Radial Pin or Not?

J

johhdagolfer

Registered
Hi guys,

I've taken your suggestion and decided to go with a Lucasi instead of a cuetec. I now have another tough decision. Should I go with a Radial Joint or a Quick loc joint? Does one hit better than the other? what are the advantages of one over the other?

Also, is there an advantage to having one of those slide in hard cases over a simply circular one?

Thanks, John

BTW the cue I chose over the cuetec Thunderbolt is the LE40R I think it looks pretty sweet.
 
Just a quick hijack... Did you misspell your username when signing up?

Fred <~~~ just wondering

P.S. I think the "R" in the LE40R means "Radial." Hopefully it's not too late, if you decide on the QuickRelease.
 
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Get the radial pin they play great.There is a reason all the cue makers switch to it and it not because of price.JMO
 
My choice would also be the radial. Uni-loc/Quick-release style joints are lackluster and leave much to be desired IMHO.
 
One bit of concern. Ive seen several radial pins cues made by different makers and I know of only one problem. If the shafts are not made extremely tight then after a few racks, some of them almost vibrate loose. Many people tighten them often due to this. Tony Watsons shaft has 100's of dents in it above the joint because he almost tightens it on every shot. I've not seen this with 3/8 10 pins.
Dave
 
dave fingers said:
One bit of concern. Ive seen several radial pins cues made by different makers and I know of only one problem. If the shafts are not made extremely tight then after a few racks, some of them almost vibrate loose. Many people tighten them often due to this. Tony Watsons shaft has 100's of dents in it above the joint because he almost tightens it on every shot. I've not seen this with 3/8 10 pins.
Dave
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I've had that problem too,but I still perfer radial over any other.
 
I had a lucasi sneaky with the uni-loc quick release and it hit super good.

I use the uni-loc Radial in all my cues because of weight, gives me the balance I want. I wouldn't hesitate to use the quick release.
 
dave fingers said:
One bit of concern. Ive seen several radial pins cues made by different makers and I know of only one problem. If the shafts are not made extremely tight then after a few racks, some of them almost vibrate loose. Many people tighten them often due to this. Tony Watsons shaft has 100's of dents in it above the joint because he almost tightens it on every shot. I've not seen this with 3/8 10 pins.
Dave
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They say that a very small amount of beeswax applied to the threads will eliminate this.


I currently have a cue with a wood/wood joint with a Radial pin. Everything stays nice and snug...and I check it as a matter of habit, as I have had a 3/8-10 pin loosen on me all the time on a local's s/p. On this particular cue, the shaft goes on snug and stays that way the entire time I am playing with it....Love it!

Lisa
 
When I'm not playing Straight with my Schick, I use a Lucasi L-E28 with a Uni-Loc joint and I LOVE it! It hits GREAT! No problems whatsoever!
I have never cared for Radial pins. I'm not fond of the hit, and IMHO it is the weakest of all the joints.

For an inexpensive production cue, you can't beat Lucasi. I don't think you'll be disappointed.:)
 
I'd like a weak joint. Just in case for some reason the cue gets snapped in half ;)

I'd rather the pin break then anything else :p
 
LOL. Heck it took me 8 times to make a simple frozen to the rail cut shut earlier tonight, I fixed it though! (by setting it up on the opposite rail...friggin hacked up table...jeez always these crappy tables making me make crappy excuses) :D
 
I'm pretty sure Tony Watson doesn't own a cue anymore. I noticed he borrows cues from everyone at every tournament he plays in. Also a quick fix if the radial isn't tightning well is to wrap a tiny piece of toilet paper around the pin and screw it in. The paper will semi-adhere to the inside of the shaft and fill in the gaps which might make the cue rattle loose during play. Worked for me on 4 occasions.
 
Done properly it should fit on snug without using toilet paper or wax. If you have to use any tricks to get it tight then yours must have the hole bored too wide.
 
Sharkeyes said:
I'm pretty sure Tony Watson doesn't own a cue anymore. I noticed he borrows cues from everyone at every tournament he plays in. Also a quick fix if the radial isn't tightning well is to wrap a tiny piece of toilet paper around the pin and screw it in. The paper will semi-adhere to the inside of the shaft and fill in the gaps which might make the cue rattle loose during play. Worked for me on 4 occasions.
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Tony sold his very fancy Josey when he came up short gambling at the US Open. So, unless he's acquired a cue very recently, he's still borrowing cues. I know, because he borrows mine often!

As for his old cue, It's been reconditioned and looks beautiful. I believe the new owner is selling it for $1500. It was available as of Friday, last week.

I've never had a problem with radial pins loosening. Tony does have a habit of tightening his cue often, but that is not so much about the cue's joint as it is about Tony. He even tightens my SW, which never comes loose.

In general, radial joints will not loosen unless the cuemaker cut the shaft threads improperly.

As for uni-loc joints, I think it's a decent joint, but diminishes feedback somewhat compared to radial or other ff wood-wood joints. I prefer uni-loc to SS piloted, though, which, while strong, makes no sense at all to me.
 
buddha162 said:
What do you mean by this? Are you talking about the pin?

-Roger
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I guess I do not understand why the Radial is considered the weakest either. It appears to be an increasingly popular pin amongst cuemakers and players alike...so it doesn't make sense to me that if it were the weakest, why would it be so popular? It makes for a very solid and stable feeling connection...I guess I just do not get it.:confused:

Lisa
 
I can explain....

ridewiththewind said:
I guess I do not understand why the Radial is considered the weakest either. It appears to be an increasingly popular pin amongst cuemakers and players alike...so it doesn't make sense to me that if it were the weakest, why would it be so popular? It makes for a very solid and stable feeling connection...I guess I just do not get it.:confused:

Lisa
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At the risk of sounding like a know-it-all, I believe the reason you "just do not get it" is that there is nothing to get. I don't know anyone who is knowledgeable about pool cue say that a Radial pin makes for a weak joint.
 
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