Update: I've decided to join Rhino Billiards Affiliate Program. I believe that this company's creativity and drive will bring great things in the future. If my video helped you choose this product please consider using my code to get an additional 5% off! Follow this link : rhino-billiards.com?dt_id=1890801 Then at checkout in the "Discount Code or Gift Card" box use my channel code : HEREAFTER_BILLIARDS Anything I earn just gets dumped back into this channel to improve the viewing experience. Thanks everyone👌
I live in VN and everyone know that Rhino is sh*t brand . Low end cue . I don;t know why Western guys think it is a great value . No it's . Go for Konllen or Jflower
So I bit the bullet and ordered a Retro (pale moon ebony wrapless) which came arrived yesterday. Shipping was super quick. Not too much and been done to protect the cue for shipping, but I guess enough was done as it arrived in great condition. I can't tell yet whether its what I call new cue syndrome (the effect you shoot lights out the first time you play with a new cue then suddenly you are back to your regular self) but I am very happy with the cue. It seems to get way more action on the CB than I am used to. Thanks again for the excellent review!
Congratulations man! I received my cues in the same manner that you did as well. In my first video I mentioned that I was a little weary that they were coming in such thin boxes however there was that smaller bubble wrap that was protecting it. I'm used to cues coming in bigger boxes with that big bubble wrap engulfing the cue. However the trip from Vietnam didn't damage them so I was greatful. Now that you have the cue I'd like to offer you a mission... Should you choose to accept it... THE TIP I played with the factory 'Time Crystal' for just about a month. Before the review I was even breaking from the side to test if it would mushroom. No mushrooming occurred and I continued to get the juice you're finding right now. But as of this comment, through the last week I've started to miss cue a little on extreme juice shots. So for the first time this week I shaped the tip. At summer league I played a soft extreme inside safety and the cue ball miscued again off of the tip. So it took my pick tool and dug in along the outer edges. Now I'm not one to assume that a factory tip will last forever or even compete with brands that specialize in the tip market, however this is my first non-pigskin tip. Rhino doesn't say synthetic but Bulletproof for example doesn't shy away from the name. Your mission is to track the duration of how long you hit with the tip and see how long it hits well for you. Mine up until today offered great contact for most of the cue ball but it got dicy once you got to the extremities for extreme juice. In my older age I decided about a year ago that I was going to experiment more with tips so as of this morning the Time Crystal is coming off and I'll be trying a Taom Pro Soft for the first time. That's it man... easy. I know you'll have as good of an experience as I am with the Rhino. It's a great cue. Hits great! 👌
@@HereAfterBilliards Ok after playing with this cue for a while I have fallen a little out of love with it. I think its that Time Crystal tip. It really tattoos chalk on the cue ball. I also don't seem to be able to get the spin at want toward the edges. I am not currently in a position to swap out the tip. I don't know there is something about it... It spends more and more time in the cue rack in the basement pool room. Found myself going back to an old Dominiak cue I have. Big 3/8 x 10 pin, ancient sniper tip. It's my go to now for league night. Maybe I just need to see real wood on my cue. This probably makes me a dinosaur..
@briangauthier5802 It's not the shaft or the composite not being wood... Its the tip. If you change it out to something you're familiar with the Retro won't sit on your rack anymore. I had my tip changed out after a month. I found I was miscuing no matter how I shaped the tip
Great review! It is clear that Rhino is listening to your feedback and incorporating improvements. I thoroughly enjoy playing with my Rhino. Thanks for the review.
@@Dugnew I'll think about it. Just spoke to my friend and he tried both the red and the blue. Right now he had the red and black layered pigskin Bulletproof on his cue. He like that one better than either of the synthetics but it's mushrooming already
I watched your review just after ordering the Pale Moon Ebony with the Lizard wrap and points. It arrived yesterday and I played my first match with it tonight ... I must say I was very impressed with the feel and look of this cue!! Need a little more time with the tip to get used to it, but it seems pretty reactive. My only minor thing is I thought the pale moon ebony would be a lighter color overall , instead I feel like it almost looks metallic but it is still a very nice looking and shooting cue . Thank you for your in Depth review!
