The history of predator low defection.. interesting video
- Thread starter trob
- Start date
Wish all wingnuts on here that don't have a clue about this stuff would watch this. After almost 30yrs some of the bs people still say about deflection is laughable. What's sad is that some of Predator's own employees don't even understand what defl. is or how their own products work.
Paul_#_
Well-known member
A nine-minute video with too much fluff and too little substance. Predator has remarkable engineering but the only interesting thing here is Predator's explanation for the popularity of the pre-cat-logo 314 shaft.
Why no mention that the 314 shaft was cored out? They show ten slices of wood from the 314 as a cure for inconsistency but not that it was cored out and this helped lower deflection. This could have answered the video title question, “How Predator changed billiards forever”.
The video explains why pre-Cat-logo 314 shafts are still popular: they were made of old-growth maple and they produced a thud when hit. Say what? Is that good? From the transcript:
Again, no mention on how the sticks made low deflection. There are two patents put on screen without comment.
__
Here is most of the transcript from the video:
Hey guys, Paulo here from Spoton Billiards. If you've played pool seriously for any amount of time, there's one word you've definitely heard: Deflection.
For over a hundred years, players accepted it as part of the game. You wanted spin. You aimed away from the pocket and hoped your compensation was right.
Then in the mid '90s, everything changed. A new Q company stopped treating cues like artwork and started engineering them as performance instruments. That company is Predator. And the shaft that changed everything was called the 314.
Today we're going all the way back from the original pre-Cat 314 to how the Predator evolved into Z, Vantage, Revo, and Centro, and why this technology still matters.
But before we dive in, Spot On Billiards Predator Giveaway you're going to want to stick around until the very end of this video. We are giving away two massive prizes from Predator, including a full carbon fiber Revo setup and a limited edition 30th anniversary case. I'll give you the full details on how to enter at the end, so stay tuned. You don't want to miss this one.
The Problem and How Predator Discovered It
Before Predator, Pool was a game of feel and compensation. When you hit the Q ball off center to apply English, the Q ball doesn't go where you aim. It squirts, deflects away from your target. Every Q did it differently. Every shot rotated differently. humidity, grain, speed, all changed the outcome. So, players weren't just mastering their stroke, they were learning to guess their equipment's error.
Predators founders didn't accept that. They asked a simple question. What if the Q didn't fight the player at all?
The Birth Of 314 Predator was founded in 1994 by Alan Mccardi and Steve Titus. Their breakthrough didn't come from tradition. It came from testing. They built a robotic stroking machine nicknamed Iron Willie. Same stroke, same speed, same contact point over and over again. That's when they discovered the real enemy, end mass. The heavier the fronted the shaft, the more it pushes the Q ball offline during an offc center hit.
So, Predator did something no one else was doing. They created the low deflection shaft that is now famous worldwide. But the real genius came next. The name 314 isn't marketing fluff. It comes from pi, the mathematics of a circle. Traditional shafts are made from one piece of maple that creates a natural spine, a stiff side, and a soft side. Rotate the queue, and the queue plays differently. Predator eliminated that by cutting maple into 10 equal wedges, each at 36°, and laminating them into a perfectly radially consistent cylinder. No spine, no preferred direction, same hit. 30 360° around the shaft. This is why the shaft feels the same no matter how you rotate it in your hand. This wasn't a craftsmanship. This was calculus applied to pool.
The Pre-Cat Era
Those early shafts made before the Predator Cat logo are now legendary. Many of those early blanks were produced in Canada with dense old growth maple that's difficult to source today. Players describe the hit as a thud. No hollow feedback, no excessive vibration, just solid energy transfer. That sound, that feel, that's the moment Predator quietly changed the sport forever.
