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- Thread starter marek
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I appreciate your informative thread comparing the two shafts. I'm receiving a Mezz ExPro shaft today, and looking forward to trying it out, after having played with a Revo for about 6 months before switching back to a Vantage shaft a few months ago. After a few sessions with the ExPro shaft, I'll respond back with my comparison of the two shafts.On Friday I had a chance to play with Revo 12.9mm for about 3 hours. For comparison I had my Mezz with Ex Pro shaft 12.5mm ready. I want to stress out that I am VERY happy with the way my Mezz/Ex Pro performs, my expectation was that Revo would have lower deflection at high speed shots while the feedback of Ex Pro would give Revo orange crush...well that was my expectation
There are 4 factors I consider important in shafts which I will talk about:
1) the amount of deflection (I know it should be "squirt" but whatever..
2) feedback
3) energy transfer
4) aiming/taper
1) In this category Revo outperformed my Ex Pro exactly as I expected, during soft and medium shots they were both ultra LD, but during high-speed shots Revo has still very LD properties while Ex Pro has considerably higher deflection. That makes Revo very deadly weapon at high speed shots where other shafts require certain amount of "guesstimate" while Revo is still point-and-shoot even with those high-speed shots.
2) I really like the feedback of my EX Pro. So basically I was not ready for this....but I loved the feedback of REVO, it is stiff/crisp as hell which is exactly what I like. All this with Predator Victory soft tip :-O Really didnt see that one coming.....:thumbup:
3) When I played a draw shots with Revo it came to me it was really effortless so I gave it a test. I placed object ball near long rail at second diamond while I placed cue ball near side pocket. Then I played a draw shot. The cloth on the table was about 6 months old and I was able to draw cue ball 12 diamonds with my Ex Pro on it. Then I did the same with Revo. Result? 14 diamonds :thumbup: Thats quite a difference if you ask me. Basically you rarely need this kind of powershot but it gives you an idea how less effort you need to draw cue ball with Revo. I should say that in my experience Ex Pro is among the very best of LD shafts when it comes to energy transfer...but Revo is insane!!!
4) As far as taper goes I had no problem with my followthrough playing with closed bridge with Revo, actually I found Revo and Ex Pro rather similar in that department - not the longest taper of them all but perfectly acceptable with Revo maybe little longer. As for the aiming I was worried about possible problems with light reflections off the black shaft. Fortunately that wasnt problem at all, I even had the feeling that the dark colour of the shaft helped me to aim better. I know that this part is really subjective to every player but my aim worked very good with Revo.
All in all I was shocked with how Revo outperformed my Ex Pro and even more with the fact that I liked the hit of Revo much better than Ex Pro. So the outcome of this testing is my intention to buy Predator Revo cue as soon as it becomes available, unfortunately the Revo cue I want (http://www.ortmann-billiards.com/epages/15204264.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/15204264/Products/4056 is on backorder through the whole Europe. Also even though I tested 12.9 version of Revo, I prefer 12.4 version. I know that there is a conflicting info regarding deflection of 12.9 and 12.4 but the source I respect tells me that Revo 12.4 has lower deflection than Revo 12.9. Also there is a vid on youtube comparing all Predator shafts confirming that result and thats good enough for me.
The biggest issue for me with the Revo was it forced me to have to use it with a Predator butt, so my option was either playing with a standard length cue, or with a 4-inch longer cue when using the 4-inch shaft extender with it. The ExPro 30-inch shaft I ordered gives me an extra inch above standard, or I can add the 2-inch Exceed butt extension with it to make it 3-inches longer - both options better (for me) than the standard length or 4-inch longer options I had with the Revo.
As for the deflection comparison between the 12.9 and 12.4 Revo, the youtube video I watched recently showed virtually no deflection difference between the two, which surprised me, as I assumed the 12.4 Revo would have at least a little less deflection.
Nice write up, it is still priced way out of many player's budgets though.
Nice review. I agree with just about everything you wrote but I was coming off using a standard shaft for roughly 30 years so the learning curve was tough. With the revo, that parallel shift aiming technique is really coming in handy for me.
