I was on the fence about LD shafts...until last night.

LD shaft.

I have tried a lot of LD shafts and spent way too much money buying them all. I have tried most of them on the market. Now I shoot with a CEM shaft and would not trade for the world. This shaft changed my game for the better. Took me a very long time to find it and I just happen to have a chance earlier this year to try one out and after I had to own one. With that said a close second would be CDX and mezz WX900. CEM does not make small diameter shafts so I shoot with a 12.4 mm CEM now, but if you like 11.75 mm to 12 mm shafts CDX and the mezz WX900 will work great. I also like Ob shafts and in my opinion they shoot better than the predator shafts, but in the end it is subjective. I would try as many as you can. Good luck with the search and buy used ones if you can.
 
Sir Scratchalot said:
I'm not trying to play like him and I've no interest in dropping over $2k to have his equipment. I'm simply trying to play better. Playing with him showed me that an LD shaft just might help facilitate that. Nothing more, nothing less.

Surely this falls under your recommendation of finding the right stick, correct?
Click to expand...

I haven't shot with a ton of LD shafts but I really like the CDX. I'm not a fan of the Ultraskin they come with but it's 165 shipped and you choose 11.75-13mm at 29 or 30 in at no additional cost. I think it costs 25 to add a Kamui on it but I switched out to a milkdud and love the hit.
 
Sir Scratchalot said:
I'm not trying to play like him and I've no interest in dropping over $2k to have his equipment. I'm simply trying to play better. Playing with him showed me that an LD shaft just might help facilitate that. Nothing more, nothing less.

Surely this falls under your recommendation of finding the right stick, correct?
Click to expand...

Yes. Find the stick that is comfortable for you. As I said the pool life is just a test and sometimes an expensive test. For example. I play a production Joss cue with a maple shaft. Last year I decided to try an LD shaft. I spent $220 on an OB 2 plus and changed the tip, which cost me money. I like a pro taper and the OB had a conical tape and I hated it. So I stuck with my Joss maple shaft and had Dan Janes at Joss make me an extra shaft exactly like my original. Recently I had the OB shaft turned down to a pro taper, which cost me money, and I will give it another shot. I did say pool can be an expensive test as I now have about $300 wrapped up in the OB shaft.

All I know is I got better and keep improving by playing better players and sometimes getting my head beat in but I learn by watching and asking questions. I hope you play in a poolroom, not strictly in the basement or in a bar. There is no substitute for a poolroom and it's atmosphere and yes, 9 foot tables.
 
Sir Scratchalot said:
Getting shredded by a guy with a Jacoby Edge Hybrid on a beautiful Cory Barnhart cue offered a stout vote in favor of LD shafts. Now I know a good player can be just as formidable with almost any cue and shaft, but I've played this fellow before while he was using house wood and came out on top. Last night I couldn't even see the top. His shot making was good, of course, but it was his cue ball control that was really impressive. He was making that cue ball waltz; much more than he was able to with the house cue. It was beautiful to watch.

Now I just have to figure out what approach to make with LD shafts, and which brands, as I like to play with 3 different cues. I think I'm going to make a trial move first by buying a Players HXT shaft in 5/16x18 which will fit my secondary cues. If I feel LD is a good fit for me then I'll think about a Jacoby Edge or OB+ Pro for my primary.

By the way, I got to hit a few balls with his Barnhart. I can easily see why those cues command the respect and money they do. Coupled with that Jacoby shaft the balance and hit were superb and the Kamui clear medium he had on it was just awesome.
Click to expand...

I don't think you will be shocked by the ld-qualities of the Players HXT..Don't get me wrong, it's a bargain and over all decent shaft for the price, but it is outperformed ld-vise by the Predators and OB's. Predator 314 (all versions) is probably the most widely used ld-shaft of all, and for good reason. It has great ld-qualities, while still being easy to play with, is easily available etc, etc. I don't think you'll find any high performance shaft that is used by more pros and great players than that shaft. It's also easily available used, and easily resold.

If you really want to do insane things with the cueball, there is no shaft that will make that easier than the Z family shafts from Predator. But be warned, a lot of people can't handle them and eventually give up and go back to 314's. The feel is also very different than a regular shaft. I see no reason to with second best in most of my buying decisions, so long as it is within my budget I want the most extreme version of anything. The Z(2) is the lowest deflecting shaft, so that's what I bought. Could not be happier. If you buy it, prepare for your jaw to drop, as the cueball does things you'd never even think of making it do with a regular shaft. I mean, you can go 3 tips out on the cueball and it still goes fairly straight! Try that with a McDermott standard shaft..You'd have to aim 2 full balls to the side of the object ball.

