Variable Balance Point

MooseKnuckle said:

Is McDermott the only production manufacturer offering a variable balance point?

My next thought is how successful is the idea, once you find what you like do you really need it anymore?

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great idea, I'm glad somebody's doing this
don't know if mcd's the only one
would be cool to find out balance points one prefers
you ask another reasonable question
but I'd keep it to tinker with
find different balance points in different situations, etc...

evergruven said:

great idea, I'm glad somebody's doing this
don't know if mcd's the only one
would be cool to find out balance points one prefers
you ask another reasonable question
but I'd keep it to tinker with
find different balance points in different situations, etc...

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I have one of the H series cues with the variable balance point and really like it. The reason I went with this cue was because my old cue was long in the tooth and the finish was wearing off (purchased it in the mid 90's). Last november I decided instead of putting 200 - 30 dollars getting my cue refinished I would put that money towards a new cue. I really wanted to experiment with Low deflection shafts. I tried a few of my friends on my old cue at various points in time. They all felt different and I narrowed it down to the balance points changing. Most LD shafts made the my cue feel really back heavy.

So my intention was to use my new cue to try out a couple different shafts and be able to change the balance point of the cue to match the shaft. I went through a couple shaft until I found one I really liked (and found a few I really didn't like). Since i settled on a shaft I haven't changed the balance point.

I will say at first there were a few minor issues with the weight system. For the first couple of months I had to tighten down the allen screws fairly often (once a week sometimes) or i would get a lot of vibration in the cue. After a couple of months I got tired of having to do that, so I tightened the screws with way more pressure than I was comfortable putting on those small screws. I figured if it breaks, its got a life time warranty. Since I done that, I haven't had a single issue. My next step was going to be to put the smallest amount of blue loctite on it, but thankfully i haven't had to do that.

My only other complaint about the cue is the weight bolts are extremely expensive and not a lot of people carry them. I was going to get a 1oz weight to change my cue from 18.5 to 19oz and the cost was near $40 dollars once you added in shipping costs from Mcdermott. needless to say I didn't order the weight.

I saw an ad a while back for Liquid Weight Cues. If I remember correctly, there's a mobile weight suspended between 2 powerful magnets in the handle, to add a piston like effect to the hit because their cues only weigh appx 13-16oz. Lol.
Not quite the concept you're talking about, I know.
Viking, predator, Lucasi, and even most cues that are tapped deep enough for a weight bolt, can have their balance altered just by How far you screw the bolt in.
Be careful you don't turn it too far and split your handle. Always good to check depth before screwing the bolt in all the way.

surffisher2a said:

I have one of the H series cues with the variable balance point and really like it. The reason I went with this cue was because my old cue was long in the tooth and the finish was wearing off (purchased it in the mid 90's). Last november I decided instead of putting 200 - 30 dollars getting my cue refinished I would put that money towards a new cue. I really wanted to experiment with Low deflection shafts. I tried a few of my friends on my old cue at various points in time. They all felt different and I narrowed it down to the balance points changing. Most LD shafts made the my cue feel really back heavy.

So my intention was to use my new cue to try out a couple different shafts and be able to change the balance point of the cue to match the shaft. I went through a couple shaft until I found one I really liked (and found a few I really didn't like). Since i settled on a shaft I haven't changed the balance point.

I will say at first there were a few minor issues with the weight system. For the first couple of months I had to tighten down the allen screws fairly often (once a week sometimes) or i would get a lot of vibration in the cue. After a couple of months I got tired of having to do that, so I tightened the screws with way more pressure than I was comfortable putting on those small screws. I figured if it breaks, its got a life time warranty. Since I done that, I haven't had a single issue. My next step was going to be to put the smallest amount of blue loctite on it, but thankfully i haven't had to do that.

My only other complaint about the cue is the weight bolts are extremely expensive and not a lot of people carry them. I was going to get a 1oz weight to change my cue from 18.5 to 19oz and the cost was near $40 dollars once you added in shipping costs from Mcdermott. needless to say I didn't order the weight.

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Can you please give some details on what you found?
Thx

Ipmtim said:

Can you please give some details on what you found?
Thx

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Honestly it was all personal preference there is nothing design wrong with any of the shafts I tried.