The biggest difference other than the low deflection, for me anyway, is just how stiff the shaft is. I believe that is why you're seeing more energy transfer and longer draw shots... just my guess.
I'm breaking with my revo until I can find a BK Rush for close to normal price. I love the feel of the shaft as a break stick.
The biggest difference other than the low deflection, for me anyway, is just how stiff the shaft is. I believe that is why you're seeing more energy transfer and longer draw shots... just my guess.
I'm breaking with my revo until I can find a BK Rush for close to normal price. I love the feel of the shaft as a break stick.
On Friday I had a chance to play with Revo 12.9mm for about 3 hours. For comparison I had my Mezz with Ex Pro shaft 12.5mm ready. I want to stress out that I am VERY happy with the way my Mezz/Ex Pro performs, my expectation was that Revo would have lower deflection at high speed shots while the feedback of Ex Pro would give Revo orange crush...well that was my expectation
There are 4 factors I consider important in shafts which I will talk about:
1) the amount of deflection (I know it should be "squirt" but whatever..
2) feedback
3) energy transfer
4) aiming/taper
1) In this category Revo outperformed my Ex Pro exactly as I expected, during soft and medium shots they were both ultra LD, but during high-speed shots Revo has still very LD properties while Ex Pro has considerably higher deflection. That makes Revo very deadly weapon at high speed shots where other shafts require certain amount of "guesstimate" while Revo is still point-and-shoot even with those high-speed shots.
2) I really like the feedback of my EX Pro. So basically I was not ready for this....but I loved the feedback of REVO, it is stiff/crisp as hell which is exactly what I like. All this with Predator Victory soft tip :-O Really didnt see that one coming.....:thumbup:
3) When I played a draw shots with Revo it came to me it was really effortless so I gave it a test. I placed object ball near long rail at second diamond while I placed cue ball near side pocket. Then I played a draw shot. The cloth on the table was about 6 months old and I was able to draw cue ball 12 diamonds with my Ex Pro on it. Then I did the same with Revo. Result? 14 diamonds :thumbup: Thats quite a difference if you ask me. Basically you rarely need this kind of powershot but it gives you an idea how less effort you need to draw cue ball with Revo. I should say that in my experience Ex Pro is among the very best of LD shafts when it comes to energy transfer...but Revo is insane!!!
4) As far as taper goes I had no problem with my followthrough playing with closed bridge with Revo, actually I found Revo and Ex Pro rather similar in that department - not the longest taper of them all but perfectly acceptable with Revo maybe little longer. As for the aiming I was worried about possible problems with light reflections off the black shaft. Fortunately that wasnt problem at all, I even had the feeling that the dark colour of the shaft helped me to aim better. I know that this part is really subjective to every player but my aim worked very good with Revo.
All in all I was shocked with how Revo outperformed my Ex Pro and even more with the fact that I liked the hit of Revo much better than Ex Pro. So the outcome of this testing is my intention to buy Predator Revo cue as soon as it becomes available, unfortunately the Revo cue I want (http://www.ortmann-billiards.com/epages/15204264.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/15204264/Products/4056 is on backorder through the whole Europe. Also even though I tested 12.9 version of Revo, I prefer 12.4 version. I know that there is a conflicting info regarding deflection of 12.9 and 12.4 but the source I respect tells me that Revo 12.4 has lower deflection than Revo 12.9. Also there is a vid on youtube comparing all Predator shafts confirming that result and thats good enough for me.
marek;
thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts and review of the Revo shaft.
Well done!
best,
brian kc
I just got my Mezz EXPro 30" shaft in today, and only had time to shoot 15 balls with it, but I can already second your preference for the ExPro over the Revo. I loaded up with high inside english as much as I could, and executed shots at a firm to hard pace, and I truly think the EXPro 12.5mm shaft deflects LESS than a Revo 12.9mm, which I played with last year for over 6 months. Also, I loved the solid feel/sound way more than the very different feel/sound of the Revo. Time will tell, but I think I'll love it.
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I agree with all you said marek. I've never been a fan of other LD shafts but having tried a Revo at Derby City made a believer out of me. The high speed, inside english shots have been an achilles for me but found the LD of the Revo to help me make those shots with ease and great control/instinct where the CB was going.
