How many folks carry more than 1 shaft?

cbi1000

It is what it is...
Silver Member
So I have one shaft for my cue and have been thinking about picking up a second. Interested in finding out why folks carry more than one, is it a just in case shaft? Just in case the tip pops off? Do you have the same exact shaft and tip combo? Same shaft different tip? Two different shafts, 1 maybe 12.75mm and one 11.75?

Just wondering....
 

tim913

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I carry two shafts exactly the same, never know when a tip will pop off or my crazy side will appear and the shaft accidentally gets broken in 3 or 4 places
 

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So I have one shaft for my cue and have been thinking about picking up a second. Interested in finding out why folks carry more than one, is it a just in case shaft? Just in case the tip pops off? Do you have the same exact shaft and tip combo? Same shaft different tip? Two different shafts, 1 maybe 12.75mm and one 11.75?

Just wondering....

I carry 2 shafts, as a just in case something happens (ie tip comes off, I ding the shaft badly etc). I keep them both set up with the same tips, and try to alternate them from time to time.

I personally have never had a tip pop off etc, but I have seen it happen at some very inopportune times. A buddy of mine was in a money game one time, and the tip came off his Bender because he accidentally slammed it into the light. I was working the desk that night, so I took the shaft in the back. I threw it on the lathe and put a new tip on it for him, while he continued that set with somebody elses cue. He lost that set, but once the shaft was ready, he ended up ok on the night. ;) Hell after jokingly telling him, "Dont forget about tipping the house man", he threw me a Benjamin. I ended up good on the night too. :thumbup:
 

tim913

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sometimes my crazy side even scares me!
 

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jack 195

Banned
Sometimes my crazy side even scares me!
Oh Yeah , I'm leaving that alone :thumbup:
One is all that I need.
Once in a great while, I'll come in with a dozen or so shafts, only to try them out.
(that's usually before they go to market).
 

Double-Dave

Developing cue-addict
Silver Member
So I have one shaft for my cue and have been thinking about picking up a second. Interested in finding out why folks carry more than one, is it a just in case shaft? Just in case the tip pops off? Do you have the same exact shaft and tip combo? Same shaft different tip? Two different shafts, 1 maybe 12.75mm and one 11.75?

Just wondering....

I went thru a period of about 18 months where every couple of months my ferrule would crack. At that time I was using my player to break with and I hit them pretty hard if I want to. This plus thin LD-ferrule = ferrule kaputt.

So at first I had a close matching second shaft made just to have a spare when my ferrule broke again. Finally I decided it might just be better to have a break cue made that still has an LD shaft/ferrule but about 50% thicker walled and haven't been able to crack it yet. Not giving up though.

Ferrule on my player hasn't cracked since (+/- 3 years).
 

marek

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have two shafts, both have G2 soft tip. My main shaft is Ex Pro which is around 12.5mm I believe, my back-up shaft is WX900 which is 12mm. I can play with both as I played with WX900 for about 5 years since its inception to the market, but Ex Pro has a better feeling for me thats why it is my primary shaft. ;)
 

Buckzapper

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I typically carry 10 shafts, but usually only play with 4 on any given day. Mezz, Predator, Jacoby, Schmelke and conventional shafts are all fun to play with. I like a 90 minute practice session and find it interesting because the aiming techniques and position options are from one extreme to another. For 9 ball, I like a fairly hard hitting tip and a LD shaft. For One Pocket, I like a soft tip and at times the conventional shaft will give more predictable position than the LD shaft. Shooting off the top rail, the LD shaft gets the job done nicely.
 

mattb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have 2. Honestly I couldn't even tell you what tip is on it. It is just a throw back to the older days when it seemed glues weren't as reliable and a tip could come off occasionally.

Now, don't even think of asking me to take it out of my case and leave it at home. Still not going to happen.
 

Sealegs50

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There are no absolute reasons for carrying more than one shaft. You need to decide why you would want to carry multiple shafts.

Years ago, I was taught to carry two identical shafts with identical tips and play with them on alternate sessions so their condition would progress in parallel. That way if a tip falls off during play, you can switch and be comfortable with the other shaft. In 45 years, I have never had a tip fall off after more than a week of play. Only two tips came loose in less than 7 sessions.

