Shaft Preferences???

TATE said:
Tiffany,

Yes, you're right. Good players can adjust to any crummy cue. That's why they should use a high squirt shaft.

Chris
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From your experience and exhaustive testing, how much of a squirt differential is there in mm between a Predator, Joss, Schon, Meucci, or any custom cue that you want to bring into the comparison?

What did you do to determine that? How much tip offset was used? Were the balls hit at warp speed or pocket speed as most pro's normally play?
Was backhand english used in any of the experiments, and if so, what were the results between a Predator or any cue when backhand was involved. What distance was there between CB and OB for testing purposes?

What difference is there in squirt if the CB is a center ball hit...1/4 tip offset...1/2 tip offset...1 tip offset? What was your method of measurement to mark or validate squirt differential? Were all of the tips the exact same manufacturer's tip?
Were all the tips in the experiment roughed by a tapper the same way, or were some of the tips glazed? Were all of the cues EXACTLY the same weight and have EXACTLY the same balance point to produce identical tempo and timing in your stroke and not be skewed by stroke variances?

Why did Efren say after testing a Predator..."The CB never went where I was aiming it"?

No results can be used from Platinum Billiards (since the owner is a former high level employee of Predator), Meucci, since that would be counterproductive to your argument, or anyone else's other than your own.

I'm more excited to hear these results than you can imagine.
 
Tiffpoolbum said:
...About consistency, if you think two 314 shafts which weight almost the same would play almost the same, then two one piece shaft should yield the same result. My point being if she/he is not playing with a 314, she/he can still have two consistent playing shaft. 314 or not does not matter...
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Correct. The idea is to learn to play with a particular cue/shaft/tip, then always play with a cue/shaft/tip which plays the same. So if when purchasing a new cue or shaft, you have some method of buying or having built the same thing, then that would be better than buying something which plays differently.

Or said another way, there are a lot of variables in this game. Like speed of cloth, humidity, cues, shafts, tips, etc. I feel that if you can remove some of the variables, then you will sometimes have a small (and sometimes large) advantage over other players.

For example: My favorite words I like to hear from my opponent are; "I had a new tip installed" or "Look at my new cue". Chances are that the new tip has a different radius or is made from a different material, or the new cue plays totally differently than their old cue. So I know I am going to play the same, but that my opponent will have difficulty with some shots - so I have an advantage in these situations.
 
Billy_Bob said:
For example: My favorite words I like to hear from my opponent are; "I had a new tip installed" or "Look at my new cue". Chances are that the new tip has a different radius or is made from a different material, or the new cue plays totally differently than their old cue. So I know I am going to play the same, but that my opponent will have difficulty with some shots - so I have an advantage in these situations.
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That might be true if he's a relative beginner like you...but if he's been playing for a long time, has a lot of gambling experience, and doesn't worry about deflection issues and just knocks balls in, you'll end up having more splices in you when he's done than 3 Predator shafts combined. :D
(I ALWAYS have an advantage with beginners)(not to mention most others)
 
drivermaker said:
...if he's been playing for a long time, has a lot of gambling experience, and doesn't worry about deflection issues and just knocks balls in, you'll end up having more splices in you when he's done than 3 Predator shafts combined...
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Very true, especially with the experienced with gambling part. These guys can play with anything, especially house sticks. I like playing these guys the most.

There was one of these guys in a local bar recently sitting by himself with a house cue leaning against his table. No one would play him and I mean no one. Seems he had throughly worked over everyone in the bar. (He played for money in the past quite a bit, but was "retired".) I don't mind losing again and again, so I played him all night. I actually won a few (I think he *let* me win a few).

But I can't play well with a house cue. No telling what the cue ball will do with draw, follow, and english shots. I'm used to always having my tip in excellent condition and the tips on the house cues around here are in a sorry state. I tend to miscue more with house cues whereas I seldom or never miscue with my stick.
 
My favorite cue that has a thin, whippy shaft, but has much less squirt than my wife's Cuetech, or my Dufferin SP.

With a high squirt cue, this is the shot I miss the most often. I drive the object ball into the rail, even though I'm using low outside (left) to help spin the ball in, and suck the cue ball back.

