11.5mm Too Small?

[SE7EN]

(only been playing for a year) For the first couple months i had a 12.75mm shaft that was standard for the R360 I ordered.
In november I purchased a 12.25mm shaft and really liked it. I liked the thinner feel between my bridge hand/fingers and I felt like I could see more of the cue ball when down on the ball, and contact more specific/accurate points on the cue ball.
Now I just seen a 11.5mm shaft from the same seller...
In theory I think I would like it quoting my first reviews of the smaller size..
but was wondering if that would be too small?
it's a pretty significant leap in size and also what changes from those sizes besides the mm's? Any opinions welcome.. Thank You

 

[justinb386]

(only been playing for a year) For the first couple months i had a 12.75mm shaft that was standard for the R360 I ordered.
In november I purchased a 12.25mm shaft and really liked it. I liked the thinner feel between my bridge hand/fingers and I felt like I could see more of the cue ball when down on the ball, and contact more specific/accurate points on the cue ball.
Now I just seen a 11.5mm shaft from the same seller...
In theory I think I would like it quoting my first reviews of the smaller size..
but was wondering if that would be too small?
it's a pretty significant leap in size and also what changes from those sizes besides the mm's? Any opinions welcome.. Thank You

Your thoughts are the same as mine. I love a smaller MM tip with a very long taper on the shaft. I always loved using a lot of english on the cue ball. It always made me feel like I could do anything that I wanted with the cue ball, and allow me to get crazy spin on it. The down side is that, if your game is not 100% (and you are not 100% in focus), then you will not be playing good on your days that you are off at all. I see it as the need to be a ninja (when using a very small MM shaft, like 11MM for example). You really need to be 100% in focus when using one, but when you are, then you will play good (if your game is anything like mine). Anyways, I have had a few cues with a very thin shaft on them (10mm to 11mm), and I really loved them (when my game was on, and 100%, if you know what I mean). I eventually found my favorite tip size to be around 12 to 12.3mm (that is the perfect medium for me).

 

[Michael Webb]

It's not to small. I have a lot of customers who play with smaller.

 

[sixwillwin]

(only been playing for a year) For the first couple months i had a 12.75mm shaft that was standard for the R360 I ordered.
In november I purchased a 12.25mm shaft and really liked it. I liked the thinner feel between my bridge hand/fingers and I felt like I could see more of the cue ball when down on the ball, and contact more specific/accurate points on the cue ball.
Now I just seen a 11.5mm shaft from the same seller...
In theory I think I would like it quoting my first reviews of the smaller size..
but was wondering if that would be too small?
it's a pretty significant leap in size and also what changes from those sizes besides the mm's? Any opinions welcome.. Thank You

Exactly what I did. Was using a 12.6 R360 shaft and bought the 11.5 R360 shaft about 6 months ago. My experience is exactly what people said it would be. You can get much more accurate cue tip placement BUT make sure you do, any flaws are magnified. I have gone back and forth between the shafts some, but am using the 11.5 almost always now. Another thing i like with the 11.5 is the ability to hits over balls and off rails more accurately. Lastly, to me it smaller shaft forces me to keep the cue more more level on all shots (which is good), for some reason it seems to hit the ball better, i guess again, its less forgiving than the bigger shaft? Because the shafts are the same construction, it is a very easy transition. At times I wish I had gotten the 12.0 shaft. Either would be a great choice. I believe it made me a better player and shot, but takes some getting used to.
Good luck!

 

[M.G.]

Exactly what I did. Was using a 12.6 R360 shaft and bought the 11.5 R360 shaft about 6 months ago.

Where can you get more information on the R360 11,5mm ?
I though all R360 were automatically 12,75mm with (crappy mass version) Everest?
Did you have it changed by a cue maker?

Thanks!
M

Edit: Love my CER-2 but am playing with Universal + Tiger LD shaft.

 

[sixwillwin]

Where can you get more information on the R360 11,5mm ?
I though all R360 were automatically 12,75mm with (crappy mass version) Everest?
Did you have it changed by a cue maker?

Thanks!
M

Edit: Love my CER-2 but am playing with Universal + Tiger LD shaft.

The R360 cues come standard with either 12.6/12.7 shafts. They make 12.5, 12.25, 12.0 and 11.5 R360 shafts. Nothing changed by a cue maker, they are production shaft sizes.
Some of your "billiard stores" online have them. Sellers on Ebay and Amazon seem to have more in stock. I got mine off Amazon from a billiard store in PA if I remember correctly. Hope that helps

 

[Corwyn_8]

The only way to find the optimum (for you) is to go past it, and backtrack.

Thank you kindly.

 

[desi2960]

i dont know where its gong to stop

I started out with a 14 mm shaft, went to 13 then to 12 3/4, now using a 12 1/2. the 12 1/2 seems about right for a lot of players.
At my new bar, I'm doing a lot of cue repairs, and in the last month I have made a 10 1/2 mm shaft for one player and another one had me to turn down his shaft to 9.5 mm.

