I ordered the Pechauer break cue as well as a Predator 314/3 shaft for my McDermott (circa 1997 Breedlove).
First to talk about is the 314. I've been shooting pool off at on for about 19 years now. I've never shot with a low deflection shaft before in my life. Out of the box I was concerned it wasn't going to fit on my McDermott as it was TIGHT at the joint. Uncomfortably tight. Put some beeswax the threads of my McDermott and now it's at a tolerable tightness when fully threaded.
As far as shooting goes .... WOW!!!! I had a newer non-layered tip put on my old shaft and I just have not had much love for it at all. I had a Tiger Sniper put on the 314 and the feel of it all is GREAT! I was worried it would feel dead based on what others have stated. I think it's a perfect combination of tip/shaft. Holding hard inside english covering quite a few feet on 9 footers without throwing the CB around all over the place was a crazy good feeling!!! I was torn between the 314 and Z shaft but I think I made the right choice with the 314. On a slower 9 footer, I had no issue drawing the ball a solid 14 feet and that didn't even feel THAT extreme as far as to where I was cueing the CB. That Tiger Sniper holds chalk something fierce. I could play 10-12 shots and it was still nice and even coverage from chalking last game. I can't speak highly enough for both tip/shaft and the combo of them two itself.
As for the Pechauer break .... Another really good purchase. I had a jump/break cue many years ago and while it broke better that my playing cue, the ferrule was made of titanium and kept breaking or throwing tips.
I finally decided that since I was putting a pretty high dollar shaft/tip combo on my playing cue, I should go ahead and get a decent break cue. I settled in on the Pechauer after extensive research and not wanting to spend the extra $150 or so for the Sledgehammer. There's a lot of love online for the Pechauer break cue.
First impressions, really feeling that weight forward design. It's like the weight wants to just go through the tip. This caused me some initial aim issues with the snap, but that was all me as I've been adopting the coil and snap approach now and the weight difference is tossing in another variable to account for.
I opted for a Samsara break tip on this one. I can't speak highly enough of that tip for a Jump/Break. Phenolic just isn't my bag, nah mean? I don't like the sound or feel at all and to me, that stuff matters. The Samsara still has a higher pitched contact sound, but I get some explosive movement as long as it was a good rack. I typically average 2-4 balls on snap in 8 ball and 1-3 for 9 ball.. CB control was fairly easy as long as my aim was on point. I also used this cue to jump a few balls last night, and while it is a full length cue, jumping was more than easy enough. Could cover a full ball about 1 foot way which can be tough to near impossible with my playing cue.
Finally, I picked up the 2x4 QKZ hard case. That's just a great looking case IMHO. Not too flashy but very utilitarian. It has room for all my stuff and fits well over the shoulder .
Anyhow, that's about it.
tl;dr - Predator 314/3 is a great combo with a 90's McDermott 3/8 10 joint after a little lube
Pechauer makes a great break cue. Really feel the weight forward design.
QKS did not disappoint an a new 2x4 hard case.
First to talk about is the 314. I've been shooting pool off at on for about 19 years now. I've never shot with a low deflection shaft before in my life. Out of the box I was concerned it wasn't going to fit on my McDermott as it was TIGHT at the joint. Uncomfortably tight. Put some beeswax the threads of my McDermott and now it's at a tolerable tightness when fully threaded.
As far as shooting goes .... WOW!!!! I had a newer non-layered tip put on my old shaft and I just have not had much love for it at all. I had a Tiger Sniper put on the 314 and the feel of it all is GREAT! I was worried it would feel dead based on what others have stated. I think it's a perfect combination of tip/shaft. Holding hard inside english covering quite a few feet on 9 footers without throwing the CB around all over the place was a crazy good feeling!!! I was torn between the 314 and Z shaft but I think I made the right choice with the 314. On a slower 9 footer, I had no issue drawing the ball a solid 14 feet and that didn't even feel THAT extreme as far as to where I was cueing the CB. That Tiger Sniper holds chalk something fierce. I could play 10-12 shots and it was still nice and even coverage from chalking last game. I can't speak highly enough for both tip/shaft and the combo of them two itself.
As for the Pechauer break .... Another really good purchase. I had a jump/break cue many years ago and while it broke better that my playing cue, the ferrule was made of titanium and kept breaking or throwing tips.
I finally decided that since I was putting a pretty high dollar shaft/tip combo on my playing cue, I should go ahead and get a decent break cue. I settled in on the Pechauer after extensive research and not wanting to spend the extra $150 or so for the Sledgehammer. There's a lot of love online for the Pechauer break cue.
First impressions, really feeling that weight forward design. It's like the weight wants to just go through the tip. This caused me some initial aim issues with the snap, but that was all me as I've been adopting the coil and snap approach now and the weight difference is tossing in another variable to account for.
I opted for a Samsara break tip on this one. I can't speak highly enough of that tip for a Jump/Break. Phenolic just isn't my bag, nah mean? I don't like the sound or feel at all and to me, that stuff matters. The Samsara still has a higher pitched contact sound, but I get some explosive movement as long as it was a good rack. I typically average 2-4 balls on snap in 8 ball and 1-3 for 9 ball.. CB control was fairly easy as long as my aim was on point. I also used this cue to jump a few balls last night, and while it is a full length cue, jumping was more than easy enough. Could cover a full ball about 1 foot way which can be tough to near impossible with my playing cue.
Finally, I picked up the 2x4 QKZ hard case. That's just a great looking case IMHO. Not too flashy but very utilitarian. It has room for all my stuff and fits well over the shoulder .
Anyhow, that's about it.
tl;dr - Predator 314/3 is a great combo with a 90's McDermott 3/8 10 joint after a little lube
Pechauer makes a great break cue. Really feel the weight forward design.
QKS did not disappoint an a new 2x4 hard case.
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