Shaft deflection?

Not sure how flat or radially laminated shafts compare to regular maple, but you may want to consider a purple heart shaft. It's much stiffer than maple and deflects less. I'm having one made for me at the moment and should be ready in a couple months. I've shot with a few in the past and love the way they hit; some people can't get past the color but if you can you may want to consider it if you're looking to minimize deflection.

S

J$Cincy said:

Just looking for some opinions on shaft options. With all the talk about shaft deflection, What type of shaft is the best to go with , regular maple, predator, tiger, ob what? Just want some input on using a shaft other than pure maple, benefits if any? Thanks Jim

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J$Cincy said:

Just looking for some opinions on shaft options. With all the talk about shaft deflection, What type of shaft is the best to go with , regular maple, predator, tiger, ob what? Just want some input on using a shaft other than pure maple, benefits if any? Thanks Jim

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I once asked Willie Mosconi about "DEFLECTION", he laughed & said "I see the ball, know where I gotta hit it & I put it in". When I asked him about the shafts with less deflection he said "People are always looking for something to make there game easier, instead of practice"...JER

BLACKHEARTCUES said:

I once asked Willie Mosconi about "DEFLECTION", he laughed & said "I see the ball, know where I gotta hit it & I put it in". When I asked him about the shafts with less deflection he said "People are always looking for something to make there game easier, instead of practice"...JER

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Tap, Tap, Tap.

If they made a cue that did all the work so the player could eat a loose meat sandwich and watch from two tables over, people would rip their pockets reaching for their wallet.

J$Cincy, what's wrong with the shaft your cue came with?. If you're replacing it just to reduce "deflection", you're wasting your money. "Deflection" is the single biggest distraction in the world of billiards. Anyone that picks up a new cue will automatically learn to account for it within 10 minutes.

BLACKHEARTCUES said:

I once asked Willie Mosconi about "DEFLECTION", he laughed & said "I see the ball, know where I gotta hit it & I put it in". When I asked him about the shafts with less deflection he said "People are always looking for something to make there game easier, instead of practice"...JER

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He even had a screwed-on ivory ferrule I believe.

Deflection is directly related to the endmass of the shaft. Lamination and stiffness of the shaft does very little, if anything to influence deflection.
The OB1 shafts are VERY light, and deflect less than most I have tried.
Pretty much all shafts deflect the ball if you use english, the trick is to get used to it. "Know" your shots, and you will sink them without having to think about it.

I aggree in that I believe the more time you spend worrying about deflection the more it takes away from your game & ability to ajust easily, so not good as far as the mental aspect of it. every cue is different and has to be adapted to, so that's a natural proccess indeed. I guess My biggest issue is'nt so much the amount of deflection, altough I do like a stiffer shaft, but rather would be that It deflects evenly around the diameter or radius of the shaft. I know some people mark one side of the cue and keep that mark up when shooting like some use the red dots for instance, and I have done that in the past, but would rather not have to do that, and there's nothing worse then a shaft that changes the amount of deflection from one shot to another to mess with your ajustments, and mental game. Especially if you tend to be a perfectionist at it, which alot pool players do. the best thing is not to even think about it though, but sometimes that's hard when you actually see a noticable difference.

Greg

arent meuccis so great cause of the minimal deflection?,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,lol,,,,,jk

Cue Crazy said:

My biggest issue is'nt so much the amount of deflection, altough I do like a stiffer shaft, but rather would be that It deflects evenly around the diameter or radius of the shaft. I know some people mark one side of the cue and keep that mark up when shooting like some use the red dots for instance, and I have done that in the past, but would rather not have to do that, and there's nothing worse then a shaft that changes the amount of deflection from one shot to another to mess with your ajustments, and mental game.

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This is one area where a laminated shaft MIGHT make a difference.
(Radial consistency)

ppl talk about deflection like its a bad thing. learn to work with it and you may get out of some tricky situations. after all its not going to disappear esp with ivory ferrules. btw yes i prefer ivory and dont hate me for it

Whichever shaft you can play the best with, right now, without having to "teach" yourself to play with it.... that's the one you should have.

Sheldon said:

This is one area where a laminated shaft MIGHT make a difference.
(Radial consistency)

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Most definatly, in fact I had My time with them for that very reason, to see, and altough I could shoot with one fine for the most part, and saw a difference as far as that goes, I just never seemed to find one that fit like a glove in other areas. Ofcoarse there are many different types now days, so I probably should give a few a shot to see. I know plenty of people that shoot very well, and more consistent with them, I just have'nt found one that fits me I suppose.
I really like the feel of a natural shaft better, but don't like that radial inconsistency that can go with them. Not as obvious in loose play, but with more of the slow, technical play It becomes very obvious to me. I can pick up a bar or almost any cue a shoot fine with it, so it's not a matter of making ajustments, just fine tuning and perfecting My game, so I notice little things like that unfortunatly, and sometimes they are more noticable then I would like, because I would rather not have My mind on it .

This is a revelant topic for me because I have been thinking about getting a new shaft made. I recently got a new tip and had the tip end of my shaft measured it was 11.3mm. I have asked several accomplished players what size their sticks were and most were between 12.5 and 13mm. I guess my question is what if any is my disadvantage using an shaft that is that much smaller than other players. I thought that the deflection that I have been experiencing was a disadvantage, after reading this thread I am not so sure. Anyone with any info on this topic please share your knowledge with me. Also any imput on who could make me a good shaft for not alot of money let me know, I am interested. Buy the way I shoot ok as it is I am just looking to improve and am curious if a new shaft will help. Thanks in advance for any help!

I would really appreciate some comments on my last post. Please your help is much appreciated. Thanks

jacob said:

This is a revelant topic for me because I have been thinking about getting a new shaft made. I recently got a new tip and had the tip end of my shaft measured it was 11.3mm. I have asked several accomplished players what size their sticks were and most were between 12.5 and 13mm. I guess my question is what if any is my disadvantage using an shaft that is that much smaller than other players. I thought that the deflection that I have been experiencing was a disadvantage, after reading this thread I am not so sure. Anyone with any info on this topic please share your knowledge with me. Also any imput on who could make me a good shaft for not alot of money let me know, I am interested. Buy the way I shoot ok as it is I am just looking to improve and am curious if a new shaft will help. Thanks in advance for any help!

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To be honest, nobody can tell you your disadvantages or advantages of playing with a 11.3 mm tip. You might be the best judge of that. One thing you do not mention is what kind of cue you shoot with, and what kind of shaft you are shooting with now. If you are going to get another shaft made, perhaps a complete change in cue is warranted.

Can you get your hands on a shaft that will fit your cue that is a larger diameter to see how you like it?

11.3 does sound pretty small to me for a pool shaft. If you play ok but you want to improve, and you don't already know that you actually prefer that small of a diameter, then I think most people would recommend you try one larger in your quest to improve your game.
Kelly