Do you use a low deflection shaft? also, do you think that it has helped your game? If not why don't you like them?
Do you use a low-deflection shaft?
- Thread starter bankshot76
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I play with the 2nd generation Z on a Predator Blak 2 with a Moori soft. The hardest thing to get use to with this combo is the CRAZY AMOUNT OF SPIN!!!!!!!!!! Yes, it's helped my game, but it may not be for everyone!
i use a predator 314-2
i dont think it has done anything for my game i actually played better with a strait grain maple shaft. Dont get me wrong predator makes a good shaft i just really like the strait maple shaft. after my player was stolen i only had cues with predator shafts so thats what i use now. i think the whole low deflection thing is great but i always feel like i my game missing something.
i dont think it has done anything for my game i actually played better with a strait grain maple shaft. Dont get me wrong predator makes a good shaft i just really like the strait maple shaft. after my player was stolen i only had cues with predator shafts so thats what i use now. i think the whole low deflection thing is great but i always feel like i my game missing something.
i use LD shafts but you didn't list them. i use Ronnie powell's prodigy and Mezz's WD700
I use two, a Fury Extreme 10 piece pie laminate shaft and a Tiger Ultra X and both of them hit pretty sporty. I personally don't like the feel of the Predator shafts but I know that they work.
And I agree that a human can compensate for deflection but isn't it better not to have to all the time?
I have had cues that feel like silk in my hands, my Scruggs, my Joss, and Joss West, my Gilbert, my Jensen, an Olivier that was golden, my Cogs, I mean I have personally owned lots of really nice cues and my company owned hundreds more that I got to play with whenever I wanted to.
That said all of them played a little differently. There is no denying the testing that Predator and Bob Meucci have done regarding what really happens to the cue ball when it is struck.
The shafts work to achieve consistent deflection, be it low or high. What that REALLY means in the real world and how often it makes a difference is surely up for debate. I am sure the science and math guys can develop an equation that shows what a difference having such a shaft makes.
I know that when I went to Predator and saw how they test the shafts it quickly became clear that their product does what it says as far as being able to deliver the cue ball to the exact same spot each time no matter which way the cue is rotated. It was also clear that when shafts from high end cue makers were tested that they did not deliver the cue ball to the same spot each time.
Now you can have any opinon you want to and feel that such and such cuemaker's shafts are the nuts. And that cuemaker's shafts might feel like absolute pure gold in your hands and the feeling when you hit a ball might be the sweetest thing you ever felt, but that doesn't mean that the shaft delivers the cueball to the same spot every time when rotated.
As to why laminated shafts feel different; well it's natural that something that is constructed to perform differently is going to feel different. As my diving coach used to say though, when it feels wrong it's probably right. He was referring to me doing it the right way and going against the way I thought was right.
For me personally I can't play with any Predator shaft. I don't like the feeling. I don't deny that they work though. Right now what works for me and is closer to how a normal shaft feels is the Fury Extreme and the Tiger Ultra X.
And I agree that a human can compensate for deflection but isn't it better not to have to all the time?
I have had cues that feel like silk in my hands, my Scruggs, my Joss, and Joss West, my Gilbert, my Jensen, an Olivier that was golden, my Cogs, I mean I have personally owned lots of really nice cues and my company owned hundreds more that I got to play with whenever I wanted to.
That said all of them played a little differently. There is no denying the testing that Predator and Bob Meucci have done regarding what really happens to the cue ball when it is struck.
The shafts work to achieve consistent deflection, be it low or high. What that REALLY means in the real world and how often it makes a difference is surely up for debate. I am sure the science and math guys can develop an equation that shows what a difference having such a shaft makes.
I know that when I went to Predator and saw how they test the shafts it quickly became clear that their product does what it says as far as being able to deliver the cue ball to the exact same spot each time no matter which way the cue is rotated. It was also clear that when shafts from high end cue makers were tested that they did not deliver the cue ball to the same spot each time.
