Ascension Carbon Fiber shaft.

Mensabum

Mensabum

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
I finally had a chance to play with Josh Treadway's new inclusion in the CF shaft market.
The shaft played well. Solid and consistent. Good power transfer, I had to curb my enthusiasm, so to speak. Got plenty of goodies with minimal effort.
Heavy, as they use an extremely dense foam. The only thing I noticed was the deflection was more than expected. I have to echo Rick Evans sentiments here. More deflection than one would expect in a high end cf shaft.
Fabulous taper felt good in the hand. Nice look to the shaft as a whole.
I wish ascension all the best.
 
Mensabum said:
I finally had a chance to play with Josh Treadway's new inclusion in the CF shaft market.
The shaft played well. Solid and consistent. Good power transfer, I had to curb my enthusiasm, so to speak. Got plenty of goodies with minimal effort.
Heavy, as they use an extremely dense foam. The only thing I noticed was the deflection was more than expected. I have to echo Rick Evans sentiments here. More deflection than one would expect in a high end cf shaft.
Fabulous taper felt good in the hand. Nice look to the shaft as a whole.
I wish ascension all the best.
Click to expand...
Let me add something to this.
Idk if this is what they were looking for when they developed these shafts, but it played more like a wooden shaft than any other CF I've tried. Perhaps due to the density of the foam.
Y'all know I'm not partial to CF shafts, so if I say it plays well, nuff said.
 
Mensabum said:
Let me add something to this.
Idk if this is what they were looking for when they developed these shafts, but it played more like a wooden shaft than any other CF I've tried. Perhaps due to the density of the foam.
Y'all know I'm not partial to CF shafts, so if I say it plays well, nuff said.
Click to expand...

Have you tried Alex’s Pristine shaft?
 
Mensabum said:
Let me add something to this.
Idk if this is what they were looking for when they developed these shafts, but it played more like a wooden shaft than any other CF I've tried. Perhaps due to the density of the foam.
Y'all know I'm not partial to CF shafts, so if I say it plays well, nuff said.
Click to expand...
my guess is that the CF shafts market is heading into two directions:
1. The custom made route - for those who seek "wooden feel" and used to play with standard solid wooden shafts, so higher deflection is not a big issue, these guys look for feel over performance, they fall into the category of "can't teach new tricks to old dogs"

2. The performance route - here you'll find the big manufacturers, it all about performance, power delivery and deflection reduction, you just get used to the feel with time and practice.

Pretty much like the world of pool was 30 years ago when Predator came out with the 314 shaft, it gave performance yet many old timers didn't like how it felt... few years later and other companies jumped the low deflection and performance wagon and most serious players adapted to performance shafts. Same today, the serious players will go with performance shafts, old dogs and collectors will go with the "feel" route.

I'm disregarding the 3rd route - the cheap crap that doesn't give performance or feel...
 
skor said:
my guess is that the CF shafts market is heading into two directions:
1. The custom made route - for those who seek "wooden feel" and used to play with standard solid wooden shafts, so higher deflection is not a big issue, these guys look for feel over performance, they fall into the category of "can't teach new tricks to old dogs"

2. The performance route - here you'll find the big manufacturers, it all about performance, power delivery and deflection reduction, you just get used to the feel with time and practice.

Pretty much like the world of pool was 30 years ago when Predator came out with the 314 shaft, it gave performance yet many old timers didn't like how it felt... few years later and other companies jumped the low deflection and performance wagon and most serious players adapted to performance shafts. Same today, the serious players will go with performance shafts, old dogs and collectors will go with the "feel" route.

I'm disregarding the 3rd route - the cheap crap that doesn't give performance or feel...
Click to expand...
It's hard to teach tricks to Old Dawgs who already know them. They wrote the book.
I know for a fact I have several wood shafts that will out perform CF any day of the week. But that's prolly just wishful thinking from this old dawg?? 😉
 
skor said:
my guess is that the CF shafts market is heading into two directions:
1. The custom made route - for those who seek "wooden feel" and used to play with standard solid wooden shafts, so higher deflection is not a big issue, these guys look for feel over performance, they fall into the category of "can't teach new tricks to old dogs"

2. The performance route - here you'll find the big manufacturers, it all about performance, power delivery and deflection reduction, you just get used to the feel with time and practice.

Pretty much like the world of pool was 30 years ago when Predator came out with the 314 shaft, it gave performance yet many old timers didn't like how it felt... few years later and other companies jumped the low deflection and performance wagon and most serious players adapted to performance shafts. Same today, the serious players will go with performance shafts, old dogs and collectors will go with the "feel" route.

I'm disregarding the 3rd route - the cheap crap that doesn't give performance or feel...
Click to expand...

Well what about the 4th route, a hybrid shaft that gives both???
 