I will say the I2 shaft that came with my cue was the one I disliked most. It felt very whippy and for some reason I kept miscuing constantly when using any top(follow) on the cueball. I am sure its a stroke flaw of my own doing, however I don't have that problem with any of the other shafts I have tried. I am going to try another tip on this shaft in the future and give it another go (i was using the tip that came installed from the factory.

Another shaft I tried was the Katana 1 shaft. I played with this shaft for a couple of months and eventually settled on it. However I tried a friends 314(3) shaft and fell in love with it. The Katana shaft now feels very "dead" to me even compared to the 314. The Katana does have a very stiff hit but there is just something different between the 314 and katana that I can't explain. I am much more consistent with speed, and accuracy using the 314.

Take my feedback with a grain of salt, i am not a pro player by far, probably an average C to C+. Still got a lot of learning and practice to do.

Adjustable balance point? What does that even mean... And then how is it accomplished?

Sounds like a fancy name for end cap or weight bolt.

Black-Balled said:

Adjustable balance point? What does that even mean... And then how is it accomplished?

Sounds like a fancy name for end cap or weight bolt.

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Here is the page that has a video that talks about the adjustable weight system. As you will see, it isn't just an end cap or weight bolt.

http://www.mcdermottcue.com/mcdermott-h-series-pool-cues.php

Black-Balled said:

Adjustable balance point? What does that even mean... And then how is it accomplished?

Sounds like a fancy name for end cap or weight bolt.

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There is a rod inside the cue that you can move the weights up and down on to adjust the balance point of the cue.

Here is a link that shows the system.
https://www.mcdermottcue.com/blog/2...balance-point-of-your-mcdermott-h-series-cue/

Didn’t Sears sell cues that had weights you could add or take off just above and below the wrap?

Can’t you accomplish the same effect by having your cue built with a specific butt weight?
In building the cue, the cue butt can be cored pretty deep and still meet your cue specs.
If you later decide to add weight, you can do that & place the weight(s) where it feels best.

You can position headless weight bolts as fractional one ounce equivalents (7, 14 or 28 grams).
My last two cues from Bob & Jerry were built that way & they provided me with an array of bolts.
I had never thought of it as a adjustable balance point but to some degree I suppose it might be.

Bavafongoul said:

Can’t you accomplish the same effect by having your cue built with a specific butt weight?
In building the cue, the cue butt can be cored pretty deep and still meet your cue specs.
If you later decide to add weight, you can do that & place the weight(s) where it feels best.

You can position headless weight bolts as fractional one ounce equivalents (7, 14 or 28 grams).
My last two cues from Bob & Jerry were built that way & they provided me with an array of bolts.
I had never thought of it as a adjustable balance point but to some degree I suppose it might be.

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I was curious and/or bored one day and measured the weight and balance point of every cue in my wall rack at home. Most were right around 19 oz as I expected and most were within an inch of each other for balance point. One modern era Viking had a balance point several inches forward of the rest. I backed the weight bolt out, dropped a 3 inch long balso wood dowel in the hole and put the bolt back in tight against the dowel/spacer. It brought the balance point right in with the rest of the group.

(Thanks for the link, guys)

Mezz is now offering weighted rings that are added when putting cue together to change BP. http://mezzcue.com/en/products_pool/accessories/cueaccessories/jointweightring

surffisher2a said:

Honestly it was all personal preference there is nothing design wrong with any of the shafts I tried.

I will say the I2 shaft that came with my cue was the one I disliked most. It felt very whippy and for some reason I kept miscuing constantly when using any top(follow) on the cueball. I am sure its a stroke flaw of my own doing, however I don't have that problem with any of the other shafts I have tried. I am going to try another tip on this shaft in the future and give it another go (i was using the tip that came installed from the factory.

Another shaft I tried was the Katana 1 shaft. I played with this shaft for a couple of months and eventually settled on it. However I tried a friends 314(3) shaft and fell in love with it. The Katana shaft now feels very "dead" to me even compared to the 314. The Katana does have a very stiff hit but there is just something different between the 314 and katana that I can't explain. I am much more consistent with speed, and accuracy using the 314.
Take my feedback with a grain of salt, i am not a pro player by far, probably an average C to C+. Still got a lot of learning and practice to do.

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It seems most of pool is personal preference. Still good info. I don't really get much of a chance to try different cues let alone higher performance equipment.......thanks.