OB Classic or Classic Pro

WASSAP man...

I have been using diameters from 13mm to 11.75mm from Custom shafts to 314^2 to OB1 and now OB PRO.

I would generally say that the diameter does make a HUGE difference towards your game play. Although the OB pro shaft has lesser deflection, It has a tiny tip which requires you to hit your cue ball with pin-point precision. Otherwise, u will easily generate excess or lesser English than you would want. SO... it boils down to your consistency and preference.

If you are a seasoned player that play "very tight positions with precise english and potting-focused" games such as bank pool or one pockets, please do try the OB PRO,

If you are still trying to up your game in 9ball or 10 ball, please try the OB Classic.

2cents worth from an OB supporter.

All the way Bro...

I more thingy, If u are using a common joint such as 3/8x10 or 5/16X14 or Uni-loc, It is possible to buy and try, sell or trade in the later part if u feel that its unsuitable.

As for me, I have tried both the classic and pro, and I hope that I could custom an "inbetween" diameter such as 12.25mm. Will check with my local dealer soon.

Maybe u should look for a local dealer and custom a comfortable diameter for yourself.

I have been playing pool for around 4 yrs now, In the last year I got into league and tournament play. I had always used a 13mm shaft, mostly house cues, then a viper and an action sneaky pete.

About 4 months ago I bought a Pechauer from a friend, He had the stock shaft turned down to 11.75mm. In the time I have been playing with that cue, I noticed that my accuracy has gotten better due to the fact that I have less room for error. My cue ball control has improved greatly and I wouldn't really want to go back to the larger shaft.

Since I have to be more accurate, My stroke has improved greatly, I was struggling to draw the ball back whenever I first started with it, it is now no problem to draw it back whenever I need to use that option to get position on my next shot.

So yes, you will have a learning curve, but you can get some amazing english off of the smaller tip. I intend to purchase a snooker cue one day with a 10mm tip to practice in the bars and get my accuracy up even more.

I won an 8 ball tournament last night, . First 3 games I had a break and run. 4th game was break and ran 5, 5th was break and ran 6. I lost one game in the finals and won the last one to win the event.

i think id stick with the classic, its what, 12.75 or something like that? I like my shafts around the 12.50 to 12.70 range.....when i picked up a zshaft that was 11.75 i really didnt like it. You have to be so precise with your aiming, it can really drive you up the wall. Id wait until i had my game really dialed in before i started looking at shafts that skinny, i believe you will get all the english you need with the classic, where the tradeoffs to go with the pro just dont make it worthwhile to me.

I don't want to be the dick on here that is not my intention! Spin is generated with "stroke" if you do not have a stroke then it does not matter what kind of cue or what diameter shaft you have it is not going to make a difference! if you have a good stroke then you can generate the kind of spin you want with any cue(as long as it has a good tip the tip is the most important part of the cue if you do not have traction on your tip then nothing else is going to matter). I suggest you work on your stroke. Picture a classic violinist playing their violin that's how you stroke the cue. Power does not generate speed follow through does! Pool is not war it is art!

He does have a point however, If you cannot get draw with your current shaft then you're not going to get it with an upgraded shaft, the shaft does not generate the draw. It is your stroke that generates it. You may be aiming for the bottom of the cue ball but if your stroke is off when you hit it you hit higher on the ball.

I see guys playing with personal cues that cannot get the desired english that they want, But I see guys with house cues drawing back the entire length of the table and setting up their next shots perfectly.


With my shaft at 11.75 it made me have to become more accurate, to become more accurate it made me improve my stroke. With that that the english came.

Being on the fence, I would have done the same and started with the OB pro. Since you were not referring to the transition to low deflection, guess we're just talking about the diameter spec. Only way to find out is try it, but it's going to be a game changer if you've never shot with anything but a 13mm.

While you're waiting for the shaft to arrive, check out this demo video by Max Eberle explaining the 'power draw' if you haven't already seen it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1-HM1bLXog

Might as well figure out not only how to draw, but draw two or three bar table lengths while you're at it. :thumbup:

OB made me a classic pro at 12.25mm

Tkrizz said:

Taper is also very strange to get used to and I now have to use chalk to keep it from sticking.

Click to expand...

Do you mean powder? Is the conical taper causing issues with your closed bridge?

OB Classic Pro

I have recently purchased both the classic and the classic pro. Both are great shafts, however when I put the Pro on it was immediate infatuation for me. I love the shaft. I feel like I am an artist and the OB pro is my paintbrush. Great feel, great control. Couldn't ask for a better shaft.

This is a ongoing battle for me. I have both the classic and pro shaft right now. I am working with both of them as I want to buy an OB cue however before ordering I need to know which shaft I prefer.

The OB Pro definitely gives you more English with less effort. shooting from the first diamond to the middle of the table I can draw the cue ball back to where I am shooting from and up to the first diamond with a medium speed draw shot on my table. With the OB pro the same shot gives me two more diamonds up. This can be a definite advantage if you can control it.

I will continue to work with both and hopefully I can eventually make up my mind but they are both great shafts. I think that a very accurate player would have a lot of success with the Pro, however I will say that if you don't run at least one rack every night that you play then you need to stick with classic. The Pro is definitely for a highly skilled player and even then a highly skilled player may opt for the forgiveness that the classic offers over the pro.

To sum up my observations one more time,

Pro is more sensitive to speed and English, this means you can finesse the shot more, but also means you have less forgiveness on the distance control. It demands accuracy.

Pro is less likely to Miscue, you don't have very far from center to get the English you need.

Pro offers slightly more of a solid hit, for example, I have the same medium Everest tip on both shafts. It actually feels like a medium tip on the Pro, feels like a soft on the Classic.

Classic offers a slightly softer hit, still a solid hitter but between the two it dampens the vibration more. I am going to have to try it with a hard tip before I can really make up my mind.

Classic has a straighter taper in which you don't notice the difference of thickness as much when stroking a longer shot

Classic is easier to control the cue ball as it is more forgiving, If you shoot with a firm shot most of the time this may be preferable.

Classic is easy to break with, Pro hits good with a medium or soft break but you can really let loose with the Classic. For those players who like to break with their playing cue the Classic is a better option in my opinion. There are people like this out there, I broke with my playing cue for 15 years and just now have got to the point where I want a dedicated break. (only because of the awesome samsara tips that are out!)

I hope that I have helped someone out there with my review so far. I still love them both and will have to try both out with a hard tip before making up my mind.