Becue is made in one factory in Italy, they are a small company that is bringing CF technology to pool. If you have any questions check out their website and contact Alessandro Bressan at Becue, tell him I sent you, they were the first company to make a full CF cue.
Traditional wood shafts making comeback?
- Thread starter Tmckean
- Start date
Flakeandrun
Well-known member
Infinity diamond, Go-custom and there's two others whose name escapes me, bear striking resemblance. Especially in the break/jump cue dept.
In my neck of the woods, CF was a huge hit starting 2-3 years ago. However, in the past year, several players I know
with expensive CF shafts started using Kielwood. Surprisingly, it seems that Kielwood has found an audience with
CF shaft players. The players that have started using Kielwood are sticking with it and haven’t switched back to CF.
Before they wore gloves and now they aren’t. The feel of the wood and sound of your stroke are strikingly different
and without any discernible difference in low deflection, albeit very slight. Players are going to use anything they think
provides an edge to help their game. It’s how well you stroke the CB that counts & the shaft’s feel & acoustics matters.
with expensive CF shafts started using Kielwood. Surprisingly, it seems that Kielwood has found an audience with
CF shaft players. The players that have started using Kielwood are sticking with it and haven’t switched back to CF.
Before they wore gloves and now they aren’t. The feel of the wood and sound of your stroke are strikingly different
and without any discernible difference in low deflection, albeit very slight. Players are going to use anything they think
provides an edge to help their game. It’s how well you stroke the CB that counts & the shaft’s feel & acoustics matters.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
I like kielwood and want one because of a color combination I want to create that looks beautiful.
Baked wood would look a lot better on a lotta cues. They could even bake some birdseye for the back too.
Moe Szyslak
Active member
Probably helps if the player is baked, too, to notice a difference.
I use a Barnhart KW shaft on my Scruggs cue butt and am awaiting 2 more KW shafts from Jacoby Cues with different
big pins. KW shafts play much better than orig. maple that I decided to get 3 KW shafts so all of my big pin cues have a KW shaft (radial, 3/8x10 and 3/8x11). I’m a little more fussy than most players and prefer a little heavier KW cue shaft for my cues.
big pins. KW shafts play much better than orig. maple that I decided to get 3 KW shafts so all of my big pin cues have a KW shaft (radial, 3/8x10 and 3/8x11). I’m a little more fussy than most players and prefer a little heavier KW cue shaft for my cues.
I'm curious as to how kielwood shafts play better than original maple. Could you expound on your answer please and thanks? I've only seen kielwood and have never even held one in my hands, so I have no clue.
It doesn’t play better, it plays differently.
The process makes the shaft lighter that reduces cue ball deflection.
It is more durable to dents and nicks.
I don’t know if it’s true but I heard that the process makes the wood brittle, so that sounds as a con.
Moe Szyslak
Active member
I would never in a million years have guessed the sound a cue makes hitting a ball was such a huge thing for people.
How much have you played with ivory ferrules versus synthetic material? Ivory makes a unique sound that I grew up in pool halls listening to for more decades than most readers have lived.
Moe Szyslak
Active member
Zero. I just never imagined the sound of the cue made any difference. Usually it's pretty noisy to begin with.
Ivory ferrules impart a unique sound to the stroking of a cue ball. It has a higher ping sound that is very distinct.
Aside from the obvious acoustical difference, it also exhibits a softer feel but obviously the tip hardness matters.
As far as Kielwood or Roasted Maple shafts are referred to as lighter, that refers to the front end mass, coring of
the shaft and kiln roasting to extract moisture, sugar, etc. That obviously lowers the weight of the shaft somewhat.
In regard to the shaft becoming brittle, I’ve never seen that….yet. One of the steps in making a Kielwood shaft is the
reintroduction of moisture to the shaft as part of the process. Cue makers do understand the importance of durability.
Kielwood shafts tend to weigh 3.4 to 3.75 ozs.but the shaft diameter and taper length do influence the shaft’s weight.
It is pretty obvious that a 13mm shaft with a 29” length should be heavier than that same shaft built in 12.5mm diam.
I have preached about shaft weight ratio since I joined Az awhile ago. Not everyone pays attention to the minutia of
cue making as much as myself. You can make a shaft heavier by adding 1/2” to 1” length that doesn’t affect your cue’s
hit. A 29.5”or 30” shaft on a 29” butt plays pretty much like a 58” cue (29”/29”). I think that Kielwood is more durable
than a maple shaft, exhibits less deflection and at the right weight ratio, is a blessing for a player that likes wood shafts.
My Barnhart shaft is 29.5”, 12.85mm, pro taper, 3.81 ozs. I’m hoping the KW shafts being made for me turn out over
4 ozs., 12.75mm and Jacoby’s std pro taper of 19”. Tony said he had some wood that seemed well suited to building the
heavier version KW shaft I want made. It wasn’t easy finding anyone to tackle this but along the way, I encountered a few
cue makers that said they could build what I wanted. Most of the cue makers I contacted shied away from tackling this.
If you are going to get a cue built with wood shafts, do yourself a favor & substitute Kielwood shafts for original maple
shafts. You don’t have to subscribe to my school of thought, re: shaft weight ratio, to enjoy the benefits of a KW shaft.
Moe Szyslak
Active member
Personally I'm fine with CF
Seriously??? Sound is huge to a lot of players. I'm same way in golf, if it doesn't sound right at impact i'm not using it.
Moe Szyslak
Active member
Yes, seriously. I've asked other people, too, and they said, "What? who cares?". Me, I can't imagine what difference it makes. It can sound like a clown horn Ah-oo-gah when I hit a ball for all I care.
Sound does matter.
But... different cues / shafts / ferrules / tips all create different sounds, and as long as all the parts are good and no issues, it's just a matter of getting used to it.
So why does sound matter?
Because, once you are familiar with the sound of your cue and used to it, any difference in the sound may point to a problem, either with the equipment or the aim or the stroke.
I have 4 different brands of CF shafts; one of them is a Revo 12.9mm that came from the shop with a Kamui clear tan hard tip, and it sounds really bad. It sounds like the tip isn't glued right, like there is an air bubble somewhere. Maybe it's just the sound of the Revo; I don't know... but it bugs me when I play with it, and it affects my game. No sound issues with my Cynergy or SMO or Rhino...
Moe Szyslak
Active member
That's different than what most people here are talking about though. They are talking about the sound of how KW or Ivory sounds, in general. Which is what I find strange.
Right, that's what I would think, but apparently it's a big thing for some people.
If your cue tip is properly maintained, correctly chalked and your stroke is straight and extends inches beyond the cue
ball’s outer perimeter, the sound your cue makes will be pretty consistent. The actual noise created will be based on the
velocity of the cue ball but even softer hits shots still emulate a similar sound. It is a form of feedback about how well
you are stroking the cue ball. If you have ever thrown a knife or hatchet, the sound of entering the board tells you how
well you tossed it. The same is true in baseball when barreling a ball, tennis and golf too as earlier mentioned. Any time
you are able to derive feedback about how well you are stroking the cue ball is a good thing so listen to the acoustics.
ball’s outer perimeter, the sound your cue makes will be pretty consistent. The actual noise created will be based on the
velocity of the cue ball but even softer hits shots still emulate a similar sound. It is a form of feedback about how well
you are stroking the cue ball. If you have ever thrown a knife or hatchet, the sound of entering the board tells you how
well you tossed it. The same is true in baseball when barreling a ball, tennis and golf too as earlier mentioned. Any time
you are able to derive feedback about how well you are stroking the cue ball is a good thing so listen to the acoustics.