my gilbert has a solid 1/2 inch ivory joint, and this cue hits a ton.
its hard to descibe, but with this cue, i can "feel" the cue ball more than any cue i've ever owned. the shaft is probably a medium stiff hit, as i've seen stiffer and more flexible shafts. very little deflection(i don't use more than a tip or so of sidespin, so no cue should deflect much with that).
so, its hard to explain, but its like a "soft" stiff hit. i love the way the solid ivory feels. also, i don't know if its typical of ivory jointed cues or not, but this cue seems to "juice" the ball very well. predator can say all they want about increased spin, but they don't have anything on this cue.
thanks
VAP