Lowest deflection kielwood
- Thread starter TeddyKGB
- Start date
just my $.02 here but asking for deflection results from random players is probably not the best way to test shafts.All players, me included, have their own methods for testing deflect., also everyone has their own stroke and cb striking method. That being said the lowest defl. shaft i've ever hit was a PredZ(don't know the ver.) I don't see any KW shaft, unless made exactly like a Z, being lower in defl. The differences in these top shafts are tiny. I wouldn't worry about this. Regardless of the one u pick you still have to adjust to it. I like BD shafts, i'd bet that a KW 360/2 would be sweet.
its still a lot like asking five people what their favorite wine/beer/pizza is. the chances of one of those opinions lining up with yours is kinda slim. i get it, testing shafts sucks.
The process of making kielwood makes the wood lighter and reduces front end mass so the deflection is lower than a standard maple shaft.
But a front end cored maple or CF will still have lower end mass and will generate less deflection.
I have the InFuzed kielwood shaft that is cored with CF at the front end that supposedly reduce deflation but it still deflects more than a Predator 314 or any CF shaft
But a front end cored maple or CF will still have lower end mass and will generate less deflection.
I have the InFuzed kielwood shaft that is cored with CF at the front end that supposedly reduce deflation but it still deflects more than a Predator 314 or any CF shaft
my problem with kw is the sound. i've hit a few and they all make this funky 'tonk' sound that i can't stand. rather hit maple or cf any day.
There is a sound “issue” with mine but I contribute it the tip installed (Kamui Clear Tan Hard) that gave me bad sound on another shaft as well. I need to replace the tip and see if it gets better, I’m sure it will.
I have a solid maple shaft that was made from a Barnhart old growth maple blank with an Agis ferrule for a custom cue made for me. Best sound ever but I don’t use it as I prefer low deflection shafts.
you made it sound funny. speaking of tonk, doesn't it make it sound that it's hollow? my hired builder is suggesting it although I haven't tried a kw yet. speaking of, it might benefit to have a different ferrule like a titanium as far as sound goes? possibly using a soft tip alongside of it might help? now that you've mentioned about the sound, I might considering changing the ferrule and tip when I decide to get a kw.
kinda hollow i guess. nothing like reg. maple. i'm a sound guy, same in golf too, and if the cue or club/ball don't sound right i'm out. Can't use it. Cookin the sugar out might reduce squirt but to me it ruins the sound.
as far as lowest deflection goes, I don't bother myself about it as of the moment especially if the difference ain't that huge. not really kw related but the hybrid SMO seems to be having some good reviews on them even if a few says the difference is negligible. atleast that the closest one they said that it's very low deflection.
dendweller
Well-known member
I've read that kielwood, being dried is more brittle and is not the best wood to drill out as it would be prone to cracking. That tidbit came from one of the active cue builders on this site. Drilling out is probably the most effective way of lowering mass and deflection.
it does sound distracting. I have to do more research on kw but if those modification help significantly, I just might consider kw out of curiosity. I'll ask my builder about it and the much needed mods.
in reality you'd probably adjust to the sound pretty quik. its just so different it kinda jarred me.
well, personally it does seem asinine. I don't think that baking the wood and then coring it out and inserting a tube would create less deflection. from my point of view, it would just contribute to less durability. I think the typical carbon fiber cored maple is the best implementation so far of reducing deflection while retaining the feel of wood.
I think it doesn't change the way we play but it does create a chuckle (for me atleast) just hearing it. besides, I don't want to be identified in the pool room as the guy with the funny sounding cue. the only times the I heard that tonk sound is whenever my cue comes loose and you know immediately that something is wrong.
dendweller
Well-known member
predator doesn't insert a tube, they just core it about a 1/4 of an inch for the first 5 inches. It's hollow. Predator's Z is what the op is trying to match. It's low, and coring does help with deflection. I'd think a cf tube helps make it more stiff and probably more durable than if it would be just cored.
carbon core by itself has nothing to do with deflection. deflection is all about end mass reduction. THE best wood shaft i've ever hit is the original Mezz HrbridPro1, 12.8mm, played/hit/sounded like a Schon shaft but with less squirt. It had carbon rod in it and a lightened front end. Had to sell it but i may be getting that cue back.
Consider putting a linen sound buffer tip pad on as well if you are going to replace the tip anyway.
its not that loud. you need to try one, only way to find out. i wouldn't order one without a test drive of a KW shaft.
the fear would be the cored kw. even let's say that it's reinforced with cf tube. the kw could still be susceptible to cracking and it's only held up by epoxy resin. or let's say the kw would act like the bark of a tree wrapped with glue?