Play with 11.6 wood... Only CF shaft I enjoyed playing with was the cynergy 10.5
This has nothing to do with tip size. Rather, I grew accustomed to the skinnier shaft in my open bridge. I can play just as well with a 12.5, and did so for some time after an equipment upgrade.
As far as snake oil is concerned. I've always held the belief that you could in theory take advantage of a larger tip and shape a flat spot to whatever amount at it's center. This, again in theory, this would allow a tiny bit of breathing room for the shooter to miss center CB but still have the shot manifest correctly. I've never experimented with this, or care to. Just a random thought that jumped into my mind years ago, while trying to sort out why players love massive tips.