Once you're set-up turning these out is like baking the same cake over-n-over. Profit margin is stout. The big name co's are making a fkng killing.
Wood vs carbon fiber shafts for top pros - I went through the Fargo top 100 to see who uses what
- Thread starter kingwang
- Start date
I would make a pretty good bet that no player could tell two shafts apart based on how its made. Most golf shafts are NOT spine matched btw. Some co's offer that as an option but not many. Some pros do it but not a ton. I watched a video test where pros hit spine-matched vs. regular and most could not tell the difference. A few even hit the unmatched better. Just more marketing bullshit.
Don't hold ur breath. Wood gives some leeway as to mods. CF doesn't, you can't really do anything to one other than change the tip. Something that can be done is offering different taper/diameter combos. Might be kinda pricey because of the customization during construction but its doable.
I'm sure some nut job looking to fleece the pool playing public could dream up a CF shaft balancing machine and burn in lead weights to produce the "ultimate in cueing performance".
With a bunch of different mandrels you could offer a lot of size/taper/balance combinations. Would add to the cost and probably not offer enough performance gain over a co's standard models to make it worth doing. Hell, even little Rhino offers eight different sizes from 10.5-12.9mm.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
They hit well but I find the tapers on CF shafts to be kind of bland. I haven't seen one with a taper I like. They all claim to be very small in millimeters and they are but the tapers are still pretty fat on the ones I have seen and played with. For something described as 11.8 or whatever they are trying to do, it feels big and fat. LOL
See that's where guys like us lose ground to the already wealthy... It's not about 'actual' performance gain, but merely what we can tell them to expect IF they're savvy enough. You got to play on their inadequacies to try and prove you wrong by buying your product...
Selling 'snake oil' is a time honored profession. Don't see that changing anytime soon.
The so-called performance edge of carbon fiber shafts is weapons grade baloney. I have never seen anyone successfully demonstrate it, and I haven't been able to do it myself, either.
What a pro uses should have very little impact on what you yourself use. They are paid to use those shafts, in most cases. Perhaps they would still have used them, perhaps not, but Earl Strickland kicked ass for a decade with a fiberglass shaft. Efren used a 15 dollar cue that everyone that tried it said was a piece of junk. Filler prefered his z-shaft to his carbon fiber one, and they had to custom make a carbon shaft that played approximately the same.
What a pro uses should have very little impact on what you yourself use. They are paid to use those shafts, in most cases. Perhaps they would still have used them, perhaps not, but Earl Strickland kicked ass for a decade with a fiberglass shaft. Efren used a 15 dollar cue that everyone that tried it said was a piece of junk. Filler prefered his z-shaft to his carbon fiber one, and they had to custom make a carbon shaft that played approximately the same.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
CF shafts work but I consider most of us on here, advanced players. We play at a high level that the small difference to upgrade to CF is minimal at a maximum cost LOL. With that said, lesser players or novice, should play with carbon. These guys can skip the deflection aiming portion of the game and go to "aim and fire" method.
"Aim and fire" method works with these CF shafts and you don't need to use finesse and touch shots when you can either stun stop the cue ball or kill it off the rail with english. Read a book on how to put english on a ball and the "aim and fire" the cue will do everything for you. No need to have a good stroke either.
The big noticeable difference are the bangers. With CF shafts the bangers of today are quite good. I know a guy that just blasts balls. He's making a lot of them with accuracy and shape. He's not well verse in getting perfect shape but the low deflection allows him to play this style.
"Aim and fire" method works with these CF shafts and you don't need to use finesse and touch shots when you can either stun stop the cue ball or kill it off the rail with english. Read a book on how to put english on a ball and the "aim and fire" the cue will do everything for you. No need to have a good stroke either.
The big noticeable difference are the bangers. With CF shafts the bangers of today are quite good. I know a guy that just blasts balls. He's making a lot of them with accuracy and shape. He's not well verse in getting perfect shape but the low deflection allows him to play this style.
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billiards_watch
Well-known member
You're using professionals as an example that doesn't apply to average Joe player.
I'm assuming the pros know how to "deflection aim" so the switch is easier for them with very little noticeable difference. A guy that learned how to play pool with a carbon shaft will have to learn the game all over again if he switches to wood.
I presume you would like the 19" long pro taper
of the Jacoby Black in 11.8, 12.3 or 12.7mm?
billiards_watch
Well-known member
Just like Jacoby to make one. My buddy got one of their laminated shafts and my goodness it has more laminates than the 314. I hit a few balls with it and like it. Jacoby is a solid company.
Having recently gotten a Jacoby Black v4 and playing Revo before, can confirm the Jacoby has a much longer pro taper and it's pretty noticeable in comparison to the Revo. This is comparing the 12.3 Jacoby to the 12.4 Revo, both 30" shafts in my case. I was pleasantly surprised by it, wasn't aware of the difference but liking the Jacoby taper more for sure.
Earl often sanded/turned almost all the coating off his Cuetec. Also had them turned to a much longer taper. Sometimes he'd use a plain maple from a 'un-named maker'. IIRC his contract said he had to use the butt but shafts were a 'gray area' leaving him some wiggle room.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
Another thing I notice and probably could get use to it if I play with carbon is the shine. There is a reflection on the shaft that is quite noticeable.