There are a million (seemingly) manufacturers coming out with Ld-shafts nowadays. So far every one I've tried deflects more than the Predators and OB's. The ones who claim to be super ld's are mostly deflecting more than the Predators by a great margin (relatively). Among these middle-of-the-road ld's I don't think too many really stick out as the best one. If I had to pick one it would probably be the Jacoby Edge Hybrid, but I'd still prefer a Predator 314 of any generation to that shaft. OB shafts seem taper vise to be more or less exact copies of the Predator counterparts, so there's where little to separate the two...
 
Last edited:
What qualifies a shaft to be LD?
To me, if it's not weight reduced, it's not an LD shaft.
Not all laminated shaft is LD.
Jacoby's is.
 
Unless you play often I would think twice about going the LD route. I struggled and wanted to give up on them. They are an adjust to anyone's game. Still struggle with banks, which I were always comfortable with. It's not like you go the LD route and all that changes. Is it goes straighter when applying sidespin. Which increases accuracy. It changes many other aspect of the game. Which at first may make you hate them. Like I said. If you play alot, you will adjust much faster. If not, it can be a struggle. All in how you play.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
KMRUNOUT said:
I wouldn't call the G-Core low deflection. It is WAY more deflection than Predator or OB. The hit isn't too bad. A little weird feeling. I think the lowest deflection players shaft will be substantially lower than the G-Core. If you are looking for maximum low deflection, for 12.75mm try Predator 314-2 or OB Classic Plus or OB1 Plus. Jacoby Edge has a great feel, but a bit more deflection than the other 2 brands. I would also take a look at the Meucci Pro, which plays surprisingly well, fairly low deflection (not quite Predator or OB but not far off. Certainly on par with the Jacoby. Interesting feel too. I really liked it.) Also I wonder how the new Bob Danielson SS360-2 is. The first gen had a fantastic feel, seemed to spin the cue ball so effortlessly, but was more deflection than Predator and OB. Still, if you haven't played LD yet, then I suppose you are in a position to get something that has awesome feel, without necessarily being the very lowest deflection.

Given that, front runners for me would be Meucci Pro, OB Classic Plus, Jacoby, or BD SS360.

If you want 11.75mm, you can basically insert the corresponding models for the various brands.

Hope this helps!

KMRUNOUT
Click to expand...

I disagree that the G-core is a much higher deflection shaft than the Predator 314. I have both and they play about the same for me, I do not need to adjust between using these 2 shafts. I also have a Schon with a Maple shaft, that one I need to adjust for squirt a lot, so I know I can see and feel squirt. I use the G-core on my old D19 McDermott because I like the way it feels, it has the same feel/hit as my friends Runde Schon with the original Maple shaft. I think you should be able to play well with just about any LD shaft, it comes down to what feels the best in your hands. I think players played extremely well before LD shafts so LD shafts did not make the players of today great, they will be good with or without LD technology, they play with what feels good in their hands.
 
From a LD shaft user. I think your conclusion is wrong giving the credit to a LD shaft. I have shot with many bar cues years ago. The trick is to find one with a good tip because most all are flattened out and glazed over. Give Effren a good tip on a bar cue, and he'll hardly miss a beat.
I'm not saying LD shafts are not a great thing but given a choice I would want a good tip before a good shaft.
When was the last time you worked your tip into a dime or nickle shape and absolutely knew it is consistently that shape. If never look at a last4ever tip tool its one of the best if not the best out there.
 
Sir Scratchalot said:
Getting shredded by a guy with a Jacoby Edge Hybrid on a beautiful Cory Barnhart cue offered a stout vote in favor of LD shafts. Now I know a good player can be just as formidable with almost any cue and shaft, but I've played this fellow before while he was using house wood and came out on top. Last night I couldn't even see the top. His shot making was good, of course, but it was his cue ball control that was really impressive. He was making that cue ball waltz; much more than he was able to with the house cue. It was beautiful to watch.

Now I just have to figure out what approach to make with LD shafts, and which brands, as I like to play with 3 different cues. I think I'm going to make a trial move first by buying a Players HXT shaft in 5/16x18 which will fit my secondary cues. If I feel LD is a good fit for me then I'll think about a Jacoby Edge or OB+ Pro for my primary.

By the way, I got to hit a few balls with his Barnhart. I can easily see why those cues command the respect and money they do. Coupled with that Jacoby shaft the balance and hit were superb and the Kamui clear medium he had on it was just awesome.
Click to expand...
Good luck with your search. Just get the Jacoby, since you've convinced yourself it was that shaft that beat you. Personally, I think you've got a gross non-sequitur going on.
 
Last edited:
Buy used and you should be able to sell for close to what you paid. That way you can try a few. 314 is a great place to start

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
Well, it now looks like I might get to spend more time thinking about it. A cuemaker I was talking to emailed me today, earlier than expected, and will be sending some photos next week based on a cue we've discussed. If I decide to move forward with the project he'll be getting my shaft money as a deposit on a new cue.

I appreciate all of the input from you guys. It's gonna come in handy, sooner or later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top