Help, cue shaft too skinny / what tip

L

livemusic

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello, I bought this Pure X HXT15 11.75mm cue (bottom of post) awhile back because I prefer skinnier cues and even though I like it, I am thinking it might be a tad too skinny. I might need to order another shaft. Would you think 12mm or 12.5mm or what? (As I said, I prefer thinner cues rather than thicker. And could/should I get the same type/brand? Where should I buy it for best price?

FWIW, on my HXT cue shaft, I see this -- "18SK." What does this mean, I guess "SK" means skinny, what is "18?" And on the bottom of the cue, I see "1811." Anyone know what this means?

Also, I am clueless about tips, can you recommend what I buy for the 2nd shaft? And also, what should I get installed on the shaft I bought originally? Whatever came on my cue, brand new, it popped off in no time. I hope to find a tech in the nearby city to install a tip on the skinny, I don't have tools to do it.

Intermediate player. Sorry for ignorance, thanks for help.

Pure X HXT15 Pool Cue HXT, Choice of LD HXT Shaft Diameter, FREE Predator Chalk [19.5 oz,11.75mm Silver Ring +$10]
 
I can't get your link to open but the HXT15 comes standard w/ a 12.75mm shaft. Is it within the return window? Some places will give you up to 60 days to try it out. If it's too skinny for you, just order what you had on your last shaft or maybe 0.25mm smaller. FWIW, I have that same shaft and play w/ a 12.75mm instead. I seem to move the ball just as well w/ the larger shaft. You'll find something that works for you soon, just make sure the next shaft you buy is from someplace (Seybert's, Billiard Warehouse, Pool Dawg) that will give you a trial period.
 
livemusic said:
Hello, I bought this Pure X HXT15 11.75mm cue (bottom of post) awhile back because I prefer skinnier cues and even though I like it, I am thinking it might be a tad too skinny. I might need to order another shaft. Would you think 12mm or 12.5mm or what? (As I said, I prefer thinner cues rather than thicker. And could/should I get the same type/brand? Where should I buy it for best price?

FWIW, on my HXT cue shaft, I see this -- "18SK." What does this mean, I guess "SK" means skinny, what is "18?" And on the bottom of the cue, I see "1811." Anyone know what this means?

Also, I am clueless about tips, can you recommend what I buy for the 2nd shaft? And also, what should I get installed on the shaft I bought originally? Whatever came on my cue, brand new, it popped off in no time. I hope to find a tech in the nearby city to install a tip on the skinny, I don't have tools to do it.

Intermediate player. Sorry for ignorance, thanks for help.

Pure X HXT15 Pool Cue HXT, Choice of LD HXT Shaft Diameter, FREE Predator Chalk [19.5 oz,11.75mm Silver Ring +$10]
Click to expand...
If you feel the 11.75mm shaft you currently have is too skinny, I doubt you’ll like the 12mm shaft much better. I would go with the 12.5. Tip choice is basically a personal preference just like cue weighting - a soft, medium, or hard tip. Soft tips give you a lot of feedback, but require much more maintenance to remove the mushrooming. Hard tips provide very little feedback, at least for me. I would start with a medium rated tip and go from there.
 
ChrisinNC said:
If you feel the 11.75mm shaft you currently have is too skinny, I doubt you’ll like the 12mm shaft much better. I would go with the 12.5. Tip choice is basically a personal preference just like cue weighting - a soft, medium, or hard tip. Soft tips give you a lot of feedback, but require much more maintenance to remove the mushrooming. Hard tips provide very little feedback, at least for me. I would start with a medium rated tip and go from there.
Click to expand...

Agreed, the 12mm won't be much better than the 11.75 and if I were you I'd go for the 12.5.

Tip is personal preference, I prefer a more firm tip.
 
I prefer a 12.5 and here lately I have been digging the Triangle tips. Once you hey get broken in they seem to take English very nice. I believe I am going to order some more Ultra Skin mediums tho to try.
 
if you can find 12.25 that would be ideal
a 0.75mm increase will feel like alot in my humble opinion
think about going from 12.25 to 13 mm
 
Try 12.5 rather than 12.2 to make a noticeable difference.
What taper is the 11.75 shaft, and what have you liked in the past....taper & diameter
 
Guys, I know not much. All of this is super confusing. I have looked at every website I can find and I come away confused. This is the first cue I have ever bought other than a $20 bargain at Academy. All of the lingo and these measurements, I don't know what some of it is.

