As a previous poster stated OB"plus" shafts are warranted for warpage. I've owned one(Classic+) and it played great. Another plus for me is they are made in the US(Plano,Tx) and run by a bunch of good folks. Get a chance try one out. Good luck with your Pred.
Predator 314-3 Shaft Warp
- Thread starter Wieguns
- Start date
OB sell their plus shafts on the basis that they stay straight, more so than other shafts. So, yes, they have to back this up with their warranty, otherwise it would be a nonsense. I can understand Predator not offering warranty for something which in many cases is caused by someone not looking after their shaft properly- car boot, leant against a wall. If you received a warped new cue from an authorised Predator dealer you'd get your money back, because it's either a manufacturing defect, or the dealer has done something to cause the warp. But after 8-9 months, unless you can prove a manufacturing defect I wouldn't have thought many production cue makers would offer free repair/replacement under their warranty.
Viking does. Lifetime of product. Has to be registered within,iirc, 60 days of purchase. What's funny(ironic is more like it) is that i always thought that laminated shafts were more likely to stay straight but in the last 10yrs or so i've seen more warped Predators than any other cue, laminated or solid.
Have a Viking Millennial Series. Still straight as an arrow.
Yeah, I don't have high hopes the retailer/manufacturer will do anything, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I know I treated the cue well, as instructed by the manufacturer, but I can't really prove it.
It's on me that I didn't read the shaft warranty before choosing to purchase from Predator. I had read a few others that covered warp, such as McDermott, and assumed the quality Predator brand would have also followed suite.
It'll just be up to me to determine if I would purchase a future product from them after this experience.
I think a few do. They probably also have a clause like 'we may void this warranty if there is evidence of abuse or mishandling',though, so it's not a green light to leave your cue in the boot of your car
Yeah just try Predator & see what they say...my friend had the Predator Air jump cue and after 7 years of owning it, the shaft one day developed a hairline crack from the ferrule to about halfway down. The jump cue was used only at home as he has a table at home & he doesn't play elsewhere. He sent it to Predator & they actually gave him the Air II @ no cost.
I think a few do. They probably also have a clause like 'we may void this warranty if there is evidence of abuse or mishandling',though, so it's not a green light to leave your cue in the boot of your car
Or alterations. If you have it turned down and it warps, warrentee void.
I heard back from the retailer (Seybert's), and received the expected response.
I don't have any issue with the retailer, they are just working within the guidelines provided to them by the manufacturer. I sent them the reply below.
Thanks to all who provided your input on this thread. At this point, it it was it is, and I will use the shaft until it is unplayable. I'll be looking at a different shaft manufacturer for future purchases.
Cheers
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I don't have any issue with the retailer, they are just working within the guidelines provided to them by the manufacturer. I sent them the reply below.
Thanks to all who provided your input on this thread. At this point, it it was it is, and I will use the shaft until it is unplayable. I'll be looking at a different shaft manufacturer for future purchases.
Cheers
Its still more than playable. Try to test hit a OB Classic+. Great shaft.
It will play worse in your mind then on the table. Don't let it bother you.
LOL, so much is in the head, isn't it.
I'm sure it isn't going to be a reason I lose any matches in league this Thursday...
Many moons ago i beat this dude in bar out of 2-300 using a house cue that made yours look dead-straight.LOL, so much is in the head, isn't it.
I'm sure it isn't going to be a reason I lose any matches in league this Thursday...
You might try one of these or a similar contraption:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snooker-Po...627199?hash=item25e9b33a7f:g:50MAAOSwg8taTVHm
I couldn't believe it. I own an old Meucci Black Dot shaft on one of my older cues. That one was slightly warped - nowhere near as much as your Predator shaft. But it was notably warped - I would think a dime might just have passed under it.
This was one of the main reasons I bought a new cue and 2 shafts - Meucci again, because I like how they play.
Now: I hung the old cue with the warped shaft from the wall with that hanger in my pool room. I use it sometimes or give it to visitors. Not a lot, though. I recently took it back down again and wanted to show the warpage to a friend. Believe it or not, it was completely gone. Perfectly straight after hanging from the wall in that rubber thingy for about 2-3 months.
I noticed the warpage long ago and always stored the cue in a regular rack on the wall - standing upright with one of those clamps holding it. It never got any better there.
I came to believe this rubber thing has the same effect as some Youtube video I saw a long time ago where they recommended hanging a warped cue from the ceiling somehow. Never really considered this until I put those hangers on the wall for my extra cues. Now all of the good ones are hanging there.
That's no guarantee that this will work on your Predator shaft which is badly warped. It may also take a lot longer but I guess for the few bucks it is worth a try. You might also try something on your own like hanging it from a rubber band or something - but getting it to hang perfectly straight down might be hard.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snooker-Po...627199?hash=item25e9b33a7f:g:50MAAOSwg8taTVHm
I couldn't believe it. I own an old Meucci Black Dot shaft on one of my older cues. That one was slightly warped - nowhere near as much as your Predator shaft. But it was notably warped - I would think a dime might just have passed under it.
This was one of the main reasons I bought a new cue and 2 shafts - Meucci again, because I like how they play.
Now: I hung the old cue with the warped shaft from the wall with that hanger in my pool room. I use it sometimes or give it to visitors. Not a lot, though. I recently took it back down again and wanted to show the warpage to a friend. Believe it or not, it was completely gone. Perfectly straight after hanging from the wall in that rubber thingy for about 2-3 months.
I noticed the warpage long ago and always stored the cue in a regular rack on the wall - standing upright with one of those clamps holding it. It never got any better there.
