Kielwood Shaft Quality

jgroom972

jgroom972

"shootin' from the hip"
I have played with the OB Phoenix kielwood shaft for many years. I know that it is a great quality shaft. Most custom cue manufactures and some mass produced cue manufactures are making their own "version" of a kielwood shaft today.
Since i started with the OB Phoenix many, many years ago, has there been any changes in technology with the kielwood shafts.
I feel the need to "dance with the one that brought me (OB Phoenix)" but if there is something better, i might want to look into it.
I know back in the day, the OB Phoenix was a Ferrari among daily drivers.

I keep hearing about the Hsunami shafts. (mixed reviews). Some say its the greatest thing since sliced bread. Others say its just like any other kielwood shaft, just "baked a little longer to get the dark mahogany color. and costs half a grand.
Purex i hear makes a good product.

I know that this is individual taste, but what are some of the better quality kielwoods on the market currently.
I assume that Hsunami will get a lot of attention.
Im looking for ideas other than hat.

Thanks in advance!
 
Kielwood is a way of processing the wood by "baking" the wood, it removes moisture and crystalizes the sugar. How long you bake the wood for determines the colour.
There was nothing special about the OB Phoenix shafts in that regard and I think the word technology which get's thrown around a lot is a bit misleading.
You can hollow out the front end, you can leave it emtpy, you can use foam, insert a piece of carbon fibre tubing, a lighter wood like balsa, you can use a short ferrule and you can tweak the hit, sound, feel and deflection a bit with what ferrule material you choose.
Kielwood is brittle, I don't like the ones that are hollowed out as that can affect durability significantly. Using a lighter core like balsa reduces the weight by such a miniscule amount, I don't really see the point. Carbon fibre rod, even the thin walled ones are quite a bit stiffer than the wood they replace, so all in all I don't think it really gives lower deflection. You can bore about 4" down and fill with foam, that leaves you with a few options when it comes to the ferrule: Shallow threads as some Mezz shafts have is certainly better than a slip fit like Predator 314/1 and 314/2 or you can use a inverted T plug, much like on a carbon fibre shaft. Of the three options, I'd choose the partial threaded one, but if I can choose freely. I wouldn't bore the shaft at all, I would leave it as is, 3/8" threaded tennon, reasonably short ferrule, 1/2" or even slightly shorter and choose a light, yet strong ferrule material like Hydex 202 or Tomahawk. If the shaft is meant for a big pin, I would definently plug the shaft with paper micarta before threading the shaft as the brittleness of Kielwood will be an issue down the line.
In short I would choose durability and a bit more deflection over the lowest possible deflection any day of the week.
 
Keilwood is not brittle, if any wood is cored it has a greater chance of failure if used for breaking or jumping. I have a Jacoby Keilwood shaft and a Hsunami Keilwood shaft, they booth play great, its a matter of feel and personal preference.
 
jgroom972 said:
I have played with the OB Phoenix kielwood shaft for many years. I know that it is a great quality shaft. Most custom cue manufactures and some mass produced cue manufactures are making their own "version" of a kielwood shaft today.
Since i started with the OB Phoenix many, many years ago, has there been any changes in technology with the kielwood shafts.
I feel the need to "dance with the one that brought me (OB Phoenix)" but if there is something better, i might want to look into it.
I know back in the day, the OB Phoenix was a Ferrari among daily drivers.

I keep hearing about the Hsunami shafts. (mixed reviews). Some say its the greatest thing since sliced bread. Others say its just like any other kielwood shaft, just "baked a little longer to get the dark mahogany color. and costs half a grand.
Purex i hear makes a good product.

I know that this is individual taste, but what are some of the better quality kielwoods on the market currently.
I assume that Hsunami will get a lot of attention.
Im looking for ideas other than hat.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

The Jacoby is a good shaft I've had mine for two years and prefer it over my Hsunami. If you can get to one of the trade shows or tournamnts APA, BCA nationals you can try one out, I did and I never looked back.
 
I too have a Jacoby and a Hsunami 2.0, i prefer the Hsunami but they are both excellent shafts and there's not much to choose between them. I love the taper on the Jacoby shafts.
 
King T said:
Keilwood is not brittle, if any wood is cored it has a greater chance of failure if used for breaking or jumping. I have a Jacoby Keilwood shaft and a Hsunami Keilwood shaft, they booth play great, its a matter of feel and personal preference.
Click to expand...
Kielwood IS brittle. Have you ever cut threads in a Kielwood tennon and compared it to regular maple? or threaded a Kielwood shaft 3/8-10/11 or Radial or any other big pin? There's a significant difference, you can tell that straight away. I live thread everything I can. Live threading is both the most accurate and also gives the cleanest threads as the cutter doesn't impart much force on the item being threaded. To me it was obvious from the very first threads I ever cut in Kielwood.
You also see a significant higher percentage of shafts breaking with Kielwood compared to regular maple, this is especially true for shafts that have been hollowed out. That's why you almost never see Kielwood jump or break shafts.
 