 

[Zphix]

Nope, 11.5mm is not too small.

I started with a 12.75, got it taken down to 12.25, and then had a custom cue made at 11.75. Just recently I saw an old friend who plays on a rival league team and he shoots with an 11.5 and I love it.

One last note on top of that, one of the best road players I know shoots with a custom 11mm cue from Jacoby. =)

 

[Chopdoc]

11.5mm Too Small?

For me? Yes.

For you? I don't know.

Try it. If you like it, it isn't too small. If you don't like it then it is probably too small.



.

 

[SE7EN]

Thanks Everybody, Really Useful Information And The 11.5mm shaft is on Ebay under cuetec r360 11.5mm shaft

 

[bad_hit]

Personal choice. Note that errors WILL be magnified as a another poster said, I shot with 11.75 for a few years. If you have really solid fundamentals, it could make you a better player. If you don't, you might end up with a splinter from smashing the cue over your knee.

 

[ENGLISH!]

I think it depends on what the individual likes from the hit of a cue & when going down to small shafts the taper of the shaft might be the deciding factor.

I personally did not not like the whippyness of the old Meuccis with the very long pro taper shafts.

I am now playing with an 11.75 mm OB Pro shaft & I like it very much. They are a European/Conical taper & have a very firm hit.

I think taper is important.

Good Luck with what you decide to do.

 

[justinb386]

Personal choice. Note that errors WILL be magnified as a another poster said, I shot with 11.75 for a few years. If you have really solid fundamentals, it could make you a better player. If you don't, you might end up with a splinter from smashing the cue over your knee.

Yeah, you really need to be like a ninja (in order to play good with anything that thin), like me, lol.

 

[justinb386]

I think i depends on what the individual likes form the hit of a cue & when going down to small shafts the taper of the shaft might be the deciding factor.

I personally did not not like the whippyness of them old very long pro taper shafts.

I am now playing with the 11.75 mm OB Pro shafts & I like it very much. They are a European/Conical taper & have a very firm hit.

I think taper is important.

Good Luck with what you decide to do.

I tried the LD shafts (from OB, Predator, and Tiger) with the conical taper, and played horrible with them. They just were not for me.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

...what changes from those sizes besides the mm's?

As you said, you can see more precisely where you're hitting the CB - and, by the way, that encourages you to be more precise.

Smaller tips also mean less end mass so less squirt.

I love a smaller MM tip...

It always made me feel like I could do anything that I wanted with the cue ball, and allow me to get crazy spin on it.

This is a common misunderstanding about smaller tips - they don't produce any more spin than other tips.

The down side is that, if your game is not 100% (and you are not 100% in focus), then you will not be playing good on your days that you are off at all.

Another common misunderstanding - they're not any less forgiving than other low-squirt tips.

pj <- 10mm
chgo

 

[john coloccia]

I played with an old (and I mean OLD) cue that someone gave my dad, to give me, for a while. I think it had around a 10mm or 11mm tip. Old 3 cushion cue, perhaps? I definitely didn't get any more spin out of it. If anything, it was prone to miscuing before getting far enough out on the cue ball to get tons of spin unless I was careful to have a very tight radius on the tip.

 

[HawaiianEye]

I started out with a 14 mm shaft, went to 13 then to 12 3/4, now using a 12 1/2. the 12 1/2 seems about right for a lot of players.
At my new bar, I'm doing a lot of cue repairs, and in the last month I have made a 10 1/2 mm shaft for one player and another one had me to turn down his shaft to 9.5 mm.

I played with a 14mm shaft for almost all my life and I now have shafts between around 12.5 to 13.2. My shaft that I normally play with is a 13.2mm Predator FAT shaft.

I think fatter shafts give me more control. To each, their own. I think you should play with whatever you play best with and what is comfortable to YOU.

Unless something has changed in the last couple of years, most of the elite players from Taiwan play with what is considered by many to be "heavy" cues and solid maple shafts that are around 13mm. Not many people will say they can't play at the highest levels.

As a matter of fact, the Predator FAT shaft was created specifically for players from Taiwan, but most still prefer solid maple shafts.

I'm not promoting the following site as a source to buy from, I'm just posting a reference to what I stated about fatter shafts.

http://www.thecuefactory.com/fat-shafts.html

FAT SHAFTS
Once available only in Taiwan, the FAT Shaft is now available worldwide for players who like an old-school, stiffer feel but still crave cutting-edge performance. Engineered with Predator’s renowned 10-piece splicing construction, the 3142 FAT Shaft’s thicker pro taper delivers a degree of comfort and style that’s all its own…in a big way.

 

[THam]

It's not that small. My instructor at the university I go to plays with a 9 mm

 

[ENGLISH!]

I tried the LD shafts (from OB, Predator, and Tiger) with the conical taper, and played horrible with them. They just were not for me.

They are different. I learned with & grew up with & played for about 20 years with a 13mm conical cue so I like them.

A very good player in my area plays with the Z2 & he hit my OB Pro & liked it better.

They are different.