Maple shafts versus Low deflection shafts.

Philthepockets said:
To be fair 13.5 mm ivory vs a hollow 11.75 mm thermoplastic is not a fair fight.
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I agree now. At the time I was trying to determine for myself if the Predator shaft "really" improved my game. I had read all the hype and thought it worth the effort to learn for my self if a change was needed.

With hind sight it is a no brainer and as you say, not a fair fight. At the time I did not know that and had to find out for myself.

We all read a lot of hype about different things. Some of the things I have read (here and other places) I have tried and found not to be useful.

I try not to get into arguments with others and pass on many postings that have not worked for me. But once in a while I find a nugget and will then present what I have found.
 
JoeyA said:
Can maple shafts perform as well or better than low deflection shafts?

If so, what properties of maple shafts enhance their performance?

What type of taper do you prefer for rotational games?


Thanks,
JoeyA
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Joey, these threads continue to come up again and again, the end result is always the same.

When the Low deflection shaft craze started many claims were made, more consistent / uniform feel and performance from shaft to shaft, changing from one shaft to the next would need no adjustment period like maple shafts do and of course low deflection. Now time has proven the above to not be true, these shafts do have differences in how they play and feel from shaft to shaft. Last the low deflection ability is also not always the same from shaft to shaft by the same maker and anyone who has been using these shafts for many years know's that this is true. So in the end the only thing that is true is that the low deflection shafts do have less deflection than a standard Maple shaft that is unaltered.


But in the end it all comes down to a single fact, it is personal preference and it is the operator not the tool and this applies to anything were a specific tool performs a function in an operator's hands.


JIMO
 
My experience as a player and a cuemaker is this.

Radial laminated shafts are almost impossible to make straight. I have seen hundreds of shafts and almost none are straight. Each lamination seems to want to be in charge.

Low mass in the ferrule end of the shaft and a ferrule with a high modulus of elasticity is the most important part.

I play with the Universal Smart Shaft low squirt and like it a lot. I always played with an ivory ferrule before and would NEVER go back. It took me about 5 minutes to make the adjustment.

I find anything smaller than 12.5 difficult to play pool with. Seems like you are hitting the cue ball with a straw. Perhaps it is just personal.

Bill Stroud
 
HOWEVER... There are plenty of beginners reading these posts and sucking in all the hype about these shafts and tips believing there is some kind of magic that goes with them. Believing they need this stuff to play well and they go out and spend money they don't have on things they don't need. That, I suppose pisses me off the most.[/QUOTE]


I would prefer the beginner to buy something good from the get go.
That way, the are not wasting their money on other frivolous things like beer and cigaretes etc.
The also learn straight away about how to use a good cue, will look after it,will take the sport more seriously.
I see people have a hang up on the price of an aftermarket cue shaft or have a mindblock on a $2500 poolcue.
Pool/Snooker/9Ball etc is a really cheap sport to get into compared to other sports ,like golf or hobbies.
Get into GoKarting, a cheap engine is setting you back $1800 and you may need 2 of them for a season.
Technology works.There are alot of people around the world constantly developing new technonlogies for sports.Their aim is to improve playability of the sport. Not just cue sports but all sports. Table tennis is an area where to be at the top, you have to have a new bat.The compound breaks down and then can no longer get the required spin on the ball to have the advantage required.
It is onething to have the equipment and quite another to be able to use it.To use it, needs practice and lots of it.
Then ofcourse, is the individuals ability to find their limit of what they can do.
 
bstroud said:
My experience as a player and a cuemaker is this.

Radial laminated shafts are almost impossible to make straight. I have seen hundreds of shafts and almost none are straight. Each lamination seems to want to be in charge.

Low mass in the ferrule end of the shaft and a ferrule with a high modulus of elasticity is the most important part.

I play with the Universal Smart Shaft low squirt and like it a lot. I always played with an ivory ferrule before and would NEVER go back. It took me about 5 minutes to make the adjustment.

I find anything smaller than 12.5 difficult to play pool with. Seems like you are hitting the cue ball with a straw. Perhaps it is just personal.

Bill Stroud
Click to expand...


Bill, I'm guessing you're throwing out something important there with the reference to the "high modulus of elasticity is the most important part"... would you care to expound?

On a related note: I've always suspected that somewhere between the height of a brand new 14 layers of tip and getting down to the last couple of layers, there is an ideal or optimum height for a cue tip. Care to comment?

Lou Figueroa
 
Definition: When a material is subjected to an external load it becomes distorted or strained. With metals, provided the loading is not too great, they return to their original dimensions when the load is removed, i.e. they are elastic. Within the limits of elasticity, the ratio of the linear stress to the linear strain is termed the modulus of elasticity or more commonly known as Young's Modulus.

All shafts return to their original shape/straitness after impact with the CB. A stiff shaft will not bend or move away from the CB as much as a more compliant shaft on impact with the CB.

Generally, a 13.5mm diameter rigid shaft will not move away from the CB at impact as much as an 11mm willowy shaft since the mass of the CB remains constant.
 
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