Crical Pro- great Amazon deal

garczar said:
i used mine a couple hrs yesterday and didn't miss any spin shots by anywhere close to that much. maybe i'm just a genius at adapting. that's gotta be it. ;)
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garczar said:
Don't know how you guys test for squirt by this shaft i got is lo-defl. There are others lower but its a lot less than the wood cues i A/B'd it with. I shoot at the center diamond on end rail like you see in most videos and this shaft barely squirts it all. About the same as the Cynergy.
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I just hit a couple racks. On higher squirt (than what I’m used to) shafts, I’ll miss shots thick with outside, and thin with inside. It shows up quickly.

This shaft was night and day different than the predator (any of them going back to the 314-1).

People here often claim Predator is marketing bs, but when you pick it up and the aim is different than anything else, it’s not marketing.
 
skor said:
Sound like a gamble and a waist of money.
These cues are aimed at people who are not players and don't know anything about pool cues. So yes taper, no taper, doesn't matter, they only know house cues.
The notion that all CF shafts are equal is simply wrong, there are different ways to manufacture the tubes, some have filling, some don't, some have different construction at the front end. They will play different, they will deflect different and you can't trust a non-brand company for anything they advertise.
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Great for bar bangers and league players who don't have a bundle to spend on equipment and wouldn't play any better with it. Besides, it cuts into the beer money!!
 
This was my review from another thread. I purchased one of the $189 CXD models:

Cue came about an hour ago. It was everything as advertised (almost). The fit was perfect. The finish was nice. It rolled dead straight. Tip measured (with dial calipers) at exactly .5", which comes to 12.7mm on an inches to millimeters conversion chart. It surprised me because it appeared to be smaller at the ferrule than my other 12.5mm shafts. It did not have a short, white ferrule as shown in the picture on the Amazon website. None of that stuff bothers me at all. I wiped the shaft down with 91% alcohol and got nothing on the paper towel. Definitely a true pro taper.

Now...the playability. FTR, I do not have hours upon hours of play with CF shafts. I own three Rhino shafts and have played them on Jacoby, Lucasi, and McDermott butts. I have shot a rack or two with Cuetec Cynergy and Revo shafts. That's my CF history.

This is after several racks of balls: The hit of this Crical cue butt/CF shaft combination feels almost exactly like the hit of the Rhino shafts coupled with the Lucasi and McDermott butts. There is not any kind of tinky/metallic sound whatsoever. More of a quiet thunk. Solid hit with no noticeable vibration. I didn't do any deflection testing because I have nothing to compare it against other than 314-2's and the Rhino's. I honestly feel (without any scientific evidence) that this Circal shaft was very comparable to the Rhino shafts I own in both the hit and LD qualities. I wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same factory.

I originally intended to buy this cue based on both this thread and another thread posted by garczar, and try it out and give it to my grandson (almost 11 yo). I am happy with this purchase and now, I think I'm going to put this cue in my wife's bag for her a backup cue and just order another for my grandson. For what I received for the money I paid, I have to say this cue is at the very least a great value and good enough for a person wanting to try out a CF shaft to not have to drop over $400 to try one out. Personally, I don't think I'd be afraid to use this cue in a local league or tournament if I had to. Maybe more time spent using this cue could change my mind, but I don't think so.

This tip/ferrule in this picture looks like the one that came with my shaft. It plays similar to a triangle although it is a layered tip: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CV7FRB7B?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

FTR, I've already placed an order for a second cue for my grandson.
 
I bought the Chinese version of the Predator jump cue for $60 to try out and my 1st jump i made the ball and drew the CB back. That was worth the $60 to see the reaction from the guys watching. I just ordered the higher end Crical CF cue ($241 or $263 CDN) To try out and if i don't like it I'll put it in the rack with my other housecues and let everybody use it.
 
Mensabum said:
Great for bar bangers and league players who don't have a bundle to spend on equipment and wouldn't play any better with it. Besides, it cuts into the beer money!!
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Actually, seems it's great for anyone that doesn't have another cue to compare to and will probably compare well to most. Very few cues will compare to a Revo it seems as to deflection. 120 bucks, I'm tempted to buy one just because. Add about 1/2 oz of weight, and it will be right at my preferred weight and close to my preferred balance.
 
