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Predator 314 ferrule

Kim Bye
Tony Not Drago said:
I've got two Predator 314-2 shafts. Both ferrules cracked from normal use (not breaking with them) within 2 years and had to be replaced. I like the shafts, but could do without the hassle. I have my eye on a custom with after market original 314 shaft. Were the ferrules less prone to failure in the earlier models, or in the newer 314-3 shafts for that matter? Otherwise, any LD shafts which are less likely to break, but have similar deflection to the 314-2?
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It's the shaft with the highest percentage of failiure, ask any cue maker..
The reason why it's like that is obvious, it's an incredibly thin walled ferrule and Isoplast once it gets a small nick in it, will develop a crack..
Looking for an older "mytical" shaft, that's really no different isn't the solution. The 314/3 version has a completely different construction and crucially a stronger ferrule material, so those do have less issues, but they do require careful monitoring of that tip plate..
Why not just go with a shaft that solves this problem by not being built in a way that makes them so fragile?
Just as a comparison, the Mezz Sigma shafts has been their standard shaft for years now and I have sold a lot of them. To this date, I have yet to repair one, no cracked ferrule, no split lamination or no tip pad that can fall off or gets removed by an inexperienced player with the result being that the ferrule and possible the shaft will develop a crack..
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Predator 314 ferrule

Paul_#_
Predator 314's ferrule supposedly has gotten stronger with each step from 314-1 to 314-3. This was what I learned from Budget Billiards' Julia Meucci Patrick and references therein. See snippets and complete response below.

The original 314 introduced the concept of a hollow-front low-deflection shaft. The 314-2 advanced it with a shorter, stronger ferrule, a foam-glue plug, and a sturdier joint. The latest 314-3 ties everything together with a sophisticated front-end assembly (vault plate + ferrule + silencer + foam), achieving even lower deflection and a more solid hit.​

In the 314-3, the ferrule is no longer simply glued onto wood – it’s bonded to this Vault Plate, which in turn is bonded around and into the wood, creating a unified “front end assembly”. Beneath the tip, Predator added a V-Tek fiber silencer (a thin vulcanized fiber pad) to damp vibration and sound at impact​
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Predator 314 evolution.jpg
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