ob shaft warranty

Trinacria (I still don't know who you are!)

The day that you came by our booth was extremely busy. Just because there may not have been a lot of people in the booth at the exact moment when you were there does not mean we didn't have anything to do.

I don't have a photographic memory of our conversation, but I do remember not getting the receipt and explaining to you that I have no means at a show to verify your purchase. If I failed to flat out ask for the receipt, then I apologize. Without proof of purchase, the things that I can do are very limited. I felt that I communicated that pretty well.

Every cue shaft we sell comes with 2 labels. One that explains tip replacement and the carbon fiber pads, and one that explains about our warranty. I have spent considerable time trying to come up with a better way to communicate these important things, but at the moment the labels are the best way we know of.

Have you been to our website? Have you looked at our warranty page to see how to get warranty? You still have warranty. If you would like to go to our warranty page and follow the directions there, we will be happy to do whatever we can to take care of you. As a matter of fact, it would most likely happen without even coming across my desk. I have 2 people in our office that process all returns. We not only do some warranty work, but we also do quite a bit of cue and shaft maintenance for customers who send things to us.

At this point, I don't think there is anything more I can communicate by going back and forth on a forum. If you would like to talk further, then call our office at 972-578-9100. We would be happy to help you.

Thanks

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
Trinacria (I still don't know who you are!)

The day that you came by our booth was extremely busy. Just because there may not have been a lot of people in the booth at the exact moment when you were there does not mean we didn't have anything to do.

I don't have a photographic memory of our conversation, but I do remember not getting the receipt and explaining to you that I have no means at a show to verify your purchase. If I failed to flat out ask for the receipt, then I apologize. Without proof of purchase, the things that I can do are very limited. I felt that I communicated that pretty well.

Every cue shaft we sell comes with 2 labels. One that explains tip replacement and the carbon fiber pads, and one that explains about our warranty. I have spent considerable time trying to come up with a better way to communicate these important things, but at the moment the labels are the best way we know of.

Have you been to our website? Have you looked at our warranty page to see how to get warranty? You still have warranty. If you would like to go to our warranty page and follow the directions there, we will be happy to do whatever we can to take care of you. As a matter of fact, it would most likely happen without even coming across my desk. I have 2 people in our office that process all returns. We not only do some warranty work, but we also do quite a bit of cue and shaft maintenance for customers who send things to us.

At this point, I don't think there is anything more I can communicate by going back and forth on a forum. If you would like to talk further, then call our office at 972-578-9100. We would be happy to help you.

Thanks

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com

no, im done with your product, like you stated above, when the finish wears out, which will always wear out, due to chalk being abrasive, the laminated wood will raise and splinter off, you are stating that it is inevitable for your shafts not to get ruined. SO for me to keep the shaft in proper condition I will need to spend $12.50 for pad, cost of tip plus installation that ranges from $15 to $50 and $25 to get the shaft resealed, which will cost an OB user $40 to $85 everytime a new tip and cleaning is needed. thats ridiculous, and that without adding the shipping and packaging to send it out. anyone have a SOLID 12mm maple shaft ill trade you for a splintering OB Cls pro.
 
no, im done with your product, like you stated above, when the finish wears out, which will always wear out, due to chalk being abrasive, the laminated wood will raise and splinter off, you are stating that it is inevitable for your shafts not to get ruined. SO for me to keep the shaft in proper condition I will need to spend $12.50 for pad, cost of tip plus installation that ranges from $15 to $50 and $25 to get the shaft resealed, which will cost an OB user $40 to $85 everytime a new tip and cleaning is needed. thats ridiculous, and that without adding the shipping and packaging to send it out. anyone have a SOLID 12mm maple shaft ill trade you for a splintering OB Cls pro.

This is absolutely not correct.

The two things are not related at all.

As I stated earlier, you can send it to us and we can help you out. If you choose not to, that is your choice. Even after all this, I still don't know who you are. Without that, I can't even be sure that your cue shaft is under warranty. I'll go one step further and offer to pay shipping here and back if you want to resolve the issue. If not, then there isn't anything more I can offer.

