this one to the coffin with me. :-)
 
mrpiper said:
Congratulations on the new LD shaft and results! Maybe someday for me, but I have been playing with my same Viking standard shaft on my customized F50 for 20 years. I'm so used to it that I fear changing would destroy my game! Guess I will just take this one to the coffin with me. :)
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I shot a rack with the stock V-Pro before I swapped them. That thing shoots lights out! You can deal with tougher position when you can make shots that reliably. With the 314, I can move the cue ball twice as effectively, but I'm not particularly accomplished with sidespin. I'm willing to accept a slight loss of accuracy for position. I'm going to compare my accuracy in a month and also see if anything I've learned about spin transfers back.
 
tomatoshooter said:
So the local place had a sale, buy a cue get half off an LD shaft. I picked up a Viking B2506 with the V-Pro shaft and added a Predator 314 shaft. Wow! I still feel like a shoot a bit more accurately with the stock shaft but with the 314 I can put spin on long shots without sacrificing accuracy. Any loss in accuracy is made up for by being able to play position much more effectively. With a traditional shaft, putting English on longer shots was significantly reducing my chances. It's honestly weird how little correction is needed. I do think the stock tip is a bit hard and a softer tip might give me a little more margin against miscues. Maybe I'll get used to it.

So, yes, the hype is real. I'm glad I made the leap. I at least had to find out what it was about. It's possible that I could get better at putting spin on the ball with a maple shaft, and switch back, but I had to know and that was worth the price of admission.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the 90s LOL

Although a lot of people mistake a low deflection shaft as a gateway to better play automatically. It's really depends on the player, a lot try it and swap back because it's less forgiving if you hit off center and also can be a tough adjustment to make after years of playing with a standard shaft. Many players that have a swerve or rotation in the stroke have learned to make balls with a standard shaft, and if they use an LD shaft, that ability of the shaft to send the cueball in a straighter line can mess up their subconscious aiming.
 
hang-the-9 said:
Welcome to the 90s LOL

Although a lot of people mistake a low deflection shaft as a gateway to better play automatically. It's really depends on the player, a lot try it and swap back because it's less forgiving if you hit off center and also can be a tough adjustment to make after years of playing with a standard shaft. Many players that have a swerve or rotation in the stroke have learned to make balls with a standard shaft, and if they use an LD shaft, that ability of the shaft to send the cueball in a straighter line can mess up their subconscious aiming.
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Yeah that's one of the reasons I wanted to make the leap before I got too far along in my skills. I'm not adjusting to a cue that feels weird, I'm learning to use my new superpowers.
 
tomatoshooter said:
Yeah that's one of the reasons I wanted to make the leap before I got too far along in my skills. I'm not adjusting to a cue that feels weird, I'm learning to use my new superpowers.
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Smart.

I can’t play with LD anything. I played too long with hi deflection cues. Was just too much to over come for me.

The guys these days play so much better than in the past I’m sure like in golf, tennis etc part is the equipment and what ever else.

Point is starting early with CF is the right time to start.

Best
Fatboy 😀
 
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