Which shaft is better for 9ball?

Pushout said:
Really? How long have you been playing? When I got into the game seriously a lot of players used one shaft for Straight Pool and one for 9 ball, one smaller diameter than the other. For the life of me, I can't remember which was which now, though. This was very common in the early/mid '70s.
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well, I'm sure they did all kinds of crazy things in the APA back then, but in the money rooms, nobody pulled out a second shaft unless the tip fell off the first one......heck, many players did not even carry two shafts, let alone two different shafts....

Not to say nobody did carry a diff shaft, just it was not the norm.......
 
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Whatever you feel comfortable with.
A more interesting observation is that i tend to play 9 and 10 ball with a Z2 or i3 shaft (both 11.75mm tip diameter) and 14.1 with a katana shaft (12.5mm tip diameter)
Since 9 and 10 ball tend to require more cue ball moving i find a smaller tip diameter gives me more options in how much spin i need for a ceratin shot.
In straight pool i almost never have up and down the table type shots, mostly soft draw, follow and stop shots, so the bigger tip diameter gives me some more room for error.
 
I like Ivory ferrule for center ball, aegis for draw and the old micarta is a must for any follow at all.

Things start to get tricky when you want to apply side spin, then it is a combination of tip and ferrule.

Unless it is raining outside.
 
I miss alot said:
Which shaft suites nine ball better? The ob1 or the 314? I have heard some different opinions.
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For me predator is awesome.I've played with one for years as well as other
LD shafts to try.
I've recently got a older original z-shaft, thats is straight as an
arrow, darker wood, and can see every splice as clear as day,
from the bottom of the shaft right to the ferrule.
Once I zone in with the smaller tip, its just a treat to play with.

If you can get an older Predator, that would be my choice.

Ob does have a variety of different shafts that play well also.

I'm partial to Predator because all of my best wins, came with a Predator
shaft on the end of my cue. Goodluck
 
dr9ball said:
The shaft you can make balls with is the one you should use. No need to switch shafts for different games of pool (9,10, 8, 14.1, one pocket, banks). Switching shafts isn't going to make you run more balls.

I'm sorry to be seemingly negative, but you are going to have to put in the practice time and develop your game just like the rest of us. If you lack knowledge seek instruction and then practice. If you don't have a solid PSR then develop one and use it.

You still can't buy a piece of wood that's going to turn you into a world beater. Only knowledge and dedicated practice coupled with your natural talent can get you close to that.
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That's very true, that a shaft won't turn you into a World beater
but it can give you the confidence you need to put
in the practice time to become one.
 
ChicagoRJ said:
well, I'm sure they did all kinds of crazy things in the APA back then, but in the money rooms, nobody pulled out a second shaft unless the tip fell off the first one......heck, many players did not even carry two shafts, let alone two different shafts....

Not to say nobody did carry a diff shaft, just it was not the norm.......
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I don't know what it was like where you were. I wouldn't know about apa, they weren't around back then. Everyone I knew in the North East had cues with two shafts, especially the money players, of which I was one. The gamblers were the ones I learned from. Tips falling off was one of the reasons we had two shafts, it happened a lot back then, glue wasn't what it is today.
I never personally bought into the different shafts for different games, all mine were ordered the same size.
 
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While I do agree that one must develop their own preference over time, as it is the best method.... I will just offer my own observations as the OP was looking for opinions from others that have been in search of their own comfort in playing 9-Ball.

For me, 9 Ball is more about long flat shots that are more often on the rails than out in the open, or at least the harder shots are on the rails. For that, I need precision and a shaft that forgives more than it snaps junk on the CB. So for 9-Ball I use a big fat 13mm shaft with a nice cushy fat friggin tip that soaks up chalk like a camel with gout. Big stable trajectory is all I'm looking for, and it turns out that it works fine for me. When I go to my Z-Shaft, I am less consistent.

8-Ball and One Pocket are entirely different stories.

Cheers!
 
MoneyBox said:
I would go 314 with a milk dud for 9 ball. If you play a game of 10 ball, you switch to an OB1 with Kamui brown medium. For 14.1 i would switch to a predator z2 with an elk master medium. One pocket should probably be played with a Tiger X Pro with a Kamui Clear.
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Can u explain why the change for each or is this not a serious reply?
 
poolguy4u said:
I think it's been a couple years since Earl used a Cuetec. I think his cues are made by Baby Face.

If you are old enough, then you know who Baby Face is.:thumbup:
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Yes, I don't know who dropped who, but I know he's been saying bad things about Cuetec recently. One of his quotes was "using that cue ruined my game". His new cue is a Gulyassy, but I have to say I had no idea who he was till Earl started using his cues.
 
Pushout said:
I don't know what it was like where you were. I wouldn't know about apa, they weren't around back then. Everyone I knew in the North East had cues with two shafts, especially the money players, of which I was one. The gamblers were the ones I learned from. Tips falling off was one of the reasons we had two shafts, it happened a lot back then, glue wasn't what it is today.
I never personally bought into the different shafts for different games, all mine were ordered the same size.
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Again, they didn't have two diff shafts though, correct ?
 
ChicagoRJ said:
Again, they didn't have two diff shafts though, correct ?
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Yes, when I started playing seriously in 1973 quite a few people were still doing this. I think it started to go away shortly after this. I never heard of anybody changing shafts for One Pocket, however. Was mostly older players, in their early late '50s/early '60s who were doing it. Younger players, like myself, didn't subscribe to that theory.
 
Say you're playing a guy in 9b, and he misses a tough shot or doesn't draw his rock enough for position.
He immediately comes up to you and says "I woulda made the ball and got shape with my OB
but I'm stuck playing with this crappy predator instead."

Do you

A: nod and feel sincere sympathy for him, and decide your next cue purchase will be
the opposite of whatever shaft he was using?

B: let him out of the bet since you had no idea he was playing under a huge handicap?

C: laugh in his face because you know he's just making excuses?

That should help you decide which shaft you need.
 
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