Mike Wooldridge - *NEW* 'BlackSpin' Ferrule System

[Inoffthered]

I play 8 ball in Wales, so we are still playing basically old BAPTO rules - Jurassic !

A foul gives your opponent 2 visits to the table, plus nominate a pocket on the 8?

[MikeWooldridge]

Caz g/day,
I see nothing wrong with people having a sceptical attitude to claims made by Innovators in any field particularly when an A-B comparison will be practically impossible for the Innovator to demonstrate upfront and lets not forget that only a few short centuries ago Innovators were persecuted for daring to think and speak outside the Box, it took and still takes Balls.
The only way for a true sceptic to be satisfied in this instance would be to send MW his own cue for a Blackspin fit and then he would experience the actual A-B difference.
I overcame my initial sceptism of MW's claims ( and ordered a Legend ) based on his reputation and time in the business, IMO,the man simply has too much to lose by making claims that would tarnish his reputation.
I was also motivated by comments made on this thread to conduct my own A-B experiment, so I took a 20 yr old clunker,a Phoneix 2 piece and amputated the ferrule,stuck on an Elk and went to the club.
The result was truly amazing !!
I was potting more long straight pinks than what I usually can with my JP Ultimate, which tells me the clunker is more forgiving to the application of unwanted side,it also has a significantly sweeter feel to the hit than previously,I seem to feel every fibre of the timber and NO, I will not be doing this to the JPU.
I think everyone ( 30 break or less ) has the right to express their opinion but, I know that if I needed heart surgery I would definetely prefer the opinion of an experienced heart surgeon as opposed to that of a 1st year intern.
See pics.
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this is an excellent post and is refreshing that you made the effort to try something out for yourself and see what happens.

this is how i got into cue making. nobody taught me anything, i had to try things. and when they worked, i knew they worked.

as i have said before, a ferrule is for protection. nothing else. tips straight on wood are great, but it's quite likely that in time the wood will splinter or split. so, ferrules have become the norm.

but, as i discovered myself, there are alternatives. and these alternatives are better.

i am more than happy with what i have done. the most important thing for me is that sweetness of contact. an improvement over what we are used to.

anyway, chop the ferrule of that jp and let us know if it plays better. i'll put one back on free if it doesn't.

[sydneygeorge]

this is an excellent post and is refreshing that you made the effort to try something out for yourself and see what happens.

this is how i got into cue making. nobody taught me anything, i had to try things. and when they worked, i knew they worked.

as i have said before, a ferrule is for protection. nothing else. tips straight on wood are great, but it's quite likely that in time the wood will splinter or split. so, ferrules have become the norm.

but, as i discovered myself, there are alternatives. and these alternatives are better.

i am more than happy with what i have done. the most important thing for me is that sweetness of contact. an improvement over what we are used to.

anyway, chop the ferrule of that jp and let us know if it plays better. i'll put one back on free if it doesn't.

Tempting offer MW,thank you,however the postage to and from Australia is considerable.
Once my new Legend arrives I suspect/expect you will see the JPU on eBay,it is a beautiful cue to look at and play with, however in my mind cues are like girlfriends,once they become an EX I don't want them hanging around
Back in circulation I am sure it will bring someone immense pleasure and I will sail away into the sunset holding my new Black Legend.

[mrbluejay]

A foul gives your opponent 2 visits to the table, plus nominate a pocket on the 8?

No, one shot and a visit and no nomination. But you don't have to pot a ball or strike a cushion, so tip-tap games are still prevalent.

[Tred]

...however in my mind cues are like girlfriends,once they become an EX I don't want them hanging around

Great quote that one - from now on, I think I'll refer to my cue collection as my hareem

[mrbluejay]

Tempting offer MW,thank you,however the postage to and from Australia is considerable.
Once my new Legend arrives I suspect/expect you will see the JPU on eBay,it is a beautiful cue to look at and play with, however in my mind cues are like girlfriends,once they become an EX I don't want them hanging around
Back in circulation I am sure it will bring someone immense pleasure and I will sail away into the sunset holding my new Black Legend.

That is a great quote lol

[billabong]

in my mind cues are like girlfriends,once they become an EX I don't want them hanging around

It's a fair point, but every now and again you want to get the old one ( cue ) out and have a play with again . Handy to keep around as a back up . .

[Steve748]

in my mind cues are like girlfriends, once they become an EX I don't want them hanging around

That's exactly how I feel about a cue, if you like it get used to how it plays and stick with it!

[sydneygeorge]

Great quote that one - from now on, I think I'll refer to my cue collection as my hareem

To your friends I say,

" Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours Hareem ".

[Inoffthered]

No, one shot and a visit and no nomination. But you don't have to pot a ball or strike a cushion, so tip-tap games are still prevalent.

OMG. Yeah, I hear you..

[johno]

Just received my new cue from Mike and couldn't be more pleased. Before I talk about the 'blackspin' the actual
build quality is superb and even better than I expected. From the perfect balance to the taper it feels just right,
the spec I asked for have been matched perfectly (18oz, 29.5 mm butt, 58 inches, ash 3/4) What struck me first
was the ergonomics of the butt and how the rounded style complements your grip. I've used many cues over 25 years
playing and none matched this. Having played with for a couple of hours I can tell the difference the blackspin seems
to make, it's a more 'crisper' hit and not a 'thud' is the best way I can describe it. Seems to need less effort to move the
white, and the contact is cleaner. I think overall it may well give you more confidence. Anyone that is sceptical trust
me if you are lucky enough to get your hands on one of these beauties your'll be pleasantly suprised. As for less throw on
the white when using side, I found especially on longer shots less it throws less than my old cue. To summarise no
negatives and I reckon there's no going back for me. Finally found Mike a top guy to deal with.........pics to follow

[the montrealer]

HI Mike Woodridge Canadian players like Alain Robidoux Cliff Thorburn Kirk Stevens Bob Chaperon and a few others have been using Black Ferrulles or Fibre Ferrulles instead of Brass Ferrulles.

Alain told me that plastic Ferrulles have less throw than Brass Ferrulles so why is it that British players and other players use Brass ferrulles instead of Plastic ferrulles or fibre ferrulles

Maybe some one knows the answer

[Dave Walton]

are new cues coming with the new tips mike or the MW supers? Looked like the 7 you posted the other day had the new black ones on?

new tips are not ready. a lot of preparation and testing has to go into them. looking good so far though.

but you can't go wrong with an original super tip anyway

the seven cues did not have new black tips. they were supertips. i put something on the walls to seal them a bit so they look a bit darker.

Can I ask what you used to seal the sides of the tips please Mike?

[x3dnd3x]

Sorry if wrong place but just wanna check how long does MR take to authorize the customer account over at his site?

[Steve748]

When he takes a break from making cues?

Seriously if you do it at 1am it will get authorised straight away but during the day is cue making time!