Less Mass = Less Resistance
Here's a simple version. Predator removes the mass from the front of the shaft. Less mass means less resistance. So, when the Q ball is struck off center, the shaft moves out of the way. Instead of pushing the Q ball offline, that means less compensation, more natural aiming, and more confidence using spin. You don't fight physics. You let physics work for you. Now, Predator didn't stop at the 314. They refined it. The 314 was the all-around benchmark. forgiving, familiar, and precise.
Then the Z shaft, which is a thinner, lower deflection surgical precision shaft. Then you've got the Vantage, which offers a thicker, stiffer for power players who still want tech. Each one provides different performance benefits, but they all trace their DNA back to the 314.
Then came Revo & Centro - The Modern Predator Revo carbon fiber. Zero warping, ultra- low deflection, maximum consistency. Some loved it, some missed the soul of wood.
So Predator did something very Predator-like. They hybridized it. Centro wood feel in the hand, carbon strength at the front, foam damped feedback. It's modern performance without losing the emotion of the hit.
The Spot On Billiards Angle Here at SpotOn, we understand the value of performance engineering. We offer products that work better, not just look better. Our Predator shaft isn't about marketing. It's about removing variables to increase performance. And at Spoton Billiard, we're not just selling Predator, we're supporting it. That means proper key repairs and maintenance backed with factory level care to keep your equipment performing at the highest level. You wouldn't buy a Ferrari without a certified shop. You shouldn't settle for less with your pool equipment In Conclusion either.
So the 314 didn't just introduce low deflection. It introduced performance to a sport built on guesswork which is now being standardized by most manufacturers as well. From the pre-cat shaft to the Revo Carbon to the hybrid perfection of Centro, Predator didn't change pool by accident. They engineered it. And if you want to experience that difference, you know where to find us.
Why no mention that the 314 shaft was cored out? They show ten slices of wood from the 314 as a cure for inconsistency but not that it was cored out and this helped lower deflection. This could have answered the video title question, “How Predator changed billiards forever”.
The video explains why pre-Cat-logo 314 shafts are still popular: they were made of old-growth maple and they produced a thud when hit. Say what? Is that good? From the transcript:
Many of those early blanks were produced in Canada with dense old growth maple that's difficult to source today. Players describe the hit as a thud. No hollow feedback, no excessive vibration, just solid energy transfer. That sound, that feel, that's the moment Predator quietly changed the sport forever.
Again, no mention on how the sticks made low deflection. There are two patents put on screen without comment.
Here is most of the transcript from the video:
Hey guys, Paulo here from Spoton Billiards. If you've played pool seriously for any amount of time, there's one word you've definitely heard: Deflection.
For over a hundred years, players accepted it as part of the game. You wanted spin. You aimed away from the pocket and hoped your compensation was right.
Then in the mid '90s, everything changed. A new Q company stopped treating cues like artwork and started engineering them as performance instruments. That company is Predator. And the shaft that changed everything was called the 314.
Today we're going all the way back from the original pre-Cat 314 to how the Predator evolved into Z, Vantage, Revo, and Centro, and why this technology still matters.
But before we dive in, Spot On Billiards Predator Giveaway you're going to want to stick around until the very end of this video. We are giving away two massive prizes from Predator, including a full carbon fiber Revo setup and a limited edition 30th anniversary case. I'll give you the full details on how to enter at the end, so stay tuned. You don't want to miss this one.
The Problem and How Predator Discovered It
Before Predator, Pool was a game of feel and compensation. When you hit the Q ball off center to apply English, the Q ball doesn't go where you aim. It squirts, deflects away from your target. Every Q did it differently. Every shot rotated differently. humidity, grain, speed, all changed the outcome. So, players weren't just mastering their stroke, they were learning to guess their equipment's error.
Predators founders didn't accept that. They asked a simple question. What if the Q didn't fight the player at all?
The Birth Of 314 Predator was founded in 1994 by Alan Mccardi and Steve Titus. Their breakthrough didn't come from tradition. It came from testing. They built a robotic stroking machine nicknamed Iron Willie. Same stroke, same speed, same contact point over and over again. That's when they discovered the real enemy, end mass. The heavier the fronted the shaft, the more it pushes the Q ball offline during an offc center hit.