Cheers man. A little update on the tip. Rhino never said the tip was synthetic. They said it wasn't pig skin. So in my mind what else could it be but synthetic? Anyway around the one month mark I started seeing that when I shot extreme juice shots I would miscue. Now I took that tip through the ringer before my review...even breaking with it. Getting action from the tip was never the problem. When I started miscuing I finally roughed it up and eventually took my tip tool to it. The problem persisted. I ended up tapping out and putting a Taom Pro soft on the other day. Final verdict is the Time Crystal Tip may actually be better than the Bulletproof synthetics bacause it gets more action...but the technology isn't perfected. Glad you like the cue. Love the Retro
Plans on checking the voyager series out!?!? Particularly interested in the break with that Bakelite tip. I already own the Voyager play cue and am in love.
No I won't be doing a review on the Voyager series but please stay tuned. I'll be finishing up a video of a cue that will be released at the end of the month that will interest you. 🤔 Hoping to have it done and released by Sunday 👍
Great video and I agree on joint tightness. Have a Huebler I picked up in the mid 70's that had the white joint collars that would crack if you broke with them. Never broke with mine! Local cue maker mentioned that the joint material on those cues was from old cue balls!
Will you be doing a review on the nebula 2 that just released? I’m eager to learn more about it and see if it would be good for a beginner/intermediate player that is looking to upgrade to a carbon fiber cue but not break the bank. Thanks so much for the awesome reviews and keep up the great work!!
I appreciate your kind words. At present I'm not doing a review of the Nebula 2 and really I've never even shot with the Nebula One. I am working on a review for an upcoming release however from Rhino...and let me say WOW...what a improvement. I'll release it this weekend. I'm not a believer in a cue being a beginner cue. If you have the skill, even a one piece bar cue can be deadly. I'm a huge supporter of Rhino's Retro Series. In fact as of present the Retro is my regular playing cue. The difference in price between a Nebula and a Retro is very little. 🤔
Thanks for the review and all your videos. I purchased same Rhino cue you reviewed. It's a keeper but mine does not eliminate at wobble at the joint after a few turns as illustrated on your review. It needs to be completely tightened to eliminate the wobble. I am in communication with Rhino for an explanation.
Really?! Wow that's crazy. Sorry man. Yeah definately talk to them. You're the first I've heard this from. I know a few other people who've bought a Retro and none of them encountered this. Let me know how it goes. 🙏
I'm not sure of the exact material of the ferule. However I have retipped the cue now and glue has no issues adhering to the ferule so I'd say the material is the same as most cues that aren't breakers that use a phoenolic/Bakelite configuration. 👍
That's very much tip dependant. I can't tell the difference between the composite and the traditional wood hit which is a good thing. If you drop the butt of the cue onto the bumper you'll hear it to be a little higher of a sound but the Rhino also has a harder bumper than other cues. Overall I can't say enough about it. I still use it to this day👍
This video was great. Coming back to pool after being away for a while. Always loved big 3/8 x 10 joints and a good stiff hit. Looks like they are not as popular these days. I found my favorite player has quite a wobble in it now. Always had weakness for buying cues. Considered a Predator Aspire (looks, price point, LD shaft, brand power?) but the small radial pin makes me nervous as well as the fact that Predator doesn't use it in any other cue. Saw the Rhino advert on FB. I was like wow price is great. Looks nice (I love wrapless cues). I don't care much about traditional materials (had cuetec back in the day, but the sticky shaft turned out to be a no go). Anyway, rambling post. Thanks for the great review. The Rhino may be right for me.
I'm glad you're back. Playing pool is good for the soul 👍. As for the Rhino I really don't think you can go wrong here as the price point to quality is almost unbeatable. If you're a wrapless guy these Retro Cues should be right up your alley. They really do look great...and play great as well.
Man I am a fan of your reviews. I find myself watching it like a tv series. Great feedback. Thank you for the details. I’ve been debating on J Flowers vs Eclipse/Retro.
Thanks for the huge compliment. If you follow my channel you know I'm an affiliate at both companies and I'm a huge supporter of them. I believe pool equipment should have a high price to quality ratio. Both these companies offer this. In my opinion as of right now I wouldn't recommend the Eclipse or The Komet Breaker from Rhino. I would however recommend any of the Retro Series. They really are quite good (I'm still shooting with my Retro). Their carbon fiber joint configuration selection is way better than JFlowers as well if you're looking to just add to an existing butt. As for Jflowers, they've been in the game a couple years longer than Rhino so they have a larger selection of cues for you to choose from (at different price ranges as well) but I'm not a fan of how busy their designs are. I have a Dante 2 cue that I love. Right now where JFlowers has Rhino beat is their Jump Cue as Rhino doesn't have one (but is on the way) and their Break Cue (it's a sledgehammer and its amazing!). It really just comes down to preference and taste. They all hit great. Don't be afraid to look into other brands also. There's a lot of competition out there. It's getting competitive which is a good thing for us consumers. If you do decide to choose JFlowers or Rhino please remember to use my affiliate links. They're in my bio at the top of this RUclips page. They help my little pool channel out👌 Thanks again for the awesome feedback!
