Do you prefer to put your J/Ps in your pocket or in your cue case when you are shooting? I go back and forth.
First, you should know I use a top loading case (wave case) with the joints up.
My procedure is I take my playing shaft out and lay it on the table, then my butt and lay on the table, next I remove my J/Ps and screw them together to make a large "pill" then I put it in my pocket or case, then I screw my cue together. When I'm done playing I take my cue apart and place the butt and shaft on the table and fish out my J/Ps.
Another procedure I try is I unscrew my J/Ps with the cue in the case, then remove the cue and put it together. When done playing I unscrew the cue, put it back in the case then screw on the J/Ps. This works well, especially if you can't pull your cue out and set it down (like you are joining a table already in action). When I do this I feel like, why am I bothering? The J/Ps are only on the cue while the cue is in the case so what are they really protecting?
Before I used J/Ps I just grabbed my cue out of my case and put it together. Life used to be so simple.
I'm thinking about going back to not using J/Ps.
skierlawyer:
The point of joint protectors is to protect the pin, the receiving hole in the shaft, and your case (yes, your case -- against damage from the pin should the case take some kind of sudden movement to cause the cue butts to shift forward).
I have a Sterling Wave case as well (a 4x8), and even though one does not "technically" need JPs with John Barton's cases, I use them anyway:
1. One of the reasons why is just habit -- I've *always* used joint protectors my entire playing existence. If you come up with a routine that you don't even think about (as I do), having JPs integrated into that routine is a good fail-safe. When you have a routine you don't even think about, you're not saving any time by suddenly deciding to get rid of JPs.
2. My favorite pin is the Radial pin, and these have extremely sharp threads -- sharp enough that if they should ever snag on the cloth/spongy interiors of JB's cases, they will cut or cause damage. Especially if the case falls over -- which is the same motion, btw, that John shows in his "Sterling Wave How-To" video where he "shakes" the contents such that they rise for easy extraction. That is, a sharp shake of the case causes the butts and shafts to rise upwards (due to the organic rebound interior) -- this action is magnified with the force of the case falling over. The sharp/pointed pin on the butt will make a nice dent in the case's lid.
3. JPs keep the joints clean, obviously. Especially in a case with a cloth or cloth-like interior -- the "pills" that build up on the cloth won't get into the joint or joint holes if there's a JP installed. This is especially important if you have any cues with a Uni-Loc style joint (as I do on my break cue -- an M.G. Orange Crusher). Quick release joints -- especially Uni-Loc branded -- are prone to something called "thread lock" where the joint locks-down so tightly, you'll have a very difficult time getting the cue apart when you need to break the cue down. "Thread lock" occurs when there's dirt or grime in the threads of the pin and receiving hole -- even a little bit. A little thing like one of the "pills" from the cloth interior or a little bit of chalk dust will cause the threads to lock together, and the first time that happens, you'll kick yourself and WISH you used joint protectors!
4. JPs, in general, help you remove the cue from the case -- especially a shaft that has fallen deep into its receiving cavity where you can't reach it with your fingertips. (Although that can be argued with the Sterling Wave case, as the organic rebound interior helps you remove the contents no matter what.)
As to my "routine" with JPs, I pull out just the shaft [with its JP still installed], leaving the butt and its JP still in the case. Next, I unscrew the JP from both the shaft and the butt, screw the two parts of the JP together, and put the JP assembly in my pocket. Finally, I screw the shaft down onto the butt, lifting the butt slightly once the first couple of threads "catch" so that I can get my hand just behind the joint on the butt, to give assistance to fully screw the shaft down. Then, I just pull the fully assembled cue out of the case. (I actually had to think about how I do this, because it's so "force of habit" -- which is the idea, btw. I do this so quickly, that I can match the speed of other folks assembling their cues that don't use JPs at all. But I have the benefit of JPs "built into" my routine!)
I hope this helps,
-Sean
