In a post I made at the Rhino Must thread, I wrote about a great night I had with going back to the 314-2 shaft, leaving the CF shafts back in the case/home.
I've done comparisons in the past and got certain results but the fact that I played so well with the 314-2 shaft, a bit overwhelmed me, and it wasn't a one time thing as at a second session I had with a different cue and a different 314 shaft, again I was shooting better than average.
I thought maybe as I got back into stroke since I got back to the game, maybe my previous comparisons were not that great.
Over the last 6 months or so since I returned to the game, I came to a realization that deflection tests don't tell us the whole truth and the whole story.
And testing a deflection is not the same as dealing with it while normal play.
So tonight I took 3 shafts with the same joint that all fit the same butt, my Carmeli 8 points, my favorite player...
Here are the shafts specs:
All the shafts specs are in the same ball park, the only "major" difference is the Rhino self balance point.
To be honest, while playing with all 3, those differences did not feel noticeable.
The idea of this comparison is to shoot with all those shafts just as I normally does lately with the Revo 12.9mm or the 314-2, which means, I don't compensate for deflection and shoot parallel to the line of the shot.
I was playing 8-Ball with a friend as we usually play 8-Ball on Saturdays to practice for League (on Monday)
First shaft that went on the cue was the Rhino.
I haven't used the Rhino in a long time. It felt a bit dead, not as lively as the 314-2 or the Revo. The Rhino has a Kamui Tan Hard tip on it and still, I needed to put more power into the shot to move the CB around. This effected my normal stroke and I was missing long shots even without spin.
While using spin, on most shots it worked just fine, but on long shots or if I had to apply some more speed like using a bottom side, I missed the shots.
Next came the Cynergy turn. It has still the original tip on it - Tiger Sniper which is soft-medium. The Cynergy felt more alive but not by much. Everything else was quite the same as the Rhino, I missed the same type of shots.
Next came the 314-2 shaft, this one has a Kamui Tan Clear Medium on it. Right from my first shot, it was completely different and for the better, the shaft was more alive and provided more action on the CB. I was missing less shots, both long or with extreme spin.
This session brought me to the conclusion that both the Rhino and Cynergy are very similar when it comes to deflection but I do prefer the balance of the Cynergy better.
Both cause more cue ball deflection than the Predator 314-2 (I need to fix my list on that Must thread...), I also noticed that both cause more throw than the 314-2.
Here is a type of shot that comes a lot in a game, and I missed them all with the Rhino and the Cynergy but made them 95% of the time with the 314
On all attempt I kept the cue parallel to the line o the shot and applied bottom with side
I'm not saying that the Cynergy or the Rhino are bad shafts, and with practice and getting used to, they will perform just great.
And by getting used to, means to find the right tip for them that will make them feel better for me, and to learn their deflection characteristics and learn to adjust to them.
But for me and my stroke and aim at this point in time, the 314-2 and the Revo 12.9 work more naturally, I don't need to think about it too much. So I think that I'll stick to these 2 shafts for now and the rest will go back to storage. As a matter of fact, I think that I'll be going back to the 314-2 shafts for the time being, although I still believe that CF is the future and the way to go.
I've done comparisons in the past and got certain results but the fact that I played so well with the 314-2 shaft, a bit overwhelmed me, and it wasn't a one time thing as at a second session I had with a different cue and a different 314 shaft, again I was shooting better than average.
I thought maybe as I got back into stroke since I got back to the game, maybe my previous comparisons were not that great.
Over the last 6 months or so since I returned to the game, I came to a realization that deflection tests don't tell us the whole truth and the whole story.
And testing a deflection is not the same as dealing with it while normal play.
So tonight I took 3 shafts with the same joint that all fit the same butt, my Carmeli 8 points, my favorite player...
Here are the shafts specs:
All the shafts specs are in the same ball park, the only "major" difference is the Rhino self balance point.
To be honest, while playing with all 3, those differences did not feel noticeable.
The idea of this comparison is to shoot with all those shafts just as I normally does lately with the Revo 12.9mm or the 314-2, which means, I don't compensate for deflection and shoot parallel to the line of the shot.
I was playing 8-Ball with a friend as we usually play 8-Ball on Saturdays to practice for League (on Monday)
First shaft that went on the cue was the Rhino.
I haven't used the Rhino in a long time. It felt a bit dead, not as lively as the 314-2 or the Revo. The Rhino has a Kamui Tan Hard tip on it and still, I needed to put more power into the shot to move the CB around. This effected my normal stroke and I was missing long shots even without spin.
While using spin, on most shots it worked just fine, but on long shots or if I had to apply some more speed like using a bottom side, I missed the shots.
Next came the Cynergy turn. It has still the original tip on it - Tiger Sniper which is soft-medium. The Cynergy felt more alive but not by much. Everything else was quite the same as the Rhino, I missed the same type of shots.
Next came the 314-2 shaft, this one has a Kamui Tan Clear Medium on it. Right from my first shot, it was completely different and for the better, the shaft was more alive and provided more action on the CB. I was missing less shots, both long or with extreme spin.
This session brought me to the conclusion that both the Rhino and Cynergy are very similar when it comes to deflection but I do prefer the balance of the Cynergy better.
Both cause more cue ball deflection than the Predator 314-2 (I need to fix my list on that Must thread...), I also noticed that both cause more throw than the 314-2.
Here is a type of shot that comes a lot in a game, and I missed them all with the Rhino and the Cynergy but made them 95% of the time with the 314
On all attempt I kept the cue parallel to the line o the shot and applied bottom with side
I'm not saying that the Cynergy or the Rhino are bad shafts, and with practice and getting used to, they will perform just great.
And by getting used to, means to find the right tip for them that will make them feel better for me, and to learn their deflection characteristics and learn to adjust to them.
But for me and my stroke and aim at this point in time, the 314-2 and the Revo 12.9 work more naturally, I don't need to think about it too much. So I think that I'll stick to these 2 shafts for now and the rest will go back to storage. As a matter of fact, I think that I'll be going back to the 314-2 shafts for the time being, although I still believe that CF is the future and the way to go.