Yeah as I found out speaking with James from Hooked Billiards, the Mezz is the one cue maker that hasn't compromised on a stiff joint. My problem with Mezz however isn't their quality...it's the proprietary nature at which they do business. Even now the Wavy 2 joint isn't even compatible with their own shafts that are Wavy 1 equipped. If I was a Mezz owner I'd be choked.
Speaking of synthetic tips,you really need to be trying the new bulletproof recoil synthetic playing tip.I absolutely love mine,and I’ve installed a few of them now,and everyone seems to really like them.
That's interesting. I've spoken to only one friend about that tip and their feedback was they weren't a fan of it. They felt they couldn't get the amount of sauce they were accustomed to. I'm glad you're digging it
Great and informative video as always. Good job my friend. Do you prefere the Rhino cue over your JFlowers Dante? The radial pin gives you a better feedback in the butt of your cue, because of the large pin size in combination with the tight fitting. Even my Mezz with a tight united joint, does not transfer the feedback as good as a wavy or radial pin. THX and best wishes. Thomas
That's a really tough question. I'll say this...right now I'm enjoying playing with the Rhino Retro. That's not to say that I don't love my Dante 2 with the SMO shaft...but the feel of the Retro combined with the joint and this interesting new tip they have has intrigued me. It's all a journey really...and taste 👍There's no right answer. The only quantitative thing we can absolutely measure is price and durability. Rhino is priced right and I guess we'll have to wait on the durability. But for right now I'm loving it.
I'm going to be honest and say the chances of me trying one is low. I have a close friend who tried both varieties of synthetic from them and he wasn't happy with the amount of juice he lost and if ever he had to do any extreme English a miscue was highly probable. I really trust his opinion as a lot of our beliefs are aligned.
A higher percentage of times but especially with radial type pins or the Mezz wavy in particular , or even a metal joint that squeaks or is tight in general but not always you should take a fresh paper towel ,fold it 4 times and wet it with rubbing alcohol. Then I place it in a dry paper towel and squeeze it. Then i wash my hands in cold water and dry them on another ptowel and keep that to keep hands from drying and cracking.the skin. then i take the moistened ptowel w rub alcohol and use all 8 sides by twisting the clean corners and cleaning the threads real good. Alot of times black stuff will come out. From there I'll manuever the edges and sides by folding the ptowel over to keep clean sides and retwist the ptowel to continue as many times as it takes until the bore threads are clean and sterile. Then I 'll take a fresh side of ptowel and clean the pin real good. Always switching sides to not rub the dirt back in. Then in many but not all cases depending on circumstances, I might break out some carnuba cue wax . I use chem pack with the brown lid. And rub some on the pin threads . Keep fresh ptowel w rub alcohol ready to clean edges of cue and shaft handy! Then twist slowly on the mezz pin or any wood to wood pin that is too tight. Unless the pin is a mini radial. Then you might want it to be tighter because the threads are too short possibly. The mezz wavy pin was too tight. The newer wavy 2 pin is slightly thinner and the shaft threads are phenolic on this later itineration. The original wavy the threads were tighter than a young european girl in the 80s in franfurt. So you twist the shaft down until it catches sometimes. Then stop and back the shaft out a little. Don't force it! If it keeps catching back the pin off and apply a little at a time of carnuba ,then keep rethreading it. After a bit of that where you have to apply carnuba the threads will loosen up to however tight or loose you want. But if it's too loose your shaft can come loose easier. you just want to leave a thin invisible film of carnuba round to coat the pin and shaft threads. then i take a jewelers screwdriver and gently ever so lightly clean any remaining carnuba out of the bore hole and pin areas like the top of the pin with no threads and bore hole on shaft using rub alcohol with fresh ptowel sides. So as not to rub dirt or carnuba back in or over the surfaces. I clean the bore hole real good and even dip the rub alc into the hole edges to sterilize and clean all surfaces around the joints. Most guys don't understand that they need to clean the joint sections of their cue. You'll either develop the knowledge or make tons of mistakes and maybe never learn things. We all have to be told everything we learn minus a little we might engineer at various rates of time in the learning process.
