Bulletproof carbon playing shaft?

[lobstertex]

Has anyone given this a go? $199 with choice of bulletproof tip and a lifetime warranty seems like a hell of a deal. Wondering how it compares in deflection and taper to a similarly priced Rhino shaft or other shafts like JFlowers S.M.O.

Thinking of selling my Old OB121 and giving a carbon LD shaft a try, at this price I might not need to sell anything.

 

[garczar]

Has anyone given this a go? $199 with choice of bulletproof tip and a lifetime warranty seems like a hell of a deal. Wondering how it compares in deflection and taper to a similarly priced Rhino shaft or other shafts like JFlowers S.M.O.

Thinking of selling my Old OB121 and giving a carbon LD shaft a try, at this price I might not need to sell anything.

All the sub-300ish cf shafts are basically the same thing. very little differences in build method/quality. just chek'd and it seems to be ok. i was real happy with the Rhino. Sold cue for $$ reasons but the shaft was great.

 

[lobstertex]

One big benefit I'm thinking I might get out of switching to CF is the potential to use my playing cue as a break cue, and still get a bit of LD or at least a similar pivot length to the OB shaft.
The fancy wooden ferule on my OB1 has always kept me from breaking with it. And I figure with a bulletproof tip I could break without worrying too much about mushrooming or maintenance.

But I also wonder if the difference in higher priced CF shafts are large enough to warrant the extra investment. Hence selling the OB ...

 

[southernfried]

July 24, 2025: After much thought and research, I purchased a Bulletproof carbon fiber cue shaft ( 11.8mm, 5/16x14, soft Recoil tip). Turns out this is one of the few items I've purchased in a long time that's actually way better than I expected. My current playing cue is (make that was) a Cuetec SVB Ghost, 11.8mm Cynergy shaft with Kamui Super Soft Tip purchased used when the shaft I was using on my Helmstetter (Adams Reproduction) was damaged. This shaft was purchased to use with the Helmstetter.

Bottom line. I love this shaft and at the Bulletproof price point it's an absolute steal. Keep in mind I am no expert and this is my perception. No scientific testing done.

Bulletproof shaft arrived a few hours before my weekly recreational league team match. The shipped tip was dime radius which matches what I normally play. Plan was to hit a few balls with it then use my current cue until I had a chance to get used to the Bulletproof. Change of plans. As far as I can tell no adjustments were needed in aiming. The hit is almost imperceptible from what I am used to other than speed control seems a bit more consistent than with the Kamui tip on the Cuetec. Took it to league. Won. Likely not entirely due to the shaft but it didn't hurt either.

I saw a couple of mentions of a different sound when using this shaft. I didn't notice any but, then, my hearing is about shot so that may be why.

One caution, The first couple of times I tried a hard draw shot with the Bulletproof I noticed marks on the pool cloth (not from chalk). After some examination I found there was a slight sharp edge on the tip just below the radius. Some careful tapering with a nail file smoothed off the edge and all is good now.

I always loved the balance and hit of the Helmstetter and I'm thrilled to have a new shaft for it. This is my third replacement shaft for this cue. The last two simply deteriorated with age and use. They were, in order, a Dominick D3 and a Bob Danielson SS360/2P Pro taper. Both played great. The Bob Danielson was my favorite. Time, wear, and southern humidity finally got to them. Looking forward to years of use from the Bulletproof shaft.

Cheers y'all.