So, Predator did something no one else was doing. They created the low deflection shaft that is now famous worldwide. But the real genius came next. The name 314 isn't marketing fluff. It comes from pi, the mathematics of a circle. Traditional shafts are made from one piece of maple that creates a natural spine, a stiff side, and a soft side. Rotate the queue, and the queue plays differently. Predator eliminated that by cutting maple into 10 equal wedges, each at 36°, and laminating them into a perfectly radially consistent cylinder. No spine, no preferred direction, same hit. 30 360° around the shaft. This is why the shaft feels the same no matter how you rotate it in your hand. This wasn't a craftsmanship. This was calculus applied to pool.
The Pre-Cat Era
Those early shafts made before the Predator Cat logo are now legendary. Many of those early blanks were produced in Canada with dense old growth maple that's difficult to source today. Players describe the hit as a thud. No hollow feedback, no excessive vibration, just solid energy transfer. That sound, that feel, that's the moment Predator quietly changed the sport forever.
Less Mass = Less Resistance
Here's a simple version. Predator removes the mass from the front of the shaft. Less mass means less resistance. So, when the Q ball is struck off center, the shaft moves out of the way. Instead of pushing the Q ball offline, that means less compensation, more natural aiming, and more confidence using spin. You don't fight physics. You let physics work for you. Now, Predator didn't stop at the 314. They refined it. The 314 was the all-around benchmark. forgiving, familiar, and precise.
Then the Z shaft, which is a thinner, lower deflection surgical precision shaft. Then you've got the Vantage, which offers a thicker, stiffer for power players who still want tech. Each one provides different performance benefits, but they all trace their DNA back to the 314.
Then came Revo & Centro - The Modern Predator Revo carbon fiber. Zero warping, ultra- low deflection, maximum consistency. Some loved it, some missed the soul of wood.
So Predator did something very Predator-like. They hybridized it. Centro wood feel in the hand, carbon strength at the front, foam damped feedback. It's modern performance without losing the emotion of the hit.
The Spot On Billiards Angle Here at SpotOn, we understand the value of performance engineering. We offer products that work better, not just look better. Our Predator shaft isn't about marketing. It's about removing variables to increase performance. And at Spoton Billiard, we're not just selling Predator, we're supporting it. That means proper key repairs and maintenance backed with factory level care to keep your equipment performing at the highest level. You wouldn't buy a Ferrari without a certified shop. You shouldn't settle for less with your pool equipment In Conclusion either.
So the 314 didn't just introduce low deflection. It introduced performance to a sport built on guesswork which is now being standardized by most manufacturers as well. From the pre-cat shaft to the Revo Carbon to the hybrid perfection of Centro, Predator didn't change pool by accident. They engineered it. And if you want to experience that difference, you know where to find us.
The video did a good job on the basics and that's all it needed to do. It wasn't aimed at tech nerds like yourself.
The basics were good. A bit far reaching, in that it said all shots with spin were "guesswork" before the 314, and it implied the 314 removed any necessary aiming compensation. Both definitely false.
The different playing characteristics of 1 piece shafts held differently, my opinion on that is its false.
To Paul: the original 314 ads in the magazines didn't even mention it was hollow. I recall seeing the ads in the mid 90's, and not really understanding it was hollow then. They made a big deal about the wedge laminations. Those original ads had a cross section of the cue, but from memory, it made it look like there was big foam rod or something else in the shaft, not that it was hollow. I just tried looking for that image and couldn't find it.
I'm guessing here, but perhaps Predator felt it was best for sales not to mention it was hollow, in fear customers would think it was weak and break easily.
