12.3mm vs 12.5mm vs 12.75mm shaft

Well this has been quite the reception. Like most of the more serious replies are stating, I have to agree, thin equals spin. If your that concerned, im assuming your game has alot of progress left in it. Start thicker, as your game requires more precise results, then you thin out your shaft size. Best of luck and take your responses on the forum with a grain of salt
 
The shaft size doesn't really matter. You can pretty much glue any size tip to any size shaft. I like a 12.25mm shaft and a full Moori 14mm tip. Best not to shape it, just leave it flat, the size that says "glue" facing up.
 
I think we need a new sub-forum for questions about what is the best cue/length/weight/shaft size/tip/joint/wood/chalk etc.
Then set it on auto-reply, so the forum atuomatically replies with "Personal preference." That would save a lot of clutter on the main forum.
 
Actually what I've found out is that shaft weight, size and taper are the critical determining factors in how the shaft feels and as far as the nose of the shaft, I'm strictly ivory ferrules. The shafts on the cues I'm having made have a min. wt. of 4 ozs. I find that heavier shafts just have a different feel. I have a Mottey shaft that's 12.75mm (ivory ferrule) & weighs 4.4 ozs.......it plays amazingly better than any other cue shaft I've owned......if you can get old growth wood which is denser because the tree limbs were larger and thicker than most of the trees felled today, your cue shafts will play better.

Now all of this assumes you've decided on the brand tip, hardness and shape for your cue shafts and when you combo that with heavier shafts, the performance results will amaze you versus playing with shafts weighing often 1/2 less. The shafts will feel and perform differently when one weighs that much more than the other and the physical dimensions of both shafts are identical, same ferrule and tips.

You have to experience this for yourself or spend some time with a expert cue-maker. I pretty much assumed everyone knew that the shaft weight, shaft size and taper length were fundamental components in the energy transfer. If you have a 12.6mm shaft with a 14" taper weighing 3.6 ozs. that has a 1" LBM ferrule, it will feel very different than if you changed shafts to a 13mm shaft with a 10" taper weighing 4.2 ozs with a 1" ivory ferrule......both cues of course would have the same tips.

Anyway, that's what I've learned from personal experience with cues. Now I'm not saying which version of the aforementioned cue shafts you might prefer but nonetheless the difference in feel will be obvious to you. I also think that if you did this and the cue had a wood to wood face joint, you'd be amazed at the difference in overall feel. Now which one you prefer is your choice but for me, the heavier the shaft, the better as long as the cue's final weight is on target. And I've found flat ivory cue joints feel different than piloted steel cue joints; the best feeling cue joint I've ever played was wood to wood.......uh oh, I think the topic of cue joints is akin to opening a can of worms..........maybe a more appropriate topic for a later date & time. I'll just stop and await getting chastised about my comments and opinion on cue shafts.

Matt B.
 
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Now I know why I suck! I went straight from 12.75 to 11.75.

Hmmm maybe Predator will get the hint and develop a 12.25mm shaft.
 
Aside from personal preference, add to the confusion, the fact that many people have shafts they *think* are one size, when in fact it is another. Either due to not measuring it, mis-measuring it, or wearing it down over time.
 
For 9 ball it's tricky.

You need a 12.3 and a 12.5.

MUST have a 13.25MM shaft for breaking a 9 ball rack as well. Anything else is a bad idea.

12.3mm shafts are good for about 7 of the shots that come up, but the 12.5mm needs to be used on the 1 ball.


If the 1 is sunk on the break then you'll need just the 12.3mm most of the time.





But in all seriousness, I used to play and still occasionally play with a 11.35MM shaft.

My daily player has a nice generous taper ending with 12.75mm> or so.


It's more about the actual taper rather the size.

I prefer conical tapers like what OB uses or Keith Hanssens.


Eric (Sugar Tree Customs) uses a fantastic taper. If I'm playing on the 10 foot table I usually play on I have to use the 12.5MM shaft he made for my cue, however. On the longer shots it gets a little too thick.
 
JohnPT said:
Now I know why I suck! I went straight from 12.75 to 11.75.

Hmmm maybe Predator will get the hint and develop a 12.25mm shaft.
Click to expand...

You can buy Predator shafts in those dimensions. Not sure if they are sanded down or made by Predator but they are an available option at the discount store I buy my shafts from. :)

Al
 
Sorry, but i have to call bull $hit

Let’s look at the actual size of the tips being discussed.

