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Our definitions of the "dead" feel may differ. If your definition of dead is the same as a dead rail perhaps you had a garbage tip on that shaft. Tip plays a huge part. Certainly carbon fiber shafts have differences as well. This SMO that I play with now does feel different from even the classic shaft offered by JFlowers. Different cue makers will have different processes and materials that will effect the over all feel. I wouldn't classify my SMO as dead at all. Also with this Caiden Brand Soft tip on here I classify it as wild as all hell! It's a hoot👍
*PLEASE MEASURE DIAMETER OF WRAP AREA. WHAT IS DIAMETER AT FRONT OF WRAP AND AT BACK OF WRAP AREA. DIMENSIONS USUALLY FALL IN 31.5 MM BACK OF WRAP TO 26 MM AT FRONT OF WRAP* +-.5MM*
Who knows...perhaps in the future. I just know that their tips don't glaze over quickly which helps the player not grab their tip tool and start digging into the tip to help it retain chalk. I've used the the soft Fighter Tip for months now and I've never had to touch the tip. It's been awesome.
I watch quite a few of your videos and appreciate that you give an honest opinion without bias. My friend and I have embarked on the subject of cue deflection and how can we work with deflection, for over ten years now. We both bring certain skill sets to the endeavor. These skills include Math degrees, Vibration Analysis training for aircraft use and a decent understanding of how things work in the world (Engineering - Physics through life skills not actual training). I instructed how to deal with and understand vibration in aircraft for years. Any test of deflection in a cue that does not include how far the bridge is from tip and how hard it is shot, is flawed. Bridge length and power greatly affect deflection and to date I have not seen a deflection test that keeps these factors in mind. While we have developed a way to spin the cue ball that keeps these factors in mind, my comment is based on how to test a cues deflection characteristics. We developed a test on any table with nothing but a 20 inch ruler. This is an easy shot on a table that uses back hand frozen bridge English to find a result. Simply place the cue ball on the head string center, aim to the far center diamond, then freeze the bridge (very important that the bridge not move even a 32nd of an inch after aim), use the back hand to apply center ball equator spin, 1 or 1.5 tips works well, and watch the tip hit the cue ball at that spin during the shot. Shoot at a medium hard pace. Measure how far you need to bridge from the tip to have deflection send the cue ball straight to the far center rail aim point. I can't stress enough how important it is that the bridge be absolutely frozen during the pivot application of spin and shot. If you bridge to short the deflection will not be enough and if you bridge to far back the deflection will be to much. This means there is a spot that will deflect just right to the center diamond. Apply this distance from tip value to the shaft as a numerical representation of that shafts deflection characteristic. The Huebler cue you showed will be around 14 inches from tip. Most standard shafts will be in this area. A Revo will be around 18, or 19 inches back, a true low deflection shaft. This long pivot point is required in order to have low deflection. All Predator shafts since the original 314 in 1994 have this long bridge point behavior except their latest shaft for carom players. It is called a standard deflection so I assume it will be around 14 inches like your Huebler. I have never had one to test. When I think about how much a carom player wants to spin the cue ball, this makes sense. The shorter the numerical value of a shaft, the more it will spin the cue ball. Our goal here is to give players a way to understand the shaft they have and be able to quickly and accurately measure any cue for it's performance factor. We have a video that explains this in better detail if you want to check it out. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dNI6eQFB5-s.html When you learn to properly freeze the bridge during the application of spin, this really does work. It is hard for Parallel players to freeze the bridge during the application of spin since they spent their life moving the bridge to apply spin so you may need to work on this or at least be aware of it. The world needs something that will give a real and accurate value to a shaft that clearly states what the shaft is. Around 14 inches from tip is where standard deflection shafts are and most normal shafts will be in this area. Around 18 or 19 inches back from tip is a full blown low deflection shaft, this long bridge behavior is required. The further back the bridge point the more low deflection the shaft. I call a normal shaft a 14 inch and a true low deflection shaft a 19 inch. The shaft my friend and I shoot with is only 11 inches back and creates a great deal of deflection. This is not for the faint of heart🙂 and not recommended for the way most of the world spins the cue ball. Give us an opinion if you will, we look forward to it. Thanks
Hey my canadian & half german friend, I just want to tell you, that I sold my Cuetec Cinergy Ghost Edition Cue and bought myself a Mezz Cue with an Ignite shaft. Compared to a JFlowers, the Cinergy and the Rhino shaft, this is now more than just next level. Just wow. Ok, the shaft alone is about 600US$, but the benefit you get is worth it. The deflection is similar to a SMO but the feedback is nearer to wood than any CF shaft I have tested. Best Regards Thomas
Love the ignite and thinking of taking the plunge toward the smo. Really wish they would have stuck with the weight bolt system on these smo’s. After using the Mezz Avant twin bolt system and now the McDermott h series, I’ve come to like a more front weighted cue. Be awesome if Jflowers would release a front weighted cue in their line up.