I know, you have to "aim to miss" to make it. I tried the same shot with a Predator, and found that you have to "aim to miss" by a much less amount. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of a shot like this. That's why a lot of people say that a Predator is more accurate. I think what they really mean to say is that the aim point with spin is almost the same aim point without spin. Some cues have so much squirt that you have to aim to miss the whole ball on some shots.

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http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/pooltable2.html
 
JohnnyP said:
My favorite cue that has a thin, whippy shaft, but has much less squirt than my wife's Cuetech, or my Dufferin SP.

With a high squirt cue, this is the shot I miss the most often. I drive the object ball into the rail, even though I'm using low outside (left) to help spin the ball in, and suck the cue ball back.

I know, you have to "aim to miss" to make it. I tried the same shot with a Predator, and found that you have to "aim to miss" by a much less amount. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of a shot like this. That's why a lot of people say that a Predator is more accurate. I think what they really mean to say is that the aim point with spin is almost the same aim point without spin. Some cues have so much squirt that you have to aim to miss the whole ball on some shots.

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http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/pooltable2.html
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I'm not sure where everyone stands on this shot or any other shot for that matter. The shot as illistrated, I just aim for the pocket. I see no need to change aim. By what your saying you would need to aim to overcut in order to hit the pocket. If I shot this slower with a lot of low spin I'd have to aim a bit fatter, slightly into the rail.

I'm thinking one needs to get to know there stroke better. Not to mention how the c/b reacts at different speeds with spin. Perhaps you do since you know how you usually hit the ball.

I play with a 13.25 mm shaft conical type taper. If anything it would be high squirt. I don't know and don't really care. I haven't a clue what it weighs either. I have two shafts almost Identical and I don't make aim changes no matter which one is used. For that matter I have a 13 mm and a 12.5 mm and I aim same.

I know certain shots I may need to compensate a bit, depending on speed and english. It holds true using any shaft in the world. It's not always about squirt. Speed and swerve can be an even bigger factor. I have played with a hand full of predators. Once again I aim the same. The only place I have problems is with a whippy shaft (I don't own any) , now that is another world for me. I can't hit the broad side of a barn.

Rod
 
i don't know a lot about the differences in shafts but i will say this, i play 9ball a lot and i'd consider myself a good club level player. One of the pro snooker players at my club in the UK decided to have a little knock with me. He beat my 11-1. I got 3 chances in the whole game. Just to take the biscuit he then ran a rack with the wrong end of the cue. It seems you all talk a lot about the tiny differences in shafts. I agree with a few of you who have said 'pick a cue you can play with and play with it'.

I also play golf and have spent a fortune going through different sets of irons, woods, putters, wedges. The only thing that makes you play better with the new items in your arsenal is the initial boost of confidence you get from playing with something new, after that you'll carry on playing at your ability level.

Happy cueing

Dave
 
Everyone knows that it's all in the stroke, not equipment. But some people do indeed start playing better when they get more expensive cue or some particular model they were after. It could all be in their heads...

Back to topic...almost none of the players around me like my Z shaft. They can't play with a 11.75mm or too stiff I guess...I prefer it that way. It's great that they lost interest in my cue after I switched to Z from 314. Finally I can play undisturbed...everybody's mama now wants a 314...

I'm I better with my Z shaft? Can't tell really...my game continually improves, so I have no base for comparison. What I'm certaing about is that I enjoy shooting with it more than with 314 or conventional shaft. Interestesting thing is that some people have tried to talk me out of buying the Z shaft saying how I'll suffer with a smaller diameter tip!!! Like they know what's good for me...

Bottom line: choose a cue with which you enjoy playing the most. Don't copy others just for the sake of it. When choosing equipment, consider your playing style, not someone else's.
 
I tried out a predator for a while...didn't really like it.
Nothing against predator...but I realized that there was
still deflection...it was just a different amount than what
I was already used to. To me, less deflection wasn't synonymous with
better. I still had to adjust for deflection...just a
different amount of it. I personally didn't think the
predator was more 'accurate' or that you get 'more sh*t' on
the ball with it.
When I get a shaft, what I do is see how it works with my
bridge length/pivot point. Then I have it turned down until
the pivot point just about matches my bridge length. It's
just a personal preference...I'm sure you'll do fine whether
you go with a predator or a normal shaft.

Peace
-Egg
 
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