Slip-on shaft weight. Anybody try this?

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
On the Turning Stone XXXIII stream, I saw a product that was a slip=on weight that goes over your shaft, slides down to near the joint, and is supposed to help with cue stability when shooting the cue ball when it's against the rail.

I am fairly certain the product was marketed by the same folks at Accu-stats, but I could be wrong. What I do vaguely remember is that it had the name of a pool "pioneer" on the packaging, maybe Pat Fleming or Jerry Forsythe.

Anyway, I am looking for that product. I think I would like to try it if it isn't ridiculously expensive. I've tried many a gadget out there, so maybe I'll add this product to my long list. :eek:

So if anyone out there knows the name of this product I'd appreciate it if you would let me know it. And if anyone has tried it, a review would certainly be nice. Thanks.

Maniac
 

Danimal

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The product is called the Counter-Weight, and it is indeed an invention by Pat Fleming that is sold through his site at Accu-Stats:

http://store.accu-stats.com/the-counter-weight/

I've had it for a while and I think it's a clever and useful tool. Even if you are very disciplined with CB frozen to the rail shots, I realized that when the pressure is on in competition I would miss shots when I was shooting perpendicular to the rail and especially when I had to bridge diagonally across the long rail.

The Counter-Weight adds significant heft to your shaft. It is a short solid tube of tapered and knurled metal with a ring on the outside to indicate which end points up. Inside are two rubber O rings that protect your cue from nicks or scratches. It easily slips on and doesn't slide around. With a simple twist it loosens and slides right off.

I was concerned at first that I would bang up my shaft, but after a day or two of practice it became second nature. After almost a year of use I have had no damage as a result of using it.

After a couple of months, one of the O rings came loose. I re-guled the inside of the ring with a little superglue and it hasn't come loose since.

I find the Weight to really help me prevent the shaft from flying up on rail shots, and it also keeps the tip going through the CB when jacked up. It has given me an added degree of confidence on these types of shots. I don't make them all, but I noticed that I've been making a better percentage of them. It is also advertised as helping on shots when you have to bridge over balls and also when slow-rolling balls, but I don't really use it in these applications.

Like I said, I've been using it for about a year and only a few guys have ever even noticed me using it. The best compliment I guess I had was when I was playing a guy and had a long, nearly frozen shot from the foot rail and had to draw back for the next ball. Using the CW, I jacked up and made the shot in the corner, and drew back a diamond or two to get perfect po on the ball and complete the runout. After the rack my opponent asked me what the weight was and if it was legal to use, and I told him, "Of course, Pat made it; it has to be legal." - To which he grumbled, "What the heck does he know?" lol.


TL;DR:

It's a cool invention from a great guy. It's a little spendy, but worth checking out if you have issues with rail shots.
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
The product is called the Counter-Weight, and it is indeed an invention by Pat Fleming that is sold through his site at Accu-Stats:

http://store.accu-stats.com/the-counter-weight/

I've had it for a while and I think it's a clever and useful tool. Even if you are very disciplined with CB frozen to the rail shots, I realized that when the pressure is on in competition I would miss shots when I was shooting perpendicular to the rail and especially when I had to bridge diagonally across the long rail.

The Counter-Weight adds significant heft to your shaft. It is a short solid tube of tapered and knurled metal with a ring on the outside to indicate which end points up. Inside are two rubber O rings that protect your cue from nicks or scratches. It easily slips on and doesn't slide around. With a simple twist it loosens and slides right off.

I was concerned at first that I would bang up my shaft, but after a day or two of practice it became second nature. After almost a year of use I have had no damage as a result of using it.

After a couple of months, one of the O rings came loose. I re-guled the inside of the ring with a little superglue and it hasn't come loose since.

I find the Weight to really help me prevent the shaft from flying up on rail shots, and it also keeps the tip going through the CB when jacked up. It has given me an added degree of confidence on these types of shots. I don't make them all, but I noticed that I've been making a better percentage of them. It is also advertised as helping on shots when you have to bridge over balls and also when slow-rolling balls, but I don't really use it in these applications.

Like I said, I've been using it for about a year and only a few guys have ever even noticed me using it. The best compliment I guess I had was when I was playing a guy and had a long, nearly frozen shot from the foot rail and had to draw back for the next ball. Using the CW, I jacked up and made the shot in the corner, and drew back a diamond or two to get perfect po on the ball and complete the runout. After the rack my opponent asked me what the weight was and if it was legal to use, and I told him, "Of course, Pat made it; it has to be legal." - To which he grumbled, "What the heck does he know?" lol.


TL;DR:

It's a cool invention from a great guy. It's a little spendy, but worth checking out if you have issues with rail shots.

Thank you for the very helpful review and the link. This is why AZB rocks!

Maniac
 

evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
good idea!

I'm still trying to figure out my ideal cue balance point
why that product exists is part of the figuring out
shooting off the rail, etc. without good forward weight on the cue
can be tricky
 

Danimal

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I measured it and the weight is 4.5 ounces.

When slipped on the shaft (it goes about 3/4 of the way down) it adds significant weight.

Even jacked up with an open bridge, the added mass really restricts the ability of the shaft to fly up after CB contact.
 

john noe

Registered
"A billiard table is that richest of metaphors,
by turns a theatre, an altar, touchstone, gauntlet,
ritual ground, a gunfighter's high noon, a refuge,
a verdant landscape for balls to scatter and rest in meaningful synchronicity,
a classroom, a karma dance, mirror of moods, a guide and trusted friend..."

-- from grissim's "billiards"

Never read this before now. What an eloquent and substantive quote. Thank you Cheers
 

Seaspook

Has-Been
I stumbled across this post a few weeks back...and being a gadget freak...I had to give it a try. My initial concern was this could harm my expensive shafts. This is not the case, the o rings do their job.

The counter weight stabilizes your cue when shooting over a ball and tight on the rail. The highest praise is when using a bridge when shooting over a ball and getting draw with a bridge.

At $29 it’s not cheap....but if it will put a few more balls in the pocket it’s well worth it.
 
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