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
Hey Royce, I wanted to mention that I too had an OB1 shaft splintering like what you saw in the picture and even worse, under the varnish, there was a tiny split near the joint.
So what I did was, have a tiny piece of maple sanded into grains and used that as filler with wood glue and then smoothened it all out.But still, is the splintering a recurring issue? Are you guys working on it...?

This is no bash, I just want to find out if you guys had research in it. I just ordered the 135 cue from DoubleDaveCues, so i'm sticking with the good hitting materials.
But as a live in Europe, you can imagine, it's not as easy to send a shaft back in, because of high shipment expenses and plus if you'd send it back in, our customs are that *****y, they'd charge the same taxes on a shaft I once paid for all over again.

Yet I'd like to mention, the unique hit and high performance makes me stick to this...

same as me
 
I have 5 obs, and all but one have the same trouble, and is the newest one. I'm switching to mezz. OBs are great shafts but it seems with time they start falling apart. Will post pics later.

same as me times 4, thats 6 shafts total plus my orifginal shaft which is a total of seven so far. everyone else feel free to join in on your experience with splinters in your hands and blood on your shafts. Ive been told it takes blood, sweat and tears to learn this game, literally!!!!!!
 
I have an ob classic pro and mine is smooth as silk. But then again I take care of my shaft. I clean the shaft before and after every use with a damp papertowl and a dry paper towel. Then about once every two weeks or so I clean the shaft using cue cleaner then re-apply a coat of cue wax. (mind you I play league 6 nights a week, others would not to do this as often.) Then about once every 2 months I clean, it remove the wax build up. re-seal it with speed sealer, then re-wax. Again like I said i play 6 nights a week though so i use my stick way more than most. So I end up doing it more often. But doing it yourself it will only cost you about 10 bucks a year. If you have someone else do it , it may cost as much as 15 a year.

I have had several OB shafts come accross my lathe for cleaning and the ones that were splintering where always the ones where they were not taken care of properly. And with a little bit of love and care I got them back to smooth and silky. You wouldnt apply abrasive materials to the side of your car and not expect the finish to be affected. And you sure cant blame the car for being screwed up if you just let it go. Well that is exactly what yyou are doing to your shaft with the chalk. It's an abrasive. You need to take care of your stuff, and it will take care of you. Abuse your stuff and it will splinter and break.

In this instance if the carbon fibre pad was gone, obvioulsy they person didnt read the stickers on the new shaft. And obviously didnt have a COMPETANT cue smith replace his tip. Every cue smith I know who knows his job knows to keep the carbon fibre pad on the ob shaft. If it was splintering that means it doesnt have the seal on it. The OP obviously was not taking care of his shaft the way the manufacturer suggests.

Royce has offered to pay for the shipping and to to do the warantee work for free on the shaft even though:
1.) It is obvious that the work will need done because of neglect on the end users part.
2.) The person has been playing without the carbon fibre pad.
3.) More than likely the person never registered the shaft for warentee purposes(and if they did I am sorry)

All things that are expressly forbidden under the warantee of OB shafts. Yet he is still offering to go out of his way to help the OP. In my opinion that is standing by your product more than 100%. He is doing way more than most companies would do.
 
no, im done with your product, like you stated above, when the finish wears out, which will always wear out, due to chalk being abrasive, the laminated wood will raise and splinter off, you are stating that it is inevitable for your shafts not to get ruined. SO for me to keep the shaft in proper condition I will need to spend $12.50 for pad, cost of tip plus installation that ranges from $15 to $50 and $25 to get the shaft resealed, which will cost an OB user $40 to $85 everytime a new tip and cleaning is needed. thats ridiculous, and that without adding the shipping and packaging to send it out. anyone have a SOLID 12mm maple shaft ill trade you for a splintering OB Cls pro.