You can but I wouldn't. Just go with a brand name you trust after the factory tip stops performing. I did just that not to long ago. Now I have a Taom Pro Soft on the Rhino shaft
I haven't gotten my hands on any of their product but watched a few videos on their products. They seem to be aggressively priced like Rhino. I love that
I took my JFlowers extension ready butt out of my Dante 2 and it screwed in. So I use my JFlowers 6 inch extension and it works like a charm. Ironically enough the Rhino doesn't thread into the JFlowers Cue. 👍 Hopefully Rhino starts shipping their Cues with extension ready butt stoppers
@@kylehoog3676 I openly compare the Rhino CF to a JFlowers Classic CF. The SMO has even less deflection than those two. If thats what you're looking for then I'd go SMO before an Ignite or REVO just because of price. I've only shot with a Crown a few times and as far as I'm concerned...only get it if you're married to having a 12.9mm shaft. That being said you can get a 12.8 Rhino I believe in pretty much any joint configuration. It really just comes down to the amount of deflection you want in your shaft. I've shot with the SMO and at present I prefer the Rhino shaft that came with my Retro. Nothing against the JFlowers SMO...its just that that shaft takes a lot of getting used to as the lack of deflection is significant compared to the amount of deflection I'm used to from my standard Huebler shaft.
I currently shoot with the Rhino 12.8 connected to a Konllen (Jflowers) butt. I do not like the Rhino Nebula butt. It's bumpy, unattractive, and slightly more butt heavy. I don't know about the Retro and perhaps the Retro resolves all those issues. The Rhino shaft is very good and I choose it over my Cynergy. However, I just shot with my Cynergy the other day and there are things I miss about that stick. Conclusion: There is no perfect stick.
I've never touched a Nebula but it does look like they have the same thing going on that they have in the Komet BREAKER. It's a 3D printed grip and I know what you're talking about. I don't like it myself. Their new Retro is something very different. As for there not being the perfect stick...youre right about that👌😂
They'll do that but at an extra cost I believe. However I'm not sure the shaft that you'll get will be an undersized thread like the one that comes with the cue. You could reach out to them. They're very responsive.
An hour of my life, I will never get back. Nothing about the hit, the sound, the deflection, or the action. I feel like I wasted my time on a review of overlays.
Well in that case I humbly apologize for wasting your time. A few things. I like to speak to things that others may not pick up on. I said at the beginning of the video that I would go over the boring stuff and get it out of the way. I said it hits great. You get plenty of action from the cue and the Time Crystal tip...however it is a synthetic tip and feels slightly different than pig skin. Hard to describe. More action certainly the the synthetic Bulletproof tips. After a month I've taken that tip off and gone with a Taom Pro Soft. LOTS OF ACTION. FEELS GREAT. As for deflection I'll never do that silly test as there's too many factors that go into a stroke and hit to give an accurate comparison. I'll tell you what my gut says. Is it a low deflection shaft? Absolutely. Is there less deflection than a SMO, Ignite, Revo or Cynergy? No. Those are top end shafts that are very low deflection. Different foams and internal dampeners are used in their production. But what are we really talking about here? We're talking mm's. This shaft is a low deflection shaft that plays similar to a lot of carbon fiber brands out there. I'm not going to assume to tell you what you'll like of dislike when it comes to the amount of deflection in a cue. That's all on you. Again I'm sorry for wasting your time.
Update:
I've decided to join Rhino Billiards Affiliate Program. I believe that this company's creativity and drive will bring great things in the future. If my video helped you choose this product please consider using my code to get an additional 5% off!
Follow this link :
rhino-billiards.com?dt_id=1890801
Then at checkout in the "Discount Code or Gift Card" box use my channel code : HEREAFTER_BILLIARDS
Anything I earn just gets dumped back into this channel to improve the viewing experience. Thanks everyone👌
I live in VN and everyone know that Rhino is sh*t brand . Low end cue . I don;t know why Western guys think it is a great value . No it's . Go for Konllen or Jflower
So I bit the bullet and ordered a Retro (pale moon ebony wrapless) which came arrived yesterday. Shipping was super quick. Not too much and been done to protect the cue for shipping, but I guess enough was done as it arrived in great condition. I can't tell yet whether its what I call new cue syndrome (the effect you shoot lights out the first time you play with a new cue then suddenly you are back to your regular self) but I am very happy with the cue. It seems to get way more action on the CB than I am used to. Thanks again for the excellent review!
