I'm looking for a power-breaking shaft and would like a thicker walled carbon shaft, not low-deflection carbon break shaft with less power. Any recommendations? Thanks
Non-low deflection carbon shaft maker?
- Thread starter TwoRailDave
- Start date
There is no problem breaking with any CF shafts. they are strong enough.
The week part would be the ferrule or vault, so I would get a breaking CF shaft that has a designated vault for breaking. If you don't break super hard then even that shouldn't be an issue.
I got the Raven break shaft about a month ago. Works really well.
I doubt that cheaper Temu shafts that may deflect more, have thicker walls as more CF will cost more.
The week part would be the ferrule or vault, so I would get a breaking CF shaft that has a designated vault for breaking. If you don't break super hard then even that shouldn't be an issue.
I got the Raven break shaft about a month ago. Works really well.
I doubt that cheaper Temu shafts that may deflect more, have thicker walls as more CF will cost more.
Put some weight in the front. Done.
Paul_#_
Well-known member
Seems a company would advertise their CF break shafts as having much thicker walls than their playing shafts--- if, indeed, they were. Rhino makes no mention of it. Rhino's 10.5mm and 12.7mm CF playing shafts and their 13.0mm break shaft have identical weights: 4.0+-0.2ounces. Rhino uses the same image for describing the carbon fiber used: ultra-strong aviation-grade carbon composite material.
Skor may have a point that the ferrule is the critical component. Rhino mentions only for its break shaft that it has an "ultra strength and durability ferrule".
The larger-diameter shaft has more carbon fiber than the smaller-diameter shaft. This is especially true with the the 10.5mm playing shaft versus the break shaft's 13.0mm but not so appreciable difference compared to the 12.7mm playing shaft (maybe the lack of weight differences among the three shafts is due to weights added during manufacturing to establish the same end weight).
Are break shafts like playing shafts except larger diameters and different ferrules?
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Moe Szyslak
Active member
Is your main concern the durability of the shaft?
my main concern is maximum power for breaking 8 ball head on. A low-deflection shaft, be it carbon or wood, inherently has less power than a shaft not designed to have give. I’ve used some thicker-walled carbon shafts that deflected quite a bit but were much more powerful than a bk rush for example.
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Durability is not my concern
Flakeandrun
Well-known member
House cue, carbon shaft, wood shaft with harder wood base, bala bala bala... all can blow a rack apart. I mean, I only have the Ignite G shaft now on my PB Kai through sheer luck of the draw and a friend wanting rid of it. I switched because it has (in theory) a longer shelf life than the other wood break shafts I had previously (both Mezz wood shafts - with and without the hardwood base). Flex's less than wood, which was uncomfortable for me at first, but gets through the balls nicely. I think you are searching for some shining golden miracle, when realistically you could be happy with a number of available shafts.
I was stoked when I first got 28mph with my old LiSi break cue (laminated purple heart and maple strips), less so when I got the same out of a house cue, and each of these Mezz shafts. Fact is, low 20's is the sweet spot. If you're not concerned about durability, take wood over carbon.
Guys. I'm only looking for answers to the original question in the thread title. I've used a lot of break cues and don't need advice about them.
Paul_#_
Well-known member
Go Break 14 Shaft --- $474. Available within 24 hours in Europe or 2-4 days worldwide:
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I think that a conical taper vs a pro taper will contribute more to the power of the break than the shaft’s wall thickness. And of course the tip.
Weight and balance of the total cue will also make a difference as CF shafts are lighter, they change the cue.
So maybe adding weight to the butt will improve. At the 2023 world 8ball championship, I saw that SVB added an extension to the break cue, this could be a good solution that may work for some and cheaper than a shaft that might not do the trick
Weight and balance of the total cue will also make a difference as CF shafts are lighter, they change the cue.
So maybe adding weight to the butt will improve. At the 2023 world 8ball championship, I saw that SVB added an extension to the break cue, this could be a good solution that may work for some and cheaper than a shaft that might not do the trick
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If you want to do your own testing of how much cue power will go into the ball, here is a simple way:
Find the hardest possible horizontal surface, like a smooth concrete floor or an exposed steel I-beam. Or maybe a granite headstone. Hold the cue stick vertically above it at a measured distance and release it to fall straight down to the "floor". Find what percentage of the original height it bounces up. That will tell you how "efficient" the tip and cue stick are in transferring energy to the cue ball.
Here is a video showing the test. Note that the break cues have considerably higher efficiency than most playing cues.
I'm not sure that you've tested here the cues but rather the tips.
To messure the shafts, they should be mounted with the same tip that is shaped the same and to the same hight. and I would do it without the butt or use the same butt.
I use the Rhino break shaft. Had it for almost a year and a half now. I can recommend it. Great for the price for sure. I also have no clue about low deflection properties of cues. For what it's worth, I only use normal old school maple for my playing shaft and got the Rhino break shaft to try it out. Again, can totally recommend, especially given the price point.
Paul_#_
Well-known member
Your tests showed all cues bounced off a 6"x12" chunk of metal. Your results would have been more interesting with a first-generation McDermott Defy shaft. It may not have bounced! You found leather-tipped cues averaged 73% efficiency versus phenolic-tipped cues' 84% --- how low would the Defy have been?
There is a YouTube (bar-room?) video of another bounce test using a regular shaft (not the butt and shaft as you used) and a Defy shaft. These early Defy shafts didn't bounce. See
I do this without the contraption to see how a cue hits. A vertical drop is crucial as the coherence/congruency of the rebound tells the tale.
That's a really bad shaft for most purposes. No bounce means a lot of energy is lost in the tip/shaft. It also means that the tip will probably drag on the cue ball for some spin shots -- the ball will not be driven off the tip by the tip rebound.
Paul_#_
Well-known member
McDermott's Defy is in its third generation with a smoother surface and stronger ferrule. I am not sure if it bounces now. See https://forums.azbilliards.com/thre...tension-is-not-in-option.574250/#post-8090434/
McDermott still advertises Defy's energy-absorbing "SmacWrap, originally designed for the aerospace industry, absorbs vibration and dampens noise resulting in a confident hit with a soft feel and quiet sound".
Three years ago, AZers argued over the disadvantages of Defy's bounce-less shaft https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/defy-shaft-and-a-little-science-question.546306/
Find link in this AZ post to hear the no-ping hit of the Defy shaft as compared to the McDermott G-Core and Action break and playing cues:
