TheThaiger
Banned
If the cue is a mid-range production, used frequently, always kept in case, not exposed to heat, cold, dust, damp, yadda yadda, are joint protectors strictly necessary?
Joint protectors - are they essential?
- Thread starter TheThaiger
- Start date
For me, If I owned a production cue, I wouldnt be faffing on with Joint Protectors. But because I own a Custom Cue, and the cues mean more to me than a production cue ever could, I will be investing in some JP's very soon - It will complete my set 
It's all a matter of opinion.. I have owned some very very nice custom cues that have come with joint protectors.. I personally never use them and have never had a bent pin, etc.. You'll get different answers depending on ones preference.. They look nice and can accompany a cue quite nicely but IMHO they are a hassle.. YMMV
In my opinion joint protectors are not necessary if you have a solid case for your cue. I wouild probably want JPs when the cue would be in a simple soft case that does not offer good protection during transport.
The joint protectors I have are usually just for decorative purposes on expensive collectable cues.
Then again, if you are really concerned, a simple set of wood or even plastic protectors will not cost the earth...
Joerg
The joint protectors I have are usually just for decorative purposes on expensive collectable cues.
Then again, if you are really concerned, a simple set of wood or even plastic protectors will not cost the earth...
Joerg
I didnt used to believe in JP's until I accidently dropped my cue butt right
onto the pin and bent it. Not an expensive cue, but it cost me anyways. I
take them off, and put them on once every time I play. It takes 30 seconds
each time, and thats a small price to pay for my piece of mind. :grin: Now
thats with my custom Mottey. If I had a mid range production, they wouldnt
mean as much, but I'd probably still have a set on there.
onto the pin and bent it. Not an expensive cue, but it cost me anyways. I
take them off, and put them on once every time I play. It takes 30 seconds
each time, and thats a small price to pay for my piece of mind. :grin: Now
thats with my custom Mottey. If I had a mid range production, they wouldnt
mean as much, but I'd probably still have a set on there.
The purpose of joint protectors is to protect the pin and the faces of the joint on the butt and shafts. If you booger them up or bend the pin, the cue won't roll straight, and you'll need some maintenance work. Are they essential? Not really. Especially if you don't put the but of your cue pin side down in your case. Would a $15 set be worth the money? Probably.
My question is, what the heck is "faffing on?" :rotflmao1:
My question is, what the heck is "faffing on?" :rotflmao1:
For me, If I owned a production cue, I wouldnt be faffing on with Joint Protectors. But because I own a Custom Cue, and the cues mean more to me than a production cue ever could, I will be investing in some JP's very soon - It will complete my set
I like 'em!
Joint protectors are not only a good idea, but essential in some instances
Folks:
I would have to respectfully disagree with those that feel joint protectors are completely unnecessary. While a hard/tube case usually (key operative word) offer lots of protection, they are not perfect.
For one thing, if you travel with your cues (especially air or other methods involving baggage handlers), you have no control over how your cue case (or the bag you packed your cue case in) will be handled. Has anyone seen John Barton's videos demonstrating how a couple well-known case makers' products fail to protect the cues inside against likely rugged handling?
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=2140185#post2140185
Second, the joint protectors do help in keeping dust, chalk, lint, and bits and pieces of crud out of the threads of the joint. This is especially important with joints like Uni-Loc, where any foreign material in these styles of joints are known to cause the joint to very nearly "perma-lock" together, making it a b*tch of a time trying to unscrew / break down the cue. And Radial pins, which are designed to fit very tightly together, can suffer from foreign material in the joint, making these joints tougher than normal to set up / break down (not to mention any damage that the foreign material causes by abrading the inside wood thread surfaces of the shaft).
Joint protectors aren't that much of a pain. In fact, when you're accustomed to installing/removing them, you find out that it's pretty much like habit; it becomes part and parcel of your cue setup / break-down routine -- you don't even think about it. Personally, I think that's a good habit to have!