These cue companies that popped up are great imo overall. Sure, not as low deflection as a predator (nothing is imo), but they are straight, have a good taper, good tip, CF shaft, and look half decent, all for $120. 20 years ago that price got you a Cuetec with that horrible sticky shaft and a broom stick taper. Great value to get into pool, imo.
 
muskyed said:
Buy one and give us a review.
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Yeah I know. I really don't know CF. I can say I've disliked LD since day one. Local maker proudly handed me his latest masterpiece to try. Gotta say it took immediately to my finely crafted technique and did the pool all wrong. :LOL: Now it's become that plus carbon fiber. I can relate to the finished properties - durability, stiffness, potential for cylindrical taper* but that's all I've considered about it. Don't really have the time or opportunity to give a fair assessment. I could provide the gist right now: "Yeah, like it hits real funny and like it doesn't make all my shots man... 3.5 stars for good build.
That ventured, it's rare you get a dependable opinion of an Amazon product hence the wait and see.

* a property I'd like to incorporate into stroke development
 
straightline said:
Yeah I know. I really don't know CF. I can say I've disliked LD since day one. Local maker proudly handed me his latest masterpiece to try. Gotta say it took immediately to my finely crafted technique and did the pool all wrong. :LOL: Now it's become that plus carbon fiber. I can relate to the finished properties - durability, stiffness, potential for cylindrical taper* but that's all I've considered about it. Don't really have the time or opportunity to give a fair assessment. I could provide the gist right now: "Yeah, like it hits real funny and like it doesn't make all my shots man... 3.5 stars for good build.
That ventured, it's rare you get a dependable opinion of an Amazon product hence the wait and see.

* a property I'd like to incorporate into stroke development
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Those properties are great. I got back to the game after almost 15 years, and in the past month I've been using CF shafts. After a month, going back to wood is hard; you feel every little ding in the wood that you swear was not there before, even through the glove that needed time to get used to as well.
You can find CF shafts that are not that LD and save money on it...
I have 9 LD wooden shafts for various cues and joints in my small collection besides the original shafts of those cues, and they are all as good as firewood... I'm going all in on CF and not looking back. It should be a one-time investment, as they are much more durable.
 
straightline said:
Yeah I know. I really don't know CF. I can say I've disliked LD since day one. Local maker proudly handed me his latest masterpiece to try. Gotta say it took immediately to my finely crafted technique and did the pool all wrong. :LOL: Now it's become that plus carbon fiber. I can relate to the finished properties - durability, stiffness, potential for cylindrical taper* but that's all I've considered about it. Don't really have the time or opportunity to give a fair assessment. I could provide the gist right now: "Yeah, like it hits real funny and like it doesn't make all my shots man... 3.5 stars for good build.
That ventured, it's rare you get a dependable opinion of an Amazon product hence the wait and see.

* a property I'd like to incorporate into stroke development
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Kinda splitting hairs a bit, but taper plays a huge role in some guys' strokes. I like an exceptionally long pro taper. Almost forced me to go w longer than normal shafts and mm size increase. 13.5-14. Along with mid cue extensions. There's the wind up, now the pitch!!😂
 
skor said:
Those properties are great. I got back to the game after almost 15 years, and in the past month I've been using CF shafts. After a month, going back to wood is hard; you feel every little ding in the wood that you swear was not there before, even through the glove that needed time to get used to as well.
You can find CF shafts that are not that LD and save money on it...
I have 9 LD wooden shafts for various cues and joints in my small collection besides the original shafts of those cues, and they are all as good as firewood... I'm going all in on CF and not looking back. It should be a one-time investment, as they are much more durable.
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I had the opposite reaction. Upon playing again, jumped on the CF bandwagon pretty fast. Wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Granted, less aiming adjustment required for some shots, but it felt dead in my hands. Didn't take long for me to go back to maple. I'm currently enjoying a Kielwood shaft that gives me the LD of CF, but resonates in my hand so I can feel each shot. Without that, I might as well quit playing. More like the blind leading the blind.😂😂
 
Mensabum said:
I had the opposite reaction. Upon playing again, jumped on the CF bandwagon pretty fast. Wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Granted, less aiming adjustment required for some shots, but it felt dead in my hands. Didn't take long for me to go back to maple. I'm currently enjoying a Kielwood shaft that gives me the LD of CF, but resonates in my hand so I can feel each shot. Without that, I might as well quit playing. More like the blind leading the blind.😂😂
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The wooden shafts still play a bit better for me but it changes every day more towards the CF as I get used to it more. I’m already used to and prefer the CF smoothness and being more care free about dings and such
 
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