I posted everything that came in my email from the order. I posted what is written on my cue and shaft. I don't know what to buy because I still don't know what I have and what I need to match up with the bottom part of the cue. I know that I want a shaft that will screw into the bottom part in a proper fashion but I don't know what to buy. I see 3/8 x 10 and 5/16 x 18 and Turbo Lock and Uni Lock, etc. My shaft is 11.75mm and it's too skinny, so, I want 12.25mm or 12.5mm but now I am not even sure if those are available.

Am I locked into buying a Pure shaft or will another shaft match up with the bottom? What is the bottom called? Is that the cue, lol? All of this is greek. And, heck, I read like a madman before I ever post. Can anyone explain more or point me to whom I could contact to figure out what to do?
 
I would recommend finding someone close that has multiple cues with different shaft diameters to see if you can find one you like.

I have always preferred a "skinny" shaft but that's at 12.75, I couldn't imagine shooting with a 11.75.

What part of the country are you in, maybe someone is close enough to help out or maybe we could point you to a billiard supply store that could help out.

Oh, and a 2 piece cue is comprised of a butt and shaft. The butt (bottom) is generally a straight taper from top to bottom but shafts can have straight taper (conical), pro-taper (where the first 10-12" of the shaft is straight and then it begins to taper to meet the diameter of the butt) and just about everything in between. Realistically, given your knowledge of the sport you're not going to know what you like at this point. You may know you don't like something but you probably won't know why.

Typing that made me think of a question:

WHY do you like a thin shaft? Feeling in the fingers or action of the cue?
 
Oh, and someone mentioned return window. If you can still return the shaft I would simply go with the PureX 12.75 shaft and see if you like it. That would probably be the cheapest option. If you can't return it you could probably sell it and recoup a little money to pay for another shaft.
 
livemusic said:
Guys, I know not much. All of this is super confusing. I have looked at every website I can find and I come away confused. This is the first cue I have ever bought other than a $20 bargain at Academy. All of the lingo and these measurements, I don't know what some of it is.

I posted everything that came in my email from the order. I posted what is written on my cue and shaft. I don't know what to buy because I still don't know what I have and what I need to match up with the bottom part of the cue. I know that I want a shaft that will screw into the bottom part in a proper fashion but I don't know what to buy. I see 3/8 x 10 and 5/16 x 18 and Turbo Lock and Uni Lock, etc. My shaft is 11.75mm and it's too skinny, so, I want 12.25mm or 12.5mm but now I am not even sure if those are available.

Am I locked into buying a Pure shaft or will another shaft match up with the bottom? What is the bottom called? Is that the cue, lol? All of this is greek. And, heck, I read like a madman before I ever post. Can anyone explain more or point me to whom I could contact to figure out what to do?
Click to expand...
Your cue apparently came with a 5/16-18 thread. I don’t know why it came with such a skinny shaft, as I don’t see an 11.75 mm as even being an available shaft option for that model cue. Depending how long it’s been since you’ve received it and how much you played with it, I would just contact the dealer you purchased it from to see if you could send back the shaft to exchange it for a thicker model shaft and let them tell you the thickness options to choose from. If it’s been too long and you can’t return it, You’ll just have to buy a second shaft, but I would stick with a pure X shaft 5/16-18, so that you’ll know the fit at the joint should be flush.
 
Return is unlikely, it was over a year ago. And it was an Ebay sale, I have no idea if s/he is a dealer.

Why I like a thin shaft is only because that is what I have always preferred, been drawn to when I grabbed a house cue in a bar or pool hall over my 67 years. It might make sense in that I have short fingers. I play guitar and get by and played quarterback and basketball and golf and did well in all but I do not have long fingers.

