Is there a logic to choosing shaft diameter? (newbie)

azsportpilot

azsportpilot

Registered
hello

please excuse the ignorance if this question seems..... stupid

i am a beginner player, been playing for years but not often and not well

always used a house cue, sometimes it even had a tip :)

i am looking at buying a cue this week and it seems the "standard" is a 13 inch shaft though many are offered with a 12.75, 12.50, 12.25 inch option and sometimes even smaller

any recommendations (other than try before you buy) as this is not an option with internet sales

any help would be appreciated
thanks
john
 
If you're used to 13mm, go with that. You can always have a shaft turned down to be made thinner, but you can never make a shaft thicker.
 
I've always played with a shaft between 12.25 - 12.75mm. It's what I feel is best.
 
azsportpilot said:
hello

please excuse the ignorance if this question seems..... stupid

i am a beginner player, been playing for years but not often and not well

always used a house cue, sometimes it even had a tip :)

i am looking at buying a cue this week and it seems the "standard" is a 13 inch shaft though many are offered with a 12.75, 12.50, 12.25 inch option and sometimes even smaller

any recommendations (other than try before you buy) as this is not an option with internet sales

any help would be appreciated
thanks
john
Click to expand...
Whatever feels right to you. Typically, the smaller you go, the more spin and deflection you typically get with that shaft. Larger diameter shafts are more forgiving if you make incorrect contact with the cue ball to the object ball relationship. I use a 12.75 MM, but I can use anything. Doesn't matter to me, but that size feels best for ME...
 
xXGEARXx said:
Typically, the smaller you go, the more spin and deflection you typically get with that shaft.
Click to expand...
Smaller tips actually don't produce more spin and they produce less CB deflection, not more.

I play with a very small tip (10mm) because it's easier to see where I'm hitting the CB and because less mass near the tip reduces CB deflection. I think there's a trend in cue design these days toward smaller tips for these reasons.

pj
chgo
 
azsportpilot said:
i am a beginner player, <snip>

i am looking at buying a cue this week and it seems the "standard" is a 13 inch shaft though many are offered with a 12.75, 12.50, 12.25 inch option and sometimes even smaller
Click to expand...

The smaller the stroke the better stroke you must have in order to use the smaller shaft to advantage.

So a beginner might be better served with a 12.5-13mm tip,
while an intermediate might be better served with a 12-12.5mm,
and one who's stroke is well under control can exploit a 11-12mm tip.

Also note: The smaller the shaft the more whippy the shaft is overall.
Also Note: a long taper of a given tip size is whippier than the same tip size and a straight taper.

In the end, it comes down to what you feel confident in using.
 
MitchAlsup said:
The smaller the shaft the more whippy the shaft is overall.
Click to expand...
I think most makers of shafts with smaller tips adapt the taper to maintain stiffness. Mine has a conical taper and hits stiffer than most fat tips with pro tapers.

However, a modified taper, especially one like my conical taper, feels different and might not be to everybody's liking.

pj
chgo
 
Shaft diameter expresses how much of the cue tip is likely to have contact.....keep in mind most cue tips aren't flat and either a dime or nickel shape is the most common to use........so you have a spherically shape tip striking a spherical cue ball.........the fatter the shaft, the more tip you can maintain on the cue ball.......the thinner the shaft, the more English can be applied.......the saddest part is most players today spin the ball too much and don't take advantage of the simplicity center ball lends to cue ball position play. And the thinner the shaft, the more the shaft will tend to flex when struck and the harder the strike, the more the bending of the shaft.......this creates deflection on the cue ball which can the shooter to either pocket or miss the contact point on the object ball........you have to learn how to adjust for deflection which can be your best friend or worst nightmare.........personally, I like deflection and only play with original shafts on all my pool cues.

Matt B.
 
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Patrick Johnson said:
Smaller tips actually don't produce more spin and they produce less CB deflection, not more.

I play with a very small tip (10mm) because it's easier to see where I'm hitting the CB and because less mass near the tip reduces CB deflection. I think there's a trend in cue design these days toward smaller tips for these reasons.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

You use a shaft that is 10 MM, it will have a shit ton of deflection. If it tapers from 10 MM and gets larger, then it would be less.

