what you're trying to say is still very subjective/feel based observations. believe whatever you want. have owned a BUNCH of nice cues since starting in '79 and i never felt one cue spun/drew the cueball better. I like the sound/feel/balance of certain cues and sometimes that may make you deliver a more positive stroke but as to the cue itself i can't say any stick that was 'spinnier' than another.Believe me when I tell you that I can definitely tell a difference as it relates to my draw shot. I can pull the cue ball back "better" with one shaft vs the other. Just my experience.
Crical Pro- great Amazon deal
- Thread starter garczar
- Start date
This Is 100% how I rate how a cue is 'Good for Moi'!
The 'Tip' is the Most important aspect of the cue for me.
And that is a 'Variable' that can be achieved through 'Testing'!
Then the tip has no effect either; it's all in the head. After all, I get more spin from a hard tip compared to a soft tip, which is the opposite of what the general consensus is... the CB doesn't know what tip hit it, nor does it know the tip shape; it's just reacting to a vector force applied to it.
And again, cue sports are games of feel; different cues perform differently, and they give different feedback to the player who adjusts the stroke accordingly. So different cues/shafts/tips feel different to us, and it makes us stroke differently.
I get more action with a front-heavy cue with a softer stroke; the CB has no idea about the cue balance point, and yet it's happening, so we need to explore it (or overthink it) in order to understand why. And as I said, it's subjective, as how my brain interprets the feedback is different than the other guy's. My stroke is different, and so many other factors are different. If different environments (cue/shaft/tip, etc.) give me different feedback and a particular environment makes it easier for me to get more spin or control or speed, then why wouldn't a player rather pick that environment?
I haven't played the game since 1979, just from 1995. In that time I got to play with various types of cues, shafts and tips, and I'm not the only one who will tell you that it makes a difference. A psychological difference is still a difference.
I've tried almost every LD shaft that came out on the market between 1998 and 2010 and always went back to the Predator 314 shaft. The Z is "better", but not for me. It's not about being a fanboy; it's picking up what works best for you.
I can't tell you right now which CF is the best for me, as I haven't tried any of them for enough time to tell you.
I would have just stayed with Rhyno if I didn't have fitting issues; it's not just being flush with the butt; the shaft simply doesn't screw all the way... and Rhyno's response made me want nothing to do with them anymore after I got 2 shafts and a jump cue from them. When you get burnt once, you will be more cautious the next time, so instead of trying 5 $100 shafts that might work, I can get a $500 shaft that I know works.
You should have pulled out a cigarette lighter and said, "Hold out your cue!"When people start all the artst-fartsy descriptions of a cue i'm done. Some of the mystical things attributed to a stick with a chunk of leather on the end just gets a little 'out there' at times. I heard a guy one time say that his cue wasn't playing good because the steel joint hadn't warmed up yet. I didn't say a fkng word, i just walked away thinking "WTF??????????".
sudocrushms
Well-known member
I had read a while back that a huge chunk of the world's carbon layups are done in Taiwan. It was specifically regarding bike frames, but also mentioned other sport/motorsport parts. Don't discredit the quality of a product just because of it's origin; you can have good QC anywhere in the world if you want it.
Surprised Earl isn't using one...
BP/weighting has nothing to do with spin generation. This stuff is all in your head. Show me ANY actual data to support what you're saying. Without a doubt BP/weight are huge in terms of feel and how it works for a given player but it has no effect on the amount of spin you can/can't generate.
Just got the cue. Perfectly packed and delivered on time. Fit-finish is first rate. Kinda ugly with that 'Crical Pro' on the side but i couldn't care less about that. Shaft/ferrule/tip look perfect. Extension came with three bumpers to fit various brands. Screws tight into the one on the cue. Weighs 19oz with no bolt. Ext is 3oz. Will give some playing feedback tomorrow. If this thing plays decent or better its an incredible deal, i've got 155bux in the whole rig.
If it helps your stroke accelerate faster and smoother, then it will help.
We are not robots, and we are not perfect, and neither is our stroke; the right cue and shaft can improve our body physics.
I saw a guy win a game and running nicely with the house broom, but he did play better later with his cue...
a faster/harder hit will make cb go forward faster but the spin-to-speed ratio is governed by tip offset.
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Mine was delivered today but I didn't open the box yet.
I just unboxed it. It’s a Konllen! Just like the J Flowers was I reviewed on YouTube 3 years ago. Ha ha ha. I’d give odds Konllen makes J Flowers, Crical, and probably more. Some J Flowers shill will attack me again I’m sure.
Shaft and butt are both straight. Butt actually looks really nice to me. Quality seems good.
Shaft taper stinks. It’s a tree trunk, even though it’s 12.4mm at the ferrule.
Shaft is nowhere as smooth as Revo or Rhino, which I have next to it. Shaft also has 2” long shiny section after the ferrule, while the rest is matte.
I didn’t hit any balls yet.
Shaft and butt are both straight. Butt actually looks really nice to me. Quality seems good.
Shaft taper stinks. It’s a tree trunk, even though it’s 12.4mm at the ferrule.
Shaft is nowhere as smooth as Revo or Rhino, which I have next to it. Shaft also has 2” long shiny section after the ferrule, while the rest is matte.
I didn’t hit any balls yet.
Joint is not concentric. Maybe .005” off. I said concentric, not diameter. It’s a lot for a cue.
I recall now the rhino was also not concentric.
The Revo to the Predator butt is dead nuts concentric.
I recall now the rhino was also not concentric.
The Revo to the Predator butt is dead nuts concentric.
Thats interesting to hear, we have 3 Rhino shafts, 2 5/16x14 for my Schons, and one Radial for my Jacoby, all go on perfectly centered.
Thanks. Biggest concern. Can't even fix that.
shills? predator could fart in a jar and you'd buy it. "best fart ever, lowest deflection fart in the history of farts"
I do believe as well that all these brands and maybe more are all made in the same place.
The reason I buy all these junk brands every few years is to see if I can get away from the Predator high price. Simply can't. Nothing comes close. I've tried dozens over the years. It's not marketing. The Predator shaft aims way different than anything else out there, and I'm not about to change my aim. I promise it's not the marketing that got me. The aim is demonstrably different.
The box has huge stickers that say Konnlen on it. The J-Flowers I reviewed 3 years ago had Konllen branding plus J-Flowers branding on the box/shaft/butt (forgot exactly where now, but it was dual branded). I showed that on my YouTube video, and a bunch of Shills said it was a fake J-FLowers. Who the hell would fake a J-Flowers? That's like faking a Timex watch.