I coupled my Revo 12.9 radial shaft with a Pat Diveney and it played as well as I could imagine. Now, with all that said I'll never make it to pro status but I really enjoy the game nonetheless. The Revo is very satisfying to me.
Nice writeup, btw!
I coupled my Revo 12.9 radial shaft with a Pat Diveney and it played as well as I could imagine. Now, with all that said I'll never make it to pro status but I really enjoy the game nonetheless. The Revo is very satisfying to me.
Nice writeup, btw!
That makes Revo very deadly weapon at high speed shots where other shafts require certain amount of "guesstimate" while Revo is still point-and-shoot even with those high-speed shots.
Shoot the same shot a few times and you'll get it.
At that point there's no "guesstimate" involved.
Pros do it, anyone who buys a new shaft does it while they're getting used to the shaft.
I actually still shoot a better game with my regular solid maple shaft than I do with the Revo because I'm so used to solid maple shafts.
For ME it's less "guesstimate" to use the regular shaft.
that's the point, "we" are not pro's. So, yeah, they can figure stuff out more quickly and adapt, no so much with amateurs. For many amateurs, less "guessing" is better for them and makes them feel more comfortable, which gives them more confidence when pulling the "trigger", which is a huge part it. If you don't need to "guess", that's great for you, not good for others that can't
In my experience my 12.4 actually deflects more than my 12.9 – at least for my setup. I’m still looking for a butt + tip combo that makes it behave a little more like my 12.9 though. But then again I’m quite comfortable with how it deflects, so I may end up not doing anything.
That being said I use the 12.9 for accuracy and the 12.4 for finesse. The 12.4 for me feels closer to a wooden shaft but the 12.9 is the oddball one. It’s quite consistent at high and low speeds over medium distances and you don’t have to do as much adjustments for deflection + swerve – sometimes not at all.
I think the real value of the revo lies in these characteristics as opposed to the low deflection, which can vary according to the tip used, how the whole cue flexes, player’s stroke etc. As 9Ballr mentioned, the deflection bit is something you can work out with some practice time and an excel sheet (for the anal-ytical).
Like u I prefer the hit on the revo as opposed to the ex pro. I can find as many people who prefer the ex pro over the revo. It is a little unusual to me but it’s not something I can’t get used to. It is an excellent shaft nonetheless.
I have both sizes and I experience the opposite; not sure about the setup differences you mention; however, considering that a major factor within low deflection shafts is the reduction of front end mass, the 12.9 having less deflection vs the 12.4 seems counter intuitive.
Played with my EXPro last night for the first time, and I love it. Just as the reviews of both shafts on this forum indicate, it goes to show - different strokes for different folks. I'm guesing if you let 100 players try out both shafts, you'd get a fairly even split as to a preference for one or the other.Have fun with Ex Pro, it is a good buy
Yes I agree a lower front end mass is what makes the tech work. However, in my case the entire cue/cues flexes so much and the tip spends quite a bit of time on the ball so the deflection isn’t as low as one would expect on paper at least – actually, it feels like I’m playing with a Z shaft. I suppose I can change my stroke and bridge length to reduce the ‘whippiness’ but I kind of like how it moves the ball around, so not so much impetus to experiment too much, haha
Marek, could you clarify what changed a since you posted this from November
I will elaborate a little more on this comparison. When playing soft to medium shots ex pro has almost zero deflection which is slightly lower than revo. On the other hand when playing some harder shots deflection rises with ex pro,revo on the other hand has similar deflection both on soft and hard shots. So with hard shots revo has slightly less deflection than ex pro. Nevertheless the feel of ex pro beats revo every day of the week. As for the power transfer they are about equally great. You will like ex pro,trust me
Just seems like a big 180 from a few months ago. Was it more time with the Revo, different diameter?
