[John]

I'm fascinated by all the technology applied to shafts. I like the technical part of pool, since I'm more of an architect than an artist. Tell me what you like in a shaft, the weight, taper, ferrule, length, etc.

I've played pool (badly) for over 40+ years, off and on, never seriously, usually with the worst cues on earth. I knew there were better ones out there but I just wasn't that serious about pool. I used house cues and once had an aluminum cue which was shaped like a wave ~. I was 19 and plead juvenile mental illness on that one.

Now I have a few nice production cues and an assortment of shafts. I've read about Z2s, OB-1s, SmartShafts and all the tapers people swear by. European, short pro, long pro, parabolic, you name it. It seems like every maker has his own proprietary taper and ferrule. Low squirt this, flexible that, bored and filled, segments and layers galore, even electrostatic vibration dampening cloth. I like technology and I'm an early adopter, but I'm not sure a cue designed at MIT is the answer.

The shaft tests I've seen are mostly useless. Several makers claim their's are best and have tests to prove it. How can all of them be the best? These tests aren't independent and, based on what is presented, are practically worthless. You can easily design a test to demonstrate the strengths of your product while concealing it's weaknesses. You can't expect the designer and manufacturer to pick any shaft but their own. One sample shaft and a few strokes by a robot are statistically worthless. You need objective testing of a large sample. Test 10 shafts of each type, bought independently, a hundred times. Test follow, center and draw. Use the same tip on each shaft if you can. Publish the raw data. Then we'll talk.


Some shafts I own:

Fast Larry Pro Taper, 12mm, 4.2 oz - Multiple tapers. The first 2" are straight, then a very slight taper to 9". It's practically straight from 3" to 9", increasing only 0.012 in those 6". Then it tapers mildly out to about 14", where it begins a sharper taper toward the joint. This shaft has a lot of wood in the half toward the joint. I haven't played with it much but I expect it to be stiff for power with low deflection.

Meucci Black Dot, 12.75mm, 4.6 oz - Long, straight taper to 14" followed by a moderate parabolic taper to 20" and a moderate straight taper to the joint. This shaft is essentially straight to 16". Less wood volume than the Joss and Viking but heavier, laminated.

Joss, 12.5mm, 3.6 oz - The previous owner had the shaft retapered. It's basically straight out to 10", then begins a gradual linear taper to 16" where the taper steepens to the joint. This shaft is essentially straight to 13". About the same wood volume as the Black Dot but a full ounce lighter.

Viking, 13mm, 3.9 oz - Straight to 12" then a slight taper to 18" and a steeper taper to the joint. This shaft is essentially straight to 16". About the same wood volume as the Fast Larry Pro but not as dense wood.

Break Cue, 13mm, 3.9 oz - Straight for 2" then a linear taper to the joint. A typical house cue shaft, except it's clean and smooth and straight. This shaft has the most wood volume and the fact that it's not heavier tells me it's inferior, less dense wood.

I don't have a shaft with a parabolic logarithmic taper, but I'd expect it to be stiff and heavy.

So tell me your thoughts on these shafts and the ones you have played with.

[HPbyGD]

I have made a lot of different shafts with all kinds of different dimensions and tapers I personally like a stiffer shaft than some people. I also like to play with a bigger diameter shaft and tip. The taper that I use gradually gets bigger from the tip. There is not a straight section like some of the pro tapers that I have seen. Most of my personal shafts are close to 13 mm. I have found that for me the smaller diameter shafts/tips allow me to put more spin on the cue ball but the trade off for me is that I also miss more shots since my stroke is far from perfect and I don't hit the exact center of the cue ball always when I am trying to. It is like everything else in life "your mileage may very".

Gary