The CARBON FIBER Shaft With the LEAST Cue Ball DEFLECTION

FYI, I just posted a new video that tests and compare the cue ball deflection performance of a collection of LD carbon fiber shafts, including Predator Revo, JFlowers SMO, Triple Sixty TS1, and Wheat State Gen 5. Which one do you think will win the lowest deflection award? Check it out:


Contents:
  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 0:22 - Background
  • 0:56 - CB Deflection Testing
  • ---- 3:38 - test shots for each shaft
  • 5:14 - Natural Pivot Length Tests
  • 8:12 - Results
Supporting Resources:
As always, I look forward to your feedback, comments, questions, complaints, and requests.

Enjoy!
Wow - first pivot lengths I've seen as long as my Ed Young custom tinytip maple (20"). Maybe there's something to these CF thingamajigs after all...

pj
chgo
 
On that case, LD shafts are unnecessary, just get used to a cue….

I’m amazed that after 30 years of LD shafts, people still don’t get the concept

LD shafts shorten the progression of learning how to shoot with english. if you're a young player that spend 8 hours playing pool every day, i don't think it matters at all, but if you have a more limited time to play each week i would without doubt recommend a LD shaft. you will still have to learn to compensate, just less. it's a shortcut, not something that's inherently better once learned.
 
FYI, I just posted a new video that tests and compare the cue ball deflection performance of a collection of LD carbon fiber shafts, including Predator Revo, JFlowers SMO, Triple Sixty TS1, and Wheat State Gen 5. Which one do you think will win the lowest deflection award? Check it out:


Contents:
  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 0:22 - Background
  • 0:56 - CB Deflection Testing
  • ---- 3:38 - test shots for each shaft
  • 5:14 - Natural Pivot Length Tests
  • 8:12 - Results
Supporting Resources:
As always, I look forward to your feedback, comments, questions, complaints, and requests.

Enjoy!
Thought the smo looked interesting, watched a review on youtube by pool nerds. Had a surprising ending.
 
The capitalized words give the lazy readers out there a faster option.

Now if I could only make shorter videos that appeal to the “younger generation” with seemingly shorter attention spans.
You can. Just remove anything remotely nuanced or interesting, and go straight to the end.
😉😁
 
Of course but the more deflection the more the guess work is back into play.
My reference to LD is the Predator 314-2 shaft, anything that deflects more then this is a waste of money.... and so many "low deflection" shafts, wood, hybrid or CF deflects more than the 314...
With the 314-2 and better performance shafts, on most shots, there is no guess work what so ever, you just shoot parallel to the aim line. less guess work = more accuracy
I promise you, my hybrid deflects less than a 314 or a z.
 
I agree about the Z shaft. First one I had literally split apart just from normal shooting, no drops, breaking etc. so Predator did end up replacing it for me for free but I still never cared for it and to me my Cuetec synergy is 100% better.
I'm actually using a z shaft with one of my j/b tips on a bk2 as a break cue right now.. My best friend who was a predator authorized warranty repair technician laughed when I told him and I said yeah it'll probably shatter but by then I'll have built my break cue.
 
Great video! It’s obvious your testing method is valid, the obstinate and obtuse, won’t be convinced.
As far as what Poolmanis said, I agree. I used to aim inside the edge of the blocker hall, and use a lot of spin. Now I have to aim at the edge or even a little outside of it, and elevate the cue.
 
Great video! It’s obvious your testing method is valid, the obstinate and obtuse, won’t be convinced.
As far as what Poolmanis said, I agree. I used to aim inside the edge of the blocker hall, and use a lot of spin. Now I have to aim at the edge or even a little outside of it, and elevate the cue.

Aiming is different, but I thought he was implying the shot was somehow more difficult with an LD shaft (besides needing to aim a little differently).
 
I'm actually using a z shaft with one of my j/b tips on a bk2 as a break cue right now.. My best friend who was a predator authorized warranty repair technician laughed when I told him and I said yeah it'll probably shatter but by then I'll have built my break cue.
Played a match with a kid in his twenties. Had a pretty big break. He was using a 314 to break.
 
