Here’s the deal.  The idea behind the low deflection shaft is when you hit the cue ball with English, the shaft construction will work to decrease the cue ball’s deflection.  Different shafts go about reducing deflection in different ways.  Some of them take splices of wood and glue them together to make the shaft, others make changes to the end of the cue with adjustments made to the tip, ferrule and even hollowing out the end of the shaft.  There’s a bunch of scientific mumbo jumbo that goes with all this, but the bottom line is that low deflection shafts make it easier to sink your shots when you’re putting English on the cue ball.

Predator 314 Shaft	Unique Features:   Hollow Bore Shaft 10 Piece Radial Splicing 6/10″ Ferrule
Lucasi Hybrid Shaft	Unique Features:   Zero Flex Ferrule 8 Piece Radial Splicing 12.75mm 8 Layer Tip
OB-1 Shaft	Unique Features:   6 Piece Stress Relieved Splicing Wood Ferrule Vibration Dampening Core
Tiger X-Shaft	Unique Features:   5 Piece Cross Grain Splicing Sniper Tip with Red Fiber Backing Extended 15″ Pro Taper

Still have questions?  Drop us an email or give us a call.  We’re not physicists over here, but we do know our shafts and we’re happy to help out wherever we can!

In addition to these core changes, the OB-2 also features a smaller version of the OB-1′s dampening core and the trademark SR-6 construction for optimal consistency. 

We only received a limited number of shafts and there is extremely high demand, so please be patient with us if we run out.  Click here to read more about the new OB-2 shaft.

As one of the more popular cue brands in Europe, Mezz cues are quickly gaining notoriety in the states as a low deflection alternative to Predator. Starting at just $268.00 for the Sneaky Pete, Mezz offers a series of elegant, high performance cues that feature their proprietary WD700 low deflection shaft. Mezz cues range from traditional to sublime utilizing such exotic inlays as turquoise, malachite and even paua shell.

Mezz Sneaky Pete – $268.00

Beyond beauty, what really makes Mezz stand out from the crowd is their WD700 low deflection shaft. This shaft provides increased accuracy and more power to the spin on every shot. Each shaft features a Moori III tip, widely considered the best cue tip on the market and the X Ferrule for extra performance.

Mezz ZZ07 Pool Cue – $400.00

In addition to the upgraded tip and ferrule, every WD700 shaft features Mezz’s ISS Technology built into the tip-end of each cue. ISS utilizes light internal support materials while the softer X Ferrule creates an impact that “holds” the cue ball longer, adding additional spin and creating greater accuracy through lower deflection.

Displacement of the cue ball’s path away from the parallel line formed by the cue stick’s direction of travel; occurs every time english is employed. The degree of deflection increases as the amount of english applied increases. It is also called squirt, typically in the United States.

In simpler terms, deflection is simply how far off the ball goes from its intended path when you put english on your shot.  Deflection is one of the biggest issues for any pool player, as you need to be able to at the very least know where your ball is going to travel when you put english on your shot.  Generally speaking, there are two ways to deal with deflection.   The first is to simply practice and get a consistent feel for how much the cue ball squirts when you apply english.  Your other option is to get a cue with a low deflection shaft.

Low deflection shafts like the Predator 314 shaft effectively reduce the amount of cue ball deflection, giving you a truer roll and more control.  Some cues like the Lucasi Hybrid or Mezz Cues come equipped with low deflection shafts.  Ultimately, a low deflection shaft makes the game of pool a little easier, as it adds that extra level of control.

If you have any questions about low deflection shafts, don’t hesitate to email or call us at 866-843-3294.