GTF Cue fitting problem.

I purchased one of the 2x4 GTF Prestige cases at the Sterling booth in Vegas. I am extremely happy with though I have 3 observations. These are associated with the strap.
1. A padded shoulder pad would be nice. I actually took a pad off another case I had there with me.

Noted. All future models with straps will come with pads. Send me your address and when I make some pads I will send you one. (you will have to remind me at least once though.)

2. I believe 2 snap studs on the upper part of the strap would be better. The reason is the snap actually came unsnapped while I was carrying the case. The case fell backwards off my shoulder and hit the pavement on the lid.

Consider it done.

3. This caused the top plastic part on the lid to actually pop off. When I got home I epoxied the plastic piece back onto the lid.

This is one where I need to say that originally we had intended to make the endcaps on the top removable so that they could be changed for customized ones. Not the best execution on this idea though. Future endcaps are permanantly attached. I have invented another way to have them be easily customizable that doesn't required removal of the end cap.

I did go back to the Sterling booth and let the guy there know about the strap problem. As far as the lid he recommended I contact GTF. The repair was pretty straight forward so I took care of that myself.

Fortunately the huggable padding kept the cues in the case. I'm sure if a similar thing happened with other cases the cues would have shot out of the case with the way it fell off my shoulder.

:-) At least something worked as planned.
 
Noted. All future models with straps will come with pads. Send me your address and when I make some pads I will send you one. (you will have to remind me at least once though.)



Consider it done.



This is one where I need to say that originally we had intended to make the endcaps on the top removable so that they could be changed for customized ones. Not the best execution on this idea though. Future endcaps are permanantly attached. I have invented another way to have them be easily customizable that doesn't required removal of the end cap.





:-) At least something worked as planned.

PM sent..... thanks again.....
 
Quick Reply:

Bencho, the case should fit 31" easily. There is a misprint on the CueSight website stating that the case fits 32". That will be corrected.

I just spent about 30 minutes testing the case capacity to be sure of what I am going to say here. It was mentioned that one should purchase an Engles to "solve" this problem.

The cases I have for testing is a GTF Storage case 2x4 with no pockets and an Engles 1x2 that I purchased on AZ.

I will post pictures a little later along with a short video I just did.

I used a Sneaky Pete that measured 31.5" with a joint protector and I taped another joint protector to it to make it a total of just over 32".

The results are that the GTF case was able to close and stay closed with the 32" length cue butt inside and the Engles could not close and was lacking just over 1"

All of the cases we build are meant to hold up to 31.5". GTF claims 31" just to be on the safe side.

If there is a problem where the case is not holding a 31" total length part easily then we need to look at why this is and not just assume that the cases are all that way. The case must be loaded a certain way in order to insure that all parts fit. That could be a problem. There could also be a problem with the liner being twisted or pinched and thereby not allowing the cue part to go down as far as it should be able to.

I will be glad to troubleshoot any such problems. I do however want to clear up any misconceptions about what the official and real capacity of a GTF case is.

It is 31"

Also it is very important that I clear up any misconception that the snugness of the case can harm the cue. There is no way that the shaft can be bent when it is stored in a GTF case properly. The lid does not and cannot exert enough pressure to bend the shaft.

In every GTF case there is about a half an inch of foam rubber padding in the top and in the bottom of the case. This padding is there to allow the cue to be held snugly in the vertical position and reduce excess movement.

IT is 100% impossible for the case to exert enough pressure to warp or bend a shaft or butt.

Try this simple experiment. Put the tip of your shaft against something hard like the carpet and push straight down on it from joint section. You cannot bend it easily. Turn the shaft over and do the same thing. You will quickly see that you must exert much more force than the case is putting on the shaft and you still will not be able to bend the shaft.

The parts in a GTF case are held in a cushioned environment - the force is very gentle and any resistance comes from the foam rubber padding and is not harmful to any part of the cue.

Anyway, that is the correct information regarding this issue. As I said I will edit this to upload pictures and a link to the video when I am able to upload them.