A thinner shaft should give more spin. The impact point is smaller and you can apply the same force at the same spot with a smaller tip. Smaller surface area with force is greater than larger surface area with the same force. Look at a pencil. Sharpen it and it is easy to poke through paper. Keep it flat and try it.
 
Maybe you can explain to me how the same nickel (or dime) radius on a 13mm tip vs an 11.75mm tip results in a different surface area contacting the CB and therefore more force applied. Further, how a small 10mm tip has a larger end mass than a 13 mm tip and thus "shit ton of deflection". Thanks, Steve
 
I'd start with a 13mm (or 12.50-12.75mm) and learn "your game" with that. After you know your game, you can experiment with other shafts to see if you like the difference.

IMHO tip size/shape variable as to how much spin can be imparted on the cue ball is so little as to be laughable. The difference in reaching the miscue limit between a 13mm nickel shape and an 11.5mm dime shape is about one-tenth of a millimeter. If my tip placement accuracy were measured in one-tenths of a millimeter, I guess it would make a difference. Like so many things, the difference is in our heads.

Much more important than tip size is to learn whether you like a wrapped or wrapless cue, a heavy cue (20-21 oz) or a light one (18 oz) or average weight (19 oz.), a stiff hit or a soft hit, etc., etc.
 
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Steve Dickey said:
Maybe you can explain to me how the same nickel (or dime) radius on a 13mm tip vs an 11.75mm tip results in a different surface area contacting the CB and therefore more force applied. Further, how a small 10mm tip has a larger end mass than a 13 mm tip and thus "shit ton of deflection". Thanks, Steve
Click to expand...

Really? Things must be different here in Ohio. Lol. It is very easy for me to spin the ball a heck of a lot more and get more action on a cue ball with a 11.75MM vs a 13MM. Not even close.

I'm not going to argue with you. You are a MUCH better player than I am. So, keep rocking that 10MM.
 
xXGEARXx said:
You use a shaft that is 10 MM, it will have a shit ton of deflection. ...
Click to expand...
If you mean cue ball deflection, which is the main thing a player has to worry about when choosing a shaft, then this is backwards. A smaller diameter will have less cue ball deflection (or squirt) than a larger diameter, other things being equal. If you meant cue stick deflection, I'd agree with you but that's not what people usually mean when talking about "low deflection" shafts.
 
Bob Jewett said:
If you mean cue ball deflection, which is the main thing a player has to worry about when choosing a shaft, then this is backwards. A smaller diameter will have less cue ball deflection (or squirt) than a larger diameter, other things being equal. If you meant cue stick deflection, I'd agree with you but that's not what people usually mean when talking about "low deflection" shafts.
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That's what I meant.

Regardless, 10MM shaft is crazy for someone new. At least I think so. Start larger and work your at down. I did, but then I went back up again. The shafts just felt too damn skinny to me.
 
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Experiences vary...I shoot with 12.75-12.85 mm, and it's optimal for me. I started out with 13 mm like most folks. I bought a custom GEM (Gary Medlin, Lake Charles, LA) cue with 12 mm shafts back in the early '90s. It was a big adjustment for me for about 2 weeks...then, I would line up center CB and just "think" about what I wanted the CB to do and it would magically happen. I set all my personal bests with that cue. I've since kept them just a tad fatter, 12.75-ish and that works best in all aspects. I would recommend a slightly thinner than 13 mm and give yourself a week or two to adjust to it. Then I predict your game will actually improve once it's dialed in. You'll find that you'll be able to a lot more with a lot less. That's my opinion and you asked for it, so there it is...;)
 
azsportpilot said:
... any recommendations (other than try before you buy) as this is not an option with internet sales ....
Click to expand...
If you don't use side spin yet, then it probably doesn't make much difference. If you do use side spin, it is important for you to understand squirt (AKA "cue ball deflection") when choosing a shaft. Here is a video that introduces the important aspects of side spin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXJ7bDafTms
 
No logic at all. Try different sizes until you find what you like.
 
I have played with 12 - 13.25.

It is all a matter of how the shaft feels to you. Do what you can to try out different shaft diameters and you should be able to find a range that fits you.
 
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