Deflection aside, one main reason why I like cf shafts. It's not warped and resistant to dents, dings, etc...
Of these 3 CF shafts, which do you have or would purchase?
- Thread starter Shooter1
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If you have used wood for 50 years, you should look at the Becue Prime II shaft, most people who have used wood for a long time the number one complaint when going to CF is the shaft feels dead, what they mean is there is no feedback, the Prime II shaft has the perfect blend of feedback and transfer of power of Your stroke, CF shafts transfer power more efiiciently than MOST wooden shafts, the problem is you can't look at a wood shaft and tell if it's going to be a good one where good CF shafts are designed to transfer power more efiiciently, cheap CF shafts are tubes filled with foam, check out Becue's website and look at the technology section, their shafts are so smooth I haven't even played with a glove since last April, they even build near 13mm shafts if you like the feel of a bigger shaft, good luck in your CF shaft search, Becue billiard products are built in Italy.
100 % my opinion, too
After trying them all a couple years ago, I decided on the Cynergy, shaft to me it provided the best feel. the others felt dead. I run a HOW medium on it. They're the closest to original Moori tips Tin not foil, I have found. Just my .02
Bad_influence
New member
Every time i've done some research to buy a piece of equipment, and only took the decision just from what i found out on the internet, i was usually disappointed. The thing is, a pool cue is way to individual, and people are buying them, playing them and promoting them for completely different reasons, so most of the advice you get is either from personal experience, but you never know what was on peoples minds when they wrote their advice. . Or it is a bit biased. It is hard to speak the unbiased truth when you have to justify a $500 investment. Even if people are saying exactly what they felt, how do you now that would apply to your style? If i had a bad experience with a product and tell you about it, maybe the company has improved their quality control and the issue I had doesn't happen anymore. Or if I didn't like it because the shaft didn't fit my style or I didn't take enough time to figure it out, there is no way for you to know.
So I've not given up doing research online, and i sometimes buy stuff because I'm curious or because i fell for the advert or the hype. But I always try to find someone who will let me try his cue before I spend the money. Or I buy and sell with a little loss if it turns out its not for me.
So the bet advice i can give you, is not to spend a lot of money before you're sure. Or be prepared to sell what you bought and found out it doesn't suit you. But with an almost new revo shaft you shouldn't have any problems selling it for a fair price.
So I've not given up doing research online, and i sometimes buy stuff because I'm curious or because i fell for the advert or the hype. But I always try to find someone who will let me try his cue before I spend the money. Or I buy and sell with a little loss if it turns out its not for me.
So the bet advice i can give you, is not to spend a lot of money before you're sure. Or be prepared to sell what you bought and found out it doesn't suit you. But with an almost new revo shaft you shouldn't have any problems selling it for a fair price.
I haven't used a V5, but have tried the rest of the CF and a V4. I personally like the SMO the best, but you are somewhat limited in joint pin offerings.
For what you are looking for, I'd say you will probably like the Cynergy the best out of of those options for CF. I'd say you might like a McDermott Defy more, but only if it's third gen/newest.
The SMO wood looks interesting. I've got a JFlowers ambassador in one of my leagues. I'll have to see if he has one I can try out.
If you are around Central Texas, you can try out the options that I have.
For what you are looking for, I'd say you will probably like the Cynergy the best out of of those options for CF. I'd say you might like a McDermott Defy more, but only if it's third gen/newest.
The SMO wood looks interesting. I've got a JFlowers ambassador in one of my leagues. I'll have to see if he has one I can try out.
If you are around Central Texas, you can try out the options that I have.
Try the WSC (We Sell Cues) Jungle 12.5mm. The whole damn cue is under $300.00 (Currently $279.00), and according to Dr. Dave's testing, it has nearly identical deflection as the Revo.
WSC Jungle Carbon Pool Cue - Black https://share.google/HBf83lxqCk0QyfqVJ
I recently purchased a Konllen Maris, with 12.5mm shaft. Used code Josh at checkout. Purchased the cue for $252.00. Seems pretty decent so far...
I posted this in another forum, but some may find it interesting on this thread
Been using a wood shaft for the past 30 years and started using a low deflection wood shaft around 2021. First, it was the Mezz than Predator Vantage, love the hit and feel of the Vantage shaft. Around Sept 2025, I decided to try a carbon shaft as I got tired of fixing the small dings on the wood shaft, first it was a Rhino, hated the feel of the shaft as it has this high pitch sound. A few months after, I decided to get a Predator Revo, Predator Revo felt better, less "ping" on most shots. Been using Rhino most of the time as this is the shaft that I felt comfortable leaving at the locker at the pool room. after a year, I decided to try the Vantage shaft, to my surprise, I did not like the hit and feel of the shaft, it felt dead and lifeless....
edit: the Vantage shaft is a wood shaft by Predator
Been using a wood shaft for the past 30 years and started using a low deflection wood shaft around 2021. First, it was the Mezz than Predator Vantage, love the hit and feel of the Vantage shaft. Around Sept 2025, I decided to try a carbon shaft as I got tired of fixing the small dings on the wood shaft, first it was a Rhino, hated the feel of the shaft as it has this high pitch sound. A few months after, I decided to get a Predator Revo, Predator Revo felt better, less "ping" on most shots. Been using Rhino most of the time as this is the shaft that I felt comfortable leaving at the locker at the pool room. after a year, I decided to try the Vantage shaft, to my surprise, I did not like the hit and feel of the shaft, it felt dead and lifeless....
edit: the Vantage shaft is a wood shaft by Predator
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Ding resistant, not really, I tried a friends CF shaft, and it was dinged like a house cue. He is the type of player that would use his cue to get a ball by repeatedly tapping the ball.