Pictures:

#1: This picture shows that the two cases are nearly the same height and that the lip of the body is at nearly the same height. It also shows that the cues are of normal length of about 30" total from bumper to tip. The sneaky pete shown is at 31.5" - later for the video I taped another JP to it upside down to make a 32" length.
P5250058.JPG


#2. This picture shows the standard length cues in both cases and that both of them allow the cues to sit naturally at roughly the same height. In the video I show the compression of the GTF case that gives the cues another .5" of padding at the bottom.
P5250034.JPG


#3. This picture shows that the lids are roughly the same size and that the Engles has about 1/4" more room in it than the GTF when the foam rubber in the GTF lid is not compressed. When the foam is compressed than the GTF has more room.
P5250044.JPG


The next edit will be to provide a link to the video demonstration because that is the only way to show that the same cue at 32" WILL FIT in the GTF but NOT in the Engles.




John Barton - maker of GTF cases.

I have a butt that with JP is 32" long, and it fits in my Engles without any extra effort to close and puts no pressure on the butt while closed. My top is longer than the one you have John, with 6" inside clearance. My Engles also has a padded bottom, but since the butt fits without any compression needed, it just provides protection for the cue. I thought your top looked shorter, maybe others can chime in with the clearance in their Engles.
 
The Engles I have will hold a 31 1/2 butt with room to spare.

That is why I was clear to mention that I only have one Engles case to test against and I used it since it was mentioned as a "solution". Having had numerous George, Fellini, Centennial, and Thomas cases over the years I know that those brands vary in size.

It's not a big deal though as I will simply be adding another 1/2 inch to the top and that will take care of everything up to 32" easily. There are few people whose equipment is 31.5" so any issues with the case not fitting comfortably at that length are only going to affect those people.

As I mentioned and want to reiterate - the case is made to hold 31.5" easily and if it doesn't then we can address it on a case by case basis.
 
I have a butt that with JP is 32" long, and it fits in my Engles without any extra effort to close and puts no pressure on the butt while closed. My top is longer than the one you have John, with 6" inside clearance. My Engles also has a padded bottom, but since the butt fits without any compression needed, it just provides protection for the cue. I thought your top looked shorter, maybe others can chime in with the clearance in their Engles.

And that's fine. As you know these sorts of cases do vary because the people making them can cut the tubes at will. A case can have a longer top, have more or less padding, etc.....

I thought it was a bit uncool of you to say that the "solution is to buy an Engles". I am sure that if the shoe was on the other foot and I said something similar in a thread about another product I would be crucified for it.

So having an Engles to test against, and only one, I did it just to see what would happen and the pictures are proof positive of my testing. The video is the one that really shows that in a normal GTF case the 32" cue I use fits with no problem whilst the Engles lacks an inch of closing.

I have no doubt that there are Engles case which fit 32" cues easily as you have stated that you have one. The thread however is about GTF cases and it's only fair that we keep the discussion to that brand.

Besides that Engles aren't made anymore are they?
 
I thought it was a bit uncool of you to say that the "solution is to buy an Engles".

Well John I thought it was a bit "uncool" when I inquired last year about a longer cap. The last email I had from you was that you had found matching leather and my response was where and how to send you the $.

Never heard from you.

Had a conversation with Roy @ VF about the GTF needing a longer cap. He was going down the road of taking out some padding in the cap. I think thats the wrong track to go down.

I guess wanting to make a couple of bucks isn't as important as it used to be.
 
Well John I thought it was a bit "uncool" when I inquired last year about a longer cap. The last email I had from you was that you had found matching leather and my response was where and how to send you the $.

Never heard from you.

Had a conversation with Roy @ VF about the GTF needing a longer cap. He was going down the road of taking out some padding in the cap. I think thats the wrong track to go down.

I guess wanting to make a couple of bucks isn't as important as it used to be.

Absolutely. It's uncool of me to promise things and not deliver them. You are unfortunately not the only one who has this happen to them. Sorry I get a lot of requests like yours and I am the absolute worst at handling them. I need to change my habits in this regard. Less AZ - more filling special requests.

My apologies.
 
It's fine John, thanks for the offer to get me another case. It's fine as is and the oil tan is growing on me. I appreciate it. I'm just going to keep the case. Cheers!
 
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