High tech, low deflection shaft buy and try?

High tech shafts

Let me begin by setting the stage.

Very few people will ever become a professional pool, billiard, snooker, 3-ball, etc. player.
But there is something out there that might make you better than you are now and just maybe put your game quite a few levels up!

When you play you want to play a good game and when it comes down to it you might be playing for fun but you have that competition spirit, or shooting in a league, or even for cash money. If that is you, then one of your best bets is to buy your own cue. This will provide you with consistency. You get used to the weight, the balance, the tip etc. You can see our other article about pool cue quality and price but now there is another component that is beyond the average cue with a maple shaft.

A high tech pool cue shaft on your cues' butt section. 
After all the butt section of the cue is important but the cue shaft is where the magic happens. I am all for buying a cue with a standard maple shaft and I am also for trying technology and seeing if it is for you.

I will go out on a limb and say Predator cues with their Iron Willie and Meucci with the myth destroyer started this race to have the best pool cue shaft with less deflection. Then others started to get into the game with different techniques and construction. From pie laminated shafts of differing pie pieces, layers, cores, no core (hollow), different ferrule (length, design and material), lower shaft weight, tappers, resins, carbon fiber, vacuum and heat, etc. etc. etc. It is now to the point it seems as though every company makes a high tech shaft.  You are almost at the mercy of the manufactures to explain how their cue shaft is going to help your game and it is on your logic to decide what is hype and what is fact. BUT most of these shafts we have tried do have less deflection.
With all these companies making their own version of a low deflection shaft this could be good for competition purposes but you should not expect to find any performance shaft below $170 MSRP with some close to $500.

Now what is the use of a pool cue that has a shaft with less deflection? The claims from the makers of the cues seems to indicate they make you a better player and a more accurate shooter.
But is a low deflection shaft needed in order for you to play well? Will it make you a better player by leaps and bounds?

At first I would say no.
Why?
Because you started shooting with a cue shaft that has deflection and you got used to it, and you aim based upon that deflection. A lot of people start shooting with a low deflection shaft and get upset that their game gets worse!  But over time I would say it will probably make you a more accurate shooter. You may not be world class but it should help your game over time.

Here comes your quandary. Do you buy one now? Later? Ever?
My take, and this is only my take, I would buy a starting level cue, take time, and practice with the cue. Then when you are ready to try and up your game, consider buying a high tech shaft and trying it out. You may never be ready to try one out and that is ok. Some professionals shoot with fiberglass clad cues and those have been known to have a bit higher deflection but the pros are still pros and still shot lights out.

When you are ready to step up your game and try a high tech shaft we say this: 
Try out a high tech shaft but don’t give up after one day, or even 3 weeks. Shoot with it, adapt your game to the new cue shaft. It will give you a different feel and just may be the key for you to raise your play above the average player!

The great part is you can buy a high tech shaft that will fit on almost any pool cue brands out there, you will just need to know the pin the cue uses (ask us if you don't know), and decide on which high tech shaft to try. Also, you should note the shaft may not fit absolutely perfecting at the joint. It might have the thinnest difference in diameter but it also might be so close you can’t tell (which is often the case).

Here is a positive for you. If you do not like the low deflection shaft, it can be sold and we would be willing to buy it from you. A note about us buying the low deflection cue shaft... We are in business and would need to resell the cue shaft so we need to have a bit of profit built into the transaction therefore you will not get full value like you might by selling it at your local pool hall.

We will make it pretty straight forward.
If you did not use the lower deflection cue shaft you purchased from us, return it within our return period and we will refund the purchase price (minus shipping).
If you purchase a lower deflection cue shaft from us, you use it, and if you decide you do not like it, we will buy it back.

Our offer for the cue shaft will be the price we sold the cue shaft to you, minus 7% and $10 a month.
As an example: If the cue shaft was sold for $252 and you have the cue for one month after date of delivery, we will buy the cue shaft back for $224.36 ($252.00 - 7% - $10 = $224.36).
If it is two months it would be down $10 more to $214.36, 3 months $204.36, etc.
This is based only upon full month period of 30 days. So even if it is 31 days that would be day 1 into the 2nd month.
*of course we are not 100% firm on this and might work with you. 

For 100% disclosure.
If the cue shaft is beat up we will just return the cue shaft back to you.