same. my pre-cat 314 has had one ding (that i fixed). i don't play in bars though
Ascension Carbon Fiber shaft.
- Thread starter Mensabum
- Start date
same. my pre-cat 314 has had one ding (that i fixed). i don't play in bars though
Do you clean it?
Maybe some sanding over the years to keep it smooth. Have you measured its diameter? I’ll bet it’s smaller than it used to be…
My 16-17 years old Predator 314-2 was 12.75 when new, it’s 12.5 now without heavy sanding.
Do you really think it plays just like it was new? You just keep adapting to it as years go by… a CF shaft will stay the same.
Properly aged and turned maple shafts will last forever.
Properly cared for maple shafts require no more maintenance than CF shafts. Lastly, saying that in the long run a CF costs you less is BS.
I've been playing for around 60 years and have played with a wide variety of equipment including first generation Meuccis, 314s, CFs, and a wide variety of maple shafts with various tapers, ferules, and tips. Trust me: I've put in the time ;-)
Lou Figueroa
No matter what you do to it, it’ll never stay the same.
You shouldn't be looking at what those types of players are playing with. Bangers will be bangers. You should look at what the top players are playing with. The modern stroke and style lends itself to low deflection. Holding the back of the cue, bridging farther back, these are indicators of where the pivot point sits on their shafts and cues.
I don't think you'll see any modern top player that is using old style high deflection shafts. An argument could be made for using wood ld shafts, but there is really no benefit to them over cf except feel and most of those are going to feel deader than the cf because of how ld is achieved.
I had filler and dimitris and some other top players asking me about it at Arizona. They'll take off. It took a while for LD shafts to take off when they first came out.I don't understand why those haven't taken off as well as they play. I'm flummoxed!!
the ko brothers have raked in 4 world championships with old school maple shafts.. ko ping chung is the current world 10-ball champion too. there are a few more, like lee van corteza and mickey krause. but i agree in general, and they are exceptions to the rule.
It's not old people thing. Feel is real. When you get proper feedback, you can feel it. I'm not saying they're for everybody, nothing is for everybody, but the option is out there. BTW, I don't JUST make hybrid shafts. I make CF shafts, wood shafts, LD wood shafts (with feel).
When LD started becoming a thing. I knew they were beneficial but I couldn't stand the feel of them, they're dead, hollow feeling(which is exactly what they are). That's why I didn't whine about it OR say, I'm sticking with good old old growth maple (which I have btw) No, I developed a ld shaft that has proper feel.
I'll eventually get everything in order and I'll officially launch Ontarget Billiards, or I won't. Whatever is, is. lol.
I mostly design and develop for me, but there's no reason that others shouldn't benefit from my ingenuity.
Funny story, I was traveling for work and took some time off and visited family in Alabama. I went to a local tournament in Hunstville and I see a local cue repair guy making one of my tip designs. I go over and say, hey, what ya doing? and he said yeah a guy on one of the forums was talking about making these so I thought I'd try myself. I lol'd and said yeah that's me. I have a patent on them. His eyes got pretty big until I told him it's all good dude, you can make them. I don't care.
Of course feel is real, but everything has a feel and gives feedback, it’s just a matter of getting used to it.
In the last 20 years, most world championships were won with dead, hollow whatever feel shafts…
These guys are not super humans… just well trained and practiced individuals.
Use type is a big factor.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??
Pretty much any vehicle will reach a certain mph and there's a big difference when you get in the high performance zone.
Carbon can do high performance better and we don't really put the capability to use...but it is real.
I use wood too.
Most of them were also paid to use those shafts
Doesn’t matter, if they are unplayable they would have not won or even use themMost of them were also paid to use those shafts
That wasn't any argument that anybody made. No one claimed they were unplayable. Just maybe not the best.
JasonATX
Well-known member
I played in a fairly nice hall last Sunday that has low hanging metal pendant lights. I damn sure hit my shaft on one and might have been unhappy if I didn't play with CF.
Let’s not forget that Alison Fisher and Earl Strickland were the best players in the world using the old Cuetec cues (which were not very good).
That said, other than Filler, I can’t think of any top pro that is using CF that seems to have been pressured to use it. I mean they are getting paid to use them but I don’t get the sense that they’d rather use wood.
Same here, when CF came into the picture, I told myself, I would not touch that $#!+. Now, I have 3 CF shaft, they don't have the feel/hit of the wood shafts, but I no longer need to constantly fix small dings on my shaft, they just seem to appear even if I am very careful with my cues
I think a lot of top players are getting their stuff for free.
And I still see high speed players using wood.
Lou Figueroa
I'm not so sure they could say that out loud... and still get the free stuff and pretty logos for their shirts.
I think Earl was the only player to publicly put his sponsor on blast.
Lou Figueroa
I dunno
some probably
do like them
I think part of it is generational now. The younger pros used CF most of their careers.