CRICAL carbon fiber shaft review.

[RonCC]

2 WEEK UPDATE ON CRICAL SHAFT.
After playing with this shaft for 2 weeks I will say that i noticed if I am hitting extremeI high right or extreme high left power shots that it has moderate deflection when doing so. But not more than most other CF shafts. And if you use extreme english power shots in your game then you wont notice.
Also I will say that the tip that came with it is prretty crappy IMO. It's playable, but I changed it out for a Dennis Searing medium tip. And it definitely made a difference for the better.
I am still really liking the shaft and will continue using it as my main player.

How easy was the tip replacement? Is the tip glued on or threaded into the ferrule? Is the ferrule removable/replaceable? Thank you.

 

[SSDiver2112]

How easy was the tip replacement? Is the tip glued on or threaded into the furrell? Is the furrell removable/replaceable? Thank you.

Screw on tips are terrible. You won’t find them on a respectable shaft. All ferrules are replaceable but not by hand.

 

[RonCC]

Screw on tips are terrible. You won’t find them on a respectable shaft. All ferrules are replaceable but not by hand.

Do you know the tip configuration of the Crical cue scassidy77 is talking of? Possibly off topic... I recently replaced the ferrule and tip on a decades old no-name 2-piece cue that had a thread on ferrule. The tip was also thread on which is why I replaced the ferrulein the first place as the thread insert was nowhere near true. I turned down the (maple) shaft to a clean shoulder and used a press on ferrule(also trued by lathe) which is very tight against the shoulder with no glue (don't faint)...as an experiment. The ferrule has ribs that make it an even tighter compression fit. I also insured the non ribbed diameter was a few thousandths undersize to make for a very tight fit, coupled with the ribs to eliminate any possibility of rotation. After pressing on the ferrule using a lathe live center of pvc which I made, I carefully "hammered" it against the shoulder insuring it was totally seated onto the shoulder with zero gap. I then faced the ferrule and shaft together to a perfect surface to accept a new tip. So far it plays well with no obvious problems except the tip (Elk Master, non layered) is probably junk. I am very curious what the configuration of the Crical cue is as I am thinking of buying one.

 

[SSDiver2112]

Do you know the tip configuration of the Crical cue scassidy77 is talking of? Possibly off topic... I recently replaced the furrell and tip on a decades old no-name 2-piece cue that had a thread on furrell. The tip was also thread on which is why I replaced the furrell in the first place as the thread insert was nowhere near true. I turned down the (maple) shaft to a clean shoulder and used a press on furrell (also trued by lathe) which is very tight against the shoulder with no glue (don't faint)...as an experiment. The furrell has ribs that make it an even tighter compression fit. I also insured the non ribbed diameter was a few thousandths undersize to make for a very tight fit, coupled with the ribs to eliminate any possiblity of rotation. After pressing on the furrell using a lathe live center of pvc which I made, I carefully "hammered" it against the shoulder insuring it was totally seated onto the shoulder with zero gap. I then faced the furrell and shaft together to a perfect surface to accept a new tip. So far it plays well with no obvious problems except the tip (Elk Master, non layered) is probably junk. I am very curious what the configuration of the Crical cue is as I am thinking of buying one.

I have not worked on a Crical cue so I cannot say from personal experience. However most CF shafts use some version of a vault plate, which is a T-shaped ferrule.

Here are some examples:

As to your off topic... Ferrules for wood shafts have some different variations. The "press-on" type you are referencing are what I repair most often for different reasons. One is they are typically made from materials more prone to cracking than better ferrules. The biggest problem though is just pressing them on without using epoxy. This will usually only work in the beginning. They are tight and work fine, but over time the wood just becomes permanently compressed reducing the "tightness" of the fit. The continuous hitting during use causes the ferrule to move which will in turn loosen the fit more and cause the tip to come off or just break.

The screw-on tip type ferrules are so bad with all that brass weight at the tip. Depending on the condition and the customers wishes I've totally replaced it or cut it off just behind the brass insert, face it, and install the tip as normal.

I use horizontal glue groves with both tube and press-ons. Even threaded ferrules get glue so there is zero movement.

Here are some more examples of failed dry fit ferrules.

 

[RonCC]

Thank you for sharing the photos, very nice work. I am curious just how you extracted the sheared off ferrule in the first set of photos? Heat and an easy out? Didn't know carbon shafts had such a "hole" in the front to accept a ferrule. I'm guessing the ferrule needs to bottom out on something inside the shaft? Sounds like a tricky and precision operation. Thanks again.

 

[SSDiver2112]

Thank you for sharing the photos, very nice work. I am curious just how you extracted the sheared off furrel in the first set of photos? Heat and an easy out? Didn't know carbon shafts had such a "hole" in the front to accept a furrele. I'm guessing the furrele needs to bottom out on something inside the shaft? Sounds like a tricky and precision operation. Thanks again.

The entire shaft is hollow. I drilled a hole first and then bored it out. The top external "T" part meets the top to the shaft.

 

[RonCC]

The entire shaft is hollow. I drilled a hole first and then bored it out. The top external "T" part meets the top to the shaft.

Wow, didn't know that, never owned or knew much about carbon fiber shafts. I like that you "machine" your own ferrules, what is your material of choice? I assume you epoxy them in place? Are they removable later with heat or ? if necessary? Thanks again for the education.

 

[straightline]

Nice that you got ferrule right. Turne of the century British industrialists no doubt - although I got used to furrel. Has a ring to it.

 

[SSDiver2112]

Wow, didn't know that, never owned or knew much about carbon fiber shafts. I like that you "machine" your own ferrules, what is your material of choice? I assume you epoxy them in place? Are they removable later with heat or ? if necessary? Thanks again for the education.

I prefer Tomahawk for ferrules. Epoxied on. Never had a reason to remove. If it was needed I would lathe it off and replace it with a new one.