Who makes the best wooden shafts?
- Thread starter TheBasics
- Start date
I had a Searing shaft along time back & it played really well. I`ve also had the pleasure of owning a Joey in Cali cue & his shafts play very sporty as well. But I have a Tascarella cue currently & love the way the Pete`s shafts play. Just my thoughts
Excellent taper, fit at joint and ferrule is DYNO....my only issue is the last few i've had were a little on the light side at 3.7 to 3.9 oz which is fine for shafts without an insert, however, the shafts i had were fitted to piloted joints
CeaseLess
Active member
Which old tiger models are you referring to?
Flakeandrun
Well-known member
ILC Monster is the best and most consistent stock I have seen... On a par with the Niche ultimate snooker cue I have. Which is a prime piece of maple (the best I have seen in a snooker cue, and I saw 50+ lovely pieces while looking to have one made, and played with countless cues belonging to others)
Second to that, the Larry Vigas standard shafts I have just received are superb (which is why I am looking to keep them minty and picked up some others to use on that butt).
I have played with/tried many, many cue shafts on my short hunt for perfection - production and custom (mostly Chinese custom makers, but also a couple of TAD, SW etc - as Chinese like to spend money on such things)
I will likely enjoy trying others I find. But I am happy I will never need to spend another penny on a shaft.
Will flick back through this thread more thoroughly later. Looks a good way to spend my taxi ride home
Second to that, the Larry Vigas standard shafts I have just received are superb (which is why I am looking to keep them minty and picked up some others to use on that butt).
I have played with/tried many, many cue shafts on my short hunt for perfection - production and custom (mostly Chinese custom makers, but also a couple of TAD, SW etc - as Chinese like to spend money on such things)
I will likely enjoy trying others I find. But I am happy I will never need to spend another penny on a shaft.
Will flick back through this thread more thoroughly later. Looks a good way to spend my taxi ride home
CeaseLess
Active member
How much did that shaft run you?ILC Monster is the best and most consistent stock I have seen... On a par with the Niche ultimate snooker cue I have. Which is a prime piece of maple (the best I have seen in a snooker cue, and I saw 50+ lovely pieces while looking to have one made, and played with countless cues belonging to others)
Second to that, the Larry Vigas standard shafts I have just received are superb (which is why I am looking to keep them minty and picked up some others to use on that butt).
I have played with/tried many, many cue shafts on my short hunt for perfection - production and custom (mostly Chinese custom makers, but also a couple of TAD, SW etc - as Chinese like to spend money on such things)
I will likely enjoy trying others I find. But I am happy I will never need to spend another penny on a shaft.
Will flick back through this thread more thoroughly later. Looks a good way to spend my taxi ride home
Currently own 50+ cues 150+ shafts. Owned Gina’s SW Szambotis and about every other cue possible and Mezz is one piece maple and super low deflection. Best of both worlds IMO
Uh, trees?
Post/Thread in 2011 https://forums.azbilliards.com/thre...est-overall-shafts.218828/page-2#post-2841231
Post #25 Feb 1 2011
From Wayne Schmidt's site http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/billiards.htm#tester..... Using the wayback machine site https://web.archive.org/web/20220429154614/http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/billiards.htm#tester New site video: https://www.youtube.com/@wayneschmidt490/featured or
NEW!!! The Dieckman shaft has arrived! Read how it tested out!
In January of 2006 I decided to see how much a shaft from a custom cue maker would cost and how much better it was than shafts from production houses. After an extensive search through all the cue makers in my link list, it was clear that Dennis Dieckman (Dieckman Cues) provided the most complete explanation of how he selects shaft wood, ages it, and slowly (over a period of years) turns it into a shaft. I contacted him and after several conversations he helped me decide on the best shaft for me. Once this was done, he checked his stock of nearly-complete shafts and suggested two that sounded like they'd fit my needs. After another discussion we decided on a proto-shaft made from 10-year wood (related to the fineness of the grain structure). He said it would take 6-months for the final turnings, aging, and finishing. When I asked how much it would cost I was amazed that it was less than what many production companies charge for their shafts.
The shaft arrived ahead of schedule heavily padded inside doubled-boxes to keep it safe. It was in perfect condition and even came with two extra water buffalo leather tips.
So how good is this shaft by Dennis Dieckman? Simply put, it is without question the finest shaft I have ever seen, measured, or handled. The warp is less than 0.001-inches. This is so straight that it challenged my ability to measure it. In fact it's more likely that what I measured has more to do with the inaccuracies of my equipment or technique. That anyone is able to achieve this high a quality starting with a piece of natural product is unbelievable.
The wood itself is perfectly straight-grained the entire length of the shaft.
The greatly-magnified image above of the shaft taken near the tip shows a grain count of 10 layers over a 13mm diameter. (I had to turn it into a black-and-white image and increase the contrast to make the grains visible. In person they are so fine and uniform that they are almost impossible to see.) This works out to an incredible 20 grains per inch. This means that the tree from which this piece of wood came from grew very slowly and evenly, ideal for the highest quality shaft. What this proved to me was that not only is Mr. Dieckman a first-class artisan, he also knows good wood when he sees it.
