When you can control the CB better with a $5 house cue

Blackball75

Blackball75

Blackball75
Silver Member
*Sigh*

Got a new Pred cue with w/ 314-2 shaft, Kamui Black Soft tip.

The other night playing at a local establishment, I found I could spin the CB much better and generally strike the ball more satisfactorily with the house cues. The house cues have rather wider shafts at the tip and larger tips (14 mm as opposed to my 13 mm I think). You get more of a sense of actually hitting something when you stroke. The Pred feels a lot finer and somewhat weaker. Yet I got more "feel" from the house cues. Suprisingly, for house cues, the tips seem kept in pretty good condition (at least nickel-shaped and medium hard).

All this is very alarming when you've spent $100s on a new "advanced" cue.

Anyone have any thoughts?

I've not done anything to my new Kamui tip - though I know some people have sanded theirs right down. maybe I need to sand it down? Maybe I need a harder tip? Maybe I picked the wrong choice of new cue??
 
I know that stroking the ball increases in difficulty as the hardness of the tip increases... meaning that the harder the tip more pure of a stroke you need to get the same reaction on the CB. Even though you have a "soft" tip, most people will tell you the kamui black soft is still a bit harder than most others. house cues tends to have very very soft tips, so applying english is very simple with them. I have no idea what your stroke is like and can only speak from my own experience, but when I went from whatever comes on a lucasi standard - lepro probably - to my talisman, it exposed all sorts of flaws in my stroke. i was miscueing all over the place. I've also worn it down to about the halfway point so either the tip plays better half-gone or my stroke has improved (or both) as I almost never miscue anymore.

I can't really speak to the predator thing... a friend of mine has the 314 and i've hit with a while... it's different, but not so much that i thought it wasn't worth having.

is this your first "advanced" cue? if you're used to playing house cues, it will take some time to get used to using a "real" cue.
 
Not joking. See if the room owner will trade cues.

At my old watering hole theree was a house cue. Really old wood.
This cue would hit like it was power assisted. Hard shots soft shots. It felt great. Feedback was solid.
I would have payed ten times what it sold for new.

Course being a bar stick. We all know what happened to it.

Heyman.
 
You may have found out a couple of things.
1. You like a stiffer shaft
2. You like a softer tip.

Or found out nothing at all.

If you're comparing what you could do with your cue on a different table to what you could do on this table you might not have a good comparison. Balls, cloth, and rails and condition of all these things also contribute.

Also as mentioned before you may not know enough about your cue yet.

I would not start sanding on the shaft. Sanding could make it even more whippy or as you said weaker.
 
House cues, when kept up nice, play very well. Although it's odd that it's a 14mm tip, they are usually thinner due to wear and the owners cleaning them up. Unless it's a new stick.

I think the 314-2 is 12.5mm maybe.
 
One thing that caught my eye is the wider shaft you mentioned. Since it's the first thing you talk about, it's probably the #1 thing that makes the house cue feel nicer to you.

However I'm thinking your shaft is actually 12.75 and you then went on to handle one that's a little over 13. Not sure that house cues are normally 14mm but I could be wrong.

I got the Z2 fat shaft because I never did like those needly spindly pro-tapered shafts I've tried. Just a matter of personal taste but maybe you can find some way to kick the tires on a fat shaft without blowing any more money. I hate to suggest you buy a new pred. shaft if you just paid for one. It might be predators in general don't feel right.

Something else to consider is the weight. When people talk about hitting more solidly and strongly, that makes me think of hitting with something heavier.

Try either the fat shaft, or screw your existing shaft onto someone else's heavier cue and see what you think.
 
In general one piece is better than 2 IMO. We use 2 piece for convenience in transporting. If i could be guaranteed a brand new dufferin (old style) 18-19oz i would never bring my 2 piece out.
 
Thanks for the input, guys.

