Help me decide

P

Pleinairrider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Which should I get: Sub $200 purchases
1. McD Stinger break/jump
2. Super Pro Aramith balls (getting a good price)
3. Low Deflection shaft

Info
1. New payer
2. Have a proper cue with regular maple shaft
3. The pool place I go to frequently has mediocre tables and balls. Would be nice to have my own set of proper balls.
4. I always break with house cue
 
I would get the LD shaft and learn to play with it. As a new player it you need to get a good stick and feel comfortable with it. I would get the OB or 314 shaft, Play with house balls, break with a house cue (or buy a cheap light weight stick with big shaft and add a hard break tip).
 
I think I agree that LD shaft might be the way to go.

My thinking is this....you don't need to spend $200 on a break cue. For one, you can break pretty decent with any cue, like the house cue you're currently using. When you do feel the need for a break cue then you can get a J&J for as low as $65 with some patience...maybe even less if you can find someone looking to get rid of an old one, pretty sure one sold in my local poolroom for $20 or so.

While nice balls are pleasant to play with, if you're stuck on a not-so-nice table I'm not sure just upgrading the balls is worthwhile.

Finally....LD shafts....they garner lots of opinions on both sides but as a beginner I think they will seriously shorten the time it takes to learn some shots (ones with heavy english). I'm still learning myself and I have trouble making anything but short shots with much english because I have to compensate for the deflection. Stopped at a store the other day tried out a Predator cue and I was making long shots with lots of english and they were going in easy for me, just didn't require compensation like I was used to. Set up the shot straight, made the OB and left the cue ball stopped dead but spinning away from the English. I was sold and am in the process of getting a cue with a LD shaft so I can start working with it. You don't need a LD shaft, but I do think it can shorten the learning process for a beginner and simplify some of the shots.
 
tashworth19191 said:
I would get the LD shaft and learn to play with it. As a new player it you need to get a good stick and feel comfortable with it. I would get the OB or 314 shaft, Play with house balls, break with a house cue (or buy a cheap light weight stick with big shaft and add a hard break tip).
Click to expand...

Sound. How about a Pechauer LD shaft? Im shooting JP with a 13mm shaft. I think I can go lower diameter. The Pechauer LD shafts are also a little less.

And how about the new Vantage shaft?

TY!
 
I just won the Vantage shaft from Predator 20th aniversary give away and it would be a great beginner shaft, but they retail for $350 and won't be out to general public for several weeks.
 
What size pin is your current cue? You'll see LD shafts in the For Sale section on a pretty regular basis. A good, used OB shaft usually goes for $130-160. (Seyberts sells the original OB versions -- non "+" -- for $188.

I'm sure there are other good LD shafts, I'm just partial to OB. In addition to their quality, is that there are 4 versions of OB shaft. I found that the OB2 was the right one for me.

New balls on a lousy table just isn't going to make much difference. Either break with a house cue or keep an eye out for a used break cue.
 
Pleinairrider said:
Which should I get: Sub $200 purchases
1. McD Stinger break/jump
2. Super Pro Aramith balls (getting a good price)
3. Low Deflection shaft

Info
1. New payer
2. Have a proper cue with regular maple shaft
3. The pool place I go to frequently has mediocre tables and balls. Would be nice to have my own set of proper balls.
4. I always break with house cue
Click to expand...

If you plan on sticking with the game then a LD shaft is the way to go otherwise you'll have to relearn how to aim all over again when you eventually do switch to one!:eek:
 
None of the above

In my opinion it would be "none of the above". Spend the money on some experimenting and dedicated, serious, practice time and the answer will present itself.

barryc
 
Pleinairrider said:
Which should I get: Sub $200 purchases
1. McD Stinger break/jump
2. Super Pro Aramith balls (getting a good price)
3. Low Deflection shaft

Info
1. New payer
2. Have a proper cue with regular maple shaft
3. The pool place I go to frequently has mediocre tables and balls. Would be nice to have my own set of proper balls.
4. I always break with house cue
Click to expand...

I say go for a few lessons. Make sure that stroke is straight, stay at center ball for now, and start potting balls, at various speeds, then begin to master the stop and stun shot and draw shot.....

And If u got $12 left over pick up some magic chalk ;)
 
Lesson shmlessons. Im going to buy something cool! I was born for this any way; born for good luck. I just have to work my way there.
 
Pleinairrider said:
Sound. How about a Pechauer LD shaft? Im shooting JP with a 13mm shaft. I think I can go lower diameter. The Pechauer LD shafts are also a little less.

And how about the new Vantage shaft?

TY!
Click to expand...

I shoot with a Pechauer LD shaft 11.75mm and I love it. Its the closest thing to hard maple shaft with LD properties and its cheaper than other LD shafts on the market.
 
If I were in your position and could start all over again from the beginning, I would start by picking up a copy of Mark Wilson's book "Play Great Pool" and spend the next few years working on it. The rest of the money I would spend on Dawg Duds and ice cream.
 
victorl said:
If I were in your position and could start all over again from the beginning, I would start by picking up a copy of Mark Wilson's book "Play Great Pool" and spend the next few years working on it. The rest of the money I would spend on Dawg Duds and ice cream.
Click to expand...

This is a good idea too. I have the book, it's not cheap but it's worth twice it's price if you put it to good use. Money well spent!
 
victorl said:
If I were in your position and could start all over again from the beginning, I would start by picking up a copy of Mark Wilson's book "Play Great Pool" and spend the next few years working on it. The rest of the money I would spend on Dawg Duds and ice cream.
Click to expand...

After Mosconi, anything Wilson says is suspect #thesearejokespeople
 
I love my Stinger J/B. Not a fan of LD shafts, and I wouldn't bring my own set of balls to a pool hall or bar.

No-brainer for me. :thumbup:
 
Go With The Pool Balls

Low deflection shafts are over-rated......March 1954......those shafts didn't exist when 526 pool balls were consecutively pocketed in 14.1 play.......you don't need them to raise the level of your game.

Break cues.....sure....nice to have but not needed......my cue ball travels at 21 mph whether I use my Stinger Jump/Break cue, a BK2 stick, Joss Thor or a cue from the house rack. If I lose 1/3 mph using a house stick, so what......my break doesn't suffer nor does it improve when I switch cues to break with......again, nice to have but unnecessary.


Yup....pool balls.....get the pool balls.......evenly matched in weight and size, no film or dirt, just pure pleasure........go with the pool balls.....get an Aramith travel case and enjoy your game.
 
Well, I agree with RJ, so enjoy being a banger! It's not the cue, it's the person holding on to it. You'll probably figure that out one day...or maybe not. Doesn't keep you from enjoying the game...just keeps you from getting better in the least amount of time. The cue/shaft/tip matters much less than how you are able to move the cue in a straight line. :rolleyes: :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Pleinairrider said:
Lesson shmlessons. Im going to buy something cool! I was born for this any way; born for good luck. I just have to work my way there.
Click to expand...
 
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