12.75mm vs 12.25mm Neil, Sid, anyone

[maughanm]

Borrowed and played with a 12.25 the other day in a tournament and fell in love with the feel of it. Actually played better with this borrowed cue than I have with my own. If I send my 314 to Seyberts and get it turned down from 12.75 to 12.25, will it have any effect on its performance and deflection? And, how much will it cost to have it done? mike

[Neil Fujiwara]

Since a shaft that is 12.25mm has less weight in the front of it than a shaft that is 12.75mm, it will perform better.

Less front end mass = better performance

Our warranty is void if the shaft diameter falls below 12.25mm since wall thickness becomes an issue at that point.

[Sid]

Cost for a turn down to 12.25 is $35.00 plus some shipping costs back to you. We can usually get it done within 3 business days. Like neil mentioned above, I would suggest around 12.30 or even 12.35 just to keep it within Predator's guidelines for warranty.

[maughanm]

Thanks, if I don't like it, I can always use the extra shaft. I'll do my best to get it in the mail Monday or Tuesday.....I'll make a note to send with it...but I think I will go with something around 12.30 - 12.35. Either one. Mike

[Kokopuffs]

How does the smaller shaft diameter perform better? Less squirt? Straighter shots? Such a small diameter feels truly awkward in my hands which is why I prefer a 13 mm.

[Sid]

It is basically less deflection with a smaller diameter. The main reasoning behind the Predator research is the less weight at the end of the shaft, the less deflection of the cue ball. That is why the end of the Predator shafts are hollow on the end of the shaft. The less weight at the end of the shaft enables the shaft to get out of the way of the cue ball easier so the shaft does not deflect the cue ball as much. The smaller diameter decreases the weight at the end of the shaft so therefor it will deflect less.
If you want to drive yourself crazy for a little bit, tape a coin or other weight on the ferrule and try some shots. It will deflect considerably more. I was in Vegas a couple of years ago and was hanging around the Predator booth with neil and shane goofing off on the table. Shane pulled out a Predator shaft that they had actually weighted internally with something in the end. Shooting with that shaft was really a hoot. It was very strange how shooting a normal shot with english you could miss the pocket by such a large margin. It was really eye opening.

[Kokopuffs]

By less deflection you mean less squirt.

For the sake of argument, I notice no additional squirt with my 13 mm Phillippi shaft (ivory ferrule) compared to my 12.75 mm Predator shaft.

[maughanm]

Going to drop this 314 in the mail to you today. Another question. Will the old ferrule have to be replaced when turning it down to a smaller diameter? I'll probably go ahead and get a new tip...just trying to see how much additional cost it will be other than the lathe work. mike

[Sid]

no, the ferrule is turned down with the shaft. Please send along details on what you want done and your personel information so if we need to contact you we can.
Thanks,
Sid

[pikejl]

I'm all for the 12.25. I didn't notice any deflection difference between my 12.25 and 12.75, although they fit different butts that are different weights. I'm more consistent with the 12.25. The smaller diameter, for some reason, helps me aim a little more precisely. I get slightly more draw from the 12.25 too, but that's no reason to use it.

I've been so happy with the 12.25 on my McDermott butt, that I haven't been using my 12.75 on my Meucci butt at all. I'm going to get the 12.75 turned down to 12.5 and add a little weight to the Meucci butt and see how that is.

[dags_lax]

Another advantage to a smaller tip is that it easier to more precisely position the tip on the cue ball. Remember, regardless of the tip diameter be it 12.25 or 13.25, a dime radius is still a dime radius and the same amount of tip surface will contact the cue ball.

no, the ferrule is turned down with the shaft. Please send along details on what you want done and your personel information so if we need to contact you we can.
Thanks,
Sid


sid,

if the ferrule is turned down w/ the shaft how bout the bridge hand area of the shaft? will the whole pro taper part of the shaft be turned down too? wanna make sure the taper has been turned down too like keepign the same ratio.

[Sid]

yes, we will turn down the shaft and keep the current taper to what is on the shaft originally. So, if we turn it down .25mm, the shaft will be turned down .25 mm through the pro taper. What ever the taper is to start with is what you will end up with, just in a smaller diameter.

[teddys]

Hi Sid & Neil , i heard somebody told me that everytime we want to cleaned / polished have a tip changed, the cue smith will sand your shaft.
Suppose if i got 12.35 , and after some period of time my shaft diameter will getting smaller and smaller ?
Which mean at the end the warranty will be void ?

[Neil Fujiwara]

Correct, the lifespan of ANY shaft is drastically reduced by turning it down immediately.

Cleanings, ding removal, changing tips/ ferrules all "require" that they sand your shaft. There are some repair people that try to avoid sanding shafts, and there are some that take their liberty with the sandpaper.

Whenever I give my shaft to ANYONE to work on it, I tell them to not sand it if possible.

[showboat]

I've cleaned shafts, replaced many tips and ferrules and done many ding removals all without having to use any sandpaper on the shaft.

[Neil Fujiwara]

That's good to hear, you are in the small percentage of people with your level of talent, skill and craftsmanship.

[jkregan]

Hello Guys:

I've had to remove small dings from my 314 shaft a number of times; more than I would have wanted to. I have been able to remove small to moderate dings without sanding my shaft at all. In fact my 314 shaft has never seen sandpaper. I do use a Q-Wiz but that is the most abrasive thing ever to touch the shaft.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Hey Jeff,

Got the book!! Thank you very much for taking the time to send it to me. Let me know if you get any hits about what we talked about before.

On topic: I like the Q-wiz and have maybe 5-6 of them. The only time I really have to use them is when it is humid in the room and the wood swells unevenly.

[DZ314]

Hey Jeff,

Got the book!! Thank you very much for taking the time to send it to me. Let me know if you get any hits about what we talked about before.

On topic: I like the Q-wiz and have maybe 5-6 of them. The only time I really have to use them is when it is humid in the room and the wood swells unevenly.

My wood has never swelled unevenly before, Neil you might want to have that checked out. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[DEATHTRON]

Haha, I second that, and i wouldnt try to us something abrasive to fix it either..

[Neil Fujiwara]

Oh no, let's not go down this road.

But since you opened up that can of worms: I was cleaning my shaft and it went off in my hand!!

[Deb]

8O

OMG.

:lol:

[DZ314]

Oh no, let's not go down this road.

But since you opened up that can of worms: I was cleaning my shaft and it went off in my hand!!

Hahaha, hey you started it! :lol:

The longer the bridge (grip) you have on your shaft the better you can stroke with it. :lol: :lol:

[DEATHTRON]

Stroke it dont poke it?

[dags_lax]

Stroke it dont poke it?

Sounds like an endorsment for safe sex to me. :roll:

[DEATHTRON]

:( failed miserably...let dags down again...constant dissapointment