What I think I may have learned is:

- I like a wider/stiffer shaft
- Even a Soft tip is not soft enough for me
- I like to be able to "feel" the stroke/CB when I hit it
- One-piece cues have more feel

My Pred is 19.5 oz, so being too light is not an issue. It is much better weighted/balanced than those house cues, so there, at least, it beats them.

Bearing all the above in mind, supposing I decided to change shaft, what should I be looking at? (Doesn't have to be a Pred shaft, but must be Uni-Loc compatible)

Also, what is the softest tip on the market? :)
 
There is a guy around here who brings his own one piece stick, but it mocked up to look like a two piece. FWIW, Amsterdam recently replaced all their house cues with Dufferins.

Nostroke said:
In general one piece is better than 2 IMO. We use 2 piece for convenience in transporting. If i could be guaranteed a brand new dufferin (old style) 18-19oz i would never bring my 2 piece out.
Click to expand...
 
Blackball75 said:
Thanks for the input, guys.

What I think I may have learned is:

- I like a wider/stiffer shaft
- Even a Soft tip is not soft enough for me
- I like to be able to "feel" the stroke/CB when I hit it
- One-piece cues have more feel

My Pred is 19.5 oz, so being too light is not an issue. It is much better weighted/balanced than those house cues, so there, at least, it beats them.

Bearing all the above in mind, supposing I decided to change shaft, what should I be looking at? (Doesn't have to be a Pred shaft, but must be Uni-Loc compatible)

Also, what is the softest tip on the market? :)
Click to expand...

Get yourself an Elkmaster if you like soft.
 
Blackball75 said:
*Sigh*

Got a new Pred cue with w/ 314-2 shaft, Kamui Black Soft tip.

The other night playing at a local establishment, I found I could spin the CB much better and generally strike the ball more satisfactorily with the house cues. The house cues have rather wider shafts at the tip and larger tips (14 mm as opposed to my 13 mm I think). You get more of a sense of actually hitting something when you stroke. The Pred feels a lot finer and somewhat weaker. Yet I got more "feel" from the house cues. Suprisingly, for house cues, the tips seem kept in pretty good condition (at least nickel-shaped and medium hard).

All this is very alarming when you've spent $100s on a new "advanced" cue.

Anyone have any thoughts?

I've not done anything to my new Kamui tip - though I know some people have sanded theirs right down. maybe I need to sand it down? Maybe I need a harder tip? Maybe I picked the wrong choice of new cue??
Click to expand...

I don't think you've fully adjusted to your Predator yet, although it will never feel the same or probably as good as a good one piece house cue. The Predator will lijkely help you aim better using english in the long run.

Some players play better with more weight on the tip end, a characteristic of a conventional shafted cue. The added weight gives the feeling of shooting through the cue ball instead of bouncing off it.

I recently switched to the new OB Classic because it's stiffer, more solid, a little heavier, and goes through the cueball better - the same was as what you're describing. Maybe it squirts more, I don't know, but it is certainly within acceptable tolerances for me.

I don't think you're imagining it.

Chris
 
Last edited:
the OP mentioned how the house cue had more FEEL than the predator.

None of the spliced shafts have the same good feel as a nice solid piece of straight grain maple. The glue makes it feel funny, not that they play bad or anything just sacrifices some feel.

Just like with road bikes, a steel frame has a great feel and the newer Carbon fiber chassis bikes feel dead.

I just saw that you said unilock joint? Do you mean a uni-lock quick release? If so thats why you don't like the feel. The majority of better players including myself HATE quick release joints. Add that to a spliced shaft and its really going to feel odd.
 
Last edited:
ctyhntr said:
There is a guy around here who brings his own one piece stick, but it mocked up to look like a two piece. FWIW, Amsterdam recently replaced all their house cues with Dufferins.
Click to expand...

I dont think the current crop of Dufferins are anything like the Canada made ones but i'll check'm out- I actually have a one piece old style Dufferin that the manager of the Old Golden Cue sold me but it's a super pain to carry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top