OB 123 Black Stained Maple Linen Wrap Pool Cue

I love this cue, which I matched with a 12.75 mm OB Classic shaft. I decided to take a chance on OB, rather than buying something from one of the more expensive (and popular) LD cue manufacturers, because I wanted an affordable, high performance cue with a slick, simple design. I had narrowed my choices down to this cue or a Predator Road Line Series Sneaky Pete ($381), but wanted an all-black shooter so went with the OB 123.
The first big difference I noticed when I held it in my hand is how much differently it is weighted, compared to my old stick - an entry level, solid maple shaft Star (McDermott). The butt is slightly narrower, and the shaft is slightly thicker in the middle, giving the whole cue (in my perception at least) the feeling of a more gradual taper from end to end. It has good, crisp feedback on impact with the cue ball, but has a more 'bouncy' feel than my old cue - as if more power is being transferred from the cue to the ball. The increase in consistency I'm getting in straight shots with no spin added, after only a few weeks, is really something - worth the price of the cue alone. And when I want to put a bit of juice on the rock and play a shot with heavy spin, this thing ain't no feather duster either - so much so, in fact, that I'm finding the hardest thing to adjust to is accounting for how much extra English this thing creates in off-center hits. Even though I'm still working on that aspect after 5 weeks or so, this cue has improved my game a lot in a very short time. Highly recommended!