Technology
OB Cues in Plano, Texas is at the forefront of pool cue and shaft technology and design. So much so that many of our designs are protected by patents, both in the US and abroad.
Low Cue Ball Deflection is a direct result of “Tip End Mass”. The higher the tip end mass, the higher the cue ball squirt. OB shafts have significantly reduced tip end mass to give extremely low cue ball deflection. We accomplish this through a combination of design and materials. Our OB-1+, OB-2+ and OB-XL+ shafts use a laminated maple ferrule and very low mass materials on the inside of the tip end of the shaft. The OB Classic+, OB Pro+ and OB-XL Classic+ shafts use a short, thin wall white linen melamine ferrule which is also combined with very low mass materials on the inside of the front of the shaft. The effect of both designs is very low tip end mass for extremely low cue ball deflection.
Our 4+ shaft blank construction method is state of the art and we are the only company in the billiard industry that does it the way that we do. We believe that this is the most efficient way to build a pool cue shaft. It is not easy and requires lots of time and effort but the end result is an extremely stable shaft blank that also comes with an industry leading lifetime warranty against warpage. If you buy an OB Plus shaft directly from OB Cues on our website or from an OB dealer and it ever warps for as long as you own it, then the shaft is replaced free of charge. That is how confident we are in our shaft construction technique.
How do you judge performance in a pool cue? After all, every cue does the same thing right? Wrong. Performance in a pool cue can be broken down into two categories. Things you can easily see like cue ball squirt or deflection and how much spin you get on the cue ball and things you can’t really see but just feel, like how hard or soft the hit is or how much vibration you feel or hear.
What you get from an OB+ shaft is the best combination of the four primary characteristics affecting pool cue shaft performance.
Feel, Accuracy, Consistency and Spin
Let’s face it, we all want to win. In order to win more games, we have to increase the shots we make, and decrease the shots we miss. Playing with an OB+ shaft instills a strong feeling of confidence and confidence will win you more games.
Performance
Feel is a very important aspect to the performance of a pool cue. Whether the cue delivers a softer quieter hit, or a harder stiffer hit with more sound, it has to be what the player likes and is comfortable with. At OB we offer both types of hit while maintaining all our other high performance characteristics.
Accuracy is obviously important in pool cue performance. To improve the accuracy of our pool cues, we employ our patented low cue ball deflection technology. Low cue ball deflection allows you to aim more accurately because you don’t have to compensate for a large amount of cue ball squirt on side spin shots. Less adjustment means more pocketed balls.
Consistency in cue performance comes from construction methods and proper materials. Our 4+ shaft construction combined with the best materials means the ultimate in consistency with all OB Shafts and Cues.
Spin is a very important part of pool cue performance. A cue needs to be able to spin the cue ball, but control is also very important. The low cue ball deflection characteristics of our plus shafts automatically provides for improved cue ball spin, while the specially designed tapers give our plus shafts a stiffer center section for added control.
Deflection or Squirt…which is it?
This has been a heavily debated question!
Some claim that “Deflection” refers to the shaft bending out of the way of the cue ball just after impact. Still others use the term to describe what the cue ball does after impact on an off center hit. Many use the term “Squirt” to describe the cue balls path.
At OB, we refer to what the cue ball does as “Cue Ball Deflection”. We don’t typically refer to what the shaft does after impact as the ball has already left the tip and there is nothing that anyone can do about where it is going at this point.