Hope this is helpful,
-Sean
Folks:
I would have to respectfully disagree with those that feel joint protectors are completely unnecessary. While a hard/tube case usually (key operative word) offer lots of protection, they are not perfect.
For one thing, if you travel with your cues (especially air or other methods involving baggage handlers), you have no control over how your cue case (or the bag you packed your cue case in) will be handled. Has anyone seen John Barton's videos demonstrating how a couple well-known case makers' products fail to protect the cues inside against likely rugged handling?
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=2140185#post2140185
Second, the joint protectors do help in keeping dust, chalk, lint, and bits and pieces of crud out of the threads of the joint. This is especially important with joints like Uni-Loc, where any foreign material in these styles of joints are known to cause the joint to very nearly "perma-lock" together, making it a b*tch of a time trying to unscrew / break down the cue. And Radial pins, which are designed to fit very tightly together, can suffer from foreign material in the joint, making these joints tougher than normal to set up / break down (not to mention any damage that the foreign material causes by abrading the inside wood thread surfaces of the shaft).
Joint protectors aren't that much of a pain. In fact, when you're accustomed to installing/removing them, you find out that it's pretty much like habit; it becomes part and parcel of your cue setup / break-down routine -- you don't even think about it. Personally, I think that's a good habit to have!
Hope this is helpful,
-Sean
But.........how many times in your life do you think you're gonna do that? You'll probably NEVER drop your cue (at least not on the pin) again. Then, you could also drop your cue in the moments AFTER you take the joint protectors off. I haven't dropped any of my cues yet (in un-screwed phase), but the closest I have come to doing so was ALWAYS while I was taking off/putting on my joint protectors.
FWIW, I have JP's on all my cased cues. But, as well as I take care of my equipment, I feel like I could easily get by without them.
OTOH, if I was toting around a HIGH-DOLLAR custom cue, it would definitely be wearing JP's. Or, if I was checking my cases at an airport I would use them, There are certain situations where it would be wise to use them. But me, taking my cues to league night or to a local tourney, I feel I could get by without them.
As far as lint/foreign material getting into the joint, it just don't happen that often if cased properly. Besides, how tough is it to clean out a cue joint if necessary?
So, my final answer would be NO, I don't think joint protectors are all that necessary, imo. Sometimes they are a real pain-in-the-a$$ (chasing them down after dropping one on a hard tile floor for instance).
You hafta be your OWN judge in this matter!!!
Maniac
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wouldn't mean as much on a production cue ? After that testimonial ? Are you less likely to drop a production cue ?
But , again , Murphy's Law states that you will drop the cue immediately after removing the joint protectors . . . .
cheap joint protectors are cheap insurance , even for cheap cues !
Hi I have a set of my joint protectors being shipped bact to me for refinishing, the owner forgot to fasten the latch on his case, and the cue came out on the concret surface in the parking lot . from what I gather, no damage to cue, WAHOOO!!!!!!!!!! I'll fix them No Charge. Jim
Easy answer
You can buy a set of plastic JP's for $15 and it takes about 60 seconds or less to take them off to play and then put them on when you are ready to go.......If you have a cue that you like and want to protect then the answer should be easy.......use the JP's and then you don't have any worries about damage to the joint of your cue.......it's like insurance, you hope that you never need it, but if you ever do you're glad that you have it.
James
You can buy a set of plastic JP's for $15 and it takes about 60 seconds or less to take them off to play and then put them on when you are ready to go.......If you have a cue that you like and want to protect then the answer should be easy.......use the JP's and then you don't have any worries about damage to the joint of your cue.......it's like insurance, you hope that you never need it, but if you ever do you're glad that you have it.
James
I like the kind made for fancy cues more as a presentation piece. Also, I like to use them on shafts with markings to quickly tell the difference between the various shafts I carry. I also use them when shipping cues for a little added protection.
Other than that, I'm always very careful handling my cues and case, so I probably don't need them.