Now you can have any opinon you want to and feel that such and such cuemaker's shafts are the nuts. And that cuemaker's shafts might feel like absolute pure gold in your hands and the feeling when you hit a ball might be the sweetest thing you ever felt, but that doesn't mean that the shaft delivers the cueball to the same spot every time when rotated.
As to why laminated shafts feel different; well it's natural that something that is constructed to perform differently is going to feel different. As my diving coach used to say though, when it feels wrong it's probably right. He was referring to me doing it the right way and going against the way I thought was right.
For me personally I can't play with any Predator shaft. I don't like the feeling. I don't deny that they work though. Right now what works for me and is closer to how a normal shaft feels is the Fury Extreme and the Tiger Ultra X.
Those are some good points and I appreciate your objective comments. It just goes to show that perception is not always reality. It may feel and look right, even if it's wrong. It's a hard lesson to learn to go against what your eyes and other senses are telling you. It's kind of like telling a lie. After a while you will come to believe it yourself. I like my predator shafts, but they were not helping me pockets balls as much as I thought they should. The main reason for my inconsistency was my perception flaw due to my dominant right eye. I wasn't seeing the whole picture. Now that I have that fixed I am relearning how to aim. So far it's working out pretty well thanks to Joe Tucker.JB Cases said:
I love the 314 cause it helped my potting when playing left/right spin. I have a really hard time playing with any other shaft. Tried an OB 1 and didn't like it, I could get more back spin with it, but the CB seem to throw more when playing left/right. My game drops probably 2 levels when I don't use my cue with the 314. The 314 matches my game best.
I have but not currrently. They did not have a dramatic effect on my game either was once you 'adjust' to them. No shaft has zero deflection anyway.
The shaft I'm playing right now required no adjustment for me so that's why I play them now.
Right from the get go , balls went where I sent them so I figured I must have the right shaft for me.
The shaft I'm playing right now required no adjustment for me so that's why I play them now.
Right from the get go , balls went where I sent them so I figured I must have the right shaft for me.
I have an OB-1 and a 314-2 and I like both of em. They have improved my play, but I'm not sure about it being because they are low deflection. I have Sniper tips on both of em while I had a 10 year old triangle on my old shaft. Sometimes just going with something different will make a world of difference.
i use a high deflection shaft - OB-1. also have a 314 second gen but just prefer the feel of the OB-1.
also i think the OB-1 stays smoother than the 314, but i'm open to the possibility that that's just because I don't clean it as often because I don't use it as my main player (I lend it to a friend).
and further to a couple of the other people referring to these shafts as high deflection as opposed to low, this is a more accurate description because the way the things work is by deflecting (crudely put - bending) out of the way when the shaft hits the cue ball. normal shafts are stiffer so they don't bend out of the way therefore the other object gives - the cue ball gets bunted off sidways a bit (squirt).
Not that I can see 'high deflection' replacing 'low deflection' as the standard name for these shafts any time soon anyway!
also i think the OB-1 stays smoother than the 314, but i'm open to the possibility that that's just because I don't clean it as often because I don't use it as my main player (I lend it to a friend).
and further to a couple of the other people referring to these shafts as high deflection as opposed to low, this is a more accurate description because the way the things work is by deflecting (crudely put - bending) out of the way when the shaft hits the cue ball. normal shafts are stiffer so they don't bend out of the way therefore the other object gives - the cue ball gets bunted off sidways a bit (squirt).
Not that I can see 'high deflection' replacing 'low deflection' as the standard name for these shafts any time soon anyway!
I used a Predator for a while back when they first came out and found that they're fine if that's all you use. Now that I have a few cues that I really like I kind of like to change up what I'm playing with now then. I found it hard to adjust quickly when switching between a LD and standard shaft, definitely changes your aiming point. Different strokes, different folks.
RaceToFive
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JB Cases said:
This is the first I've heard of Fury having a low deflection shaft. Is there any more information available such as prices and joint types? I have a Fury cue around here that I would love to try an LD shaft on.