"Real science" and peer review held that the world was flat and the sky a half dome over it. Also that the earth was the center of the universe. A lot of our science of today will be just as bad although we are as unwilling as the scientists of that day to believe it.
There are a few issues with the conversation as always. For starters, terminology. We call high deflection shafts "low deflection" because we are talking about the effect they have on the cue ball, not the effect of the impact on the shaft. Starting off with bass ackwards terminology is bound to lead to confusion.
Second source of confusion, we are talking about effective end mass, not end mass. As has already been proven, effective end mass is affected by both the stiffness of the shaft and it's ability to deflect. If a tip can't deflect it's end mass can be practically zero and it would still cause great deflection in the cue ball. Mount a "low deflection" shaft in linear bearings an inch or less from each end and it becomes low deflection no more.
While conventional wisdom holds that only the mass a few inches from the tip matters, I have spent time with a 12 ounce 11mm diameter at the tip house cue with the soft plastic ferrule that comes with a house cue. That combined with the heavy cue ball in use at the time had more deflection of the cue tip than the low deflection equipment of today.
Very flexible tip and ferrule, very low mass of the entire cue, the result was that making standard allowances for deflection that worked with a standard house cue I missed the object ball several inches when the balls were six feet apart. None of the shafts marketed as low deflection have given me that result. With apologies to Barbara Mandrell, I was low deflection when low deflection wasn't cool!
Pool wasn't a priority in my life at the time and it took me several months to make that cue work. Only three of us had those cues, sixty inch snooker cues with milk duds, and I proceeded to win the weekly pool tournaments until I had to quit, I was bad for my friend's business as everyone else knew they were shooting for second place.
Cue ball control was unreal with that cue and after mastering pinpoint cue ball placement with that cue for six months or so I found I could have control to ridiculous levels with any cue on the wall. I beat some of the very best, them using their cue with a hinge in it, me playing off the wall. Only fair to admit that was with cues I played with a lot and in rooms I knew very well and they didn't.
Too late now, but I wish the shafts would be referred to properly as high deflection shafts. It would save a lot of angst and I think promote understanding. When the shaft deflects a lot, the cue ball deflects a little and vice-versa.
My dollar and a quarter worth, inflation has been a bitch lately!(grin)
Hu