question #2...

I do not use or own a low deflection shaft.

gerry
a very accomplished 3c player was happy to get and still uses the low deflection carom shaft i gave him

I play with a low deflection shaft on my 3c cue. It is a Tiger. Tony from Tiger makes an excellent LD shaft as does Longoni with their new s20 and also Predator. I sell all 3 brands so I can't be too preferential.

p.s. can't forget Layani, Adam, Hanbat, and Stradivarius

Hey Gerry, you should be able to play with just about any LD shaft out there without worries. For me, it's more about the taper than anything else. A 3c cue shaft normally has a straight taper or conical taper. 3c cues tend to be shorter and lighter as well from what I've seen. That's not to say you can't play 3c with a regular pool cue and shaft. You can. And you can have successful results as well. I've tried a bunch of different configurations along the way. As you continue along in your 3c journey, you will find yourself trying out different ones as well. It's all about what makes you comfortable at the table. GL

Gerry,

Glad to see you taking up the game! It's a great game, been playing for years myself, just started again as we just got some tables in town within the last year or so.

I always just played with my normal cue and shaft, Schon standard back in the day, Z2 or OB Classic or Mezz more recently, whatever I played pool with. I bought a Predator 3C shaft for my pool cue, that made a difference and was nicer than my pool shaft on the larger balls. I just purchased a Longoni carom cue, will see how that goes.

If you continue to get into it, getting an actual carom cue might be worth it. But I got to a .7 average playing with my pool cue and didn't feel like I was missing anything. That being said, the carom cues do feel good and the stiffer tapers hit through the ball a bit better and retain spin a bit more. But as with pool, it's the archer not the arrow...

Scott

Totally agree with what Scott said above. I did the same. Then you will start tinkering with shaft diameters and tips to find what works best with your stroke/preferences. It's all down hill from there except for the crying. The hard part for me is finding a challenge whenever I do get a chance to play. I always want to learn something new. I only manage to do that when I play people better than me. I'm lucky there are a couple here that give me a challenge.

You can't go wrong with any of the "known" 3c cue makers out there....Diekman (if you are lucky), Schuler, Kilby, Longoni...etc. You will find all different kinds of joints and tapers out there. Like I said....it's all downhill from there. Good luck in your quest.