10mm shaft/tip?
- Thread starter PC_John
- Start date
most pros use 12- 12.5
smaller diameter shafts apply more english without having to go as far outside the cue ball as you would with a larger diamter shaft. but smaller diameter tips require you to be more accurate in pocketing balls
smaller diameter shafts apply more english without having to go as far outside the cue ball as you would with a larger diamter shaft. but smaller diameter tips require you to be more accurate in pocketing balls
Pencil
A friend of mine had a 10mm shaft for a short period. It was on his break jump cue. This cue also doubled as his player. He had a best friend called "brillo pad" for a while. He eventually had it turned down to be even.
It played great......very precise cue ball control. The shaft felt like a #2 pencil though.
Anyway.....he snapped the shaft into while breaking one day....and never went back to a smaller shaft. This was on a Andy Gilbert jump/break. Pretty smart guy huh?
A friend of mine had a 10mm shaft for a short period. It was on his break jump cue. This cue also doubled as his player. He had a best friend called "brillo pad" for a while. He eventually had it turned down to be even.
It played great......very precise cue ball control. The shaft felt like a #2 pencil though.
Anyway.....he snapped the shaft into while breaking one day....and never went back to a smaller shaft. This was on a Andy Gilbert jump/break. Pretty smart guy huh?
No way to get a 10mm shaft unless you have someone special make it for you. I doubt any cuemaker would even turn down an existing shaft you give him to 10mm. That's just way out of left field. You might find someone to do it, but I doubt it will be easy.
In the last 10 years,the events I have ever won or cashed in have
always been with a Predator shaft except for one.
The shaft was maple ,about 11mm and stiff as hell.I was stroking clean that day and felt the shaft was awesome.
The next event my stroke was off and couldn't shoot with it at all.If you
have awesome stroke,you should really like it.I wouldn't go any smaller
though.
always been with a Predator shaft except for one.
The shaft was maple ,about 11mm and stiff as hell.I was stroking clean that day and felt the shaft was awesome.
The next event my stroke was off and couldn't shoot with it at all.If you
have awesome stroke,you should really like it.I wouldn't go any smaller
though.
I shoot a narrow shaft diameter,but not 10 mm.
A suggestion:
If you really want to experiment with a small diameter tip try finding/using a snooker cue. I had one recently given to me to try made by BCE which had an 8mm tip. Wayyyyy too small even for me. They make them bigger though. Find one and play it for awhile, then judge for yourself......
If you have played with an 11mm-11.25m cue for at least 3 years and want even less deflection, you can have a 10mm shaft made.
If you have not spent considerable time with a 11mm-ish sized cue, don't waste your money until you have.
For pool sized balls, there is essentially no advantage and several disadvantages. For snooker sized balls there are some minor advantages.
If you have not spent considerable time with a 11mm-ish sized cue, don't waste your money until you have.
For pool sized balls, there is essentially no advantage and several disadvantages. For snooker sized balls there are some minor advantages.
The only issue with that small of a shaft is they become very whippy. I am talking a maple shaft, not an LD shaft. I used to play with a very small diameter shaft, but now play with a 13mm shaft. 10mm is VERY small. Remember, folks talk about snooker cues, but the balls in snooker are smaller and lighter, so they take less effort to move, hence, you can use a smaller diameter shaft/tip.
I have a Lee Peppers 11mm shaft he made on accident and sold here. I like it since I get almost no deflection with it, but other than that I'm thinking of moving predominantly to a ~12mm shaft since I feel like I have a little more meat behind the ball. I asked him to make me another, but he refused and said he won't go any smaller than 12.5.
Most snooker cues are 10mm or smaller, most I have seen are like 9.5 mm down to as small as 7mm.
Quite a few people play 8 and 9 ball with their snooker cues. I do not see any disadvantage with the snooker cue over the 11.5-13mm pool cues.
Snooker cues usually rapidly increase the diameter in the 50 mm or so after the ferrule, and then continues to the regular shaft taper.
I think a lot is what you get used to.
Compared to Pool cues they look different because they are different.
I think most snooker cues are what pool players would call low deflection.
one thing more - it will also depend on your style of play. do you use closed or open bridge more often? i have thin fingers, and although i'm comfortable with the usual 12.5-12.75 diameter, i currently play with a 13.1 that i just had made from my cuemaker which i think suits me better.
I used closed bridge mostly.
Always favored the thicker shafts, but as I get older it seems I am leaning towards the thinner.
Is it easier to draw with a smaller tip? What about follow?
The one fellow I know that uses a 10mm says he get more action on cb.
I do thank you all for your replies.
Always favored the thicker shafts, but as I get older it seems I am leaning towards the thinner.
