Predator Vantage vs Meucci Pro Shaft

tashworth19191

tashworth19191

Pool will make you humble
Silver Member
I was very thankful that I just won the November giveaway. http://www.azbilliards.com/news/stories/11656-predator-vantage-gold-giveaway-winners-announced/

I am real excited about winning this. What do you guys think of the new Vantage shaft that it comes with? http://www.predatorcues.com/shafts/vantage-shaft/

I have used Meucci Red Dot for a long time and it wiggled like crazy when I hit the ball. My game improved when I got a black dot shaft for the Meucci because It had less squirt (deflection) and I could now use more left and right english and still make the ball.

A month ago I purchased the Meucci Pro shaft and it seems to be even better than the black dot shaft and I can even get more spin on the ball and it has way less squirt. So my game improved a little again.

Now that I won the Predator 8k-4 with the Vantage shaft, I am hoping it is even better than the Meucci Pro shaft. What are your thoughts?

Thanks again Predator!
 
dgem

dgem

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What is your review of the vantage shaft? Do you like it and how doea it plays compared to a 314-2?
 
ajie

ajie

Registered
Predator has the most (in my opinion) lowest deflection shaft, if they inventing new shaft, how lower can it get? unless it's not about LD..

still waiting for the review though..
 
tashworth19191

tashworth19191

Pool will make you humble
Silver Member
After a couple of months using the Vantage shaft on my Predator and the Pro Shaft on my Power Piston Muecci, I play much better with the Muecci.. The Vantage has less deflection and stiffer, but it is very thick and I like a thinner shaft.
 
JMS

JMS

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
tashworth19191 said:
After a couple of months using the Vantage shaft on my Predator and the Pro Shaft on my Power Piston Muecci, I play much better with the Muecci.. The Vantage has less deflection and stiffer, but it is very thick and I like a thinner shaft.
Click to expand...

Have you thought about turning down the Vantage shaft?
 
Drawback

Drawback

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
tashworth19191 said:
After a couple of months using the Vantage shaft on my Predator and the Pro Shaft on my Power Piston Muecci, I play much better with the Muecci.. The Vantage has less deflection and stiffer, but it is very thick and I like a thinner shaft.
Click to expand...

I just love my Power Piston Meucci cue with my UW shaft.
 
H

hboat333

Registered
I'm a long time Meucci fan ( I know, I know...rag on me all you want). I have loved their BlackDot shaft from the mid-90's on. It's low squirt, and has this unusual combination of having feel and being indestructible, like a club. Great for hitting hard and soft. My peak Predator experience has been with the Z2 shaft turned down to a pro taper by Rick at Seybert's....it's their S-tuned Z2. I've never hit w/ a shaft that could put more spin on the cue ball. You want to draw bigtime w/ ease? This shaft does it for you. But...I don't have a straight stroke...not one that I can totally rely on. So, I always use English. Well, you want to use 'helping English' to cancel out cling? On this shaft, 1/8th to 1/4 tip of outside does it. You add more than that, you're gonna over cut the shot and spin it out. It's a really impressive shaft.....really amazing. The problem for me was swerve on longer shots. Sometimes you see it, and sometimes not. You're just left wondering why you missed that ball....again. I've recently returned to Meucci's shafts. A word here....a 'butt', I should say. The holy grail seems to be shafts and tips, but I happen to completely believe in and praise Robert Meucci for his work and research in pool. I believe (as he does....watch the videos on the Meucci site) a cue's butt has a really big impact on squirt. The more flexible the butt, the less deflection. It's true and I have 3 different cues that prove it. But back to shafts, and I'm gonna be brief. Meucci's new ProShafts come either flat laminated (39 layers built by Meucci---the BlackDots were 35 layers built elsewhere), or one piece maple. Both are pro tapered shafts. The Ultimate Weapon is a conical, one-piece maple shaft. I've mostly been playing w/ the flat-lam ProShaft. It's forward balanced (which I like), and has all the great qualities I liked about the BlackDots but a bit lower squirt. It's a great shaft. I've hit w/ an UW shaft. It is in my opinion, it's the lowerst squirt shaft I've ever used. Yet, for me, it's harder to put spin on the cue ball. This seems all wrong to me....I don't understand it, but it's true for me. You can hit hard and off-center and the damn rock still goes straight. It has improved my ability to pocket balls on longer shots, but I like to see the cue ball fly off rails after the shot, too. Well, I just got a one-piece maple ProShaft...just got it today...and I can say, after hitting about 150 balls, that this is my #1 shaft for now. Low squirt, great spin characteristics, really nice feel, and it works for me. Having been mostly an open bridge guy, I'll snug up a closed bridge until I get used to the lighter front end, but it's a great performing shaft. Screw this baby on a flexible butt like a power piston, and you'll have feel and performance. Just my .02. Sorry this is so long. Crap...this is longer than any term paper I wrote in college 45 yrs ago...
 
