Anyone Use A Rhino Carbon Fiber Shaft?

[jnwilliams]

Just got Rhino playing shaft in last night. Spent a few hours with it. I have been playing with a defy 12 and the Rhino I ordered was a 12.5. It actually shot pretty well. Not a lot of difference between the McDermott Defy. I was surprised. 3/8X10 fit well, although the Rhino is 1/32 ish smaller at the base than the defy, you wouldn't notice if you didn't look closely.

 

[Ian Sim]

I bought a Rhino break shaft recently. Changed the tip to a Kamui Sai and used it for about a month before the ferrule completely ripped apart, taking the tip with it. Heard about several other people having the same issue. I have 2 of their playing shafts in 30 and 29 and think they play great and are worthy of the hype but the break shaft sucks ass in my experience.

May i know when u change the tip. The original bakelite and the ferrule are the same color. When changing the tip, was the ferrule cut? I have attached mine change to caiden. U can see. The ferrule is very short

 

[Soulcoma]

First impressions after 2.5 hours of play. Remember these are 30" shafts so they will inherently feel different than the usual 29" shaft.

First these are well packed with 5 layers of protection including bubble wrap, a plastic sleeve over a plastic tube and double boxed. Impressive though not as fancy as my Cuetec or Whyte Carbon. No matter it's packaging and arrived with no damage and no carbon dust, which is what it's all about.

I ordered 2 shafts, a 12.6mm with a 5/16x14 joint and a 12.2 with a 3/8x8 Chinese radial joint which I'm told is slightly different than an American radial because of patents apparently.

Now for the good stuff, how do they play? Crisply and accurately are the terms that come to mind. Like the Cuetec they are low deflection but not zero deflection. Maybe slightly less than the Cuetec. The important thing is the deflection is consistent and reacts as expected the harder you hit your shot. This isn't true for cheap carbon shafts which I find deflect way too much on harder hits.

The medium tip helps. It's firmer than the How medium on my Cuetec and doesn't feel quite so spongy. I have a soft Kamui black clear which I consider bouncy. Yet the tip grips well. I prefer a crisp hit so I'm pleased.

The Cuetec plays fine and is easy to control, but the Rhinos give a bit more feedback with slightly more vibration, but not too much, with the Whyte Carbon having the most vibration. This is likely because the Rhino is an inch longer but the same weight.

It feels alive like my '80s Meucci but with lower deflection and is much easier to control. I like a live shaft. Again I'm pleased.

My first impressions are very positive and I feel no need to try a Predator which was in the back of my mind. These are quality shafts in my opinion and are a steal for $200.

I was able to break and run with no problem and delicate shots were a breeze. Oddly the 12.6mm felt more precise than the Cuetec. Let me get out the micrometer and check the sizes. Be right back.

Ok, the 12.2mm is dead on at 12.2 and the 12.6 measures 12.69. Odd because the Cuetec is 12.55mm.

Also the 30 inch Rhino12.2 weighs in at 3.8 ounces as does the 29 inch Cuetec. The 30 inch 12.6 Rhino is 4.1 ounces which makes sense as it has a metal pilot.

All very interesting. Only one problem remains. I can no longer blame my equipment when I screw up. 8-( LOL!

What is the taper type and length?

 

[Paul_#_]

What is the taper type and length?

Pro taper. My 10.5mm Rhino stays at 10.5mm for 9.5" from cue-tip bottom. It then increases to 11.3mm @ 12".

 

[Soulcoma]

Pro taper. My 10.5mm Rhino stays at 10.5mm for 9.5" from cue-tip bottom. It then increases to 11.3mm @ 12".

Thank you. Man. Was hoping it was longer. I like a long taper.

 

[Paul_#_]

Was hoping it was longer. I like a long taper.

For me, this was a big improvement over my 10.5mm Cynergy with its conical taper (the larger Cynergys have pro taper). The Cynergy 10.5mm shaft is 12.3mm diameter at 9"

 

[NCC1515]

I bought a Rhino break shaft recently. Changed the tip to a Kamui Sai and used it for about a month before the ferrule completely ripped apart, taking the tip with it. Heard about several other people having the same issue. I have 2 of their playing shafts in 30 and 29 and think they play great and are worthy of the hype but the break shaft sucks ass in my experience.

I had to replace the insert in one of their 'break' shafts and the way the plastic looks, and the way it machined as I remove the insert remains, makes me think they are using white acrylic (plexiglas). Cast? Extruded? Who knows, but cast acrylic should be stronger, and still not what I'd install as insert in a break shaft. I replaced the Rhino insert with PPSU. PPSU is a very glue friendly engineering plastic originally dreamed up for the healthcare industry, and you can beat it on an anvil with a hammer and it won't break - it will deform under the ball pein hammer test, but not break. Can't say the same for acrylic. PPSU is my go-to insert material now for CF play AND break/jump shafts, unless someone requests something different.

 

[Paul_#_]

I bought a Rhino break shaft recently. Changed the tip to a Kamui Sai and used it for about a month before the ferrule completely ripped apart, taking the tip with it. Heard about several other people having the same issue. I have 2 of their playing shafts in 30 and 29 and think they play great and are worthy of the hype but the break shaft sucks ass in my experience.

I had to replace the insert in one of their 'break' shafts and the way the plastic looks, and the way it machined as I remove the insert remains, makes me think they are using white acrylic (plexiglas). Cast? Extruded? Who knows, but cast acrylic should be stronger, and still not what I'd install as insert in a break shaft. I replaced the Rhino insert with PPSU. PPSU is a very glue friendly engineering plastic originally dreamed up for the healthcare industry, and you can beat it on an anvil with a hammer and it won't break - it will deform under the ball pein hammer test, but not break. Can't say the same for acrylic. PPSU is my go-to insert material now for CF play AND break/jump shafts, unless someone requests something different.

I want to make sure I got NCC1515's comment right. The photo below shows a metal insert in a Rhino shaft where the insert would fit into a butt. Circling the metal insert is a dark-black plastic piece that the metal insert is glued to. This plastic piece is glued to the Rhino carbon-fiber shaft.

Ngtvd above is referring to the failure of a Rhino ferrule. You are referring to a failure at the other end of the Rhino shaft --- the plastic that the metal insert fits into. Correct?