Well as you saw in this video that weight bolt weighed so little. I really don't think it made that much of a difference. They must have had some kind of plan but that's donzo now I guess. I find the SMO to be fantastic and I enjoy every minute with it. Sounds like you've shot with quite a few shafts. I'm curious as to why you're looking to switch? In any event... If you do decide to go with the SMO consider doing the channel a solid and use my reference code. Costs you nothing👍 jflowerscues.com/ref/HereAfter_Billiards/
Yea have quite a few from the revo, cynergy, ignite and the defy. Revo is too hollow and tingy sounding for my taste, cynergy is not bad and love the ignite and defy. I honestly just like trying stuff out and the smo with its “lowest deflection” claim has peaked my interest. I’ll certainly use the link if I decide to go with an smo. Only thing stopping me at the moment is the lack of front weighted cues in their lineup and no pin options for the front weighted butts I have. (I tried the front weighted cues a few months ago and love them, will be tough to go back to rear bolt cues)
Actually curious now on the flowers cues balance point. If u get a chance, would you mind balancing it with the shaft on with your finger and letting me know how many inches the balance point is from the rear of the cue? Under 19” and it’s a rear weighted cue, 19.5+ inches and it’s more front weighted. You wouldn’t think a few inches make a difference but, in my opinion of course, feels so nice with less weight in your rear hand and more downward pressure on your bridge hand.
@@VetteWay2Fast Yes JFlowers doesn't have many joint configurations. I just did a Rhino review a while back but their shafts feel like the JFlowers Classic shaft...but they've got tonnes of joint options
@@HereAfterBilliards I wonder is there any ordinary aiming system (not kicking or banking) that also using diamonds? I found it pretty fun using diamonds as reference, when it work it feels like magic 😂
@@Danumurti18 Hmm not that I know of. There's a bunch of aiming systems but in the end it'll come down to you understanding all the physics that go into a shot and fundamentals. Search out SVB aiming system or CTE aiming system. There's a bunch.
Harder tips deflect less as well. I primarily play with hard tips because they are more accurate and transfer action more easily. With carbon fiber its more about end mass weight. Part of the reason the smo is only available in a 12.5 mm is because that is the optimum size with carbon fiber. The 11.8 do not weigh any less and more often deflection a touch more due tothe volume weight in the 4 inches from the tip that matter.
That's a great question. JFlowers right now has a better selection of overlay Cues in their Next Generation line...just slightly more expensive than Rhino's Eclipse. That ofcourse is with the classic shaft. They play roughly the same I would say if the JFlowers has a classic shaft on the butt. The Moori Medium tip that comes with the JFlowers Classic shaft isn't as good as the Rhino Crystal tip...but it's close. Right now where JFlowers has Rhino beat is their SMO shaft which is amazing and I'd say their Breaker offers a little more power. That being said I'm using the Rhino Komet Breaker right now with the Bulletproof tip and I'm loving it. I've been chatting with Rhino behind the scenes and they've stated that new products and innovations are coming soon. I look forward to what they come up with. 👍
What a great, honest review. I’ve played since the late 80s with traditional shafts but I so want to get into this Carbon Fiber shaft world. I know it’ll take lots of getting used to but I believe this will elevate my game to the next level. I’ve been eyeballing the JFlowers line for awhile now. The price is right and I’m getting one. Thanks again for this very helpful review! New subbie.
Cheers Veronica and best of luck to you on your journey. To this day I play with a JFlowers Cue and I absolutely love it. Just be prepared to work on a few fundamentals with your new cue. There is an adjustment...but it's all about the journey! Have fun!
This is something I'm going to start doing. I noticed my stroke is better when I use the butt of my cue. I don't know why, but I think it might be my arms. I have disproportionately long arms compared to the rest of my body.
Interesting video. For me, warmup strokes are kind of a checklist. I make sure my tip is in the center of the CB (if I'm not applying English). I bring the stroke back, to see if it's coming back in a straight line (if it isn't coming back straight, it won't be going forward straight). Often, I use warmup strokes to get the feel for the speed of the stroke, mostly when I need precise shape or I'm playing defense and I have to leave the object ball on a far rail or behind some blockers. The point is (which I think you were driving at), make the feathering count for something, so you're not just "sawing wood" down in the shooting position. Thanks for posting your video!
You ever watch Efren Reyes preshot routine? The cue never stops moving. Personal I like doing this because it keeps my stroke loose. When I come down I have a pause then several micro strokes and one long stroke right before shooting
My JFlowers Classic has the Taom Fusion tip on it and the Rhino comes with their propriatary Crystal tip. The Crystal tip is infinitely better than the Moori Medium that comes with the JFlowers. I would say both CF shafts play very similar to each other when you exclude the different tips. And yes the Rhino I got has a 3/8*8 pin which I asked for specifically. So that shaft does fit onto my JFlowers 3/8*8 pin. It matches up flawlessly.
Asong as you know why you do it and what the benefits are to your game then you do you. It's when people have bad habits and have no idea why they do them where I feel people can improve. That was the main message behind this video. It sounds like you know the method behind your madness👍
Coming from a league player... We look at guys who hold their pool stick on the table for 5 seconds, after every single shot, as divas... lol here's ur tiara, princess. 👑
Put myself in a bad spot one shot before that. I was forced to play shape to that spot. Juice saves the day. By the way my wife said she had stamps so I left that tip in her office but she never mailed it. It's on its way now🙄
Thanks for the compliment. Our minds all work differently. Today I only use this technique if I'm going to attempt an extreme cut shot. I find it really helps me with those.
