Carom shaft taper

Thunder Thighs

I'm your Huckleberry
Silver Member
I haven’t played Carom and I don’t really know the difference of Carom or 3C at this point, but I do want to explore the game. I am planning to buy a cue that has 2 options for a shaft. A Longoni C67 with a conical taper or an E71 with an Eiffel taper. The C67 is supposed to be for Carom and the E71 for 3C. Which should I get? Will both shafts work on either game? Thanks.
 

Dean_H

luv the small modalities
Silver Member
The Latter shaft is longer which is more suitable for the three cushion game, although you could use the shorter constant tapered shaft for both three cushion (in a pinch) and the smaller modalities (Carom). If you are coming from the world of pool the eifel taper will feel less alien then the constant taper.
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
I haven’t played Carom and I don’t really know the difference of Carom or 3C at this point, but I do want to explore the game.

8 ball is a pool game

8,9,10 ball 1pkt 14.1 are pool games

3c is a carom game

straight rail, balkline, 1 cushion, 3 cushion, 5 pin are carom games

the forum could use a sticky about this
 
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erriep

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I haven’t played Carom and I don’t really know the difference of Carom or 3C at this point, but I do want to explore the game. I am planning to buy a cue that has 2 options for a shaft. A Longoni C67 with a conical taper or an E71 with an Eiffel taper. The C67 is supposed to be for Carom and the E71 for 3C. Which should I get? Will both shafts work on either game? Thanks.

well, short about Longoni's choice of shafts for carom games :

the most important is the lenght : shorter for small games, longer for 3 cushions.

C67 means 67cm lenght , conical taper. a shorter shaft is suitable for carom 'small games' aka straight rail, balkline.. same goes for tip diameter (11 or 11.5 for small games, usually )

E71 means 71cm lenght , kind of parabolic taper. Longer shafts are made for the 3 cushions game (or for giants :) ). about the taper, if you comes from pool, this taper will indeed feel less 'alien' than a conical taper. about tip diameter, 12mm (or 11.5mm , according to the player taste) is usual for 3 cushions.
 

KissedOut

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
well, short about Longoni's choice of shafts for carom games :

the most important is the lenght : shorter for small games, longer for 3 cushions.

C67 means 67cm lenght , conical taper. a shorter shaft is suitable for carom 'small games' aka straight rail, balkline.. same goes for tip diameter (11 or 11.5 for small games, usually )

E71 means 71cm lenght , kind of parabolic taper. Longer shafts are made for the 3 cushions game (or for giants :) ). about the taper, if you comes from pool, this taper will indeed feel less 'alien' than a conical taper. about tip diameter, 12mm (or 11.5mm , according to the player taste) is usual for 3 cushions.

The length and the taper are completely different issues. My Hanbat cue is 72 cm and has a fully tapered shaft. I'm not hands-on familiar with Longoni's line-up but they certainly sell fully tapered shafts in the longer '3c' length.

https://store.kozoom.com/en/carom-billiards/carom-billiard-shafts.html?manufacturer=138
 

erriep

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The length and the taper are completely different issues. My Hanbat cue is 72 cm and has a fully tapered shaft. I'm not hands-on familiar with Longoni's line-up but they certainly sell fully tapered shafts in the longer '3c' length.


yep, I just tried to explain him than the size/lenght of the shaft is , for him and -of course- adapted to a longoni butt , the 1st parameter (the tapers avaible being a minor detail... )

Since he comes from pool, i would suggest to the Op to start with a *71cm / 3 cushion shaft whatever the taper is. simply because IMHO small shafts like straight rail shafts can be very disturbing at first for a carom beginner. (especially when it's paired with a light/straight rail butt..)
 
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Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
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I haven’t played Carom and I don’t really know the difference of Carom or 3C at this point, but I do want to explore the game. ...

Where in the UK do you have a place to play? I know of only one table in London.

Carom is the general term for a game that is played with three or four balls on a table without pockets. It is also used to describe a shot in which a cue ball hits two other balls, which some might call a cannon. There are many carom games one of which is 3C.

I urge you to get Robert Byrne's book "Standard Book of Pool and Billiards" which is the best written introduction to carom billiards in English. Daly's Billiard Book is useful for understanding the "small" games of ball-to-ball billiards.
 