Chris
HAHA, sorry. Faffing on in english terms means wasting time. e.g. - Playing a pro pool player day in day out is a faff on (waste of time) as I wont get to see the table as much to improve.
or
Taking the wheel off a car to check for faults is a faff on for me, where as a trained mechanic will do it because he/she is getting paid
I forgot I was on a American dominant site
joint protectors aren't necessary
Joint protectors aren't necessary. Neither is a cue case. I carried my first custom with two rubber bands holding it together and the butt giving the shaft a little protection. Then I carried it in a rolled up towel. Finally I really got fancy and cut up an old blanket and made a sort of sock for it to go in. I am a careful guy though and got by even before I started using the rubber bands.
How many tote a cue around without a case? A case is far more time and aggravation to mess with than joint protectors. I think the cheap plastic joint protectors are actually under $10 a pair but I haven't bought any lately. They are so light I screw them together and drop them in my pocket while playing. Ain't that big of a hardship in any respect.
One thing about dropping a cue while messing with the joint protectors, I take them off and put them on over the pool table, usually with the butt end of the cue resting on the table. A few inch drop almost flat isn't likely to do any harm.
Hu
Joint protectors aren't necessary. Neither is a cue case. I carried my first custom with two rubber bands holding it together and the butt giving the shaft a little protection. Then I carried it in a rolled up towel. Finally I really got fancy and cut up an old blanket and made a sort of sock for it to go in. I am a careful guy though and got by even before I started using the rubber bands.
How many tote a cue around without a case? A case is far more time and aggravation to mess with than joint protectors. I think the cheap plastic joint protectors are actually under $10 a pair but I haven't bought any lately. They are so light I screw them together and drop them in my pocket while playing. Ain't that big of a hardship in any respect.
One thing about dropping a cue while messing with the joint protectors, I take them off and put them on over the pool table, usually with the butt end of the cue resting on the table. A few inch drop almost flat isn't likely to do any harm.
Hu
Thanks for telling on me Jim!
That's why I have them for all of my cues, and why I go to Jim! I'm actually having Jim make me 2 more sets as soon as I can get this package sent out to him.
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I'd rather be safe then sorry and use joint protectors when carrying around my cues in a case of any kind or back in the day for me like HU not at all. I personally like the idea of sealing the moisture drawing ends of the cue's wood with a plug and giving the joint pin lateral stability. If the cue doesn't come with them I usually pic up a plastic/ceramic set of 3 for about $ 15 and I think it's worth the investment just for what I've mentioned already.
Hu...I also use the over the table method with JPs but would like to add that also prevents you from dropping, breaking or losing JPs. Some people I've known also use the over the table method for removing and replacing their cue in their case for the same reasons.
A friend of mine didn't believe in JPs either until he pulled his favorite playing shaft out of his case and dropped it. The joint end of the shaft hit the cement floor of the pool hall and cracked the fancy silver inlaid rings right off the shaft. It ended up costing him more than a slightly fancy set of protectors to get the cue repaired. I've never witnessed a cue butt dropped on the pin but I'm sure the cost of the protectors and the time to use them would be well worth it if it were to happen.
Hu...I also use the over the table method with JPs but would like to add that also prevents you from dropping, breaking or losing JPs. Some people I've known also use the over the table method for removing and replacing their cue in their case for the same reasons.
A friend of mine didn't believe in JPs either until he pulled his favorite playing shaft out of his case and dropped it. The joint end of the shaft hit the cement floor of the pool hall and cracked the fancy silver inlaid rings right off the shaft. It ended up costing him more than a slightly fancy set of protectors to get the cue repaired. I've never witnessed a cue butt dropped on the pin but I'm sure the cost of the protectors and the time to use them would be well worth it if it were to happen.
TheThaiger
Banned
HAHA, sorry. Faffing on in english terms means wasting time. e.g. - Playing a pro pool player day in day out is a faff on (waste of time) as I wont get to see the table as much to improve.
or
Taking the wheel off a car to check for faults is a faff on for me, where as a trained mechanic will do it because he/she is getting paid
I forgot I was on a American dominant site
I understood you, Monkey. Now, where are those hangers...
