What is everyones opion on LD Shafts?

1

1learningpool

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I am considering getting an OB 1 shaft for my Bob Frey Sneaky Pete, I've never had much success with them but everyone swears by the OB.

Let me get some opinions.

Thanks....... :thumbup:
 
I have played the OB2 and OB2 Classic Pro - Liked both but would say if you have not tried both find a dealer or go to a show with a OB both and give these a try and see which hit you like best. And yes I like the smaller diameter shaft and have used the Predator Z2 and Lucasi LD product. IMO the top 2 are the OB and Jacoby. I like the hit and feel of the Jacoby and the OB Classic Pro (Classic OB2) the best.

I go back and forth between the OB Classic Pro and the Jacoby LD which are both 11.75 diameter with multi-layer tip at dime shape
 
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Just picked up an OB classic pro for my Schon last week. Liking it so far. Took it to the local league game on Thursday and it felt good and, more importantly, accurate. I still got beat, it's not Harry Potter's magic wand after all.
 
My opinion is that they are a waste of $200 or so. $200 for a shaft! Think about it.
If you can't play with a regular shaft then it won't change much with an LD. You will be $200 poorer and still can't play.
But it's a great marketing gimmick.
Been there and seen the same thing with golfers. They are the biggest suckers on the planet trying to improve their game.
Sure there have been some improvements in both games but nothing will make you play much better other then lots of practice and some good solid instruction
And that's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.
Now a free bottle of water and a Lucasi cue might move your game up a bit :rolleyes:
 
in the beginning, the OB found itself tried, true and copied by many cue makers.
science behind the LD shafts are also proving positive.
 
1learningpool said:
I am considering getting an OB 1 shaft for my Bob Frey Sneaky Pete, I've never had much success with them but everyone swears by the OB.

Let me get some opinions.

Thanks....... :thumbup:
Click to expand...

What do you mean by "not much success"... most all LD's do the same, just a matter of what you prefer, etc. If you used an LD and no differece, you probably have other issues you need to spend the money on...

But I only shoot with LD shafts now !!!
 
You'll get 2 opinions...

You'll get the old "Indian not the arrow" opinion,
Or...
The gotta have it opinion....

Now...as for my opinion, deflection is real. It introduces an element where human error is a risk.
A player needs to judge and compensate for squirt. That's 2 hings...judge and deliver the appropriate amount of compensation for the squirt.

Now, I agree that as a player, you'll need to compensate SOME, even with LD, since it still has deflection...I still say the odds are mathematically IN YOUR FAVOR that you'll make the shot with LD shaft vs a higher deflection shaft.

The more you have to compensate for deflection, the more room for error.
The only reason that I can think of for someone NOT TO USE LD shafts are:

Cost
Tradition
Like the hit of solid maple better..(it is a better hit)...better wood in some cases.
Respect and adoration for the cue maker that labored over and designed the original shaft the cue came with
Resistance to change.

So really, it's up to you. Are the 5 points listed above important to you, or mathematical advantage slightly in your favor more important?

Don't wait for someone to make up your mind for you, You just gotta take this one on yourself with out just using popular opinion. Can't go wrong either way, I shoot with 1st generation Predator 314's which have lower deflection than solid maple shafts, but more deflection than their replacement of today, the 314-2. The 1st gen 314's play almost as good as solid maple shafts though.

I find them to be a perfect balance between hit and accuracy.
 
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I switch to an LD shaft 9 or 10 months ago and kind of wish I made the switch years ago. I think it is all about finding the one that best fits you. I hit with a lot of them to try to them out and eventually went with the OB Classic. A buddy who was sponsored by OB let me borrow one of his Classic Pro shafts for a weekend and I immediately ordered one and switched again. Not really about the names but what fits you since there is a wide range of hits among the LD shafts out there.
 
I've been using LD for 10+ years with no regrets. OBs are definitely one of the top options - I've had several and been very happy with them. I haven't gotten to try the Jacoby but sounds like I need to. Note thought that OB wasn't the first shaft in the battle for low deflection. I don't know who started it but when I got into pool it was Meucci and Predator with their testing robots going head to head. Of course once the formula got out, less mass at the tip / more flexibility things took off.
 
I've had my OB classic now for about month and my game has done nothing but get better I've won two tournaments and placed in 5 since! I love mine!
 
ChicagoRJ said:
What do you mean by "not much success"... most all LD's do the same, just a matter of what you prefer, etc. If you used an LD and no differece, you probably have other issues you need to spend the money on...

But I only shoot with LD shafts now !!!
Click to expand...

Have you tried all of the mezz gear? IMO their shafts are top notch!!!.
 
Before I got my first LD shaft I had this same question and I used a cue from a friend and not that it made me any better or not, but in my head it was one less thing to think about. Now when someone asks me I say "What can it hurt?" I love my OB1.
 
I'm with you... let's yank the hand built engine out of a Bentley .. and replace it with one from a Toyota Camry.... because all the guys at the stop light driving yugo's say its better than what they have... so it must be better than what you have...


hand selected tight grain maple turned down slowly over decades by a master.. will never play as well as maple scrap glued together by a corporation..a thousand shafts a day built by who ever the temp company sent that day...

I'm with you dude Marketing is everything...in pool marketing is the only thing...

p.s. the hustlers are not on the tables anymore....they are in the pro shop...
 
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The Truth: If you have a stroke the gear don't matter... If you don't have a stroke the gear won't help...

That may be the single most important sentence I have ever read on this forum.
I have known this for years.
I added this to my signature with your permission of course. Can I keep it?
 
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1learningpool said:
I am considering getting an OB 1 shaft for my Bob Frey Sneaky Pete, I've never had much success with them but everyone swears by the OB.

Let me get some opinions.

Thanks....... :thumbup:
Click to expand...


OB is a huge supporter of pool, Royce is a fine fellow, try one and see if its for you. good quality products.
 
a hand-built Bentley engine is an interesting analogy - i may be wrong about this, but I think that modern Bentley engines are a product of VW's massive R&D expenditure.... it may well be that the 'hand-built' tag is, in itself, now a marketing gimmick.

I'm just asking out of curiosity really, but I often wonder what drives the hatred of big companies/brands... even though i would love to own a custom cue (i think some are works of art), I can't believe that a bloke in a garage produces a 'better' piece of equipment than a firm that invests huge quantities of money into R&D and modern production methods.

Again... just out of curiosity and not meaning to offend anyone, but are there other sports where the equipment used by top pro's is NOT produced by major companies? and where that equipment is not being constantly improved through science and technology?

Cheers for any comments - i'm a newbie here and appreciate your thoughts and wisdom

Bob
 
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