Radial pin vs. 5/16 14

subdude1974

subdude1974

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am having Mike Cochran make me a cue. I have always used a steel joint, but on this one I am going ivory. But I am thinking of going radial instead. Can ya'll help understand what I may expect out of the feel of he hitwith a radial pin? Firm?Weak?Soft?Hard? Do they seem to put english on the ball better? More accurate? just looking for a little insight. Thanks in advance.
 
I absolutely love the hit of Ivory joint with a 5/16-14 pin piloted....
Of course the only 2 I have had with that combo, have been a James White and a Bill McDaniel
so saying that a different cue maker could reproduce this hit may not be 100% accurate....

The hit is the perfect mix of feel and accuracy IMO
You get the most feedback in every shot without giving up accuracy or stiffness (depending on shaft taper of course)
Which makes those tough feel shots much easier, due to confidence....


A Steel jointed 5/16-14 pin has a totally different hit than one with Ivory...


I have had several Radials, but never with Ivory Joints... I like some of them and a few I did not as they gave less feedback like a 3/8-10 pin...
 
Never hit a radial with ivory, I have a Putnam sneaky with a radial and white phenolic so I imagine the hit will be similar. Firm but not as hard as SS. I had a Scruggs with a 3/8x10 with Ivory and It hit awsome! I would think the 3/8x10 and a radial in the flat faced ivory joint would hit similar. Depends on the tip and ferrule material as well these are big factors in the way a cue hits.
 
IMO i don't think there is gonna be any difference in joints compared to accuracy, no matter which one you play with.
It's difficult to explain the hit with the different joints. I really liked the way any 3/8-10 jointed cue that i've played with. To me they somewhat had the feel of a one piece cue, not in a bad way though (dont think it will play like a house cue) but just a nice solid feel to it.
5/16-14 i think have a little more crisper hit to them, good though, i like both. either joint would be a good decision.
 
I cut my teeth on a Josswest with a SS joint and a 5/16 X 14 piloted pin. I was so used to the hard hit that I was relectant to try anything else. Long story short, I now love Radial pins and 3/8 X 10s. Most of the cues that I have combine these large pins with a wood to wood joint and a phenolic collar. I disagree with one previous poster who thinks that a 5/16 SS provides more feedback. The Radial pin especially is appreciated by cuemakers because it can be installed more accurately, with less margin of error, and it provides a maximum of feedback.

I had only tried Radials in a wood to wood joint until I acquired a used Jensen cue with a flat faced ivory joint and a Radial pin. Frankly, I wouldn't have given it a good review at first. To my surprise, Mike Johnson of Jensen Cues quickly discovered that someone had hollowed out the butt cavity trying to make the cue lighter, and filled the gap with electrical tape! Mike plugged the cavity with a light maple plug and the cue hits like a freight train. There is a maximum of feedback with the ivory joint IMHO. Maybe Mike's taper, the ivory ferrules, and the Jensen Milk Dud tips also contribute to this, but the combination is terrific. If you like a lot of feedback I think you will love this combination, but honestly I think you'd enjoy that cue with any currently popular pin except a Uniloc. I do personally prefer a large pin, and again, in my opinion, ivory is just a shade more playable than wood to wood. YMMV...Tom
 
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tpdtom said:
I cut my teeth on a Josswest with a SS joint and a 5/16 X 14 piloted pin. I was so used to the hard hit that I was relectant to try anything else. Long story short, I now love Radial pins and 3/8 X 10s. Most of the cues that I have combine these large pins with a wood to wood joint and a phenolic collar. I disagree with one previous poster who thinks that a 5/16 SS provides more feedback. The Radial pin especially is appreciated by cuemakers because it can be installed more accurately, with less margin of error, and it provides a maximum of feedback.

I had only tried Radials in a wood to wood joint until I acquired a used Jensen cue with a flat faced ivory joint and a Radial pin. Frankly, I wouldn't have given it a good review at first. To my surprise, Mike Johnson of Jensen Cues quickly discovered that someone had hollowed out the butt cavity trying to make the cue lighter, and filled the gap with electrical tape! Mike plugged the cavity with a light maple plug and the cue hits like a freight train. There is a maximum of feedback with the ivory joint IMHO. Maybe Mike's taper, the ivory ferrules, and the Jensen Milk Dud tips also contribute to this, but the combination is terrific. If you like a lot of feedback I think you will love this combination, but honestly I think you'd enjoy that cue with any currently popular pin except a Uniloc. I do personally prefer a large pin, and again, in my opinion, ivory is just a shade more playable than wood to wood. YMMV...Tom
Click to expand...

Tell me about his Milk Duds. What's different about them compared to normal Milk Duds? How are they better? How does he make them?
 
tpdtom said:
I cut my teeth on a Josswest with a SS joint and a 5/16 X 14 piloted pin. I was so used to the hard hit that I was relectant to try anything else. Long story short, I now love Radial pins and 3/8 X 10s. Most of the cues that I have combine these large pins with a wood to wood joint and a phenolic collar. I disagree with one previous poster who thinks that a 5/16 SS provides more feedback. The Radial pin especially is appreciated by cuemakers because it can be installed more accurately, with less margin of error, and it provides a maximum of feedback.

I had only tried Radials in a wood to wood joint until I acquired a used Jensen cue with a flat faced ivory joint and a Radial pin. Frankly, I wouldn't have given it a good review at first. To my surprise, Mike Johnson of Jensen Cues quickly discovered that someone had hollowed out the butt cavity trying to make the cue lighter, and filled the gap with electrical tape! Mike plugged the cavity with a light maple plug and the cue hits like a freight train. There is a maximum of feedback with the ivory joint IMHO. Maybe Mike's taper, the ivory ferrules, and the Jensen Milk Dud tips also contribute to this, but the combination is terrific. If you like a lot of feedback I think you will love this combination, but honestly I think you'd enjoy that cue with any currently popular pin except a Uniloc. I do personally prefer a large pin, and again, in my opinion, ivory is just a shade more playable than wood to wood. YMMV...Tom
Click to expand...

SS with a 5/16-14 doesn't provide more feedback....
But Ivory 5/16-14 piloted does... IMO
 
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