Low Deflection Shafts (History Question)

[VarmintKong]

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that it allows cheaper wood.

So... then many laminate shafts are made of junk wood?

Or... some laminate shafts are made of junk wood?

Maybe... most laminate shafts are made of good solid wood?

But... it is getting harder and harder to find really nice shaft wood for what we’ve been led to believe are technologically inferior cue shafts? Yet solid maple shafts are still the cheaper option. For how long?

 

[891014+1]

Longoni started laminated shafts in the 80's. By that time Predator doesn't even existed.

 

[Cornerman]

Longoni started laminated shafts in the 80's. By that time Predator doesn't even existed.

Flat lamination has never shown to contribute to lowering cueball deflection. I highly doubt Longoni was trying for lowerring cueball deflection with that techniques”.

People only used the word “laminate” to Predator shafts. They’re not laminated. They are spliced together in pie segments radially. Too many words to say, so many say, “pie spliced.”

314 comes from 3.14, which is the number Pi.

 

[Cornerman]

So... then many laminate shafts are made of junk wood?

Or... some laminate shafts are made of junk wood?

Maybe... most laminate shafts are made of good solid wood?

But... it is getting harder and harder to find really nice shaft wood for what we’ve been led to believe are technologically inferior cue shafts? Yet solid maple shafts are still the cheaper option. For how long?

We can at least say that portions of a dowel that might be considered junk can be excluded in a pie-spliced shafts.

 

[Zerksies]

So... then many laminate shafts are made of junk wood?

Or... some laminate shafts are made of junk wood?

Maybe... most laminate shafts are made of good solid wood?

But... it is getting harder and harder to find really nice shaft wood for what we’ve been led to believe are technologically inferior cue shafts? Yet solid maple shafts are still the cheaper option. For how long?

I would think that using laminate would would allow the oppertunity to use lesser qaulity wood.

Back in the early 2000's when i started playing I seen that predator was using laminate wood. I knew from my years in construction that laminate wood was in theory was stronger. I didn't even see a predator add but it had me sold.

 

[hang-the-9]

I was on a Discord server, and someone mentioned Jacoby making cues for Predator. I commented about Jacoby pre-dating Predator by about a decade, but that Predator successfully marketed low deflection shafts, and have managed to overshadow older cuemakers due to that (and other factors).

Anyway, I'm sure that other makers (individuals and/or companies) had "experimented" with low deflection shafts (sectional, glued wood design), but can anyone confirm that Predator was the first to truly mass market low deflection shafts?

Jacoby making cues for Predator does not have anything to do with the shafts Predator made, it's just that they partnered with Predator on design and marketing. First time I have heard of the LD shafts was from Predator, and Meucci I think followed right after with a rebuttal, but their shafts were not in the same league and whatever they ware talking about was not the same low deflection Predator was touting.

 

[hang-the-9]

One thing I’ve never understood.

Are the laminate shafts made with junk wood? Or is it good northern maple laminated in a pie or flat pattern?

I’ve always played a solid wood shaft with a tight grain. Shoot it til it felt right.

Yes.

You can make them with both. The OB+ models were made with a nicer grade of wood and marketed as such as an example.