All this sounds great but how does the shaft feel and play? The combination of the shaft and tip are perfect for me in that they provide a very solid, mellow sensation when stroking the cue ball. It fills me with a sense of confidence that I've never felt with any other shaft. I couldn't be more pleased with the shaft and if I ever need another one I will purchase it only from Dennis Dieckman.
In Dieckman own words http://www.cuemaker.com/Waynes World.htm see this... https://web.archive.org/web/20101021100831/http://www.cuemaker.com/Waynes World.htm
Could it be time for someone else to do a test?
Post #25 Feb 1 2011
From Wayne Schmidt's site http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/billiards.htm#tester..... Using the wayback machine site https://web.archive.org/web/20220429154614/http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/billiards.htm#tester New site video: https://www.youtube.com/@wayneschmidt490/featured or
NEW!!! The Dieckman shaft has arrived! Read how it tested out!
In January of 2006 I decided to see how much a shaft from a custom cue maker would cost and how much better it was than shafts from production houses. After an extensive search through all the cue makers in my link list, it was clear that Dennis Dieckman (Dieckman Cues) provided the most complete explanation of how he selects shaft wood, ages it, and slowly (over a period of years) turns it into a shaft. I contacted him and after several conversations he helped me decide on the best shaft for me. Once this was done, he checked his stock of nearly-complete shafts and suggested two that sounded like they'd fit my needs. After another discussion we decided on a proto-shaft made from 10-year wood (related to the fineness of the grain structure). He said it would take 6-months for the final turnings, aging, and finishing. When I asked how much it would cost I was amazed that it was less than what many production companies charge for their shafts.
The shaft arrived ahead of schedule heavily padded inside doubled-boxes to keep it safe. It was in perfect condition and even came with two extra water buffalo leather tips.
So how good is this shaft by Dennis Dieckman? Simply put, it is without question the finest shaft I have ever seen, measured, or handled. The warp is less than 0.001-inches. This is so straight that it challenged my ability to measure it. In fact it's more likely that what I measured has more to do with the inaccuracies of my equipment or technique. That anyone is able to achieve this high a quality starting with a piece of natural product is unbelievable.
The wood itself is perfectly straight-grained the entire length of the shaft.
The greatly-magnified image above of the shaft taken near the tip shows a grain count of 10 layers over a 13mm diameter. (I had to turn it into a black-and-white image and increase the contrast to make the grains visible. In person they are so fine and uniform that they are almost impossible to see.) This works out to an incredible 20 grains per inch. This means that the tree from which this piece of wood came from grew very slowly and evenly, ideal for the highest quality shaft. What this proved to me was that not only is Mr. Dieckman a first-class artisan, he also knows good wood when he sees it.
All this sounds great but how does the shaft feel and play? The combination of the shaft and tip are perfect for me in that they provide a very solid, mellow sensation when stroking the cue ball. It fills me with a sense of confidence that I've never felt with any other shaft. I couldn't be more pleased with the shaft and if I ever need another one I will purchase it only from Dennis Dieckman.
In Dieckman own words http://www.cuemaker.com/Waynes World.htm see this... https://web.archive.org/web/20101021100831/http://www.cuemaker.com/Waynes World.htm
Could it be time for someone else to do a test?
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I think most, like me think what we chose is the best.
For me, I have shafts than can't be had. The man is dead.
All aged over 20years before finished. No splicing and dicing. Just patience. .0001 cut then take a long rest.
Edit:
Hey Ratttfooker. Didn't realize I was being placed right behind you.
About 6-8 years after my first Dieck and when visiting the shop, he wanted to see if my shafts were still straight.
Don't remember the numbers but he was well satisfied. Clicked whiskey glasses and... after that.
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If I told you who makes the very best wooden shaft on the planet, he would not have time to finish my next cue !!!
SugarTree Shaft
That's maple right? Radially laminated and inlayed too. Why is Smartlink Man trying to shoot with it?SugarTree Shaft
I think he didn't mean to quote me, he was just entering his vote on the matter.
Quote vs reply, yuhknow?
I would presume the shaft is vietnamese, as the top level 3c player is from there.
There's a whole nother world out there!
Those shafts came w built in auto pilot!!
Mine did. Thanks Tim!! RIP
First place OB Classic, Second place Predator 314-2.
Flakeandrun
Well-known member
I got the ILC shaft I'm using (12.2 Monster pro) for 3500rmb, which is around 350$ in Murica bucks. This was in 99% second hand condition, and it will be a little more expensive new. But an absolutely faultless bit of wood. Japanese don't half-ass anything.
I found a guy on Xianyu that deals Japanese stuff here (ILC/9hearts, Adam/Musashi and also some American bits).
The Musashi VI shaft I just picked up for the Vigas, from the same guy, is bloody nice. A little stiff, but a fantastic piece of wood.
Agree with this, Hybrid Pro, Expro... have both. Both wonderful shafts for production line stuff.
Funny !! I'm the only one to show a test on cue shaft test and ask if anybody ,do another test.... Cornerman waiting for your reply!! Dieckman shaft are number #1 ... Show me the different!!! Who will do the TEST!!!