Any thoughts on the Predator Revo Shaft?

denwhit said:

I play with a Predator Roadline and have the 314-2 shaft and the Vantage. I got to try the Revo shaft and absolutely loved it. I love the fact that it is so super smooth and hard to ding. I was so surprised that it was not even mentioned in the shaft poll. Haven't ordered one yet.

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Don't be deceived...the shaft chips. This for me is the biggest downside to a carbon shaft. Because once it chips, I believe it cannot be repaired. It's unlike wood where you might still be able to take out the dents/dings...I bought one here (used) & the seller told me the cue was flawless. Well, guess what? It had a chip which you would not notice right away. It was too late when I saw it to say anything to the seller so I just sold it for a good price on ebay. The guy who bought it from me has relisted it for almost 2x what I sold it for. He's even using my photos for his listing.

Imo, the Vantage with a Predator medium tip is their best shaft as far as accuracy & LD properties go.

denwhit said:

Many thanks for that. I did not consider how it might chip and like you say, most likely not repairable unless some sort of epoxy to fill the hole and sanded down. Who needs it? switch back and forth from the 314-2 to the Vantage. Love them both.

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No problem...just so you know, Predator has decided to sell the shaft on it's own in either a Uni-loc or Radial joint & in 2 different sizes. Check their site if you'd like to see.

If you will buy one, don't buy used because their warranty only applies to original purchaser.

Marky Mark said:

No problem...just so you know, Predator has decided to sell the shaft on it's own in either a Uni-loc or Radial joint & in 2 different sizes. Check their site if you'd like to see.

If you will buy one, don't buy used because their warranty only applies to original purchaser.

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Good information. With MSRP @ $499 and dealers typically selling them at the allowable 10% discount, so $449, it'll be interesting to see where the secondhand Revo's settle in price-wise.

Personally, I think they're dropping the ball in failing to offer them in the other common joint pin configurations.

That said, here's my brilliant-or-idiotic idea of the week:

I can understand why they don't make it as a 'blank' given the construction, but would love to see them do something innovative like having an internal joint to which an replaceable insert would affix, and having available inserts to fit assorting pins... This could potentially even cut down on production costs in the long run by requiring only one version of a shaft being manufactured (at least, for each tip diameter), would allow relatively easy adaptation to any new pins, and would dramatically simplify forecasting demand and minimizing stock overages of particular configurations due to errors therein. The only aspect I could see as a potential downside would be if such a design would adversely affect playability, but provided the insert wasn't a simple 'screw-in' design, favoring instead a mechanism that securely locked into place, I wouldn't expect such to be a big issue.

I got to try one at the SB Expo. I'm only an APA SL4. I was amazed at the draw, but it took me 4-5 tries to pocket a long draw shot, Embarrassing. Then the two people after me were missing about the same.. I did see others using a soft touch doing fine with it. The Predator rep. was saying how it was different from wood so you had to aim different. I'm guessing similar to the way you change from a regular shaft to an LD shaft, just guessing. At $499.00 it's not for me.

Marky Mark said:

Don't be deceived...the shaft chips. This for me is the biggest downside to a carbon shaft. Because once it chips, I believe it cannot be repaired. It's unlike wood where you might still be able to take out the dents/dings...I bought one here (used) & the seller told me the cue was flawless. Well, guess what? It had a chip which you would not notice right away. It was too late when I saw it to say anything to the seller so I just sold it for a good price on ebay. The guy who bought it from me has relisted it for almost 2x what I sold it for. He's even using my photos for his listing.

Imo, the Vantage with a Predator medium tip is their best shaft as far as accuracy & LD properties go.

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Nothing short of abuse will chip one of these shafts.
The eBay shaft (I saw both postings) was clearly abused; can't even imagine what he hit it on or hit it with. Glad you were able to get some of your expense back.

Bca8ball said:

Nothing short of abuse will chip one of these shafts.
The eBay shaft (I saw both postings) was clearly abused; can't even imagine what he hit it on or hit it with. Glad you were able to get some of your expense back.

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Thanks for your insights on the other thread too. Yes I certainly am glad to have recouped my cost from buying the used Revo.

Revo shafts or any other material will break, chip or crack given enough force.

