As some of you may know Mezz has a brand new line of Ace series cues coming later this year. The release is exciting with so many new designs coming up and especially as it has also been announced that the new Ace cues will have a new shaft by the name of WX-Alpha with them. The new shaft got me interested as I have grown to like the old Alpha Hybrid shaft quite a lot after purchasing one a while back.
I asked around some and managed to find a very helpful person that had already gotten the new, so far unreleased WX-A shaft that was willing to loan me their shaft for reviewing. Thank you Jimmy Worung for your trust in me and the chance to be among the first people to get their hands on the new shaft.
On to the actual review.
There was a lot of specualation on what the WX-A might bring when the first pictures were posted up on the group and I was following the discussion closely and also had a guess of my own based on what was known about it and the pictures themselves.
The name was a giveaway for me, WX-A. WX is by far the most common type of Mezz shaft out there as they come stock with most models and turns out the WX stands true to what it has been known for so far, a one piece maple shaft with a light weight front end to make it lower in deflection.
The shaft that I got for reviewing measures at 12.85mm at the ferrule and weights 111.2g.
I hit a couple of balls with the shaft and it was clear that the the new Alpha is totally different from the old Hybrid one. The hit is noticeably softer with a bit more flex to it. There are a lot of similiarities with a WX700 feelwise on center ball hits. That same solid thump that you get with a really good quality maple shaft puts a smile on your face and the sound of hit sings some sweet tones when you strike the ball purely. Absolute joy in that regard. That same sensation doesn't go unchanged when you go towards the edges of the cue ball but the tone of the hit goes up gradually as you start getting closer to the miscue limit. With my stroke the hit changes to remind me more of the hit of an ExPro when extreme side is used and that was interesting in my opinion as the shaft doesn't have a core but thats just the thought that came to my mind when I started shooting balls with it. Despite hitting different with extreme spin I don't mean that in a bad way. The LD properties are in play with extreme spin and that higher, remotely hollow, sound is most likely caused by the shafts front steering clear of the CB. I rarely have to even go that far from the center anyway so I think the shaft hits really well on all shots that come up in regular play.
There is something about this shaft that makes it just generally pleasant to play with from the get go. I put it on my cue and started shooting drills with it and it clicked for me right away. When there was room to play position to I was playing up to my usual speed despite changing shafts. If there was very precise position and speed control required I was struggling a little as I am used to a different taper and a hard tip instead of the soft that the shaft came with. I also let my brother hit a couple balls with it and he said the same things after the first rack; This shaft plays well and the hit is very easy to like. He also said the following when I asked him to compare the Alpha hybrid and the WX-A; The new one hits like a Mercedes Benz, it rides smooth and easy. The Hybrid is like a BMW, it is a drivers car that you really have to drive but when you do it gives you that driving sensation. I couldn't agree more. The WX-A is easier to like for majority of players and if I had to guess it will become more popular after release than the old version did if the price follows suit with the other WX shafts.
WX-A also sports a new ferrule material. It is a light shade of brown in colour, not that gorgeous as it is on its own but I got along with it really well. Gives some contrast against the cue ball but didn't feel odd at all like black ferrules do for a while. It feels harder than NX ferrules and with the hours that I have on the shaft it doensn't seem to get dirty as quick either. The hit is good also so the material works, I would buy some for sure if it was available in rod form.
The taper is very similiar if not the same as the older model. Rather stiff with a high taper rise. Might be a bit uncomfortable with a closed bridge if you have a long bridge length but the good thing is that you can always take a little off from it if you want to. I modified my Hybrid shafts taper back quite a bit and I bet this new shaft would also play better if the taper was taken back a bit aswell. Works well as it is though, especially with an open bridge.
Deflection is nearly as low to that of a Predator 314'3 from what I compared it with. More than on a WX900 but a bit less than on a stock Hybrid alpha was from the factory. It is a shame I couldn't make an apples to apples comparasion with the different generation Alphas deflection as my shafts taper is different and the modification made a difference in the way it throws the ball with side. What was nice in my opinion was the fact that the amount of deflection was surprisingly similiar with different speeds from medium to hard shots. I got the hang of it very quickly and could shoot with extreme side with confidence just as I would with my own shaft.
Wood quality in this particular shaft is what you might expect from Mezz, superb. I have no idea where they get their shaft wood from but their shafts are pristine more often than not and this one is no exception. The fit was perfect on my CP13SW butt aswell but that is what we Mezz heads are used to anyway. We are a bit spoiled in that regard, I know
Thats enough about the techical aspects, its time to summarize how I like and how I feel about the new shaft to be released later this year.
The tech nerd in my was secretly expecting some new techinal innovation for its construction but that didn't quite come true apart from the new ferrule material. That said I also have to admit that the old saying "Don't fix it unless it is broken" holds true with this aswell. The more traditional approach makes for a good shaft that will comply to most players liking, I don't think there are many players out there that would condemn it to be unplayable as it is rather nice all around no matter how you look at it.
I think that in a perfect world both Alphas should stay in production as they are that different from each other. Unfortanetely the Hybrid Alpha is already discontinued from production.
WX-A is an excellent addition to the Mezz WX shaft family for those that like a bigger tip size still with low deflection compared to a solid maple shaft. I would gladly own one aswell and I would definitely see how it would play with the same modifications that I always do to my own shafts. I'd guess it would become more sporty and that could bring out the inner BMW from the already very solid and good shaft.