I will elaborate a little more on this comparison. When playing soft to medium shots ex pro has almost zero deflection which is slightly lower than revo. On the other hand when playing some harder shots deflection rises with ex pro,revo on the other hand has similar deflection both on soft and hard shots. So with hard shots revo has slightly less deflection than ex pro. Nevertheless the feel of ex pro beats revo every day of the week. As for the power transfer they are about equally great. You will like ex pro,trust me
Just seems like a big 180 from a few months ago. Was it more time with the Revo, different diameter?
So you use Revo both as a breaker and a player?
Yes, for the time being I do. I switched to a Predator Victory Medium tip. I understand they come with the Victory soft tip installed, but I wanted to try the Medium since I used to play with a hard tip forever.
So far so good, no mushrooming or deforming. I can't tell if the tip is flattening out or not because I play with a a pretty flat tip, relatively speaking. I've only been doing this for about a month, I've had the shaft for about two months, maybe a bit longer now.
I know I'm losing energy by not using a break tip but it still feels pretty good. I'm not a huge breaker and probably average between 18-21mph on my breaks.
I will get another dedicated break stick but for now, this is working out pretty well.
On Friday I had a chance to play with Revo 12.9mm for about 3 hours. For comparison I had my Mezz with Ex Pro shaft 12.5mm ready. I want to stress out that I am VERY happy with the way my Mezz/Ex Pro performs, my expectation was that Revo would have lower deflection at high speed shots while the feedback of Ex Pro would give Revo orange crush...well that was my expectation
There are 4 factors I consider important in shafts which I will talk about:
1) the amount of deflection (I know it should be "squirt" but whatever..
2) feedback
3) energy transfer
4) aiming/taper
1) In this category Revo outperformed my Ex Pro exactly as I expected, during soft and medium shots they were both ultra LD, but during high-speed shots Revo has still very LD properties while Ex Pro has considerably higher deflection. That makes Revo very deadly weapon at high speed shots where other shafts require certain amount of "guesstimate" while Revo is still point-and-shoot even with those high-speed shots.
2) I really like the feedback of my EX Pro. So basically I was not ready for this....but I loved the feedback of REVO, it is stiff/crisp as hell which is exactly what I like. All this with Predator Victory soft tip :-O Really didnt see that one coming.....:thumbup:
3) When I played a draw shots with Revo it came to me it was really effortless so I gave it a test. I placed object ball near long rail at second diamond while I placed cue ball near side pocket. Then I played a draw shot. The cloth on the table was about 6 months old and I was able to draw cue ball 12 diamonds with my Ex Pro on it. Then I did the same with Revo. Result? 14 diamonds :thumbup: Thats quite a difference if you ask me. Basically you rarely need this kind of powershot but it gives you an idea how less effort you need to draw cue ball with Revo. I should say that in my experience Ex Pro is among the very best of LD shafts when it comes to energy transfer...but Revo is insane!!!
4) As far as taper goes I had no problem with my followthrough playing with closed bridge with Revo, actually I found Revo and Ex Pro rather similar in that department - not the longest taper of them all but perfectly acceptable with Revo maybe little longer. As for the aiming I was worried about possible problems with light reflections off the black shaft. Fortunately that wasnt problem at all, I even had the feeling that the dark colour of the shaft helped me to aim better. I know that this part is really subjective to every player but my aim worked very good with Revo.
All in all I was shocked with how Revo outperformed my Ex Pro and even more with the fact that I liked the hit of Revo much better than Ex Pro. So the outcome of this testing is my intention to buy Predator Revo cue as soon as it becomes available, unfortunately the Revo cue I want (http://www.ortmann-billiards.com/epages/15204264.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/15204264/Products/4056 is on backorder through the whole Europe. Also even though I tested 12.9 version of Revo, I prefer 12.4 version. I know that there is a conflicting info regarding deflection of 12.9 and 12.4 but the source I respect tells me that Revo 12.4 has lower deflection than Revo 12.9. Also there is a vid on youtube comparing all Predator shafts confirming that result and thats good enough for me.
Can you give us the link to that youtube video with deflection tests??
the numbers are better for the 12.9. that's the one (and the taper) predator spent years developing. I think the numbers are better because the taper is different. the 12.4 has to have a stronger taper because they have to get to a certain width at a certain length, then from there the shafts are the same.