That is just untrue. if you go to the OB website it tells you how to take care of your own shaft and it wont cost that much. and if you take it to a COMPETANT reppair person it wont cost that much either.

first method do it yourself.
Cost = 16 bucks
sealer at home depot 10 bucks can do hundreds of aplications = 10 bucks
q wiz =3 bucks
paper towels = free with purchase of cheesburger from Mcdonalds
wax =3 bucks can do hundreds of aplications

even if you consider sealer at 100 aplications and wax at 100 and qwiz thrown out after a hundred the cost per cleaning would be
sealer =10 cents
qwiz= 3 cents
wax= 3 cents

total to do yourself as recomended by manufacturer 16 cents.per cleaning even if you cleaned it every day like this you would still be at 16 bucks every 4 months but who in their right mond would do this every time they shoot more realistically it would be more like once ever week for your die hard OCD patient and even then it would last you 2 years.

option two take it to a repair person
Cleaning ranges from 10 to 15 bucks usually and doesnt need to be done but maybe once every 6 months if done correctly but even if you did it once every 3 months it would only be 40 to 60 bucks a year. even at 60 bucks a year itis only 16 cents a day. but honestly if you have been cleaning it the way your supposed to you would only need 1 cleaning a year by a professional.

As far as the carbon fibre pad goes, if you take it to a COMPETANT repair person they wont replace the pad every time and it wont cost you anything for a new pad. If you read the web site it says just replace the tip not the pad. But even if it is needed to be replaced ordering the pads from OB themselves it is only 12.50 for 6 pads. Buy them yourself and have them put it on.

Even taking it to repair person you should not be spending more than 15 bucks to recondition the shaft. And if you are doing what you are supposed to it should never need sealed at 25 bucks.

With all that being said what is the shaft to. I have several solid shafts I would be willing to trade you I just need to know what pin it is.
 
I have an ob classic pro and mine is smooth as silk. But then again I take care of my shaft. I clean the shaft before and after every use with a damp papertowl and a dry paper towel. Then about once every two weeks or so I clean the shaft using cue cleaner then re-apply a coat of cue wax. (mind you I play league 6 nights a week, others would not to do this as often.) Then about once every 2 months I clean, it remove the wax build up. re-seal it with speed sealer, then re-wax. Again like I said i play 6 nights a week though so i use my stick way more than most. So I end up doing it more often. But doing it yourself it will only cost you about 10 bucks a year. If you have someone else do it , it may cost as much as 15 a year.

I have had several OB shafts come accross my lathe for cleaning and the ones that were splintering where always the ones where they were not taken care of properly. And with a little bit of love and care I got them back to smooth and silky. You wouldnt apply abrasive materials to the side of your car and not expect the finish to be affected. And you sure cant blame the car for being screwed up if you just let it go. Well that is exactly what yyou are doing to your shaft with the chalk. It's an abrasive. You need to take care of your stuff, and it will take care of you. Abuse your stuff and it will splinter and break.

In this instance if the carbon fibre pad was gone, obvioulsy they person didnt read the stickers on the new shaft. And obviously didnt have a COMPETANT cue smith replace his tip. Every cue smith I know who knows his job knows to keep the carbon fibre pad on the ob shaft. If it was splintering that means it doesnt have the seal on it. The OP obviously was not taking care of his shaft the way the manufacturer suggests.

Royce has offered to pay for the shipping and to to do the warantee work for free on the shaft even though:
1.) It is obvious that the work will need done because of neglect on the end users part.
2.) The person has been playing without the carbon fibre pad.
3.) More than likely the person never registered the shaft for warentee purposes(and if they did I am sorry)

All things that are expressly forbidden under the warantee of OB shafts. Yet he is still offering to go out of his way to help the OP. In my opinion that is standing by your product more than 100%. He is doing way more than most companies would do.

either way it takes 10 times the care of every other shaft in the market, I cleaned it regularly with a damp towel, I dont abuse my products, everything I own is in good condition, so before you go out of your way of kissing someone elses ass bc you had a "good" experience with their product, Mr. COMPETENT cuesmith, (the only good experience I have is getting blown) and insinuate that others aren't up to some standard,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,you know what, who cares, I said my piece, and now everyone has to apologize for OB, why, it shouldn't happen in the first place, the shaft is engineered to fall apart unless youre extremely careful and follow protocol, its pool, played mostly by fat lazy people. my experience was bad as well as others, now people get two sides of the story, i backed mine up with pictures and proof, you and ob and the defenders seem to blow each other or blow smoke up peoples asses. PREDATOR SHAFTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its who ob is trying to be anyway, some lead others follow.
 
