Mcdermott H Series VBP?

C

Catalin

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I saw the recent McDermott factory tour that is circulating and I was impressed with some of the construction aspects, especially perfectly matching the shaft to the butt. If the shaft screws on tight, it should make for a sweet hitting cue.

I had a look at their website and the most recent H series features a system they call VBP, where you can place weight (s) anywhere inside the butt up until the joint. I can see a couple of minor issues but overall it sounds pretty amazing to be able to achieve virtually any balance point you want? What do you guys think.

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Logandgriff said:
Seems more like a gimmick than something that will make a significant difference in how the cue plays.
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I'm curious why you say that? Some people on here are very vocal about the exact balance point they prefer. You would think being able to do that in conjunction with their ideal weight would be great news?

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Catalin said:
I'm curious why you say that? Some people on here are very vocal about the exact balance point they prefer. You would think being able to do that in conjunction with their ideal weight would be great news?

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I'd be leery of something coming loose/rattles in the cue. To me its seems un-necessary and more of a sales come on/gimmick.
 
i got one a couple years ago and have very few problems with it. Biggest thing was the screws were coming loose and vibrating. I resolved this by tightening them down a little harder than I normally would for small screws like that. Once I did that they have no come loose since.

I got this cue because I was trying to decide on a shaft to play with at the time. I wanted to try a bunch of different shafts and see how each on felt. I knew the balance points would really change between shafts, esp between carbon and wood. I was able to fix the balance point for each shaft just to eliminate that as a variable when comparing.

Once I settled in on a shaft, I never really even though about changing the balance point, so its been set at my preferred location ever since.

I would not call it a gimmick because the cue plays really well otherwise. Its just another tool in the bag. I will say it was nice to be able to experiment with a really forward weighted cue (hated it) and rear weighted cue.

Oh yeah, one last thing is that the weights are super expensive and not a lot of places carry them. I tried to order from Mcdermott directly and they killed me on shipping costs (which is what made them really expensive). I was kind of dissapointed and actually ended up not ordering more weights.
 
I have sold some of these cues and people seem to like them. I had a couple guys front weight the cue because it felt like it helped keep the shaft down on their hand. I personally shoot with a custom McDermott with this technology and have had little issues. I wouldn't really call this a gimmick either. People like what people like and some people like being able to move the weights. As with everything in this sport, it is about person preference.
 
Maybe I'm old-fashioned (or just wrong) but in general I think that there's a lot of overthinking done with respect to pool cue specifications and specifically this is so with respect to balance point: (1) there was a blind test comparing pool joints and 7 out of 10 people couldn't figure out what kind of joint was on the cue; (2) various noted pool players (Don Willis, Bugs Rucker et al.) achieved superb results with gnarly house cues, and (3) our own beloved pool hall physicist Dr. Dave indicates that balance point is "mostly unimportant"):

("A cue’s balance point is its center of gravity, which is the point at which you can balance the cue (e.g., if you support it on a finger). Obviously, if using an open bridge, the balance point needs to be in front of the grip hand; otherwise, the cue would lift off the bridge. This can especially be a problem is one is short or has short arms and uses a short bridge length. Other than that, the balance point is mostly unimportant, except for personal preference based on “feel.” The balance point certainly does not impact shot effectiveness; although, weight distribution can affect a cue’s moment of inertia (see below). Also, a shaft that is heavy on the tip end (moving the balance point forward) will affect CB deflection, which does affect shots with sidespin.")
 
Logandgriff said:
Seems more like a gimmick than something that will make a significant difference in how the cue plays.
Click to expand...

It does not need to be "significant" to be worth doing. While I don't think it's anything most players would look for, the hit feel and balance point are a pretty big factor when selecting a cue someone likes, being able to play around with the balance without changing the cue is pretty similar to being able to change tips and shafts on the cue without changing the butt.
 
I've just received my cue with VBP for a few weeks and I like it. Due to the weight I ordered is on the light side, 18.5 oz, the weight is on the light size. I've moved the weight all the way to almost to the joint and got a 19.5" of balance point with Defy shaft. Ideally, I would like it to be at 20-21" balance point but 19.5 feels pretty good.
The only issue is the set screw for the weight keeps coming lose and I've ended up putting Loctite thread locker, removeable one, to hold it and so far so good.
 
Catalin said:
I saw the recent McDermott factory tour that is circulating and I was impressed with some of the construction aspects, especially perfectly matching the shaft to the butt. If the shaft screws on tight, it should make for a sweet hitting cue.

I had a look at their website and the most recent H series features a system they call VBP, where you can place weight (s) anywhere inside the butt up until the joint. I can see a couple of minor issues but overall it sounds pretty amazing to be able to achieve virtually any balance point you want? What do you guys think.

bc8a9b07c34cd4e1ca803501f488091c.jpg


Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
My son has been an ambassador for McDermott since he was 11 years old, he is now 15. McDermott has let him shoot with the H-Series cue for a couple of years.

We have had the issue of the bolt coming loose and needing to be tightened. When he hit his growth spirts it was nice to be able to adjust the weight further back as he grew and his back arm kept getting closer to the end of the cue. You can also add or subtract the weight. We were able to slide the weight back and forth easily to find out where it was best for his game and be more consistent with English.
 
Catalin said:
I'm curious why you say that? Some people on here are very vocal about the exact balance point they prefer. You would think being able to do that in conjunction with their ideal weight would be great news?

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


analysis paralysis
 
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