Really how important is a spare (2nd) shaft???

chefjeff · Sep 29, 2018

trob said:
I don’t think anyone here is playing for a living so really how big a deal is it. I have had a tip come off while playing 1 time in 30 years. I’m all about carrying as little as possible now. My cue case is a 2x4 . in the 2 spare shaft holes I keep my jump cue. If it happens it happens. I’ll grab a house cue and finish the day. I’m not playing to pay the bills or in the u.s. open so at the end of the day it’s not the end of the world.

It is a big deal when you need it, just like a spare tire is when needed.

Playing in my first State tourney decades ago, my cheap old Kmart cue (Miz's version which I've discussed before) popped its tip right in the middle of a very important match. We were playing for 12th or so at the time, race to 2 (not a typo) with over 600 players having been eliminated so far. It was getting serious.

When my tip popped off, my opponent's sweaters all started smiling, thinking I'd not have a spare for my cheap cue. Ah, but I had bought many of those cues and had a spare shaft which I pulled out immediately, much to the chagrin of those spectators.

I won that match then lost the next one. But that extra shaft saved me.

fwiw,

Jeff Livingston

PS It was the best $10 I ever spent.

lfigueroa · Sep 29, 2018

HeadCase said:
I’m trying to settle something with an ego maniac.

Is it really important to have a second shaft for your playing cue?

I was explaining that as long as you have a good tip installed the chances of something happening to the shaft/tip during a tournament is pretty minuscule...

Am I way off? Isn’t a spare shaft a luxury or is it really that important?

Thoughts?
How many of you have had a tip pop off (playing cue) during an important event?

There's a couple of reasons for having two shafts (lol, sometimes I crack myself up).

First off, even a professionally installed tip can pop off or develop a crack or have a chunk fall off. Or, you may accidentally whack the shaft during play and put a dent in it that distracts and that would also be a good time to have another shaft. If you do more than play at home and compete out in the wild, sooner or later the second shaft will come in handy.

Second, regardless of a cue maker's bestest attempts to match woods, tapers, and weights, otherwise identical shafts can often play differently. I have four shafts for each of my two Ginas and though I know Ernie does his best to match them, they all play slightly differently and in the case of one shaft quite a bit differently. So by having two shafts you can pick a favorite and keep the 2nd shaft as a backup and that's a big plus, IMO.

Lou Figueroa

lakeman77 · Sep 29, 2018

Seems to me, unless you are traveling or entering big money events it doesn't matter. We all have more than one cue at home

Not the end of the world.

Icon of Sin · Sep 29, 2018

My backup shaft always comes with me. They are a necessity.

I just to keep the backup shaft as unplayed as possible. Just recently I had a new shaft made to replace my current one which has gotten too thin from cleanings and stuff... the new shaft is now the unplayed shaft. The previous backup is my new player.

lfigueroa · Sep 29, 2018

lakeman77 said:
Seems to me, unless you are traveling or entering big money events it doesn't matter. We all have more than one cue at home Not the end of the world.

oh, fersure.

In fact, if you’re just staying home you can just play with one-piece cues, the point of a two-piece being travelability.

Lou Figueroa

Pushout · Sep 29, 2018

With only one exception that I can think of I've always ordered cues with two shafts. The exception was a cue I had no experience with and wasn't sure I'd like it. Within three days of receiving it I ordered another shaft because I liked the cue and was going to play with it. I have had a tip come off at an important point in play. Somebody can bump your cue and the shaft get nicked. You might drop the cue and nick the shaft. Something that happens with me a lot, especially as I get older, one shaft may just "feel" better in your hand than another. My Dishaw has four shafts now, of varying diameters, and I play with each one from time to time. Sometimes the thinnest shaft feels the best because of the arthritis in my fingers. Sometimes using an open bridge helps and sometimes it doesn't and it helps to have different diameter shafts. Again, no matter how many shafts I have with a cue, I play with ALL of them. I've never bought that bullshit about having an unplayed shaft as a selling point. I've never had trouble selling any cue with all the shafts having been played with.

Ghosst · Sep 29, 2018

I have 5, but it was never intentional.

2 from the cue maker.
1 314 because I wanted to play with that rather than mark up the ivory ferrules or wood on my cue maker's shafts.
1 over-length OB as I didn't want to rely solely on the 314.
1 under-length billiards (conical taper) shaft that came with my Predator Cognac butt.

I play with the OB, and keep the 314 as a spare. One day I will have a new OB made to match the first. I too have had a tip come off in a tournament, and much the same as others, only had it happen once. Having the 314 there was worth the price of purchasing it though.

L I F D 1 · Sep 29, 2018

I've always said - you only need one.

DynoDan · Sep 29, 2018

Review: ‘Murphy’s Law’.
The trick is finding two identicle/perfectly-straight shafts that play exactly the same (easier said than done). Never had a tip come off since I starting installing them myself 25 yrs. ago, but as they say, “first time for everything”. Much like with a gun....”better to have one and not need it, than to need one and not have it”!

