Yea your right scott, I almost forgot about the McDermott shafts...they do play pretty descent, just never liked their taper but the hit is good. I also forgot that the PFD that I showed you (that I don't even play with lol) the second shaft has the G-Core made by Paul....I find it hits better than the regular shaft, both play well and have a nice taper but the playability for my liking got goofed with the addition of the Ivory Ferrules....
I've gotten so used to staying in the center of the ball with the Weinstock (i rarely go more than a half to 3/4 tip out when using english) that when I do hit a ball with the PFD those Ivory ferrules throw some serious Portuguese on the ball, makes me think I been sniffin chemicals offshore.
To each man his own, but I don't like saying Ivory and Ferrule in the same sentence, unless I'm talking about Trick Shots....which is what the PFD is going to be relegated to once I get my camera to film.
Ivory Ferrules
PROS- Stays clean, its pretty, it adds value to the cue.
CONS- Too heavy and makes for a sloppy inaccurate cue ball delivery track
Its like a Meucci.....the ferrules are WAY TOO LONG, if you got a meucci and find it plays too sloppy then get the ferrule cut down to 1/2" or 3/4" at least and it will play much straighter.
Tips fall into that category also.....I can't stand when a tip is a taller than the twin towers I see them all the time at 8-10MM high, I find a tip plays much better around 3-5mm high and I keep mine at 4mm and when it gets to 3mm or just under I change it.
So with that in mind my nightmare of a shaft is a weak thin taper and no spine (like meucci) with a 1" Ivory Ferrule and a tip thats about 8-10mm (just about 3/8")
I never understood why some cues are built with inherent issues that basically fight the inherent goal of delivering the cue ball in as straight a line as possible.
That and I find it rediclous that they charge so much for these aftermarket shafts. They waste much less wood with all the spliced designs, which saves a ton of $$. They put on a short ferrule from lighter material and drill a hole and charge TOP DOLLAR?
The only thing more gaffed is the old growth wood thing.....old wood can be just as garbage a young wood. Same thing with grains per inch, I've seen some 4-6GPI shafts play lights out, and some high count GPI's play like doo doo. Some one awhile back said that the sunken maple they got, that they could turn the shaft down in one day without any residual warping or shifting! Now if thats not some black magic I don't know what is.
I did realize this the other day....
unilock joints suck b/c there is not enough contact area for full energy usage and transfer.
the radial pin has the most contact area and helps the cue to work more efficiently.
What I realized is that Paul Heubler must have had this in his mind. The idea of full thread contact through and through, so he made the nylon inserts in his shafts. Huebler cues go together better than most every cue on the market, snug all the way from start to finish. Tho he didn't invent the radial pin, it is arguable that he was the first to develop the ideas that make the radial pin so effective.
If you tried to machine the inserts that precise out of metal you would end up galling the threads when you put the cue together, but the nylon will give just a bit and still hold its shape to get as close to 100% thread contact as you can. Thats one of the things that made his products so consistent day in and day out.
don't ever buy hype, buy what you need and what works.
Grey Ghost
