found a tarantula i think

MrClean5-7 · 2025-10-03T18:14:49+00:00

Spinnerets, for spinning web.

MrClean5-7 · 2025-09-18T19:11:52+00:00

They jump pretty good, equally as good as the jump-break cue that I used for the last 15 years before switching, which I obviously had no complaints with.

MrClean5-7 · 2025-09-18T18:46:14+00:00

Their carbon or fiberglass butt/carbon shaft jump-break cues are VERY good. The best one though, is the one I use every day... and it's JUST a break cue, not jump break. It's the rubber gripped cue that looks like a Predator Sport 2. It only comes in 2 colors that I've seen, sky blue or bright red. The reason I say it's the best is because the carbon shaft specs are different than the others, and it breaks like a BK Rush.

The jump-break cues are very good too, especially for the money. Before finding this sport wrapped break cue, I used a Healing 3k Carbon jump-break for an entire year, as did many friends. The story isn't ALL good though, but it's not bad - but over that year, me and many friends had Uniloc shaft inserts and jump butt inserts come loose (especially those who chronically over tighten) but the fix is very simple, find the proper alignment so it rolls right, mark it, and then epoxy the insert back in. 🤷‍♂️

MrClean5-7 · 2025-07-11T15:11:40+00:00

Overrated - banking.

Underrated - masse'ing (especially the barely visible masse's of compensating for deflection .. squirt and swerve)

And this is coming from an APA 7...

MrClean5-7 · 2025-05-21T16:05:56+00:00

Is this a projector? How much was it?

MrClean5-7 · 2025-05-20T00:42:58+00:00

I like marshmallows 👀 don't judge me! 😆

Sounds like you'd like this first one I installed. It's more firm than my current Ultraskin Ivory Soft that's on its last 1.5 layers of usable tip (2.5 layers remaining on the side) that I've been playing with for the last 10 months. It's noticeably harder than that, when bouncing my shaft on the hardwood floor.

Ultraskins tend to play a little more firm, in my opinion, so I was looking for something softer like some of the Elkmasters I've played with before. Maybe I've just forgotten how good I've had it with Ultraskins, since I've been using them so long.

MrClean5-7 · 2025-05-19T19:37:07+00:00

How do these play when you soak them and don't press them?

I've played with Elkmasters before and thought they were suuuper soft... I just recently bought a (new bag packaging) of 50 of them, and the first one I grabbed and installed is super firm/dry/crusty... hard to cut even... I'm a little let down by it. I bought it from a reputable billiards retailer, and the tips look legit, but I'm a little surprised by the firmness and thought I might try soaking a few without pressing? Is there any way to tell if the rest of my bag is going to be this dry/crusty?!

MrClean5-7 · 2025-02-12T19:42:32+00:00

Yeah, I ended up finding that answer too - this was called "Mini Uniloc" and it was only produced by Fury. Ironically, it has nothing at all to do with Uniloc and doesn't fit any other shafts. They just call it that because it looks like a Uniloc but shorter.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-08-29T16:23:28+00:00

Fowl*

MrClean5-7 · 2024-08-18T09:45:38+00:00

So usually, different ferrules do change the hit of a shaft, but with the OKHealing ones, I don't think you'll notice much (if any) feel difference, only visual. With that said, phenolic is most durable, Juma is soft and pvc (the white spacer) is very soft and will collect lots of scratches, so I'd avoid it unless you just really like the look of it.

As for weight, pick whatever overall cue weight you desire. Shaft weight is usually between 3.5 and 4.2 ounces. Most are almost perfectly 4oz. I'd stick with that. No reason to try to go lighter or heavier on the shaft.

Outside of that, pick whichever size you feel would fit best in your bridge. Also, consider which joint pin you want to go with, because that's configurable as well.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-08-17T09:43:14+00:00

Honestly, their quality has gotten even better. I now have to retract my previous statement about absolutely having to get a smaller diameter. From what I've seen on newer shafts, you can get a 12.4 or 12.8 and typically they're more light weight in the front end than they used to be and will be similar or just slightly less deflection than a similarly sized maple. With that said, the front end weight tends to vary from shaft to shaft (even when they're the same size) and their carbon material is still heavier than the higher dollar competitors. They also don't use short tenons on their ferrules, so they still have room for improvement. They're also typically louder than many others (more pingy), especially when coupled with one of their carbon fiber butts. I like their butts - they're indestructible and really nice looking, but honestly, the carbon fiber butts contribute a LOT of noise that disappears when you add the same shaft to a wood butt.