Kim Bye said:
Carbon fibre rod, even the thin walled ones are quite a bit stiffer than the wood they replace, so all in all I don't think it really gives lower deflection.
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I don’t think stiffness has a significant effect on deflection - it’s pretty much all about the “end mass”.

pj
chgo
 
jgroom972 said:
i can see that. Which direction do you see the "kielwood shaft" or "shaft" market going in general?
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In the last 15 years the Shaft Market has been flooded. Predator, OB, CF, Kiel Wood,, Deep Sunken Lake Wood, Fiddkeback, etc.

There is in my humble opinion nothing special.

Skill, Practice, and Pool IQ is what makes great player great.

Not tools.

Great player could play better the most AZB MEMBER WITH A HOUSE CUE. JMHO
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
In the last 15 years the Shaft Market has been flooded. Predator, OB, CF, Kiel Wood,, Deep Sunken Lake Wood, Fiddkeback, etc.

There is in my humble opinion nothing special.

Skill, Practice, and Pool IQ is what makes great player great.

Not tools.

Great player could play better the most AZB MEMBER WITH A HOUSE CUE. JMHO
Click to expand...

Well not reaaly so..., sure you can play with anything, but if something gives you higher level of comfort it will also improve your performance. Baseball players have their own bats, tennis players, golfers, bowlers..., you get the point.

Theres no substitute for for practice and experience, but theres no way to discount feel/comfortably.
 
King T said:
Well not reaaly so..., sure you can play with anything, but if something gives you higher level of comfort it will also improve your performance. Baseball players have their own bats, tennis players, golfers, bowlers..., you get the point.

Theres no substitute for for practice and experience, but theres no way to discount feel/comfortably.
Click to expand...


Yes and if you Pool Cue get lost by Airline, that P{ro Player will still play well by improvising, adapting, and overcome the lack of perfect equipment.

When I am in the Zone, running ball after ball after ball. It is not my Cue But, Shaft, Too or Clalk. It is my skill finally clicking like I was superman.
 
Kielwood shaft question:
I have only used the InFuze Kielwood shaft that I own. The shaft is not as smooth as regular maple shafts or CF shafts.

When I received it, the finish at the joint end was higher than normal so I sanded it a bit and while at it I lightly sanded the whole shaft which made it smoother, but after burnishing it and applying Q Glide (that makes regular maple shafts very slick) it went back to feel just as it started, not that slick at all, even with a glove.

Is it like that with all Kielwood shafts?

I like the look of kielwood, much nicer than CF but deflects more and I do believe that it's a passing fab, a CF shafts makes much more sense if looking for performance and a regular/LD wooden shaft make more sense if looking for the wooden feel.
 
skor said:
Kielwood shaft question:
I have only used the InFuze Kielwood shaft that I own. The shaft is not as smooth as regular maple shafts or CF shafts.

When I received it, the finish at the joint end was higher than normal so I sanded it a bit and while at it I lightly sanded the whole shaft which made it smoother, but after burnishing it and applying Q Glide (that makes regular maple shafts very slick) it went back to feel just as it started, not that slick at all, even with a glove.

Is it like that with all Kielwood shafts?

I like the look of kielwood, much nicer than CF but deflects more and I do believe that it's a passing fab, a CF shafts makes much more sense if looking for performance and a regular/LD wooden shaft make more sense if looking for the wooden feel.
Click to expand...
You can make a Kielwood shaft as slick as a maple shaft. Sanding sealer, increasingly fine grits and a burnish with renaissance wax.
 
I just sanded it again, same procedure I do for regular wooden shafts, this time did not apply the Q Glide. It feels smoother now but still not as smooth as a regular wooden shaft after the same procedure, definitely not as smooth as CF.
Even after sanding (twice), the shaft has what look like a finish coating to it and it catches the skin (and the glove) more than other shafts.
 
misterpoole said:
I have the Purex. Excellent hit and feel imo. I don't like CF shafts. Looking for a 30" Keilwood
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I've tried the Carbon Fiber shafts, and the Kielwood shafts. The KW "felt" better to me than the CF...Both the CF and KW were a little stiff for my liking, but I preferred the Kielwood to the Carbon.
 
skor said:
Kielwood shaft question:
I have only used the InFuze Kielwood shaft that I own. The shaft is not as smooth as regular maple shafts or CF shafts.

When I received it, the finish at the joint end was higher than normal so I sanded it a bit and while at it I lightly sanded the whole shaft which made it smoother, but after burnishing it and applying Q Glide (that makes regular maple shafts very slick) it went back to feel just as it started, not that slick at all, even with a glove.

Is it like that with all Kielwood shafts?

I like the look of kielwood, much nicer than CF but deflects more and I do believe that it's a passing fab, a CF shafts makes much more sense if looking for performance and a regular/LD wooden shaft make more sense if looking for the wooden feel.
Click to expand...
My DZ Kielwood shaft was slick as can be...I think the KW shafts are here to stay.
 
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