That's either a really thin-walled CF shaft or he's beating the crap out of it.
I came from wood too, though not for 50 years, and that warm feel was the thing I was worried about losing when I tried carbon. Of your three, the Jacoby is the one that felt closest to wood to me — the V4 I hit with had a softer, fuller hit than the Cynergy, which felt a bit firmer and crisper in my hands. I have not hit the SMO, so I can't compare that one fairly. One thing I would add: the tip will change the feel as much as the shaft will. I moved from a super soft to a medium when I switched, and that took a lot of the hollow feeling away for me. If you can, try the Jacoby and the Cynergy back to back on your Schon before you buy — that is what made the choice clear for me, and at around 12.4 the Jacoby felt right.
The tip does change the feel significantly. Especially with breaking and follow shots.
Yeah, that's what I noticed too — the tip made more difference than I expected, especially on follow. Still figuring out which one suits me best on the break.
I find medium good enough for me for a decent break and can play with it with good enough with casual shots. The feel is normal for me personally.
Yeah, medium feels like the safe middle ground to me too. I still notice the tip most on follow, more than anywhere else. Do you break with that same setup, or do you switch to something else for the break?
I can report from my personal experience with carbon sahfts which I gathered during the last 7 years. 2019 if I remember correctly was the time I started playing first time with a carbon shaft. I decided finally for the Cynergy 12,5 which I played on a Mezz Axi without added weight. With this cue I played better than before, and I think the reason was that there was nothing disturbing the feel. Sound, feedback, balance and everything felt right, although the weight with ~ 18 oz was lower than I was used to at that time. Aiming was also not a problem. BUT there was one thing not OK: During summer time I have slightly sweaty hands, and the grip area was not log enough at the Mezz Axi butt, and so my grip was behind the grip area at the lacquered butt end. As I did not want to change anything at the original setting of this nice butt, I finally decided the give this entire cue away.
After this I ordered at IQ a fullsplice cue with a bit more length (29,5 '') and the grip area more close to the butt end in the way it is OK to me. I ordered also another Cynergy shaft with 3/8x11, but I never felt good with this combination, it was too much back balanced. Reducing the weight of the butt wasn't possible. Afterwards I tried a couple of other carbon shafts like Revo, Pechauer Rogue, Ignite, Stellar and Go Custom, but with all these shafts I did not feel comfortable and finally I decided after a year or so the go back to wooden shafts. The IQ infinity shafts are great and perfect to me, the only thing is that they are made from wood and by this are sensitive against wear and tear.
So far so good. During the times later I got another cue, a predator SP 8-pointer, which has the grip area also much closer to the butt end like standard. This butt is very similar in comparison to my IQ fullsplice and it feels also very similar if set to the same weight, same balance point.. For this predator butt I tried again the Cynergy, Revo and Go Custom, but also there I did not feel comfortable. Ater this I ordered another IQ butt with less weight, but also there no chance for me with carbon. It was ~ in 2024 when I finally decided to forget about carbon shafts.
Before a couple of months I got curious again trying a cheap china carbon shaft "HHB Carbon", the total cost including everything was less than 170 €. I ordered it in 12,4 knowing that 12,7-12,8 is perfect to me. Interesting was that this 12,4 HHB with 30 '' was more front balanced and with 118 gr. also pretty heavy. It was the first carbon shaft where I felt OK with (total cue weight 20 oz which is my personal favour, and a neutral to slightly forward balanced mass distribution). The total balance point was a couple of millimeters more backbalanced like my reference cue but still OK. Let's say it was on the limit of what I could accept and feel good with. Hit and sound were not like used but acceptable, and the performance of this was also absolutely OK in terms of deflection and everything else. But I had problems with the vision center using this 12,4 HHB shaft. I don't understand fully, but it was clear that I miss much more shots because of wrong aiming than with the shafts I'm used to. Project HHB ended at this point.
My final and at the end successful step followed immediately: A friend of mine produces as a hobby carbon shafts, and I knew also by many conversations how he did it with the single steps. But before I was never interested in ordering a custom carbon shaft, I was more laughing about this having all experiences behind where I ordered something, serial or custom, which felt not right at the end.. But my idea was: This guy can perhaps build me a carbon shaft having my ideal weight and ideal balance point. In 12,7 mm. Although having big big doubts if a carbin shaft with such a setting has still low deflection, I ordered it. At least it would have made a good break shaft
)) Last week I got the new sahft, and: He did it!!!! I have it now since a week and played already three times with it. Total weight exactly like at my reference IQ fullsplice 20 oz, total balance point a couple of millimeters more front balanced than at the reference cue. It feels not exactly like reference cue but very very similar (I guess with my favourite triangel tip it'll get also close to the used sound. At the moment there is a cheap China multilayer tip on, a bit too soft to me, and it plays OK so far. ). I can switch with no problem from one cue to the other immediately without adjusting anything. And also I have no problem with aiming. Aiming and playing with all performance issues is like I'm used from reference IQ cue.Sound of this combo is also very nice and warm like wood.
With this experience I can have the personal conclusion that it is the balance point that is at most carbon shafts more backwards, and that's the reason why I did not like them before. The custom carbon from my friend is outstanding in comparison to serial carbon shafts, I love it already!!
The picture below shows the differences. Info from top -> down: Shaft's name, diameter of ferrule, shaft's weight, Shaft's length (without tip)
I'm curious if anybody elese had similar experience like mine.
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