What You Need to Know About Low Deflection Pool Cues

Predator launched the original 314 shaft in 1994, the first low-deflection design to catch on widely, and REVO followed it in 2016. That timeline is why any pool room is split down the middle. Plenty of players learned the game on standard shafts long before this technology existed, and plenty of others have never played anything but a low deflection (LD) shaft.

Both camps swear by whatever they already own, which makes the advice you get leaning against a table close to useless when you’re new.

What Makes a Low Deflection Cue Work?

Low deflection shafts use a hollow or carbon-fiber core that reduces the end mass, so the cue ball deflects less on off-center hits.

What Squirt Actually Is

Squirt, also known as deflection, is the angle change of the cue ball that happens any time you take a shot. Every shot has some. Low deflection cues are built to keep that number as small as the design allows, and that shrinking margin is where the accuracy gain comes from.

How English Affects Squirt

The amount of squirt grows higher the more “English,” or sidespin, you put on the cue ball. So a straight shot, like a break, will usually have a very small amount of squirt, whereas a shot with a lot of English on it will have more squirt and therefore more deviation from the intended target.

Transitioning from a Standard Shaft to a Low Deflection Cue

When you play with standard shaft cues there’s more squirt, so you learn to compensate for it. On low deflection cues, there’s less squirt and, as a result, less compensation required. This is why it’s hard for people to switch between the two styles; they end up either over or under-compensating.

Every player I know who has made the jump spent their first few weeks over-cutting shots with outside English before their hands caught up to the new shaft.

Why Shaft Flex Controls Deflection

To put it as simply as possible, the more flexible the top of the shaft is, the less deflection (squirt) it will create. Standard shafts are usually made from one solid piece of wood which makes the tip less flexible and causes more deflection.

Balancing Flex and Durability

So the trick is to make a cue shaft that is as flexible as possible while staying sturdy and long-lasting. There are a couple of different ways that cue manufacturers do this.

The Common Low-Deflection Shaft Designs

The most common design for low deflection shafts is a hollow tip about 6” in length combined with a cushion in the ferrule to absorb impact. Other manufacturers hollow out the shaft tip and then refill it with something lighter than maple. Foam and carbon fiber are the usual choices, though some builders drop in a lower-density wood instead, and either way the point is to cut weight without giving up strength.

Smaller Tips and the End-Mass Payoff

Some low deflection cues even have slightly smaller tips and ferrules to further reduce deflection. All of this serves to reduce end-mass in the shaft, making it possible for the tip to move out of the cue ball’s way just after impact. On standard cues, the shaft pushes the ball out of the way causing more deflection.

Where the Impact Energy Goes

The energy of the impact between ball and cue has to go somewhere. On LD shafts, the tip of the cue takes that energy and on standard shafts, the cue ball takes that energy.

Recommendations

If you’re looking for a low-deflection cue without spending a fortune, these are the best options at different price points:

Budget pick: Collapsar CXL500 (~$120). Carbon fiber is inherently low-deflection and it will not warp on you, which is why nearly everything else built from it starts north of $300 and the Collapsar undercuts the tier by more than half. Check Price on Amazon. For the rest of the carbon range and what $200 through $700 actually buys, see our best carbon fiber pool cues breakdown.

Mid-range pick: PureX Technology (~$316). An engineered low-deflection maple shaft from CCSI, the same company behind Lucasi, running a 12.75mm tip that buys a little more precision than the standard 13mm. Our review is blunt about where it lands: the deflection drop is obvious on the first rack, and the tolerances still aren’t what a $500 Predator shaft holds. Check Price on Amazon.

Premium pick: Predator REVO shaft (~$400-500). The 314 shaft that came before it is the one every other brand measures itself against, and REVO took over that job when it shipped in 2016. Worth the money if you play competitively, hard to justify if you shoot once a month. Amazon stock is hit or miss on this shaft, so a specialty shop is the safer buy: see the REVO 12.4mm at Billiard & Pool Center.

For a full breakdown of cues at every price point, see our value picks across every price tier.

Benefits and Advantages of Low Deflection Cues

• Accuracy: As discussed above, the low deflection shaft makes for more accurate shots due to the need for less compensation. This is the biggest benefit inherent in such cues.
• More Room for Error: When playing with a low deflection shaft, you’re taking shot variation due to deflection out of the picture. This means your ball goes where you want it to more often, and it also means that a slight aiming error won’t send your cue ball far out of the way. In this way, low deflection shafts give you a little more room for error than standard cues.
• Longer Lasting: Due to the overall quality of construction and the consequently higher price-tag, low deflection cues generally last longer than their standard counterparts. Many LD cues are reinforced with a special kind of laminate, as well, for radial consistency.
• Lower Learning Curve: For those players just starting out, or those just getting serious about their game, low deflection cues offer a lower learning curve. Since LD cues allow for less squirt, it’s much easier for beginner and intermediate players to up their skills. More deflection means more compensation which means a higher learning curve. Still shopping for a first cue? Our best pool cues for beginners guide covers what to buy before you step up to an LD shaft.
• Consistency: All of the other advantages already mentioned combine to deliver more overall shot consistency. This means that if you hit the cue ball in the same place twice in a row, you can expect it to travel on the same relative trajectory. Of course, there’s still lots of skill involved, but for your level of play, you’ll start seeing more consistency in your shots.

Are There Any Disadvantages of Low Deflection Cues?

There are some disadvantages to playing with low deflection cues, but most of them have more to do with player preference than anything inherent in the cue. Here are a few examples.

• More Expensive: Since low deflection cues require special construction compared to standard cues, the price tag runs higher. That extra money is doing something, though. The tips and ferrules are better on the way out of the box, and the cosmetics are sharper. Do a little research before you buy and you’ll get a quality cue that lasts. Like anything else, you get what you pay for.
• Trouble Jumping: Since LD cues have less mass in their shaft tips, you can expect it to be a little more difficult to perfect jump shots with them. Of course, if you’re really serious about pool you can always invest in a designated jump cue.
• Feel and Sound: Some players have complained about the sound and feel of low deflection cues. They sometimes make a hollowed-out sound when hitting the cue ball, but this is more of a personal preference than anything else. The same goes for the lighter feel they have to them, especially near the tip. A 19-ounce cue will still weigh 19 ounces, but the shaft may feel a little light, especially to those players that are used to standard shafts.
• Difficult to Switch: As mentioned above, it can be difficult to switch to a low deflection cue after years of playing with a standard cue. Expect a few weeks of practice before the difference in squirt and compensation stops catching you out, especially on shots where you’re putting English on the ball.

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