New predator case

dvs

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I saw the new predator urbain case in vegas last month. It has a full length envelope type pocket on a hard case. Pretty unique. I ordered one yesterday and will post pix and review after it arrives.

Anyone else have any comments or got their hands on one?
 

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Interesting. Just went and looked at pictures.

That big pocket with compartments reminds me of my wife's purses. (I collect cues, she collects designer purses) It's a pool cue purse! :D

I will be watching for your review. :smile:
 

RickLafayette

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Interesting. Just went and looked at pictures.

That big pocket with compartments reminds me of my wife's purses. (I collect cues, she collects designer purses) It's a pool cue purse! :D

I will be watching for your review. :smile:

Could you tell me where you saw the pictures?
 

eihi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cool looking case, way more storage than I would ever need but still quite nice. Looking forward to your review
 

dvs

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Brief review

I've had it for two weeks now and have take it to a couple bars and a couple pool halls; most people that see it like it. It is very well constructed and the large zippered pocket works well; but it is larger than I need. I have my cue extension, bridge, extra chalk, towel, tip tools, glasses, pen, and a couple other odd stuff. Still room for way more than I need. It'll fit a shirt, and removing the Velcro divider, could also hold a couple more cues; there are separate dividers for that specific purpose. This would actually hold 5 butts and six shafts.

The cue side is a hard case with thin felt or vinyl dividers; mine holds 3X5. the 3x5 was 219 delivered. Definitely not as secure as a JB interior. I feel the cues are well protected, but you have to be careful taking them in and out so you don't hit them together. I put the butts in first then the shafts, no problem at all. Case is light enough and YES, it is more like a cue/purse or cue/duffle bag (I prefer the duffle bag analogy).

It certainly is not as nice as any of my high end leather cases, but it is novel and I'll probably use it for a while and move on to something else as I normally do.

Overall, excellent construction, great zippers, mucho storage and not heavy at all.
Material is a strong woven fabric. Good thing is I put my car keys and phone in it and don't have to hunt them down. There are four nice pockets inside the storage area which keep all the junk from moving around.

Regards, Dave
 
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Jerry R

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
dvs, can you tell me what is the longest shaft/butt that will fit in it? Also, sis you get a chance to see the soft/butterfly case of the same design?

Thanks!
Jerry
 

jamesV1993

Registered
I have had the Predator Urbain 3x5 case since release. I have not had any issues with the case. It fits everything I could need when I go to the pool hall (chalk box, tip tools, medium sized towel, gloves, extensions, etc) It looks great and is definitely a quality case. The only thing that bugged me at first was the clip on the shoulder strap. When I first purchased it I would accidentally hit the latch with my hand and it would separate. After some time with the case I got used to where my hand needed to avoid. I would recommend the case to anyone. It is quality made, has tons of room, looks great, and is not too heavy. I would give it 5/5 stars.
 

parogen

Registered
I currently own one, after losing my QKS Artillery and my cue.

If you want all around protection from any accidents, the front is obviously not hard protected. Also, because it saves so much material on padding with its compact design, I find it's a little annoying when you want to access the outside butts and shafts. I just checked and when you unzip and open up the hard side flap, it obstructs the shaft area. Pulling out the shafts will definitely brush against the inner portion of this flap area, as well as the zippers simply due to design. The butts will be slightly obstructed by the zipper design as well. Compared to the QKS I had, you just had to open it up, and it bends back for full range to just pull out the butts and shafts with minor contact to the case.

I think there are a lot of cons compared to the security and usability of traditional cases, but I'm personally invested in the pros of the case.

For me, the pros that I appreciate personally are that it's lighter. Since it has less padding, not hard all around, it makes it as light as possible. This is a worth it trade off for me as I don't expect to end up in an accident handling the case. The big pocket is great for me, because I might want to store a small book in there, or just allow room to hold anything like an umbrella or something, without having to carry another bag. I'm just the type of person to want to allocate only the things I need at a given time, so the big pocket allows me to be a little minimalist about it, by being flexible and not forcing me to carry another bag.

The strap goes along the wide side of the case, not the thin side like traditional cases I've seen. I think this is a huge con when I tried some traditional cases other people had, because with a hard case, having the strap on the hard side is kind of uncomfortable. It will make you stand up a little taller. But the pro of this same configuration is being able to carry cross chest. Sometimes, I get kind of tired/annoyed of carrying the case unbalanced on one side. Carrying it lopsided over one shoulder does not feel uncomfortable with the hard case. That was similar to my QKS, but the Predator strap is slightly more padded.

I just got the case, so I need to get acquainted with the big pocket area, but that's what I have to say about the cue storage area and the comfort-ability, which is a huge concern compared to traditional cases. I think if you don't care about the weight of a case, I would definitely suggest another case. But weight is a concern for me, so it's good for me for now.
 

parogen

Registered
From what I observe, this seems to be designed only for the regular size shaft. There is certainly enough room to fit any length shaft, as the vertical height is there. But in terms of tip not touching the bottom, the support is barely there for the regular sized shaft. If padding is a concern, this case does not have ample padding. The tip will touch the bottom, which makes me a little angry now. I recently watched a JB cues youtube video where he rants about cue cases. I think he might be referring to this one.

I still like how light it is, but they could have adding more padding for the equipment and leave the front without a hard cover. That would have been fine for me.

Edit: Yes, JB cues was referring to this case. There is no padding past the top half a foot or so. As I put the shaft in, I can feel it hitting my cue sleeve wrap LOL.

If you have EXPENSIVE cues, this case provides no protection. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I'm not an expensive cue guy. But I do have some McDermott collectables on the way that I now have to be careful about when sliding in the shafts. Or maybe I put the shafts first, then the butts second.
 
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parogen

Registered
I will be returning the case, upon finding out this case in fact has nothing between the cues and shaft. Kind of alarming, now that I think about it. Found a J&J 3x5 case that might just work out for me.
 
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