I noticed it right away. I actually learned not to do pre strokes from Jasmin Ouschan's videos. I do this as well because It teaches my body to find that natural line of sight when in practice. If I do pre stroke, they are very slow and short. I look at the cue when I lay my arm and cue stick down. Paying attention to my alignment. I'm not a great player, but just doing this is adavcing my game quickly. It keeps you from doing subconscious micro adjustments when down on the shot that can cause you to miss.
Interesting. Certainly it's bad if you're making adjustments while bent down. If that works that's awesome. When my cue ball is frozen to the rail I won't do any feathering. Just align... Maybe one stroke to check straightness and then pull the trigger.
@@HereAfterBilliards I'm more sticked about it in practice. I also watch CJ Wiley, so I center my body when I visualize. Go down with my arm and cue stick at the same time. Look at the ball and tip of my stick. If it does not feel or look right, I get back up and start over. I will do it over and over tell I have the perfect perspective and centering for me. I look like a robot or weird doing this but it's working for me lol.
Hi my friend, great vid as usual. I would like to give my german response to your video. 1. The Poster on the right is for me the best western movie ever made! 2. Many players don't know why they feather the cue. 3. The only reason to feather is to give you as a player the right feeling about your stroke arm - while feathering you can feel if you're loose or stuck in case of mind-muscle-connection. 4. I teach my club players the following thing: It doesn't matter how you feather or if you feather or how you stand or how is your elbow placed etc. - As long as you are able to create a straight shot. It only counts how the bullet comes out of your gun. Compare De Luna to Gorst or Bustamante to Filler - they are all able to shoot straight. And again - I love this movie!!! Greetz from Germany, Thomas
Hey Thomas! The Good The Bad And The Ugly is my favorite movie❤️ I was heavily indoctrinated into loving Sergio Leone by my father. The will say potentially For A Few Dollars More final showdown is just as good as GoodBadUgly...just not quite as good overall. 👍 I agree with you on shooting straight. It really doesn't matter how you do it...thats why I said multiple times in the video I'm not going to tell you you're doing it wrong. But it is important to know thy self😂👍
This new rhino is going to be jflowers in future….. at the price rate. As more r&d coming later on i guess it will become jflowers company and the price also goes up accordingly for thee quality…… I bought jflowers way before its famous…. The quality is awesome for a carbon fibre…… so i guess this rhino will be so competitive in quality. And about the blacking….. i have no issue with the jflowers….. mind u mine is an early batch of jflowers. No blacking on my table, glove and hand. Even the shaft color is not even dull.
I agree and after conversations with their support team after this video aired, I have faith that their future is very bright. They're a very hungry company and are actively trying to improve and innovate. I can't wait to see what they come up with👍
@@HereAfterBilliards owh I meant the white triangle marking for the pool ball that u had on your pool table. I guess it make is easier for u to arrange the ball without using a rack….. thats neat. What the advantage of using that instead of a magic rack in your opinion? 😆😁
When I was taking billiard to instruction I was taught to line up the shot, get down, pre shot strokes, set, draw back, pause, and finish through the cue ball.
That's great. You're already ahead of the game because in your mind you have a method. You're not just feathering because that's what you saw in the movies😉. Now film yourself and see how close actuality is to your minds eye. Because you've set expectations of yourself you can now drive performance.
Depends on what he wants. He doesn't presently have a cue? Has he ever shot with a carbon fiber low deflection shaft? Does he have a preference as to shaft diameter? The nice thing about Rhino is they have options. If he doesn't have an opinion on such things then scoop up one for him. Go with a 12.5mm as it's a popular diameter and guess at his favorite color scheme if it's a surprise. It's a really good value for the price.
I don’t believe he’s ever used a carbon fiber shaft. I’m relatively new to pool so a lot stuff tends to go over my head honestly 😂. He does a have few basic cues now. However I want to get something a lil more different this year for Father’s Day/his bday. So I figured this might be a good route for him. I loved the review btw & the mini road trip!
@@TechBaseGaming Well then this will classify as a little different then. The Rhino shaft will have less squirt (deflection) than what he's probably playing with and it'll depend on him how long it takes him to get acustomed to it. If he's a guy that loves side spin there's a little bit of a learning curve. The price point for the Eclipse sounds right for your situation. It'll be an awesome gift.
@@HereAfterBilliardsso after watching your review multiple times. Reading our comments another 100 times 😂. I did end up ordering an eclipse (blue) for my dad. I’m excited to get it and give it a try. Who knows maybe this will also get me into the pool game! Thank you again for the advice and extremely helpful review! Look forward to seeing more of your videos.
The eclipse looks nice but I prefer the grip on the Nebula because leather wraps will need to be replaced at some point., their Komet break cue is really nice for the price and added some weight to it and have it where I like it. (Haven't weighed it yet)