C

CT06010

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
hboat333 said:
I'm a long time Meucci fan ( I know, I know...rag on me all you want). I have loved their BlackDot shaft from the mid-90's on. It's low squirt, and has this unusual combination of having feel and being indestructible, like a club. Great for hitting hard and soft. My peak Predator experience has been with the Z2 shaft turned down to a pro taper by Rick at Seybert's....it's their S-tuned Z2. I've never hit w/ a shaft that could put more spin on the cue ball. You want to draw bigtime w/ ease? This shaft does it for you. But...I don't have a straight stroke...not one that I can totally rely on. So, I always use English. Well, you want to use 'helping English' to cancel out cling? On this shaft, 1/8th to 1/4 tip of outside does it. You add more than that, you're gonna over cut the shot and spin it out. It's a really impressive shaft.....really amazing. The problem for me was swerve on longer shots. Sometimes you see it, and sometimes not. You're just left wondering why you missed that ball....again. I've recently returned to Meucci's shafts. A word here....a 'butt', I should say. The holy grail seems to be shafts and tips, but I happen to completely believe in and praise Robert Meucci for his work and research in pool. I believe (as he does....watch the videos on the Meucci site) a cue's butt has a really big impact on squirt. The more flexible the butt, the less deflection. It's true and I have 3 different cues that prove it. But back to shafts, and I'm gonna be brief. Meucci's new ProShafts come either flat laminated (39 layers built by Meucci---the BlackDots were 35 layers built elsewhere), or one piece maple. Both are pro tapered shafts. The Ultimate Weapon is a conical, one-piece maple shaft. I've mostly been playing w/ the flat-lam ProShaft. It's forward balanced (which I like), and has all the great qualities I liked about the BlackDots but a bit lower squirt. It's a great shaft. I've hit w/ an UW shaft. It is in my opinion, it's the lowerst squirt shaft I've ever used. Yet, for me, it's harder to put spin on the cue ball. This seems all wrong to me....I don't understand it, but it's true for me. You can hit hard and off-center and the damn rock still goes straight. It has improved my ability to pocket balls on longer shots, but I like to see the cue ball fly off rails after the shot, too. Well, I just got a one-piece maple ProShaft...just got it today...and I can say, after hitting about 150 balls, that this is my #1 shaft for now. Low squirt, great spin characteristics, really nice feel, and it works for me. Having been mostly an open bridge guy, I'll snug up a closed bridge until I get used to the lighter front end, but it's a great performing shaft. Screw this baby on a flexible butt like a power piston, and you'll have feel and performance. Just my .02. Sorry this is so long. Crap...this is longer than any term paper I wrote in college 45 yrs ago...
Click to expand...

I just bought the Maple PRO. Still waiting on it. Getting antsy haha. Nice review.
 
R

rubberheels

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pred. Vantage

Like the new Vantage. Not crazy about their new tips. And their ferulles are hard to keep clean(too soft).But the shaft plays real good!
 
N

newsharkcues

New member
The predator shaft is proven to have 52 percent more delflection then Meucci's black dot shaft, and the Meucci Pro Shaft is even better then the black dot.
 
M

Magician28

Magician28
I'm not big for the vantage shaft or the 314 even tho it does play well. I use the Z2 and it is absolutely awesome. The deflection is low, the hit is nice and I can wicked spin off it. The Ferrells are easy to get dirty but some high % alcohol and it comes right off. But I would recommend the Z2. The vantage is too big for me in diameter... Mecci is a great cue but I've never shot with one.
 
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