Congratulations man! I received my cues in the same manner that you did as well. In my first video I mentioned that I was a little weary that they were coming in such thin boxes however there was that smaller bubble wrap that was protecting it. I'm used to cues coming in bigger boxes with that big bubble wrap engulfing the cue. However the trip from Vietnam didn't damage them so I was greatful.
Now that you have the cue I'd like to offer you a mission... Should you choose to accept it...
THE TIP
I played with the factory 'Time Crystal' for just about a month. Before the review I was even breaking from the side to test if it would mushroom. No mushrooming occurred and I continued to get the juice you're finding right now. But as of this comment, through the last week I've started to miss cue a little on extreme juice shots. So for the first time this week I shaped the tip. At summer league I played a soft extreme inside safety and the cue ball miscued again off of the tip. So it took my pick tool and dug in along the outer edges.
Now I'm not one to assume that a factory tip will last forever or even compete with brands that specialize in the tip market, however this is my first non-pigskin tip. Rhino doesn't say synthetic but Bulletproof for example doesn't shy away from the name.
Your mission is to track the duration of how long you hit with the tip and see how long it hits well for you. Mine up until today offered great contact for most of the cue ball but it got dicy once you got to the extremities for extreme juice.
In my older age I decided about a year ago that I was going to experiment more with tips so as of this morning the Time Crystal is coming off and I'll be trying a Taom Pro Soft for the first time.
That's it man... easy. I know you'll have as good of an experience as I am with the Rhino. It's a great cue. Hits great! 👌
@@HereAfterBilliards Ok after playing with this cue for a while I have fallen a little out of love with it. I think its that Time Crystal tip. It really tattoos chalk on the cue ball. I also don't seem to be able to get the spin at want toward the edges. I am not currently in a position to swap out the tip. I don't know there is something about it... It spends more and more time in the cue rack in the basement pool room. Found myself going back to an old Dominiak cue I have. Big 3/8 x 10 pin, ancient sniper tip. It's my go to now for league night. Maybe I just need to see real wood on my cue. This probably makes me a dinosaur..
@briangauthier5802 It's not the shaft or the composite not being wood... Its the tip. If you change it out to something you're familiar with the Retro won't sit on your rack anymore. I had my tip changed out after a month. I found I was miscuing no matter how I shaped the tip
Great review! It is clear that Rhino is listening to your feedback and incorporating improvements. I thoroughly enjoy playing with my Rhino. Thanks for the review.
Thanks Mark. I'm really pleased with Rhinos progression in the billiards world. I see big things for them!
Loved the review! Went ahead and ordered their cue. Definitely glad to hear these great results! 🎱
You won't be dissipointed. They've done a great job with this one.
I suggest you try for yourself,but get the blue soft,not the red medium.
@@Dugnew I'll think about it. Just spoke to my friend and he tried both the red and the blue. Right now he had the red and black layered pigskin Bulletproof on his cue. He like that one better than either of the synthetics but it's mushrooming already
I picked up a Rhino cue and a shaft both 3/8 8 which paired with my radial cue. The radial fits snuggly and fits my game very well.
Really awesome. Glad it's working for you👍
I absolutely loved your review. Fantastic work my friend. 😊
Thanks Brother!
I watched your review just after ordering the Pale Moon Ebony with the Lizard wrap and points. It arrived yesterday and I played my first match with it tonight ... I must say I was very impressed with the feel and look of this cue!! Need a little more time with the tip to get used to it, but it seems pretty reactive. My only minor thing is I thought the pale moon ebony would be a lighter color overall , instead I feel like it almost looks metallic but it is still a very nice looking and shooting cue . Thank you for your in Depth review!
Cheers man. A little update on the tip. Rhino never said the tip was synthetic. They said it wasn't pig skin. So in my mind what else could it be but synthetic? Anyway around the one month mark I started seeing that when I shot extreme juice shots I would miscue. Now I took that tip through the ringer before my review...even breaking with it. Getting action from the tip was never the problem. When I started miscuing I finally roughed it up and eventually took my tip tool to it. The problem persisted. I ended up tapping out and putting a Taom Pro soft on the other day.
Final verdict is the Time Crystal Tip may actually be better than the Bulletproof synthetics bacause it gets more action...but the technology isn't perfected. Glad you like the cue. Love the Retro
Plans on checking the voyager series out!?!? Particularly interested in the break with that Bakelite tip.
I already own the Voyager play cue and am in love.
