Tiger XShaft - Opinions Please

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AzB Silver Member
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I'm sure its been talked about before but I'm having a hard time searching for threads about the Tiger X Shaft since the "X" is never included in my search.

I was wondering if the XShaft is supposed to be a low deflection shaft since it doesn't rate very well on http://www.platinumbilliards.com/rating_deflect.php

I was also wondering if anyone has had any experiences w/ the shaft and how it plays/feels especially compared to the other laminated shafts on the market.

On another thread posted by CrownCityCory, the XShaft seems to put a lot more spin on the cue ball than the Predator 314^2. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks.
 
I have experience with many differnet cues & shafts such as McDermott, Joss, & Schon cues (with and without a mixture of Predator 314 shafts). I've long since left the Schon & Joss shafts alone in favor of a 314 for the past dozen years.

Recently, I was very fortunate to try out a Tiger X shaft back-to-back with my trusty 314. It certainly had a good "feel", but as Platinum Billiards found it did have more deflection.

Unscientifically, I rated it as a "mid-deflection" shaft...right between the 314 and a standard Schon shaft, for example. Platinum Billiards seems to agree.

The X would be a nice middle ground for someone willing to move toward less deflection, but not willing to go to all the way to a 314/314-2/Z/Z2...or possibly the OB-1.

I bought an OB-1 on Friday, so I'll be able to do a direct comparison to my 314 very soon.
 
I think the x-shaft is more like a consistent shaft than a low deflection shaft.
 
I feel qualified to discuss this because I had a chance to test both the older version of the Tiger X and the newer version.

I think the newer Tiger shafts, with their improved ferrule and taper, are excellent shafts. I believe Platinum tested the older version, which I too agree was a higher squirt shaft. However, the newer version with it's taper and ferrule material, seems to me to play like a lower deflection shaft. I barely have to adjust compared to my Predator, so I believe it would test lower with Platinum now.

I play with a Predator and have for several years, the latest being a 314-2, and I am totally happy with it. It's a great shaft and most good players who try my cue, recently Scott Lee, and Ernesto Dominguez, compliment the performance.

The Tiger differs from Predator and OB-1 in that it is not hollow. It's a very solid playing shaft and "feels" completely like a conventional shaft. It also performs like a conventional shaft. It feels great in my opinion and if I didn't like my 314-2 so much I would be using one.

I am also of the opinion that having weight on the tip makes some extreme shots spin shots easier, but the differences are not large.

Chris
 
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it's a saber-t ferrule and the exact composition is a secret. it is some sort of resin based polymer blend. i hear that it is a great ferrule though
 
McChen said:
it's a saber-t ferrule and the exact composition is a secret. it is some sort of resin based polymer blend. i hear that it is a great ferrule though
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thanks for the info McChen. I read that it was Ivorine-3 on their website ( http://www.tigerproducts.com/store/posts/X-Poster.jpg ) and it looked like it was wrong and needed updating so I was just making sure. Ivorine-3 holds too much chalk for me.
 
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yeah it's definitely not ivorine-3, that has a fine linen weave in it. i think that ad was for an older version of the x-shaft without the saber-t ferrule. it does dirty easily as you say. the saber-t ferrule should stay really clean and it is a very bright white color.
 
oh, if you want to clean chalk off of your ferrule, or shaft for that matter, try a mr. clean magic eraser dampened with rubbing alcohol (the 90%+ stuff)
 
I play with a z shaft, and have for a few years. Last year, I bought an x shaft in order to give it a try. I'm happy with the z, but was looking for something a little more "meat" to it.

I found the x shaft to be MUCH stiffer and had a lot more deflection. It almost felt like the hit of a conventional south west. That could be because I am used to the much whippier predator product. After giving it a decent chance, I concluded that the x shaft wasn't for me.

I recently purchased the ob-1 shaft, and will have it sometime this week. Although, again, I'm happy with the z shaft, I am hopeful that somewhere out there exists that "hit" I am looking for.

Rg
 
I have been playing pool for 3 years and play a decent level, since i started i have played with pred's, a z shaft 1st then 314 then 2nd generation, recently i was offered a 2nd hand tiger x shaft off mr D'vali here in the UK at a real low price which i couldn't turn down..i didnt even want the shaft but was tempted by the price.

I was really pleased when i first tried the shaft and now only play with the x shaft, my play is much more consistant that it is with the Pred..it does deflect more but i prefer it that way, it didnt take long to adjust from the Pred either..someone described it on here as in between a custom shaft and a 314 and they were spot on with that. I play with a Jim White custom and the original shafts didnt work for me i couldn't get enough action on the cb, the 314 i get too much, the x seems to be the perfect combination for me i can get the spin but not over spin the cb

I've now got a brand new x shaft being delivered from Seyberts 2moro.

If possible i would give the x a try.
 
NYC cue dude said:
I play with a z shaft, and have for a few years. Last year, I bought an x shaft in order to give it a try. I'm happy with the z, but was looking for something a little more "meat" to it.

I found the x shaft to be MUCH stiffer and had a lot more deflection. It almost felt like the hit of a conventional south west. That could be because I am used to the much whippier predator product. After giving it a decent chance, I concluded that the x shaft wasn't for me.

I recently purchased the ob-1 shaft, and will have it sometime this week. Although, again, I'm happy with the z shaft, I am hopeful that somewhere out there exists that "hit" I am looking for.

Rg
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Randy,

From what you've said, I really recommend trying the new 314-2. It stiffer and hads a stronger taper than the old one, but it's low squirt. It's a pretty good compromise between low squirt and feel.

The most recent Tiger shafts are lower deflection and provide a softer hit with more feel than the first line. They really are a lot better now. I tried 3 or 4 different ones out and thought they were excellent. To me, they play better if they're tapered down to 12.75 for some reason.

Chris
 
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Before I posted this thread I had already tried the first generation Predator 314, OB-1, and a Tiger XShaft (Probably the new ones). I didn't get to try them for long, just a couple shots and I don't know if people will agree with me or not but here is what I personally think:

1) OB-1 (Talisman Medium) has the least ammount of squirt but transfers the least ammount of spin from the three.
2) Tiger XShaft (elkmaster) transfers the most spin and has the most squirt.
3) Predator right inbetween the other two.

Would anyone agree or am I completely wrong with my observations?
 
in terms of squirt that is right. the 2nd gen 314 has less squirt than 1st gen and is about equal to the ob-1. will be stiffer too. in terms of spin i think that is much harder to quantify. depends a lot on the tip and your stroke. if you have a good stroke and use a good tip, you should be able to get the spin you want from just about any shaft.
 
I had an X-shaft blank customed with ringwork to my cue. However with it being longer 30" and having a 12.7mm long pro taper it was too whippy for me. So I got rid of it.
 
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