predator shaft choice.

B

Blue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
after playing with a delaminated 3142 for a long while, i finally decided to change a new shaft.

Now the question is, is it still worth to get a vantage shaft as replacement? Everyone is talking about revo shaft nowadays but its a 5 months wait list and higher price than the vantage which is available off the shelf.

i dont change shaft often and i dont see many people playing with the vantage nowadays. But at least i get a new shaft immediately. Should i place order for the revo instead and wait for the revo?

is there a big difference between the 2 shafts in terms of playablity?



-->never played with either one before.
 
C

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Blue said:
after playing with a delaminated 3142 for a long while, i finally decided to change a new shaft.

Now the question is, is it still worth to get a vantage shaft as replacement? Everyone is talking about revo shaft nowadays but its a 5 months wait list and higher price than the vantage which is available off the shelf.

i dont change shaft often and i dont see many people playing with the vantage nowadays. But at least i get a new shaft immediately. Should i place order for the revo instead and wait for the revo?

is there a big difference between the 2 shafts in terms of playablity?



-->never played with either one before.
Click to expand...
Revo and Vantage are totally different shafts, and you'd really have to try them both out for a period of time to truly be able to know which of the two would be best for you. Vantage has much better "feel" and sound, and although it's an low deflection shaft, it will deflect significantly more than the Revo. The Revo is likely the lowest deflection shaft on the market, but the tradeoff is the sound/feel are very different and unique. This bothers some people and others get used to it with no problem. The Revo is also a very dark gray shaft, which some players can't get used to as well. A high number of pro tour players have switched to the Revo, and that certainly says a lot for players who make their living playing pool.
 
B

Blue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ChrisinNC said:
Revo and Vantage are totally different shafts, and you'd really have to try them both out for a period of time to truly be able to know which of the two would be best for you. Vantage has much better "feel" and sound, and although it's an low deflection shaft, it will deflect significantly more than the Revo. The Revo is likely the lowest deflection shaft on the market, but the tradeoff is the sound/feel are very different and unique. This bothers some people and others get used to it with no problem. The Revo is also a very dark gray shaft, which some players can't get used to as well. A high number of pro tour players have switched to the Revo, and that certainly says a lot for players who make their living playing pool.
Click to expand...

it will be hard for me to test them out, I dont see any revos being used in the local poolhalls yet.

is the vantage's deflection a lot more compared to the 3142? and are both tapers the same? i probably can find the answers from predator website but feedback from real users would be better.

My opinion is that the revo should be as good as it claims to be, given the long waiting list and pro players switching to it.
But i hate to pay more and wait for a long time just to get a replacement shaft which may end up that i hate the sound, feedback etc



blue --> would buy both if he struck the lottery.
 
S

saine

Registered
314-2 and vantage have both pro taper. but their tip diameter is different. 314-2 is 12.75 while vantage has 12.90. The shaft that is similar in diameter to 314-2 is the 314-3. I use both vantage and revo 12.9. I can say that they play not much different from each other. At first I can't make extreme cut shot with my Revo plus its hard to shoot the 8 ball as it is the same color as the revo. But after playing for it for about a month I got used to it. I play twice a week for 6-8 hours a day. I still change sometimes to my vantage shaft without compensating too much.
 
MeeLosh

MeeLosh

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Blue said:
...Everyone is talking about revo shaft nowadays but its a 5 months wait list...
Click to expand...

You don't have to wait 5 months, there's a bunch of authorized Predator dealers that get Revos shafts regularly. I bought one from these guys and the transaction went perfectly smoothly:
https://www.facebook.com/Shooters-Family-Billiards-224902849769/

To get to your question - I have had both Vantage and Revo shafts, and, well... they are definitely different. With Vantage it was love at second hit, and with Revo it was a hate-hate-love relationship at first and now it's all love and for the first time in ages I'm perfectly happy with one shaft for a while, without feeling the need to switch shafts soon. I'm glad I gave Revo a second chance and it's really a great shaft, a real confidence-booster on the table. Vantage is also a great shaft, but at the moment I prefer the hit and feel of Revo.
 
B

Blue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thank for the replies.

I have the opportunity to try out both the revo 12.9 and vantage at the shop. Both play quite similar and the revo sounds nicer with the metallic sound and it's slightly better for long straights, but nothing that the vantage couldnt reproduce too. Both of them move the cue ball around with ease.

In the end, I went for the vantage since theres available stock.
 
M

Marky Mark

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
saine said:
314-2 and vantage have both pro taper. but their tip diameter is different. 314-2 is 12.75 while vantage has 12.90. The shaft that is similar in diameter to 314-2 is the 314-3. I use both vantage and revo 12.9. I can say that they play not much different from each other. At first I can't make extreme cut shot with my Revo plus its hard to shoot the 8 ball as it is the same color as the revo. But after playing for it for about a month I got used to it. I play twice a week for 6-8 hours a day. I still change sometimes to my vantage shaft without compensating too much.
Click to expand...

The 314-2 & Vantage do not have the same taper. Vantage has a Pro V taper which is just another term for conical taper. Therefore it is the same taper as what you find on a Z2 or Z3.
 
RakRunr

RakRunr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I can't speak to the Revo, the only experience I have is a few test hits at the Expo.

My first Predator shaft was a Z-2. I didn't care for the small diameter, and eventually traded for a 314-2 and immediately saw game improvement. I played with that for a couple of years and bought a Vantage, mostly out of curiosity and because it had a thicker diameter. Overall, I didn't care for it and quickly went back to the 314-2. Earlier this year I purchased a cue with a 314-3 and couldn't be happier.

So, for me, the 314 line is best. YMMV, but if you are happy with the 314-2, I would consider sticking with that and upgrading to the 314-3.
 
J Soto

J Soto

The NON-Myth
Silver Member
saine said:
314-2 and vantage have both pro taper. but their tip diameter is different. 314-2 is 12.75 while vantage has 12.90. The shaft that is similar in diameter to 314-2 is the 314-3. I use both vantage and revo 12.9. I can say that they play not much different from each other. At first I can't make extreme cut shot with my Revo plus its hard to shoot the 8 ball as it is the same color as the revo. But after playing for it for about a month I got used to it. I play twice a week for 6-8 hours a day. I still change sometimes to my vantage shaft without compensating too much.
Click to expand...

The Vantage doesn’t have a pro taper. It’s 12.9mm at the tip and it’s a conical taper. The Vantage plays really good. After the Revo it’s the lowest deflecting shaft from Predator.
 
B

Blue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
RakRunr said:
I can't speak to the Revo, the only experience I have is a few test hits at the Expo.

My first Predator shaft was a Z-2. I didn't care for the small diameter, and eventually traded for a 314-2 and immediately saw game improvement. I played with that for a couple of years and bought a Vantage, mostly out of curiosity and because it had a thicker diameter. Overall, I didn't care for it and quickly went back to the 314-2. Earlier this year I purchased a cue with a 314-3 and couldn't be happier.

So, for me, the 314 line is best. YMMV, but if you are happy with the 314-2, I would consider sticking with that and upgrading to the 314-3.
Click to expand...

I already got the vantage shaft as I always wanted a thicker diameter. I find that it's more forgiving for long shots with English. But I noticed no difference between the revo and the vantage. I did try the 3143 as well. But revo and vantage shaft was more to what I am looking for. Maybe it's just the new cue symptoms.

Anyway the shop dealer was telling me for revo shafts they may be moving their production of revo shafts to another country soon. Better grab those made in USA as soon as you can.
 
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