When I bought the cue, I researched it because that is what I do! I even made a post on this forum and this how I found out about the Pure cue. I measured some junky cues I have here and decided that 11.75 seemed cool, and proper. Now, not sure. Just now, measuring those cues with a caliper, at base of ferrule, the wood is 12.5mm to 13mm, and that seems ok, so, I might be just fine at 12.75mm. I am having trouble finding 12.25 or 12.5 anyway but I don't know if I must buy Pure brand or not.
 
livemusic said:
Return is unlikely, it was over a year ago. And it was an Ebay sale, I have no idea if s/he is a dealer.

Why I like a thin shaft is only because that is what I have always preferred, been drawn to when I grabbed a house cue in a bar or pool hall over my 67 years. It might make sense in that I have short fingers. I play guitar and get by and played quarterback and basketball and golf and did well in all but I do not have long fingers.

When I bought the cue, I researched it because that is what I do! I even made a post on this forum and this how I found out about the Pure cue. I measured some junky cues I have here and decided that 11.75 seemed cool, and proper. Now, not sure. Just now, measuring those cues with a caliper, at base of ferrule, the wood is 12.5mm to 13mm, and that seems ok, so, I might be just fine at 12.75mm. I am having trouble finding 12.25 or 12.5 anyway but I don't know if I must buy Pure brand or not.
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Now that you have some information just call your dealer and see what the options are...
 
ChrisinNC said:
Your cue apparently came with a 5/16-18 thread. I don’t know why it came with such a skinny shaft, as I don’t see an 11.75 mm as even being an available shaft option for that model cue. Depending how long it’s been since you’ve received it and how much you played with it, I would just contact the dealer you purchased it from to see if you could send back the shaft to exchange it for a thicker model shaft and let them tell you the thickness options to choose from. If it’s been too long and you can’t return it, You’ll just have to buy a second shaft, but I would stick with a pure X shaft 5/16-18, so that you’ll know the fit at the joint should be flush.
Click to expand...

Just an FYI Chris, the 11.75mm is an option for the PureX cues.


livemusic said:
Return is unlikely, it was over a year ago. And it was an Ebay sale, I have no idea if s/he is a dealer.

Why I like a thin shaft is only because that is what I have always preferred, been drawn to when I grabbed a house cue in a bar or pool hall over my 67 years. It might make sense in that I have short fingers. I play guitar and get by and played quarterback and basketball and golf and did well in all but I do not have long fingers.

When I bought the cue, I researched it because that is what I do! I even made a post on this forum and this how I found out about the Pure cue. I measured some junky cues I have here and decided that 11.75 seemed cool, and proper. Now, not sure. Just now, measuring those cues with a caliper, at base of ferrule, the wood is 12.5mm to 13mm, and that seems ok, so, I might be just fine at 12.75mm. I am having trouble finding 12.25 or 12.5 anyway but I don't know if I must buy Pure brand or not.
Click to expand...

Understood, my first cue had a 13mm shaft and I knew it was a bit too thick for me. Next cue was under that but don't remember (it was 1993'sh) and now it's been hit with a scotch brite pad (I was young and stupid) so much I don't even know where it's at. I like the feel of 12.75mm but I also like how they play (if if has the right taper). I could not find a 12.25 or 12.5 PureX shaft so it looks like 12.75mm or custom. I say go for the 12.75 and give it a whirl...👍
 
ChrisinNC said:
Your cue apparently came with a 5/16-18 thread. I don’t know why it came with such a skinny shaft, as I don’t see an 11.75 mm as even being an available shaft option for that model cue. Depending how long it’s been since you’ve received it and how much you played with it, I would just contact the dealer you purchased it from to see if you could send back the shaft to exchange it for a thicker model shaft and let them tell you the thickness options to choose from. If it’s been too long and you can’t return it, You’ll just have to buy a second shaft, but I would stick with a pure X shaft 5/16-18, so that you’ll know the fit at the joint should be flush.
Click to expand...
Hello, let me ask, how do you know my cue came with 5/16-18 thread? Is there a way for me to confirm that? Furthermore, it appears to me that there are two choices giving me trouble -- black collar or silver ring. Mine appears to be silver ring; that is on the invoice and when I look at, there is a silver ring! I am trying to find a 5/16-18 silver ring in the 12.75mm size and I only found black collar.
 
Can you post a picture?

I will PM you my email address if you want to send them to me and I can post.
 
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