Sounds like the owner of the shaft abused it putting a damn water towel to the shaft too many times and sanded the shaft too so there is no sealer.

Wouldn't be surprised is the ferrule is damaged from removal of the fibre pad.

If this was a predator shaft they wouldn't even respond to you. Feel lucky Royce is trying to make it right. OB is top notch. It was you who abused the shaft, get over it.

Happy tweezing those splinters!
 
Care for a laminated shaft is a little different than for a standard maple shaft.
You can sand on a solid maple shaft and not seal it ( which should always be done if it is sanded) and not get a splintering effect because it is solid maple.
This isn't the case with laminated shafts. Splintering can happen because of several pcs of wood used in the construction. Raw laminated wood left exposed
without sealers or waxes will eventually start to splinter or delaminate. That is just the nature of the beast. I have seen a lot of this over the years with all laminated shafts, not just one in particular. Maintenance and care of these shafts should be followed as instructed to assure your shaft provides you years of service. Solid maple shafts should be cared for properly as well. Most of the time this practice is neglected by players and some cue repairmen as well. If a shaft requires a pad when a new tip is installed then it should be done. You can't use the pad that comes on a tip as a replacement in a lot of cases. The clear pad on the Kamui tip is not a suitable replacement for the carbon fiber pad. The fiber pads on tips or just the red or black fiber pads won't work properly either. I have had to fix several OB shafts and predator shafts where the pads were left off or replaced with the wrong pad. My best advise is to know the proper way to care for a shaft if you do it yourself or make sure the repairman working on your shaft knows as well. As far as warranties, I think OB honors it as good and better than most. I have done warranty work at some time or other for just about everyone in the pool industry.

Best Wishes,
 
What about if for example a product like shaft freeze by Mike Gulyassy is put on it? I know not everyone likes the feel, but I do. And I notice it keeps the shafts clean for a far longer time and also more moist resistant.
Would that work out well with OB shafts?
 
Stumbled upon this, a few comments.

Have played with Predator shafts since 2008 or so - Z2, then 314-2. I'm a top player in the area and take care of my stuff. Have had to return 2 Predator shafts for cracks along the glue lines, both after a few years of use, both replaced under warranty with no issues. Current shaft is starting to crack as well, and now my friends at Predator are no longer there, so not sure if my return process will be as smooth. Not bashing the shafts, maybe I left them in the car too many times or whittled them down over time, and as I said they were replaced so no biggie.

However, got me thinking about other alternatives. Strictly because of the great posts I've seen on here by Royce, I decided to try OB. Similar hit deflection wise, but I like some other things better, have seen great feedback on the shafts, and like the better warranty, they really seem to stand behind the products. Bought an OB Classic, been using it for a week, and just got an OB1 as well, will evaluate both over time and sell the one I don't keep.

I do NO maintenance on my shafts. I used to use scotch brite, cleaning products, etc. trying to keep the shaft from getting sticky. I was practicing with Thorsten (name drop...) earlier this year and I was making fun of him for how blue the shaft on his cue was - it was really, really blue. Turns out he actually rubs chalk dust into the pores when getting a new shaft and never touches it, just keeps his hands clean. I tried just leaving mine alone, and now my shaft is blue as well (not as bad as his) and ironically my shaft is smooth all the time, I don't have to worry about it, I just wash my hands every few hours and it feels perfect. Less is more I think with shaft and tip maintenance. I have no plans to do any special maintenance on my LD shafts, I will get tired of them long before they wear out.