Jaden said:
Well what about the 4th route, a hybrid shaft that gives both???
Click to expand...
it won't last, it's just a small niche
Basically, wood is dead or rapidly dying, you can agree or not, you can hates it or not but that's the fact. Can't stop progress, those who try are left behind.
New comers to the game watch tournaments and see champions using the black shaft and that's what they'll buy.
Tradition? feel? whatever, these are old people excuses and sorry to say but old people don't last and they are not what motivate the industry.
 
skor said:
it won't last, it's just a small niche
Basically, wood is dead or rapidly dying, you can agree or not, you can hates it or not but that's the fact. Can't stop progress, those who try are left behind.
New comers to the game watch tournaments and see champions using the black shaft and that's what they'll buy.
Tradition? feel? whatever, these are old people excuses and sorry to say but old people don't last and they are not what motivate the industry.
Click to expand...

Someday -- sooner than you expect -- you will be "the old people," lol.

Lou Figueroa
 
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lfigueroa said:
Someday -- sooner than you expect -- you will be the "old people, lol."

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
I am "old people" but I am aware and understand change and I'm not afraid of change nor am I afraid to try new things and adopt them and put in the time to adjust and get used to new things. So maybe I'm old by age but not by mentality.

If you are old enough, just remember in photography the film vs digital debate, it's basically the same thing and guess what...
The benefits of CF just overcome everything you might think that wood is giving, Even if some people are die hard fans of wood, eventually the industry will kill it. Only custom cue makers will offer wood but this will end as well.
 
skor said:
I am "old people" but I am aware and understand change and I'm not afraid of change nor am I afraid to try new things and adopt them and put in the time to adjust and get used to new things. So maybe I'm old by age but not by mentality.

If you are old enough, just remember in photography the film vs digital debate, it's basically the same thing and guess what...
The benefits of CF just overcome everything you might think that wood is giving, Even if some people are die hard fans of wood, eventually the industry will kill it. Only custom cue makers will offer wood but this will end as well.
Click to expand...

Look, I am not against tech and advances.

But also, I am not a sucker. And when I seen a room full of CF shafts in the hands of dozens of players who could not get out with BIH with four balls on the table all that "progress" you speak of becomes transparent BS.

Lou Figueroa
 
lfigueroa said:
Look, I am not against tech and advances.

But also, I am not a sucker. And when I seen a room full of CF shafts in the hands of dozens of players who could not get out with BIH with four balls on the table all that "progress" you speak of becomes transparent BS.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
no shaft can get someone to run out just like that out of the blue.
there is no magic
in terms of playability at a given point, there isn't much different between wood and CF, in fact some wood shaft still perform better than some CF shafts and this was never my claim. I'm saying that given that you can do the same with both, might as well go with CF and earn the durability, the low maintenance and the consistency.
In the long run, a good CF shaft cost less than a good wood shaft.
And if you think that you can't do the same with both, well then you just haven't put in the time to learn the equipment.
 
I play with CF now. The only advantage I see is it is much more durable. No dings whatsoever in 5 years of play. My wood shaft, even when I was trying to be super careful (I am clumsy), had a bunch of tiny dings in one year's time.
 
skor said:
it won't last, it's just a small niche
Basically, wood is dead or rapidly dying, you can agree or not, you can hates it or not but that's the fact. Can't stop progress, those who try are left behind.
New comers to the game watch tournaments and see champions using the black shaft and that's what they'll buy.
Tradition? feel? whatever, these are old people excuses and sorry to say but old people don't last and they are not what motivate the industry.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't call it progress in any area other than the pockets of the people wanting to remove the money from your pocket, and put it into theirs.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I play with CF now. The only advantage I see is it is much more durable. No dings whatsoever in 5 years of play. My wood shaft, even when I was trying to be super careful (I am clumsy), had a bunch of tiny dings in one year's time.
Click to expand...
I have 50-year-old shafts with thousands of hours of play and thousands of games on them and none of them have dings.

What are you doing to ding them up?
 
lfigueroa said:
Look, I am not against tech and advances.

But also, I am not a sucker. And when I seen a room full of CF shafts in the hands of dozens of players who could not get out with BIH with four balls on the table all that "progress" you speak of becomes transparent BS.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
😂
 
Flakeandrun said:
Wouldn't call it progress in any area other than the pockets of the people wanting to remove the money from your pocket, and put it into theirs.
Click to expand...
It's no secret that the best maple is all gone. Better have something in the wings to move on to.... 😉
One day, that will go the way of maple as well.
 
HawaiianEye said:
I have 50-year-old shafts with thousands of hours of play and thousands of games on them and none of them have dings.

What are you doing to ding them up?
Click to expand...

I used to play in a pool hall with the old hanging lights with metal shades. If you are dumb enough (and I was) you could ding your shaft on the lights.

Also, using the bridge in some places with cheap metal bridge heads was dangerous.
 
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