Three top tier cuemakers have told me that many of their customers have shafts built to different specs possibly with different brand/hardness tips to meet their preferences for different styles of games, e.g., 1-pocket vs. 9-ball.

I carry two playing cues. I am sufficiently protective of my favorite cue that I use a separate cue for league play where there is too much commotion. There is no good reason for carrying second shafts for each of those cues except that the case has slots for them.
 
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slide13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I carry more than one. Currently I have 3 playing shafts for two butts (both Runde with matching rings so shafts work on both butts), though the butts are a closer match than the three shafts.

My main playing shaft is 12mm with a Kamui soft.

My backup shaft is a 12.25mm with a Wizard medium (plan to replace with Kamui soft though)

Third shaft is one that came with my second playing cue I just picked up. It’s 13mm, not sure on tip.

What’s odd is my playing shaft tip is done now, was playing a couple weeks ago and a miscue took off a tiny chunk on the edge because it was worn down so low. I played one day with my 12.25mm shaft and then switched to the 13mm and have been liking that. So not sure what will happen. When I get my 12mm retipped.

I also have two more shafts at home, another 13mm from the new cue and a 12.75mm from my original cue. I find the 12 and 12.25 to be close enough to work as backup for each other so if I stick with my main playing shaft of 12mm I’ll probably just put Kamui on both of those. But going to see how I get a,one with this 13mm for a while I think.
 

StraightPoolIU

Brent
Silver Member
For me it's just a spare in case I lose a tip or something like that. They are both OB pro shafts so they play similarly.
 

Coop1701

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I carry a spare. Never really had the need to use it. But I do take it out on occasion and hit a rack. Just to make sure it's close to the main one I play with.
 

jokrswylde

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I carry two Pechauer pro series cues, one wrapped, one wrapless. I tend to play with a wrap more in the summertime, but I prefer the feel of a wrapless. The shafts are interchangeable and both cues have a very similar hit.
 

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You forgot 'Imo'.

There are many reasons a player might carry more than one shaft.

There are no absolute reasons for carrying more than one shaft. You need to decide what you why you would want to carry multiple shafts.

Years ago, I was taught to carry two identical shafts with identical tips and play with them on alternate sessions so their condition would progress in parallel. That way if a tip falls off during play, you can switch and be comfortable with the other shaft. In 45 years, I have never had a tip fall off after more than a week of play. Only two tips came loose in less than 7 sessions.

Three top tier cuemakers have told me that many of their customers have shafts built to different specs possibly with different brand/hardness tips to meet their preferences for different styles of games, e.g., 1-pocket vs. 9-ball.

I carry two playing cues. I am sufficiently protective of my favorite cue that I use a separate cue for league play where there is too much commotion. There is no good reason for carrying second shafts for each of those cues except that the case has slots for them.
 

BobTfromIL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just seems like a good idea to me, I've had tips come off. I use similar shafts for my Schon, also I can spread out the wear on the tip.
 

Celophanewrap

Call me Grace
Silver Member
I guess there's no really good reason to carry more than one, unless you want to.
Personally I carry two identical shafts. Think of it like any other measure of protection:
"I'd rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it"
 

qbilder

slower than snails
Silver Member
There are very good reasons to carry two. I keep two as close to identical as possible. When a tip begins getting mushy, which happens, I will swap out. When I ding my shaft & the dent is bugging me, distracting me, I'll swap out. If it's humid and the tables are dirty, the towel just isn't doing the trick anymore, I swap out. These are all typical, every day reasons to have two shafts. Beyond this, it's nice having a spare when you have a tip blow out, pop off, ferrule crack, etc. I can't count all the times I have seen a cue get knocked over & bang everything on its way down, leaving it feeling more like a dildo than a cue shaft. No reason to quit the day, just swap out.
 

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I seldom have needed 2 shafts,but I almost always buy 2

the few times that I don't is when I am buying an inexpensive cue just to test

I often wonder why ,since I use the second shaft so infrequently

If my tip falls off or something like that

Better to be safe than sorry.

It is not uncommon for me to have a back up cue or two as well
but I usually only carry one cue in a case
 
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