The shaft wasn't designed to be indestructible. It was meant to be low deflection with resistance to warpage, and dings.

Enough abuse and force will damage anything let a lot pool equipment. I picked up a Revo the first time it was released and realize that it's not for everyone. But it does delivery what it was meant to be.

Any input on radial revo shafts? i plan of getting one.

jabstroke said:

Any input on radial revo shafts? i plan of getting one.

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Right now I'm not too crazy about my radial Revo shaft. I previously had the 12.9 version for a uni-loc joint which I paired with an 8K-4 butt. The 12.9 & 8K-4 combo feels better than my current set up. I also did not have any issues with the stock Predator soft tip mushrooming on the 12.9 despite having played with it for a total of about 18 hrs. On the other hand, the tip on my 12.4 Radial has mushroomed having only seen about 3 hrs of play.

Yes the shaft is stiff but I'm just not convinced that this is the kind of stiffness I like. My last shaft was a Vantage which I had been using for more than 1 yr now (stock Predator Medium tip) and I loved the way that shaft hit.

I will give the Revo & myself another chance by changing the tip to a Medium or Hard. If I still can't get the same hit/feeling as I did with the Vantage it's safe to say that I will be parting with the Revo.

If you will buy one, have the tip changed because the Predator Soft tip that comes with it is indeed prone to mushrooming as many have said when they first got their Revo. Save yourself the hassle by getting a better tip - I actually like the Predator Medium as I've never had issues with it considering I had 2 Vantage shafts before.

Good luck & keep us posted if you buy one.

Did you find any difference between uniloc and radial revo shaft in terms of hit or playability? The radial thread is made of carbon fiber? just curious.

jabstroke said:

Did you find any difference between uniloc and radial revo shaft in terms of hit or playability? The radial thread is made of carbon fiber? just curious.

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Not sure if the thread is made of CF...

So far I like/miss the hit of my old set up - the hit with the uni-loc QR joint & the 12.9 is my benchmark. The 12.4 out of the box has been a disappointment. With the old set up the Revo shaft w/ the stock tip played phenomenal...At least I played awesome with it. Only 3 possibilities left for me:

1. A tip change will make a big difference for me & meet or exceed my current benchmark

2. 12.9 is the real deal & most likely the way to go - a few others that have both the 12.9 & 12.4 are saying that the 12.4 deflects more based on their testing. If this is the case, I personally don't think it's practical to buy the 12.4 when deflection will just be the same as their spliced shafts. You're merely paying for durability.

3. My LE13 works best with a wood shaft. I like the feel & feedback my 314-2 gives me when I use it. That said, my favorite wood shaft from Predator is the Vantage so I might end up with that if the first two items above don't work for me.

a friend told me that revo shafts are very selective with the butt you put on them. He has a room full of cues and have tried different butts on them and only a few would compliment the shaft. Should a revo shaft be paired only with a revo butt? I think i also read something like that on the forum.

Marky Mark said:

Don't be deceived...the shaft chips. This for me is the biggest downside to a carbon shaft. Because once it chips, I believe it cannot be repaired. It's unlike wood where you might still be able to take out the dents/dings...I bought one here (used) & the seller told me the cue was flawless. Well, guess what? It had a chip which you would not notice right away. It was too late when I saw it to say anything to the seller so I just sold it for a good price on ebay. The guy who bought it from me has relisted it for almost 2x what I sold it for. He's even using my photos for his listing.

Imo, the Vantage with a Predator medium tip is their best shaft as far as accuracy & LD properties go.

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I wouldn't be deceived by this review. I have personally owned the Revo shaft for nearly a year now. I purchased the P3 that came with Revo upon release. I must say, it is the best shaft I have ever had. Ding resistant, warp resistant (Common sense usage) It's practically new still.

I owned the 314-3 and the Vantage - I absolutely loved the Vantage, but always felt the shaft itself was a tad heavy. Revo solved that, as it is lighter, and shoots even better.

About 8-9 months in, I would always think a "thinner" version of the Revo would be insanely awesome, and Boom - 12.4 has released. Anyhow, its a great shaft, only worth the price if you have the means, otherwise, Vantage shaft is a great substitute.

Soon as 12.4 back in stock somewhere (Authorized dealer who can also change tip) I will be all over it.