Is it easier to draw with a smaller tip? What about follow?
The one fellow I know that uses a 10mm says he get more action on cb.
I do thank you all for your replies.
I always play with 13MM shaft just love the way it feels, the hit is very stiff and solid. I was going to say l don't get a lot of deflection but I seem two posts already on here that say smaller diameters give less deflection I always thought the thicker the shaft am I wrong after all these years?
The variable of endmass comes into play. Assuming uniform materials (wood is not) a smaller diameter shaft has less endmass to deflect the cue ball than a bigger shaft does. Now, wood varies from piece to piece so a 13mm shaft can deflect as much as a 11mm. You could also just unconsciously have been making adjustments for the deflection as a part of your pre-shot routine, and that's why you may believe your shafts don't have much/no deflection.
I play with a 10 mm tip, have for years...
When I got the stick back in the 80's I sanded it myself, by hand, starting with 220 grit sandpaper.
I have tried to go to a larger diameter but they don't work for me.
it is not whippy at all, maybe I got lucky and it is just a good piece of wood.
I would say get an old shaft and try it out first, not your fav player...
main advantage:
I can get to places on the cue ball when it is close to the rail that aren't available with a 13mm.
really that is about it, other than the fact that whenever I try another diameter stick the cue ball doesn't do what I expect. maybe because I am just so used to it
disadvantage:
It is easy to miscue when hitting low, it can get much lower than a fat shaft.
other than that I believe the contact point between the tip and cue ball is the same size no matter what size the tip. It might be just what a player
likes best
steven
I hope you try it, let us know how it works out.
edit
I just thought of a test I do with different sticks
I set up a ball on the first diamond of the short rail, cue ball on the spot down the other end.
hit this shot rail first.
with my stick I aim exactly where I need to hit the rail and if I miss the shot I am surprised... I am a favorite to make this shot, not bragging that is just the way it is.
with a fat shaft I will hit the rail almost a full ball away from where I aimed.
and it works the other way as well, if a give a fat shaft player my cue he will absolutly hit the object ball full in the face.
don't know what's up with that.
When I got the stick back in the 80's I sanded it myself, by hand, starting with 220 grit sandpaper.
I have tried to go to a larger diameter but they don't work for me.
it is not whippy at all, maybe I got lucky and it is just a good piece of wood.
I would say get an old shaft and try it out first, not your fav player...
main advantage:
I can get to places on the cue ball when it is close to the rail that aren't available with a 13mm.
really that is about it, other than the fact that whenever I try another diameter stick the cue ball doesn't do what I expect. maybe because I am just so used to it
disadvantage:
It is easy to miscue when hitting low, it can get much lower than a fat shaft.
other than that I believe the contact point between the tip and cue ball is the same size no matter what size the tip. It might be just what a player
likes best
steven
I hope you try it, let us know how it works out.
edit
I just thought of a test I do with different sticks
I set up a ball on the first diamond of the short rail, cue ball on the spot down the other end.
hit this shot rail first.
with my stick I aim exactly where I need to hit the rail and if I miss the shot I am surprised... I am a favorite to make this shot, not bragging that is just the way it is.
with a fat shaft I will hit the rail almost a full ball away from where I aimed.
and it works the other way as well, if a give a fat shaft player my cue he will absolutly hit the object ball full in the face.
don't know what's up with that.
Last edited:
Thank you for the reply. Hard, medium or soft tip? :smile:
Is the object of your spot shot to cut the ob into the corner?
I play with a 10.5mm Dymondwood cue! There was a manufacturer out of San Diego named Bob Renis who made entirely dymondwood shafts/cues that are pretty fancy looking and have a heavy snooker influence. He died a few years ago, but there are often ones that pop up on Ebay, almost all of his were 11.25mm or smaller.
I don't notice extra deflection, the smaller/lighter tip results in less deflection I suspect, and it seems to be right on par with the OB2 I played with before.
You DO have to be much more accurate with your stroke, it becomes really easy to accidentally add english, but once you get that settled (it took a few weeks of playing to fix it) it plays fantastically. I get better 'low to medium' speed draw and follow than I do with a larger shaft, though I end up much worse once I go to a 'quite firm' speed.
I don't notice extra deflection, the smaller/lighter tip results in less deflection I suspect, and it seems to be right on par with the OB2 I played with before.
You DO have to be much more accurate with your stroke, it becomes really easy to accidentally add english, but once you get that settled (it took a few weeks of playing to fix it) it plays fantastically. I get better 'low to medium' speed draw and follow than I do with a larger shaft, though I end up much worse once I go to a 'quite firm' speed.