13.00mm = .512 = 512/1000’s of an inch
12.75mm = .502 = 502/1000’s of an inch
12.50mm = .492 = 492/1000’s of an inch
12.30mm = .484 = 484/1000’s of an inch

For comparisons sake:

MM = DECIMAL = FRACTION
12.7mm = .500 = 500/1000’s of an inch

The individual hairs in my beard are .004 diameter

That means:
If you add 2 beard hairs to the diameter of a 12.30 mm tip it will be12.50mm
If you add 2 ½ beard hairs to the diameter of a 12.50 mm tip it will be12.75mm
If you add 2 ½ beard hairs to the diameter of a 12.75 mm tip it will be13.00mm

The total difference between 12.30mm & 13.00mm = 7 beard hair diameters

so, again, I call bull shit on those who say they can actually tell the difference in tip diameters.
It is all in your head

slim
 
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SLIM said:
Let’s look at the actual size of the tips being discussed.

13.00mm = .512 = 512/1000’s of an inch
12.75mm = .502 = 502/1000’s of an inch
12.50mm = .492 = 492/1000’s of an inch
12.30mm = .402 = 484/1000’s of an inch

For comparisons sake:

MM = DECIMAL = FRACTION
12.7mm = .500 = 500/1000’s of an inch

The individual hairs in my beard are .004 diameter

That means:
If you add 2 beard hairs to the diameter of a 12.30 mm tip it will be12.50mm
If you add 2 ½ beard hairs to the diameter of a 12.50 mm tip it will be12.75mm
If you add 2 ½ beard hairs to the diameter of a 12.75 mm tip it will be13.00mm

The total difference between 12.30mm & 13.00mm = 7 beard hair diameters

so, again, I call bull shit on those who say they can actually tell the difference in tip diameters.
It is all in your head

slim
Click to expand...


You can tell a difference between my Keith Kue and my Sugartree...

I'll take a picture for reference and edit it in..


2wprszq.jpg




I'm pretty certain I can tell the difference between the two on the right.


Can anyone tell the difference between the two on the left if there is one?
 
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III_BALL said:
Which shaft diameter you think is the best overall for playing 9 ball?
Click to expand...

It depends on the player.

Large hands, large forehead with big eybrows, likes to drive pickup trucks, 13mm

Smaller hands, likes to drive Prius and wear cologne, 12.5mm

Funny question if you've been playing for more than a few weeks and have been around any type of real players. For some reason there is another guy with few posts asking some very noobish shaft questions at the same time.

Here are some more fun topics to find:

What type of cue should I get for a 7' vs a 9' table
What tip is best
What shaft is best
Should I change shafts when I use draw vs follow vs center

There are few games were you would use a different type of shaft. 14.1 requires a lot less ball movement than almost any other pool game, you may want a stiffer shaft that has less "action" in it. Snooker you want a small tip due to size of the balls. 3C you can also use a specialized cue or shaft for.

Diameter of tip for 9 ball? Does not matter one bit.

The general rule is: Smaller Tip = easier to get spin but needs more accuracy, Larger Tip = less spin but has a larger margin of error on where you can hit the cueball. Same thing for tip radius, dime radius = easier spin but needs more precision, nickle radius less spin with same effort but you can hit a bit more sloppily and not miscue or send the cueball in some odd direction.
 
ddadams said:
you can tell a difference between my keith kue and my sugartree...

I'll take a picture for reference and edit it in..


2wprszq.jpg




i'm pretty certain i can tell the difference between the two on the right.


Can anyone tell the difference between the two on the left if there is one?
Click to expand...

okay, SO what diameter are your tips?

Slim
 
The shaft size definitely is very important for the player and it does matter.....otherwise there would be one standard shaft for pool cues (13mm). And your fingers will tell the difference in shaft size.

Do you know why Cortland Linen was so very different from all the other linen wraps. It was because it was manually hand twisted.......even the flax strands...... while other linens were machine twisted.

By actually placing hands and fingers on the individual strands, the operator could actually feel imperfections and irregularities in the strands and stop the machinery. Cortland linen was known for
consistent diameter size of all the strands and the only way this could be done years ago was by hand feeling the strands being braided. This is why Cortland Linen has such a different feel than
all other linen wraps.....uniformity and consistency in the diameter of the strands that were hand twisted into a single line. The flax strands added pounds rating strength to the various Cortland fishing lines.

So anyone that thinks you can't tell the difference between a12.75mm shaft and a 13mm is out in the left field.......of course you can. The fingers and hands have incredible feelings of touch, sensitivity and feel
Cue shaft size coincides with tip diameter and that translates into surface area which relates to the shape of the tip (dime vs nickel)......infinetessimal slight differences but all of these are factors that matter.

Matt B.
 
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Unbelievable

Good to read that PRETEND facts in somebodys head can overide the real facts in front of them.

Slim
 
SLIM said:
no, it's because it is so minute (itty bitty) that no one can see it.

Slim
Click to expand...

Although the difference appears itty bitty, there is a difference in playability. It's also true alot of players are wrong about the size of their own tips. Still doesn't mean it doesn't make a difference. Okay?
 
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