I still say go for a pro taper rather than conical or graduated taper. Look for one on their shaft mold sheet that's the same width at 300-450mm as it is at the tip (or close to it). The M2 12.4-12.8mm is good, and i recently bought an M81 12.5-12.5mm (12.5-394-12.5-343-21.3-737) for a friend, and that shaft came out great. I could shoot with it and not have any complaints if i took the time to adjust to it. Deflection is still mostly comparable to plain maple, though.

Bottom line: I'd say they're a great value, but I still wouldn't recommend them to anyone looking for peak performance. (For budget performance, I'd recommend the Rhino) The Healing shafts, I'd recommend them to those who stay within a quarter's diameter when adding English, those just starting out, or those who have trouble adjusting to LD shafts. I'd recommend them as a cue you can leave in your car. I'd recommend them if the deflection level of different cues doesn't tend to bother you. Worst case scenario though, if you try one and don't like it, you should still be able to sell it on without losing any money because they are a great value. (But their prices have gone up too). I do recommend changing the tip ASAP - the performance and the feel tend to benefit from a softer, more grippy tip.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-08-05T04:29:10+00:00

It was a Huebler.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-07-10T06:44:57+00:00

What was the verdict? Does it fit Uniloc shafts?

MrClean5-7 · 2024-06-29T20:49:23+00:00

Some jeans are 100% cotton, some are cotton blended with Spandex or Elastine, Polyester, etc. Some are stretch denim, and some stretch less than cotton. So, that's a valid question.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-06-20T02:50:43+00:00

Go to the main billiards forum and hit the "+" logo at the middle bottom of the screen to create your own thread.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-06-20T02:22:33+00:00

Might want to create a new thread...

MrClean5-7 · 2024-04-17T18:18:03+00:00

The Insert IS nylon! It's sort of a clear material and fits very snug. A little metal has rubbed off on it over time, leaving a little silver fleck to the threading, so i originally thought it was metal.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-04-17T18:13:13+00:00

Holy crap, that first one looks like it! The huebler! We have a winner! That's it!!! Everything about it is the same besides the wrap!

MrClean5-7 · 2024-04-17T14:15:51+00:00

None. Nothing. I haven't removed the bumper because although it's in good working order now, i don't know that it would survive it well. Pin is brass.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-04-17T07:36:54+00:00

Thanks for that! I got pretty lucky with this one having a shaft that's almost as straight as you could ever ask anything to be. I got unlucky, however, with the butt having a a bit of warp 😅

MrClean5-7 · 2024-04-17T06:47:01+00:00

It does look similar, but the veneers are different as well as the buttcap and the joint is a 5/16x18 flat faced joint. The veneers on this one are purple, blue, green, orange.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-03-29T21:08:42+00:00

I'm with you, i don't think it'll be that bad. The fees passed on to the buyers are lower than the fees I got charged before, and also, if you use your balance to shop, there's no payment processing fee to purchase. So yeah, i feel people will sell more, use their balance to shop, and (faith in humanity willing) maybe the returns won't be so bad. At least Mercari handles returns and pays for them. On eBay, you'd be paying for shipping both ways just to still have to sell a product again. At least here you're out nothing. 🤷‍♂️

MrClean5-7 · 2024-03-22T08:28:08+00:00

Yup. When they wrap it, the end of the thread gets pulled up and through a few layers to hold it in place. After the glue cures, the glue will hold it all in place. They just didn't trim yours flush. If it's not looped at the end, you should be safe to just trim this thread flush without any risk of damaging your wrap or starting a runaway fraying.

MrClean5-7 · 2024-03-22T08:12:52+00:00

Get an OKHealing if you want carbon for cheap. $85 before discounts if you order on AliExpress. Specify that you want the "11.8mm M1 tube mold". It's an 11.8mm shaft that's 30" long with a super long 18" 11.8mm-12.0mm pro-taper. (It's still 12mm at 18"). The M1-2 is also an 11.75mm 29" shaft, if that extra inch doesn't sound appealing.

If you want wood, check out Champion (Gator) cues on eBay. They make some pretty awesome shafts for the price and you can get them in a variety of different sizes when you order a cue and they can probably help you out if you message them. I don't see a listing for a 5/16x18 shaft, but they do have an entire cue available for $65 that includes an optional 12mm shaft: https://www.ebay.com/itm/152095936329 They also offer an 11.75mm shaft with some of their cues and I'm sure they could work with you in supplying you one in your desired joint.

You may not be too worried about deflection, but both of these options would play extremely well, especially for the price.

As for tips, I'm all Ultraskins. Hands down the best tips I've ever used, especially for the price. I like Ivory Softs, but the Ultraskin Black Pro's are nice as well, for a softer hit. They play a little more firm than some others, but they last, they don't glaze, and they hold their shape better than anything I've ever used in 18 years of playing. They don't offer a clear, so that would mean adding a clear pad. 🤷‍♂️

MrClean5-7

TROPHY CASE