A guy came into the place where I teach the other day, complaining his shaft fell apart from dropping his cue on the ground. Looked like someone whacked it against a pole, it was splintered to hell and in 2 pieces. I'm not saying stuff doesn't happen - I've seen ferrules crack or bulge, wood split or splinter, etc. - but that is a rarity and not a common occurrence under normal conditions. To suggest that someone had 5 or more shafts that all had the same thing happen - I call BS.


Not affiliated with OB, and only a recent convert, may not even keep the shafts and go back to Predator or even something different, who knows. But I know what I've seen throughout the years with OB customer service, and they will stand behind their products if not abused.

Scott
 
Stumbled upon this, a few comments.

Have played with Predator shafts since 2008 or so - Z2, then 314-2. I'm a top player in the area and take care of my stuff. Have had to return 2 Predator shafts for cracks along the glue lines, both after a few years of use, both replaced under warranty with no issues. Current shaft is starting to crack as well, and now my friends at Predator are no longer there, so not sure if my return process will be as smooth. Not bashing the shafts, maybe I left them in the car too many times or whittled them down over time, and as I said they were replaced so no biggie.

However, got me thinking about other alternatives. Strictly because of the great posts I've seen on here by Royce, I decided to try OB. Similar hit deflection wise, but I like some other things better, have seen great feedback on the shafts, and like the better warranty, they really seem to stand behind the products. Bought an OB Classic, been using it for a week, and just got an OB1 as well, will evaluate both over time and sell the one I don't keep.

I do NO maintenance on my shafts. I used to use scotch brite, cleaning products, etc. trying to keep the shaft from getting sticky. I was practicing with Thorsten (name drop...) earlier this year and I was making fun of him for how blue the shaft on his cue was - it was really, really blue. Turns out he actually rubs chalk dust into the pores when getting a new shaft and never touches it, just keeps his hands clean. I tried just leaving mine alone, and now my shaft is blue as well (not as bad as his) and ironically my shaft is smooth all the time, I don't have to worry about it, I just wash my hands every few hours and it feels perfect. Less is more I think with shaft and tip maintenance. I have no plans to do any special maintenance on my LD shafts, I will get tired of them long before they wear out.

A guy came into the place where I teach the other day, complaining his shaft fell apart from dropping his cue on the ground. Looked like someone whacked it against a pole, it was splintered to hell and in 2 pieces. I'm not saying stuff doesn't happen - I've seen ferrules crack or bulge, wood split or splinter, etc. - but that is a rarity and not a common occurrence under normal conditions. To suggest that someone had 5 or more shafts that all had the same thing happen - I call BS.


Not affiliated with OB, and only a recent convert, may not even keep the shafts and go back to Predator or even something different, who knows. But I know what I've seen throughout the years with OB customer service, and they will stand behind their products if not abused.

Scott

I like OB shafts, they hit great, im not bashing the product itself. Im talking about durability and warranty. You stated above you've had a shaft for a week, a couple of sentences later you say youve seen what theyre customers service is all about ?? So you've had detailed conversations with friends about their shafts and having problems with the product and OB being helpful?? I can spin it anyway you want.
 
I've had an OB2 for a year, just went back to larger shafts, so I do have longer experience with them.

I agree on durability piece, in my experience. I'm amazed when people tell me they've had a predator, OB, etc. for 10+ years. IMO, they almost seem like disposable products - they will last 2, 3, 4 years, but eventually seems like from humidity, shaft cleaning/sanding, wear, etc. will cause cracks to appear along the glue lines. It's just all that glue.

That doesn't bother me. If I don't mess with my shaft all the time, use damp products, sand it down to nothing, etc., it should last a decent timeframe. I live in Florida, and have to keep my cue in the car sometimes, I know it's going to swell, sweat, etc. I also know it shouldn't fail within a year or so, and that's when I've had to have things taken care of via warranty and at least personally had good experiences with Predator and great conversations in the past with OB (Royce, Shane) and others who have used their products longer than me. I also teach out of a billiard store and see and hear many stories of warranty claims as well which does help me have a more informed opinion.