WildWing · Sep 29, 2018

De420MadHatter said:
If your Doug Smith, better have about 30. I watched him snap 17, in one night. Pissed off, miss a shot, snap, get another one, snap, snap, snap, snap. We were crackin up. Anybody that knows him though (Dallas area) knows he always had about 40 shafts, and 12 butts, at any given time.

I'm nowhere near that anal.

All the best,
WW

HeadCase · Sep 29, 2018

WildWing said:
I'm nowhere near that anal.

All the best,
WW

What is the Butt cracks? You need an Identical Butt too lol

book collector · Sep 29, 2018

HeadCase said:
I’m trying to settle something with an ego maniac.

Is it really important to have a second shaft for your playing cue?

I was explaining that as long as you have a good tip installed the chances of something happening to the shaft/tip during a tournament is pretty minuscule...

Am I way off? Isn’t a spare shaft a luxury or is it really that important?

Thoughts?
How many of you have had a tip pop off (playing cue) during an important event?

You are as wrong as two left feet.
If you don't know why , think about it some more.

Tin Man · Sep 29, 2018

I've played competitive pool for 25 years and have NEVER needed a spare shaft.

Now, I still have one in my bag. I just haven't needed it. And if I had to switch, it wouldn't hit the exact same as each shaft tends to hit a little differently anyway.

So I'd say it isn't a necessity. Maybe once in a lifetime it will come up. In that case I could always play out the match with my break cue or something. Compared to all of the sets lost for other reasons, it is really the least of my worries.

jimmyco · Sep 29, 2018

"Really how important is a spare (2nd) shaft???"

It's an insurance policy. But unlike insurance, if you never need it, you have a tangible asset.

What I do not understand, is how important is a second, or third, question mark?

jay helfert · Sep 29, 2018

HeadCase said:
I’m trying to settle something with an ego maniac.

Is it really important to have a second shaft for your playing cue?

I was explaining that as long as you have a good tip installed the chances of something happening to the shaft/tip during a tournament is pretty minuscule...

Am I way off? Isn’t a spare shaft a luxury or is it really that important?

Thoughts?
How many of you have had a tip pop off (playing cue) during an important event?

A spare shaft is like a spare tire! Only useful when you really need it. I have a late model Audi with brand new tires, good for 40,000 miles. I was turning one day and hit a curb. A hundred yards or so later, I heard a distinct thumping sound up front. When I pulled over, my left front tire was flat. The side wall had ruptured from a 10 MPH impact. AAA came to my rescue. They put on my tiny spare tire and I went directly to the nearest tire store. $160 later I was back on the road with four good tires. Bummer! :frown:

Black-Balled · Sep 30, 2018

jay helfert said:
A spare shaft is like a spare tire! Only useful when you really need it. I have a late model Audi with brand new tires, good for 40,000 miles. I was turning one day and hit a curb. A hundred yards or so later, I heard a distinct thumping sound up front. When I pulled over, my left front tire was flat. The side wall had ruptured from a 10 MPH impact. AAA came to my rescue. They put on my tiny spare tire and I went directly to the nearest tire store. $160 later I was back on the road with four good tires. Bummer! :frown:

This thread is satisfied.

We just got new tires for our German auto...320$ per...not mounted!

garczar · Sep 30, 2018

Back in the 80's i bought a R.Black Hoppe with 2 shafts. Hit a few with each, one felt better and i NEVER hit another ball with second shaft. Damn, wish i still had that pole. Cue w/ both shafts (ivory ferrules) AND a Fellini cost me $375bux in '82.

vjmehra · Sep 30, 2018

HeadCase said:
I’m trying to settle something with an ego maniac.

Is it really important to have a second shaft for your playing cue?

I was explaining that as long as you have a good tip installed the chances of something happening to the shaft/tip during a tournament is pretty minuscule...

Am I way off? Isn’t a spare shaft a luxury or is it really that important?

Thoughts?
How many of you have had a tip pop off (playing cue) during an important event?

A tip has only ever fallen off for me when playing twice...both times in tournaments!

The first was admittedly my fault, as I'd fitted the tip myself and hadn't done a great job.

The second time, the tip was getting near the end of its life and my plan was to replace it at the end of the season (I think this was the last tournament of the season).

I now always carry two shafts with me, my case had room anyway, so there's no real downside!

cuesblues · Sep 30, 2018

I could get by easily with one shafts, as long as Dr Doug does the tip work they will never fall off, but I like a variety.
From a resale standpoint I have 2 really nice vintage cues with only one shaft which will hurt the value far beyond the cost of a shaft.

Some cuemakers are talking about making the second shaft lighter for use during a long tournament, to use the lighter shaft when your stroke gets fatigued after several hours of play.
Apparently they are getting good feedback from that decision.

Pushout · Sep 30, 2018

While a second shaft is certainly NOT a must have for everyone, for me it is. I seldom even look at a cue with one shaft and if a cue has two shafts and one has not been played, I'll pass most of the time. If you're comfortable with one after reading all these posts, fine. But, I'd have two.

Really how important is a spare (2nd) shaft???

If not now...

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