Good point. I use an open bridge, so the size really doesn't matter to me; although, I do care about the amount of deflection. I haven't changed that (first with the Predator Z2 and then the Revo) for many years.
When you went from the z2 to the revo, what was the adjustment like? Also, what diameter revo did you go to?
Thanks
 
When you went from the z2 to the revo, what was the adjustment like? Also, what diameter revo did you go to?
Thanks
Dr Dave…
Interested in your response to this question.
Thanks for all your work!! Enjoyed the video, a lot of the info resonated for me.
I’ve used various LD shafts for 30 yrs. Predator pre-cat, Predator 314, OB1 & OB1 Break, Cash Cues ferrule-less (best of the bunch to me, but only available for a short time). Z2 & OB Classic - tried, but no.
After trying, but passing on kielwood shafts from Bill Lister… I had a good discussion with him & he made me a couple shaft - high grade solid maple, a new taper he was using, 3/8” Juma ferrules, 12.8mm. Immediately I was right at home, just like the Cash ferrule-less, but solid maple.
Recently decided to give a CF play shaft a try. Decided on Cuetec Cynergy SST 12.5mm. One w/ standard Sniper tip (don’t care for the tip) & another w/ Caiden Warrior Soft (much better). They have a good feel. Played pretty well but I noticed occasional unexpected swerve results. Could I adjust over time? Sure I could, just don’t care to.
When Pete Tascarella finished my new cue in Feb, I had him match the taper on a shaft I really liked at 12.6mm. Solid maple, 3/8 Juma ferrule. Right at home. What comes off the shaft is what I expect (subject to operator error of course).
Now he’s making me more new shafts for my other Tasc w/ same taper/ferrule @ 12.5mm.
The tip mm reduction was the main result of the CF experiment. What works, works!
 
Dr Dave…
Interested in your response to this question.
Thanks for all your work!! Enjoyed the video, a lot of the info resonated for me.
I’ve used various LD shafts for 30 yrs. Predator pre-cat, Predator 314, OB1 & OB1 Break, Cash Cues ferrule-less (best of the bunch to me, but only available for a short time). Z2 & OB Classic - tried, but no.
After trying, but passing on kielwood shafts from Bill Lister… I had a good discussion with him & he made me a couple shaft - high grade solid maple, a new taper he was using, 3/8” Juma ferrules, 12.8mm. Immediately I was right at home, just like the Cash ferrule-less, but solid maple.
Recently decided to give a CF play shaft a try. Decided on Cuetec Cynergy SST 12.5mm. One w/ standard Sniper tip (don’t care for the tip) & another w/ Caiden Warrior Soft (much better). They have a good feel. Played pretty well but I noticed occasional unexpected swerve results. Could I adjust over time? Sure I could, just don’t care to.
When Pete Tascarella finished my new cue in Feb, I had him match the taper on a shaft I really liked at 12.6mm. Solid maple, 3/8 Juma ferrule. Right at home. What comes off the shaft is what I expect (subject to operator error of course).
Now he’s making me more new shafts for my other Tasc w/ same taper/ferrule @ 12.5mm.
The tip mm reduction was the main result of the CF experiment. What works, works!
Yes what works, works, the majority of cueball deflection/squirt is going to be determined by the end mass of the shaft, the last 5-7". Let me see if I can give an illustration of why. Think of the end mass of the shaft as the amount of something that pushes the cb. If you have more of that something relative to the amount of something that the cb is made up of, it will push it farther. So the less of that something there is, the less of that something there is to push it farther. When you're hitting the ball off center, off of it's center of mass, the more there is of that end mass of the shaft to push from off center the more off center it's going to push. The less mass there is to push it off center, the less off center it's going to push.
 
Couple comments on Z's splitting...

I've had the same issue. I had Z-1's, Z-2's, 314-1's (1" ferrule, pre-cats, post cats), 314-2's. (never had the -3's). Maybe 15 of them in total since 1999 when I got my first one. I might have had 5 or 6 split, from normal play, not abuse. Both Z's and 314's split on me.

One really good thing about the Revo's is they squirt the same, but they are way stronger. They also never get dings.

Predator really revolutionized the whole cue market twice. First with the 314, then with the Revo.
 
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