I came to believe this rubber thing has the same effect as some Youtube video I saw a long time ago where they recommended hanging a warped cue from the ceiling somehow. Never really considered this until I put those hangers on the wall for my extra cues. Now all of the good ones are hanging there.
That's no guarantee that this will work on your Predator shaft which is badly warped. It may also take a lot longer but I guess for the few bucks it is worth a try. You might also try something on your own like hanging it from a rubber band or something - but getting it to hang perfectly straight down might be hard.
Thanks for sharing this idea. For the last 24 hours or so I suspended the cue from a beam in my basement. The warp actually reduced by 40% (guessing here). I have no idea about longevity of this, and it could be back 24 hours from now. I imagine wood, even spliced, has a natural "memory" property. I may just pick one of these up and give it a try.
Regarding Mcdermott warranty against warpage. After 6 months my mcdermott shaft was as warped as yours is. I`ve contacted ther support center and here is their response:
"We do cover our cues from warping. You would need to send in the complete
cue and pay for S&H both ways. Our international return S&H fee is $26.95US.
If you roll the cue or shaft on table and the tip/ferrule hops up and down,
we would consider that warped."
Offcourse the ferrule/tip was not leaving the table when rolled therefor was not covered under warranty. I bought a new shaft (not Mcdermott) and will not buy anything Mcdermott related ever again.
Stories about warpage due to leaving cues in the trunk are just that - stories. The only time my current cue (Mezz) leaves the trunk is when I go to the pool hall. I`ve been doing that for 7+ years and the shaft is straight as an arrow. I`m not saying that Mcdermott is garbage (it is not) just that it`s warranty is misleading.
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"We do cover our cues from warping. You would need to send in the complete
cue and pay for S&H both ways. Our international return S&H fee is $26.95US.
If you roll the cue or shaft on table and the tip/ferrule hops up and down,
we would consider that warped."
Offcourse the ferrule/tip was not leaving the table when rolled therefor was not covered under warranty. I bought a new shaft (not Mcdermott) and will not buy anything Mcdermott related ever again.
Stories about warpage due to leaving cues in the trunk are just that - stories. The only time my current cue (Mezz) leaves the trunk is when I go to the pool hall. I`ve been doing that for 7+ years and the shaft is straight as an arrow. I`m not saying that Mcdermott is garbage (it is not) just that it`s warranty is misleading.
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Now 40% in a day would be way more than what I experienced. That would be fantastic. Hard to believe but if you say so ... I didn't believe the hanging thing would work at all.
Just make sure that the force vector when hanging them is straight vertical. Don't know how to explain that in better terms but my idea back then when I watched that Youtube video was to use a large rubber band to hang it. I didn't follow through with my thoughts back then because I doubted it would work anyway until I accidentally bought those hangers and accidentally had the warped cue in one of them for quite a while. But - the rubber band method would probably not work so perfectly if the suspension "knot" was on the side somehow - which might induce a different warp over time. So you would have to make sure that there are at least 2 "knots" in any kind of string or rubber band around and right close to the ferrule or shaft.
BTW, before I hung the warped cue I tried one of those other things they recommend on Youtube. Where you work the shaft against the warp with medium force. Didn't really work too well. I might not have used enough force fearing to break the shaft but this seems to be a questionable method, me thinks. Either you damage or break the shaft or that "wood memory" thing will make it useless after a short while again.
Off center hanging might work better if you exactly counter the warp but that would be a hassle figuring it out every time you took the cue down and also when to stop before a warp in a different direction occurs.
So, in effect those ebay-hangers are probably the easiest solution unless you have a better idea than rubber bands or strings. Something that fits around the shaft/ferrule and holds it tight enough.
I doubt that the "wood memory" would have any noticeable effect once the cue is straight again and you hang it vertically in those things every night. For me it seems to work for over 2 months now. Shaft seems to be and stay perfectly straight (at least to my taste).
I don't really know how long it took before it straightened out either because I only discovered this accidentally again. When I tried to show the warped shaft to a friend and I couldn't believe it when he said that it was perfectly straight to him. I had to look 3 times and do all kinds of tests to really believe it. So, it might have taken not the full 2-3 months. But it certainly took longer than a few days because when I got the hangers about 3 months ago I still checked the cue occasionally within the first week and was disgusted, waiting for the new shafts.
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I know this thread is a few weeks old, but I wanted to give a call out to the excellent experience I had with Seybert's.
Although my shaft wasn't necessarily covered under warranty (Predator doesn't warranty against warp), Seybert's elected to have me send it in to them to take a look. They determined I was in need of a replacement, and promptly sent me a new 314-3 shaft at no charge.
The new shaft I received today was dead straight, and in mint new condition. What excellent customer service. They could have easily told me I was outside of coverage from the original purchase back in May '17, but instead absolutely made my day.
They have certainly earned future business from me.
Although my shaft wasn't necessarily covered under warranty (Predator doesn't warranty against warp), Seybert's elected to have me send it in to them to take a look. They determined I was in need of a replacement, and promptly sent me a new 314-3 shaft at no charge.
The new shaft I received today was dead straight, and in mint new condition. What excellent customer service. They could have easily told me I was outside of coverage from the original purchase back in May '17, but instead absolutely made my day.
They have certainly earned future business from me.
I used the Jacoby shaft straightening method, only I used a screwdriver instead of Jacobys tool. It worked but the shaft got some grooves and had to be taken down a little bit to feel completely slick and smoooth again. It stayed straight after that. It was a last resort, so I'm quite happy with the result. It won't work if you absolutely insist on not sanding AT ALL. In that case I suggest hanging the shaft.