IMO....your Golf comparison is a bit off.....I think the reason Pro's use blades...aka (forged) irons is for consistency.....Cast clubs have hot spots. A pro wants to know that when they hit the 8 iron the ball is going to go an exact distance every time....cast clubs can tend to vary from 5 to 15 yards.....and a ball that flies 15 yards too far can end up being a disaster for that hole.
IF cast were consistent....pros would use them all day because they are a bit more forgiving on mi shits.
There are pros that use cavity back blades....but they are still forged...The difference between the two then becomes personal preference...I played with "muscle back" blades that were just as forgiving as the cavity back "forged" blades....I preferred looking at a smaller "thinner" blade than the thicker "bulky" looking blades.
As far as pool shaft size goes....IMO...I really feel it is just personal preference as far as shaft size goes...what fits your hand?....similar to that of using different size grips on a golf club...what fits your hand....I feel the butt end size should also be determined by what fits your hand.
I think the comparison of shaft playability is more in the whip vs stiffness of the shaft....again similar to golf club shafts....
In golf...ideally you want as much whip as you can control in a golf club...you will get more distance....but you give up some control and "consitency"....The stiffer the shaft, the more controle...but you lose distance if you don't have the swing speed to accommodate.
I think the pool cue shaft is similar in that you (I) seem to get more CB action from a whippy shaft, but I lose control...the stiffer shaft requires a much better stroke but you (I) gain a much greater controle over the CB.
The trick is to find that happy medium of a cue set up that fits your own personal natural stroke....That will be the cue (and cue maker) that you think is the best in the world.
For me...it is a BCM cue....his specific set up fits my hands and has just the right amount of stiffness and balance in the cue that fits my personal stroke.
Personally I prefer a tip size of about 12.5:smile:
Great analysis. I have thought about getting a 12.75 shaft from an online dealer and requesting it be 12.25mm, but finding that place online is the problem. I have not seen a place online that offers this service to a 314^2 shaft. Would taking a 314^2 down to 12.25 take away from performance in any way?