I took apart a couple of my personal 314-1 that had broken (due to my anger of smashing on the table) and saw how they were built personally. This was around 2000. I still have one that I had bandsawed in half lengthwise in my basement. (not near me now)
The different playing characteristics of 1 piece shafts held differently, my opinion on that is its false.
To Paul: the original 314 ads in the magazines didn't even mention it was hollow. I recall seeing the ads in the mid 90's, and not really understanding it was hollow then. They made a big deal about the wedge laminations. Those original ads had a cross section of the cue, but from memory, it made it look like there was big foam rod or something else in the shaft, not that it was hollow. I just tried looking for that image and couldn't find it.
I'm guessing here, but perhaps Predator felt it was best for sales not to mention it was hollow, in fear customers would think it was weak and break easily.
I took apart a couple of my personal 314-1 that had broken (due to my anger of smashing on the table) and saw how they were built personally. This was around 2000. I still have one that I had bandsawed in half lengthwise in my basement. (not near me now)
I have never bought a Hi-Tech Hype shaft. Maple works for me, when I plsy great it is on me, when I play bad it is on me.
Pool is a game of skill, not who has best tools.
JMHO.
Pool is a game of skill, not who has best tools.
JMHO.
Not so sure about that, 99% of the shots with the 314 shaft I aim with no compensation.
There is an on-going argument around here about what is needed to reduce cue ball deflection and a lot of people here says that only front end mass matters, yest in this video as well, it is explained that a lower mass shaft will be the thing that moves away from the path instead of the cue ball, yet neglecting to explain that in order for it to move, it needs to be flexible.
two shafts with same mass but different flexibility will perform differently.
two shafts with same mass but different flexibility will perform differently.
"a couple", haha. a friend did that with a 314-2 in a tournament after i beat him.
i've owned all iterations of the 314 and still use the pre-cat as my main player. the wood in the 3rd gen was of poor quality.
On my first Predator cue (98-1), I had the pre-cat logo, my later shafts (that I still own) are all 314-2
I did not feel any difference in the hit when I got the newer shafts. it did have a shorter ferrule with less front end mass and improved performance.
This is all in people's heads, just like saying that CF feels dead...
Over the years, I've tried many LD shafts from different brands and of course also CF shafts that claim to be LD, none perform as well as the 314-2 in terms of low deflection. The original OB shaft, the Revo 12.9 and the SMO 12.5 are the only that come close.
** Maybe there are some shafts out there that are as good or even better, I've tried a lot but not all of them...
At least it seems that way...
I played with Predators the first couple of decades I played, and since then with a custom shaft that's even lower deflection. Never met a sidespin shot that didn't deflect - although some look that way because of swerve.
pj
chgo
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Paul_#_
Well-known member
Hmmm, were any Revos? How did the cuemaker make it lower deflection? Why has it taken years until JFlowers SMO to beat out Revo?
Then why do Pred's conical shafts have less squirt?
It might have taken them years to develop.a thinner wall CF and come up with a viable lighter ferrule material
By making it to my specs:
- 10mm hollow tip (violating Predator's patent on the hole)
- minimal ferrule
- conical taper (very stiff)
Simple. 20" pivot length.
pj
chgo
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I'd like to try that shaft. What was the ferrule material? I've yet to try any shaft from any maker that was less squirt than any of the predator offerings over the years.
I think it's personal visual perception. For me, for example (and I've been in the Predator ecosystem since I think 1999), I routinely today aim a full ball over for a lot of shots. With my old Scruggs with an ivory ferrule, maybe that same shot was 2 balls over. If you were to shoot the exact shot with the same shaft, maybe to your eyes it would look like no compensation, or much less.
Typical ferrule plastic - I don’t know what kind. Ed Young made it; I assume he chose an appropriate material.
pj
chgo
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dendweller
Well-known member
10mm shaft vs 12.75mm, both hollow. Have to have a pretty heavy ferrule to loose that fight.
Paul_#_
Well-known member
How important is the very stiff conical taper in making the shaft low deflection?