No I won't be doing a review on the Voyager series but please stay tuned. I'll be finishing up a video of a cue that will be released at the end of the month that will interest you. 🤔 Hoping to have it done and released by Sunday 👍
Great video and I agree on joint tightness. Have a Huebler I picked up in the mid 70's that had the white joint collars that would crack if you broke with them. Never broke with mine! Local cue maker mentioned that the joint material on those cues was from old cue balls!
Wow I've never heard that before. Interesting.
Will you be doing a review on the nebula 2 that just released? I’m eager to learn more about it and see if it would be good for a beginner/intermediate player that is looking to upgrade to a carbon fiber cue but not break the bank.
Thanks so much for the awesome reviews and keep up the great work!!
I appreciate your kind words. At present I'm not doing a review of the Nebula 2 and really I've never even shot with the Nebula One. I am working on a review for an upcoming release however from Rhino...and let me say WOW...what a improvement. I'll release it this weekend.
I'm not a believer in a cue being a beginner cue. If you have the skill, even a one piece bar cue can be deadly. I'm a huge supporter of Rhino's Retro Series. In fact as of present the Retro is my regular playing cue. The difference in price between a Nebula and a Retro is very little. 🤔
Thanks for the review and all your videos. I purchased same Rhino cue you reviewed. It's a keeper but mine does not eliminate at wobble at the joint after a few turns as illustrated on your review. It needs to be completely tightened to eliminate the wobble. I am in communication with Rhino for an explanation.
Really?! Wow that's crazy. Sorry man. Yeah definately talk to them. You're the first I've heard this from. I know a few other people who've bought a Retro and none of them encountered this. Let me know how it goes. 🙏
What os the ferrule technology on this? Thanks
I'm not sure of the exact material of the ferule. However I have retipped the cue now and glue has no issues adhering to the ferule so I'd say the material is the same as most cues that aren't breakers that use a phoenolic/Bakelite configuration. 👍
How is the sound of the hit and the feel?
That's very much tip dependant. I can't tell the difference between the composite and the traditional wood hit which is a good thing. If you drop the butt of the cue onto the bumper you'll hear it to be a little higher of a sound but the Rhino also has a harder bumper than other cues. Overall I can't say enough about it. I still use it to this day👍
This video was great. Coming back to pool after being away for a while. Always loved big 3/8 x 10 joints and a good stiff hit. Looks like they are not as popular these days. I found my favorite player has quite a wobble in it now. Always had weakness for buying cues. Considered a Predator Aspire (looks, price point, LD shaft, brand power?) but the small radial pin makes me nervous as well as the fact that Predator doesn't use it in any other cue. Saw the Rhino advert on FB. I was like wow price is great. Looks nice (I love wrapless cues). I don't care much about traditional materials (had cuetec back in the day, but the sticky shaft turned out to be a no go). Anyway, rambling post. Thanks for the great review. The Rhino may be right for me.
I'm glad you're back. Playing pool is good for the soul 👍. As for the Rhino I really don't think you can go wrong here as the price point to quality is almost unbeatable. If you're a wrapless guy these Retro Cues should be right up your alley. They really do look great...and play great as well.
Thank you for the video and review!
You're most welcome😊👌
Man I am a fan of your reviews. I find myself watching it like a tv series. Great feedback. Thank you for the details. I’ve been debating on J Flowers vs Eclipse/Retro.
Thanks for the huge compliment. If you follow my channel you know I'm an affiliate at both companies and I'm a huge supporter of them. I believe pool equipment should have a high price to quality ratio. Both these companies offer this. In my opinion as of right now I wouldn't recommend the Eclipse or The Komet Breaker from Rhino. I would however recommend any of the Retro Series. They really are quite good (I'm still shooting with my Retro). Their carbon fiber joint configuration selection is way better than JFlowers as well if you're looking to just add to an existing butt.
As for Jflowers, they've been in the game a couple years longer than Rhino so they have a larger selection of cues for you to choose from (at different price ranges as well) but I'm not a fan of how busy their designs are. I have a Dante 2 cue that I love. Right now where JFlowers has Rhino beat is their Jump Cue as Rhino doesn't have one (but is on the way) and their Break Cue (it's a sledgehammer and its amazing!).
It really just comes down to preference and taste. They all hit great. Don't be afraid to look into other brands also. There's a lot of competition out there. It's getting competitive which is a good thing for us consumers. If you do decide to choose JFlowers or Rhino please remember to use my affiliate links. They're in my bio at the top of this RUclips page. They help my little pool channel out👌
Thanks again for the awesome feedback!
