Holy crap, I just received this shaft in the mail and shot about 10 racks and then shot a dozen or so long, straight-in shots hard with big English and could virtually not miss. Squirt is virtually eliminated. My accuracy improvement was immediately noticeable. As I've never even test-shot with an LD shaft before, I can't speak to "OB vs other LD shafts;" however, if you haven't used an LD shaft before but are thinking "is this real?" Yes, it is. Just go ahead and get one. For anybody who wants more details....
I attached the shaft to my 17 year old McDermott butt, which appears to be a GS-13. The shaft screwed together snugly onto the butt and the diameter of the shaft is a hair smaller than the butt at the joint but I don't care because it doesn't come into play.
When shooting, I can feel no difference in the width or taper of the OB vs the original shaft on my GS-13. Warning, I am not very particular about shafts, I can shoot pretty happily but not as good with a warped house cue with a conical taper so if you are serious about a particular fit then don't pay attention to this part of the evaluation.
I really was seriously considering the OB Pro Plus shaft because I was intrigued by the ultra-low deflection and the alleged "betterness" of small tips in general according to lots of stuff I've read. However, even that is argued and some say 13mm or even more is ideal. I was advised by Nielsen's to just stick with what I know for now since I never test-shot either cue. *******I wish OB had drawings on its website depicting the taper silhouette of the Pro vs. Classic because I haven't heard anyone able to describe, including the OB website, these "modified pro" or "modified conical" taper. At least one other manufacturer has such silhouettes.
I like the stock tip on my OB cue. I can't accurately tell you about feedback or feel because I've never really thought about it before but it just feels good and right- as opposed to those cues you shoot with that sort of "clank" when you hit. I would say the tip is softer than my old cue as after shooting there was chalk all over my table, suggesting to me that the tip was really holding a lot of chalk.
In closing, ever since I got my first table in May of this year, which was also my first time ever shooting on pro-cut pockets, I have not shot as well as I used to shoot. I've often taken long breaks from playing pool over the past 30-35 years and always came back intuitively shooting just like I used to or better... but not this comeback. Playing with this new shaft, though, seems to have brought it all back. There was no "adjustment time" for me, it's as if the lack of squirt more than compensated for the tighter pockets on my table.
The OB shaft looks great. I hear the new ones look more like a solid shaft than the last generation but for the aestheticians out there, I can see (but not feel) what appears to be one seam due to change in grain pattern. That's okay by me; all I care about is how the stick works and it works more than "just fine."
I'll post again after a few days in case all of those racks and shots were just flukes.
I attached the shaft to my 17 year old McDermott butt, which appears to be a GS-13. The shaft screwed together snugly onto the butt and the diameter of the shaft is a hair smaller than the butt at the joint but I don't care because it doesn't come into play.
When shooting, I can feel no difference in the width or taper of the OB vs the original shaft on my GS-13. Warning, I am not very particular about shafts, I can shoot pretty happily but not as good with a warped house cue with a conical taper so if you are serious about a particular fit then don't pay attention to this part of the evaluation.
I really was seriously considering the OB Pro Plus shaft because I was intrigued by the ultra-low deflection and the alleged "betterness" of small tips in general according to lots of stuff I've read. However, even that is argued and some say 13mm or even more is ideal. I was advised by Nielsen's to just stick with what I know for now since I never test-shot either cue. *******I wish OB had drawings on its website depicting the taper silhouette of the Pro vs. Classic because I haven't heard anyone able to describe, including the OB website, these "modified pro" or "modified conical" taper. At least one other manufacturer has such silhouettes.
I like the stock tip on my OB cue. I can't accurately tell you about feedback or feel because I've never really thought about it before but it just feels good and right- as opposed to those cues you shoot with that sort of "clank" when you hit. I would say the tip is softer than my old cue as after shooting there was chalk all over my table, suggesting to me that the tip was really holding a lot of chalk.
In closing, ever since I got my first table in May of this year, which was also my first time ever shooting on pro-cut pockets, I have not shot as well as I used to shoot. I've often taken long breaks from playing pool over the past 30-35 years and always came back intuitively shooting just like I used to or better... but not this comeback. Playing with this new shaft, though, seems to have brought it all back. There was no "adjustment time" for me, it's as if the lack of squirt more than compensated for the tighter pockets on my table.
The OB shaft looks great. I hear the new ones look more like a solid shaft than the last generation but for the aestheticians out there, I can see (but not feel) what appears to be one seam due to change in grain pattern. That's okay by me; all I care about is how the stick works and it works more than "just fine."
I'll post again after a few days in case all of those racks and shots were just flukes.
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