Enjoy the pictures! There is a stock WX900 shaft in some of the pictures for taper comparasions sake :smile:
I end my review here, feel free to ask me anything in this thread or by PM and I will do my best to answer to the best of my abilities
I asked around some and managed to find a very helpful person that had already gotten the new, so far unreleased WX-A shaft that was willing to loan me their shaft for reviewing. Thank you Jimmy Worung for your trust in me and the chance to be among the first people to get their hands on the new shaft.
On to the actual review.
There was a lot of specualation on what the WX-A might bring when the first pictures were posted up on the group and I was following the discussion closely and also had a guess of my own based on what was known about it and the pictures themselves.
The name was a giveaway for me, WX-A. WX is by far the most common type of Mezz shaft out there as they come stock with most models and turns out the WX stands true to what it has been known for so far, a one piece maple shaft with a light weight front end to make it lower in deflection.
The shaft that I got for reviewing measures at 12.85mm at the ferrule and weights 111.2g.
I hit a couple of balls with the shaft and it was clear that the the new Alpha is totally different from the old Hybrid one. The hit is noticeably softer with a bit more flex to it. There are a lot of similiarities with a WX700 feelwise on center ball hits. That same solid thump that you get with a really good quality maple shaft puts a smile on your face and the sound of hit sings some sweet tones when you strike the ball purely. Absolute joy in that regard. That same sensation doesn't go unchanged when you go towards the edges of the cue ball but the tone of the hit goes up gradually as you start getting closer to the miscue limit. With my stroke the hit changes to remind me more of the hit of an ExPro when extreme side is used and that was interesting in my opinion as the shaft doesn't have a core but thats just the thought that came to my mind when I started shooting balls with it. Despite hitting different with extreme spin I don't mean that in a bad way. The LD properties are in play with extreme spin and that higher, remotely hollow, sound is most likely caused by the shafts front steering clear of the CB. I rarely have to even go that far from the center anyway so I think the shaft hits really well on all shots that come up in regular play.
There is something about this shaft that makes it just generally pleasant to play with from the get go. I put it on my cue and started shooting drills with it and it clicked for me right away. When there was room to play position to I was playing up to my usual speed despite changing shafts. If there was very precise position and speed control required I was struggling a little as I am used to a different taper and a hard tip instead of the soft that the shaft came with. I also let my brother hit a couple balls with it and he said the same things after the first rack; This shaft plays well and the hit is very easy to like. He also said the following when I asked him to compare the Alpha hybrid and the WX-A; The new one hits like a Mercedes Benz, it rides smooth and easy. The Hybrid is like a BMW, it is a drivers car that you really have to drive but when you do it gives you that driving sensation. I couldn't agree more. The WX-A is easier to like for majority of players and if I had to guess it will become more popular after release than the old version did if the price follows suit with the other WX shafts.
WX-A also sports a new ferrule material. It is a light shade of brown in colour, not that gorgeous as it is on its own but I got along with it really well. Gives some contrast against the cue ball but didn't feel odd at all like black ferrules do for a while. It feels harder than NX ferrules and with the hours that I have on the shaft it doensn't seem to get dirty as quick either. The hit is good also so the material works, I would buy some for sure if it was available in rod form.
The taper is very similiar if not the same as the older model. Rather stiff with a high taper rise. Might be a bit uncomfortable with a closed bridge if you have a long bridge length but the good thing is that you can always take a little off from it if you want to. I modified my Hybrid shafts taper back quite a bit and I bet this new shaft would also play better if the taper was taken back a bit aswell. Works well as it is though, especially with an open bridge.
Deflection is nearly as low to that of a Predator 314'3 from what I compared it with. More than on a WX900 but a bit less than on a stock Hybrid alpha was from the factory. It is a shame I couldn't make an apples to apples comparasion with the different generation Alphas deflection as my shafts taper is different and the modification made a difference in the way it throws the ball with side. What was nice in my opinion was the fact that the amount of deflection was surprisingly similiar with different speeds from medium to hard shots. I got the hang of it very quickly and could shoot with extreme side with confidence just as I would with my own shaft.
Wood quality in this particular shaft is what you might expect from Mezz, superb. I have no idea where they get their shaft wood from but their shafts are pristine more often than not and this one is no exception. The fit was perfect on my CP13SW butt aswell but that is what we Mezz heads are used to anyway. We are a bit spoiled in that regard, I know
Thats enough about the techical aspects, its time to summarize how I like and how I feel about the new shaft to be released later this year.
The tech nerd in my was secretly expecting some new techinal innovation for its construction but that didn't quite come true apart from the new ferrule material. That said I also have to admit that the old saying "Don't fix it unless it is broken" holds true with this aswell. The more traditional approach makes for a good shaft that will comply to most players liking, I don't think there are many players out there that would condemn it to be unplayable as it is rather nice all around no matter how you look at it.
I think that in a perfect world both Alphas should stay in production as they are that different from each other. Unfortanetely the Hybrid Alpha is already discontinued from production.
WX-A is an excellent addition to the Mezz WX shaft family for those that like a bigger tip size still with low deflection compared to a solid maple shaft. I would gladly own one aswell and I would definitely see how it would play with the same modifications that I always do to my own shafts. I'd guess it would become more sporty and that could bring out the inner BMW from the already very solid and good shaft.
Enjoy the pictures! There is a stock WX900 shaft in some of the pictures for taper comparasions sake :smile:
I end my review here, feel free to ask me anything in this thread or by PM and I will do my best to answer to the best of my abilities