Great review! Enjoy your content 👍
Cheers. Thank you very much!
Have you tried their GW series? With the g shaft? Hope to know your thoughts on them!
No I haven't. To my understanding that shaft is glass fiber which would hit differently from carbon fiber. In theory at least. Sorry I can't help
@HereAfterBilliards oh okay thank you anyways!
The mezz united and wavy joints are the "bees knees". I've had a mezz cue with the united joint for 20 years and it fits the same as when I bought it.
Yeah as I found out speaking with James from Hooked Billiards, the Mezz is the one cue maker that hasn't compromised on a stiff joint. My problem with Mezz however isn't their quality...it's the proprietary nature at which they do business. Even now the Wavy 2 joint isn't even compatible with their own shafts that are Wavy 1 equipped. If I was a Mezz owner I'd be choked.
Speaking of synthetic tips,you really need to be trying the new bulletproof recoil synthetic playing tip.I absolutely love mine,and I’ve installed a few of them now,and everyone seems to really like them.
That's interesting. I've spoken to only one friend about that tip and their feedback was they weren't a fan of it. They felt they couldn't get the amount of sauce they were accustomed to. I'm glad you're digging it
Great and informative video as always. Good job my friend. Do you prefere the Rhino cue over your JFlowers Dante? The radial pin gives you a better feedback in the butt of your cue, because of the large pin size in combination with the tight fitting. Even my Mezz with a tight united joint, does not transfer the feedback as good as a wavy or radial pin. THX and best wishes. Thomas
That's a really tough question. I'll say this...right now I'm enjoying playing with the Rhino Retro. That's not to say that I don't love my Dante 2 with the SMO shaft...but the feel of the Retro combined with the joint and this interesting new tip they have has intrigued me. It's all a journey really...and taste 👍There's no right answer. The only quantitative thing we can absolutely measure is price and durability. Rhino is priced right and I guess we'll have to wait on the durability. But for right now I'm loving it.
Could you do a review of the new bulletproof recoil tip? It's a synthetic playing tip.
I'm going to be honest and say the chances of me trying one is low. I have a close friend who tried both varieties of synthetic from them and he wasn't happy with the amount of juice he lost and if ever he had to do any extreme English a miscue was highly probable. I really trust his opinion as a lot of our beliefs are aligned.
A higher percentage of times but especially with radial type pins or the Mezz wavy in particular , or even a metal joint that squeaks or is tight in general but not always you should take a fresh paper towel ,fold it 4 times and wet it with rubbing alcohol. Then I place it in a dry paper towel and squeeze it. Then i wash my hands in cold water and dry them on another ptowel and keep that to keep hands from drying and cracking.the skin. then i take the moistened ptowel w rub alcohol and use all 8 sides by twisting the clean corners and cleaning the threads real good. Alot of times black stuff will come out. From there I'll manuever the edges and sides by folding the ptowel over to keep clean sides and retwist the ptowel to continue as many times as it takes until the bore threads are clean and sterile. Then I 'll take a fresh side of ptowel and clean the pin real good. Always switching sides to not rub the dirt back in. Then in many but not all cases depending on circumstances, I might break out some carnuba cue wax . I use chem pack with the brown lid. And rub some on the pin threads . Keep fresh ptowel w rub alcohol ready to clean edges of cue and shaft handy! Then twist slowly on the mezz pin or any wood to wood pin that is too tight. Unless the pin is a mini radial. Then you might want it to be tighter because the threads are too short possibly. The mezz wavy pin was too tight. The newer wavy 2 pin is slightly thinner and the shaft threads are phenolic on this later itineration. The original wavy the threads were tighter than a young european girl in the 80s in franfurt. So you twist the shaft down until it catches sometimes. Then stop and back the shaft out a little. Don't force it! If it keeps catching back the pin off and apply a little at a time of carnuba ,then keep rethreading it. After a bit of that where you have to apply carnuba the threads will loosen up to however tight or loose you want. But if it's too loose your shaft can come loose easier. you just want to leave a thin invisible film of carnuba round to coat the pin and shaft threads. then i take a jewelers screwdriver and gently ever so lightly clean any remaining carnuba out of the bore hole and pin areas like the top of the pin with no threads and bore hole on shaft using rub alcohol with fresh ptowel sides. So as not to rub dirt or carnuba back in or over the surfaces. I clean the bore hole real good and even dip the rub alc into the hole edges to sterilize and clean all surfaces around the joints. Most guys don't understand that they need to clean the joint sections of their cue. You'll either develop the knowledge or make tons of mistakes and maybe never learn things. We all have to be told everything we learn minus a little we might engineer at various rates of time in the learning process.