Thunder Thighs

I'm your Huckleberry
Silver Member
Thanks everyone for all the enlightening comments. Looks like I’ll go with the E71 for now. I don’t really know of a location where there is a Carom table in London at the moment, but I will ask a couple of guys that should know. I wanted to start learning the game in preparation for upcoming trips to Spain, where I hear it is more popular than pool. In the meantime, I thought of looking for a cue.

Thanks again for all your posts. :wave:
 

Bob Jewett

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... I don’t really know of a location where there is a Carom table in London at the moment, but I will ask a couple of guys that should know. ...

This place has one good (but not awesome) table:

Harringay Snooker Club, Salisbury Road, Green Lanes, London, UK:

1 - 5 Salisbury Rd, Green Lanes, Harringay, London N8 0RX, United Kingdom

Not far from Alexandra Palace for those who might go to the Mosconi Cup this year, assuming normal service is restored in time.:(

Please let us know if you find another. UK carom tables are only slightly less rare than hens' teeth.
 

3kushn

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This place has one good (but not awesome) table:

Harringay Snooker Club, Salisbury Road, Green Lanes, London, UK:

1 - 5 Salisbury Rd, Green Lanes, Harringay, London N8 0RX, United Kingdom

Not far from Alexandra Palace for those who might go to the Mosconi Cup this year, assuming normal service is restored in time.:(

Please let us know if you find another. UK carom tables are only slightly less rare than hens' teeth.

Is this table new within the last 5 years?
I had to settle for a 12 Snooker table when I was able to break away.
All pocket games are demoralizing to me. 10' shots into tiny pockets??:embarrassed2:
 

Bob Jewett

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Is this table new within the last 5 years?
...
I have no idea how long the table has/had been there. It was there in November of 2018 at the time of the Mosconi Cup which was at Alexandra Palace (just up the road). The neighborhood appears to be partly Turkish.
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
I have no idea how long the table has/had been there. It was there in November of 2018 at the time of the Mosconi Cup which was at Alexandra Palace (just up the road). The neighborhood appears to be partly Turkish.

I’m curious what cloth they put on that table.
They put a pool table (Gandy) in a club I was a regular at in the 80s...
...it had 40 ounce nap cloth on it....they wanted me to show them some pool games...
...I wouldn’t play on it...made the excuse that I had not brought a pool cue.


Bob, with your background, I’m interested in what you think of this cue design....
....12 mm tip...31mm at the butt plate...taper gradually increasing from tip to end.
 

KissedOut

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
what is an Eiffel taper ????

It is a curved taper, that puts it in-between a pool-style pro taper and a more traditional 3c conical taper. Undoubtedly named because the curve of the taper evokes an Eiffel tower vibe. The kozoom link in my prior post should give you an idea. I've never played with one so I have no idea of how it feels.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I’m curious what cloth they put on that table.
They put a pool table (Gandy) in a club I was a regular at in the 80s...
...it had 40 ounce nap cloth on it....they wanted me to show them some pool games...
...I wouldn’t play on it...made the excuse that I had not brought a pool cue.


Bob, with your background, I’m interested in what you think of this cue design....
....12 mm tip...31mm at the butt plate...taper gradually increasing from tip to end.
It was standard fast carom cloth in London.

I recently had the horrible experience of finding a carom table (at Southern Indiana U?) with pool cloth and dead rails. 5-cushion shots were out of the question unless you had a thin first hit. I switched to straight rail but all my gather shots ended short even after trying to adjust my speed.

I guess the taper you are describing is a perfect cone. I don't see why it couldn't work but it sounds like it belongs with that Italian pool table that was highlighted recently. More form than function.
 

Thunder Thighs

I'm your Huckleberry
Silver Member
This place has one good (but not awesome) table:

Harringay Snooker Club, Salisbury Road, Green Lanes, London, UK:

1 - 5 Salisbury Rd, Green Lanes, Harringay, London N8 0RX, United Kingdom

Not far from Alexandra Palace for those who might go to the Mosconi Cup this year, assuming normal service is restored in time.:(

Please let us know if you find another. UK carom tables are only slightly less rare than hens' teeth.

Will do, thanks Bob. :thumbup:
 

dug1903

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Fair warning. Once you "try" the carom games, pocket games will be a little less fun. Welcome!
 
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