XLR8 CF shafts. Anybody play one yet?

ddg45

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I did a search and didn't see a thread on this topic yet. There's a guy at "DFE Billiards" selling his XLR8 CF shaft for $275. He makes them himself from blanks he buys. Has anybody tried one yet? That price is almost too good to be true, so I'm a little skeptical. Thanks for anyone who can help.
 

FishFreak

New member
I've talked to the guy, Matt, on FB, he's super helpful and responsive. On that note I've almost bought one, but I haven't decided what tip size to get. He's on his second gen of the XLR8 shaft. The earlier ones were foam filled, now they're lined with a damping material, and from the low budget YT vids, it sounds pretty solid, almost like maple. Wish more people would give real feedback on them here....
 

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've talked to the guy, Matt, on FB, he's super helpful and responsive. On that note I've almost bought one, but I haven't decided what tip size to get. He's on his second gen of the XLR8 shaft. The earlier ones were foam filled, now they're lined with a damping material, and from the low budget YT vids, it sounds pretty solid, almost like maple. Wish more people would give real feedback on them here....
Just watched the vid. Looks like they are VERY light. That will change BP quite a bit. Would probably want to go 30" in most cases.
 

DFEBilliards

New member
I’m thrilled to see a thread about my XLR8 shafts on AZB after over a year since I created the brand. Someone mentioned how light the shafts are, but I’d like to make note that I actually make them whatever weight the customer prefers. In 90% of the shafts I’ve built, they were the base weight but I do still offer shafts that are weighted to customer preference; like essentially every shaft spec offered. Thanks again for starting the thread! I look forward to seeing if there are any more replies!!!
 

sgonzalez34

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just ordered mine from Matt. Nice guy, super responsive and easy to work with. Having owned multiple cf shafts and brands, I’ll add some comments in a few weeks.

Serafín


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

MLFALCN

New member
I have a two 2nd Gen shaft from Matt @DFEBilliards. He is great to work with and has a ton of knowledge to help you make your decisions to build your custom shaft or cue. His XLR8 shaft plays better than my Cuetec Cynergy 12.5 Carbon Fiber shaft. I also bought an XLR8 shaft for my big belulah 2 break cue that hits like a ton of bricks. Now, I'm buying a Carbon Fiber cue from him. He has been great to work with and is always responsive to my questions.
 

ddg45

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just ordered mine from Matt. Nice guy, super responsive and easy to work with. Having owned multiple cf shafts and brands, I’ll add some comments in a few weeks.

Serafín


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Could we have an update, please?
 

sgonzalez34

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As promised, below are my impressions of the XLR8 shaft (30", 3/8 x 10, 11.8mm) I've been playing with for a few weeks. Why did I decide to take a chance on this shaft? I prefer cf shafts and the low price was very enticing. More importantly, my current playing cue has an atypical joint diameter, it's around 0.831'. I'm a stickler for having the shaft's joint-end diameter match the joint diameter "perfectly." So the opportunity to have a custom cf shaft made to my exact specs sounded great. None of the current production cf shafts I have seen in the market meet those requirements. As a point of reference, I've owned a Mezz Ignite, a GO-Custom, a Cuetec Cynergy, a Meucci Pro, a Snapshot Ion and 3 Pechauer Rogue shafts.

Positives:
  • Custom built to your specifications... kinda (length, tip diameter, joint diameter, joint type, tip, and ferrule size)
  • Low Deflection. The deflection/squirt is extremely low with this shaft. May be related to a lighter than normal front-end weight.
  • The pro taper on the shaft is my favorite aspect. Especially, when I use a long closed bridge.
  • Feels, sounds and hits better than expected. I expected a more hollow, pingy hit, but it actually hits very nice.
  • Great customer service. Matt was always quick to answer any of my messages and pleasant. He under promised and over delivered on the turnaround time.
  • Price. It's hard to find a custom cf shaft for under $300.
Negatives:
  • There's a very slight roll on the shaft. When I say slight.... I mean it. However, unlike wood shafts, I expect a cf shaft to be perfectly straight or damn near perfectly straight.
  • The joint-end diameter is not 0.831" as requested. I think it was 0.840" and Matt just took a little off of the end cap to try to reach the requested diameter. I just think that making the actual cf tube end match an unusual joint diameter like mine is too difficult/expensive.
Positive or Negative (depending on your preference):
  • The shaft weighs only 2.75oz. I've always liked the balance of my cues to be a little heavier on the front end, but to my surprise I got used to the lighter front end and now prefer it that way.
That's all folks. I hope you found this quick review to be helpful.
 

ddg45

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just got my DFE XLR8 shaft; 12.6 mm with ultraskin fire medium tip. Like a previous commenter, although I expected the light weight to mess with the balance point it felt comfortable right from the beginning. I will update this as I play more, but my initial impressions are positive. It feels different than maple, but I haven't decided if different is better. One thing I like is that the black color with the small white ferrule seems to make it easier to aim and line up shots. More to follow...
 

phreaticus

Well-known member
Can someone please describe the taper on the XLR8? Also, anyone know if he’ll do custom materials & length on the ferrule? Onviously I can ask him offine but figured others might want to know similar, so thought I’d try here first. Thx
 

suharsh

Registered
I bought an XLR8. The best part is the customer service before purchase and after purchase as well. Also you can customize it the way you want it - your tip, the joint you want, the length choice, ferrule color choice ... also at this price if someone wants to try CF but doesn't want to part $400 to $600 then this is a good choice. I own Cynergy, Revo and XLR8. I prefer Cynergy over the two. I could order XLR8 for a cuetec joint and Matt was even willing to figure out how to make it 30" for me .. I finally decided on keeping it to 29". The look and feel of the shaft is like that of Revo.
 

EddieBme

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Can someone please describe the taper on the XLR8? Also, anyone know if he’ll do custom materials & length on the ferrule? Onviously I can ask him offine but figured others might want to know similar, so thought I’d try here first. Thx
you can have it made to your own specs
 

Fitzz47

Member
Just ordered one yesterday,Matt was very helpful. 30” radial joint white ferrule 12.8 mm. This is close to my Revo. I will keep updates. 3-5 week turn around will seem forever. Lol.
 

ddg45

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Having played with this shaft for a while, I continue to enjoy it. There was a small issue and Matt sent me a label to pay for return shipping, corrected it, and sent it back. It's perfect now. I play with a Pechauer and I've played lots of different maple shafts including the Pechauer P+Pro and Predator 314-3; and the Cuetec Cynergy CF shaft. I prefer the DFE to the Cuetec, and played with it at League last night. Not just a good shaft for the money...a good shaft at any price.
 
Top