That's some intense maintenance! Crazy!
can you purchase the time crystal tip separately
You can but I wouldn't. Just go with a brand name you trust after the factory tip stops performing. I did just that not to long ago. Now I have a Taom Pro Soft on the Rhino shaft
Have you ever tried raven cues they are a newer brand like rhino too
I haven't gotten my hands on any of their product but watched a few videos on their products. They seem to be aggressively priced like Rhino. I love that
@@HereAfterBilliards raven rhino and jflowers are like the Saturn Chevy and Pontiac of the pool world
@@austinmoore1689 Ouch. To each their own 😂
@@HereAfterBilliards I forgot to add about how affordable they are and have good prices and performance that’s my fault lol
@@austinmoore1689😂 It's all good man. Pool cues are personal items and we get used to what we like. We're all different. 👍
May I ask what Extension you demoed that works for the Rhino Retro butt? Thanks in advance. Great video! Cheers.
I took my JFlowers extension ready butt out of my Dante 2 and it screwed in. So I use my JFlowers 6 inch extension and it works like a charm. Ironically enough the Rhino doesn't thread into the JFlowers Cue. 👍 Hopefully Rhino starts shipping their Cues with extension ready butt stoppers
Would you pick the rhino over thr jflowers carbon shafts? Ive debated getting the crown shaft or this rhino shaft. @HereAfterBilliards
@@kylehoog3676 I openly compare the Rhino CF to a JFlowers Classic CF. The SMO has even less deflection than those two. If thats what you're looking for then I'd go SMO before an Ignite or REVO just because of price. I've only shot with a Crown a few times and as far as I'm concerned...only get it if you're married to having a 12.9mm shaft. That being said you can get a 12.8 Rhino I believe in pretty much any joint configuration. It really just comes down to the amount of deflection you want in your shaft.
I've shot with the SMO and at present I prefer the Rhino shaft that came with my Retro. Nothing against the JFlowers SMO...its just that that shaft takes a lot of getting used to as the lack of deflection is significant compared to the amount of deflection I'm used to from my standard Huebler shaft.
I currently shoot with the Rhino 12.8 connected to a Konllen (Jflowers) butt. I do not like the Rhino Nebula butt. It's bumpy, unattractive, and slightly more butt heavy. I don't know about the Retro and perhaps the Retro resolves all those issues. The Rhino shaft is very good and I choose it over my Cynergy. However, I just shot with my Cynergy the other day and there are things I miss about that stick. Conclusion: There is no perfect stick.
I've never touched a Nebula but it does look like they have the same thing going on that they have in the Komet BREAKER. It's a 3D printed grip and I know what you're talking about. I don't like it myself. Their new Retro is something very different.
As for there not being the perfect stick...youre right about that👌😂
I think they need to offer different shaft diameters as well.
They'll do that but at an extra cost I believe. However I'm not sure the shaft that you'll get will be an undersized thread like the one that comes with the cue. You could reach out to them. They're very responsive.
An hour of my life, I will never get back. Nothing about the hit, the sound, the deflection, or the action. I feel like I wasted my time on a review of overlays.
Well in that case I humbly apologize for wasting your time. A few things. I like to speak to things that others may not pick up on. I said at the beginning of the video that I would go over the boring stuff and get it out of the way. I said it hits great. You get plenty of action from the cue and the Time Crystal tip...however it is a synthetic tip and feels slightly different than pig skin. Hard to describe. More action certainly the the synthetic Bulletproof tips. After a month I've taken that tip off and gone with a Taom Pro Soft. LOTS OF ACTION. FEELS GREAT.
As for deflection I'll never do that silly test as there's too many factors that go into a stroke and hit to give an accurate comparison. I'll tell you what my gut says. Is it a low deflection shaft? Absolutely. Is there less deflection than a SMO, Ignite, Revo or Cynergy? No. Those are top end shafts that are very low deflection. Different foams and internal dampeners are used in their production. But what are we really talking about here? We're talking mm's. This shaft is a low deflection shaft that plays similar to a lot of carbon fiber brands out there. I'm not going to assume to tell you what you'll like of dislike when it comes to the amount of deflection in a cue. That's all on you.
Again I'm sorry for wasting your time.