Funny enough, I'm thinking of going back to my Mezz WD700 shaft, even though my first one I had a year or two ago bulged at the ferrule and it was a nightmare to get it warrantied. Mika actually helped me get the shaft replaced, without his help I would have been out of luck. The replacement was vastly different than the original. I found out the weight variances for their shafts are quite large, from 3.7 - 4.4 oz. I prefer on the lighter end, so I may give that a go again. Great hitting shaft.

Scott
 
I've had an OB2 for a year, just went back to larger shafts, so I do have longer experience with them.

I agree on durability piece, in my experience. I'm amazed when people tell me they've had a predator, OB, etc. for 10+ years. IMO, they almost seem like disposable products - they will last 2, 3, 4 years, but eventually seems like from humidity, shaft cleaning/sanding, wear, etc. will cause cracks to appear along the glue lines. It's just all that glue.

That doesn't bother me. If I don't mess with my shaft all the time, use damp products, sand it down to nothing, etc., it should last a decent timeframe. I live in Florida, and have to keep my cue in the car sometimes, I know it's going to swell, sweat, etc. I also know it shouldn't fail within a year or so, and that's when I've had to have things taken care of via warranty and at least personally had good experiences with Predator and great conversations in the past with OB (Royce, Shane) and others who have used their products longer than me. I also teach out of a billiard store and see and hear many stories of warranty claims as well which does help me have a more informed opinion.

Funny enough, I'm thinking of going back to my Mezz WD700 shaft, even though my first one I had a year or two ago bulged at the ferrule and it was a nightmare to get it warrantied. Mika actually helped me get the shaft replaced, without his help I would have been out of luck. The replacement was vastly different than the original. I found out the weight variances for their shafts are quite large, from 3.7 - 4.4 oz. I prefer on the lighter end, so I may give that a go again. Great hitting shaft.

Scott

You just basically told me im right. either way, the best pool ive played was with a solid maple shaft turned down to my liking, im having one done now. LD shafts are just like you said, quick replacements and disposable. I can have a custom cue maker make me one to my specs for a hell of a lot less than predator, ob, jacoby mezz and whoever else. look at predator, they are garbage now, chinese shit with crap wood made in a factory. I had a bad experience and im now done with them all. At least I know the wood choice of any respectable cue maker will be good, thats half the trick. I also dont use laminated tips, half of it is glue, i dont see the attraction.
 
Care for a laminated shaft is a little different than for a standard maple shaft.
You can sand on a solid maple shaft and not seal it ( which should always be done if it is sanded) and not get a splintering effect because it is solid maple.
This isn't the case with laminated shafts. Splintering can happen because of several pcs of wood used in the construction. Raw laminated wood left exposed
without sealers or waxes will eventually start to splinter or delaminate. That is just the nature of the beast. I have seen a lot of this over the years with all laminated shafts, not just one in particular. Maintenance and care of these shafts should be followed as instructed to assure your shaft provides you years of service. Solid maple shafts should be cared for properly as well. Most of the time this practice is neglected by players and some cue repairmen as well. If a shaft requires a pad when a new tip is installed then it should be done. You can't use the pad that comes on a tip as a replacement in a lot of cases. The clear pad on the Kamui tip is not a suitable replacement for the carbon fiber pad. The fiber pads on tips or just the red or black fiber pads won't work properly either. I have had to fix several OB shafts and predator shafts where the pads were left off or replaced with the wrong pad. My best advise is to know the proper way to care for a shaft if you do it yourself or make sure the repairman working on your shaft knows as well. As far as warranties, I think OB honors it as good and better than most. I have done warranty work at some time or other for just about everyone in the pool industry.

Best Wishes,

Steve is dead nuts on this. If you (The OP in this thread) have had several instances of finish wearing off of OB, or any other shaft, then you need to take a serious look at your maintenance technique. For one thing, don't put water, ever, on a laminated shaft. I don't even put water on solid shafts for that matter. They are easily cleaned without water. Proper sealing of the wood, on any shaft, and a good waxing periodically will go a very long way on the life of your shaft. I've played OB2 shafts for years and do maintenance on them for several of my customers and am yet to see the finish come off or splintering on any of them.
 
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