Predator "black shafts?"

Curt

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had the opportunity to play with this shaft last week. The shaft is very smooth and visually different with its dark color and no ferrule. The hit is nice with a solid feel. CB deflection is minimal and will be touted as less than the "Z" shaft. From what I'm told the price point will be in the neighborhood of $500 and only available on new cues for now. Shafts in 6 months or so. Seems like a good, although pricy, shaft. Technology, you gotta embrace it or be left behind!!!
 

Lesh

One Hole Thinkifier
Silver Member
So... I saw a little banner from predator here on AZB alluding to the eminent release of the new shaft on something like 04.16.2016. Or perhaps I was hallucinating.... again.

Lesh
 

Lesh

One Hole Thinkifier
Silver Member
Latest ad, inside cover of billiards digest.

A scholar and gentleman thou art.

This has the ear-marks of covert hype all over the place. I already know Im gonna get one. It's new, so I just have to play it for a bit so I can either sing its praises or set it on fire.

Regards,
Lesh
 

Cardigan Kid

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A scholar and gentleman thou art.

This has the ear-marks of covert hype all over the place. I already know Im gonna get one. It's new, so I just have to play it for a bit so I can either sing its praises or set it on fire.

Regards,
Lesh

I hear you on this one.
At least someone is creating hype in the industry.

If you get one it will be like owning a classic car. EVERYWHERE you stop, someone will be walking over to talk about it.
Whip one of these out at the pool hall and you won't ever get two shots in a row because everyone will want to ask you what is it, how does it play, can I give it a try, etc etc.

Predator should send a stack of brochures along with it, so you can just have them out and save time explaining it over and over again.

Maybe one day, it will play in reverse, and when you whip out a wood shaft, everyone will come over to ask what is it and how does it play. :grin-square:
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had the opportunity to play with this shaft last week. The shaft is very smooth and visually different with its dark color and no ferrule. The hit is nice with a solid feel. CB deflection is minimal and will be touted as less than the "Z" shaft. From what I'm told the price point will be in the neighborhood of $500 and only available on new cues for now. Shafts in 6 months or so. Seems like a good, although pricy, shaft. Technology, you gotta embrace it or be left behind!!![/QUOTE]

How many pros are still winning with regular shafts?

I don't see this shaft making anybody shoot any better. It may hold up to more punishment than a wooden shaft, but I think that is about it.

It may attract quite a few buyers who like new "gizmos", but wood isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.
 

Strictly

Registered
I'm just playing devils advocate because I don't have the means of desire to play a 500 dollar shaft and have always disliked composite pool cues but just for example;
From hockey's inception until the early to middle 90's all hockey sticks were made of wood. At some point probably in the late 70's (educated guess) they started using fiber glass in the blades for strength and curve and weight reduction but still mostly wood.

In the 90s Easton comes out with this aluminum 2 piece stick aluminum shaft, fiberglass-wood composite blade. These sticks had a distinct feel but they certainly weren't for everyone and price wise the shaft alone was about 4-5 times the cost of the average stick and the blade costing a little more than the average stick. I'll spare you all the details but once Gretzky (highest scoring player of all time) who was sponsored by Easton started using that stick haters kind of backed off and more people were open to trying it.

Over the next ten years the technology got better prices also got a little better and 2 piece composite sticks were the standard eventually evolving into 1 piece sticks that cost upwards of 300 dollars. In the current market I believe the prices have leveled out a bit to between 100-200 for a one piece composite stick (which is basically the standard equipment today) compared to the 25-50 they typically paid for a competitive wood stick. In summary what I'm saying is in pretty short spans of time sports can take a departure from the well established norm, if the changes are well devised and executed.
 
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gregnice37

Bar Banger, Cue Collector
Silver Member
So with that release date, they should be a big factor at sbe. Guess that's what they were aiming for. Surprised they won't have just shafts available then.
 

galipeau

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I may change my mind once these come out. I've certainly thought more about it since my last post in this thread, which was initially very doubtful. I hope it comes out and is a success because it sounds like a very exciting product! I really like the appeal of a low maintenance, durable shaft. As long as it doesn't have a "dead" feel, there's no reason why it shouldn't be a hit with players.
 

Colonel

Raised by Wolves in a Pool Hall
Silver Member
So with that release date, they should be a big factor at sbe. Guess that's what they were aiming for. Surprised they won't have just shafts available then.



Oh it was purposeful regarding release date, just like movies at Xmas.

They want to get the really desperate gizmo freaks first making them buy an entire cue to get the shaft & the lemmings will be standing 10 deep. Once they've exhausted that, then & only then will the overpriced shaft be available as a shaft. Suckers.
 

Cardigan Kid

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Oh it was purposeful regarding release date, just like movies at Xmas.

They want to get the really desperate gizmo freaks first making them buy an entire cue to get the shaft & the lemmings will be standing 10 deep. Once they've exhausted that, then & only then will the overpriced shaft be available as a shaft. Suckers.

Ha! How right you are.
Minnesota Fats would be proud. He had to drive town to town in an old beater searching for suckers. Predator will have them traveling great distances and standing in line.
 

AlienObserver

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If I'm not mistaken, Jasmin Ouschan just won the European straight pool championship and the 10 ball championship using this black shaft..
I guess it plays pretty well :p
 

Strictly

Registered
If I'm not mistaken, Jasmin Ouschan just won the European straight pool championship and the 10 ball championship using this black shaft..
I guess it plays pretty well :p

I hear Shane shoots pretty sporty with a cuetec, certainly not flying out to get one.
 

Jawzcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The revolution begins!!!!!!!

:p

Looks like it has already begun with Jasmin. She is playing with it now at the Euro Championships Here is a screen grab.

She has won 2x Gold Medals in 14.1 and 10-Ball already.
 

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fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
Listen , rumors are that Roger Penske ,Johnny Rutherford and Rick Mears came up with this idea back in the early 70's , the shaft is light weight , has less friction , and reduces eye strain due to easily being able to strike the cue ball due to contrasting colors .

Someone said , who i don't know , that Darren was so taken aback , that's right taken aback , that he was using a full tip of side english and getting zero deflection , and caused him to lose the World 9 Ball Tournament trying to make adjustments.

Final tuning for the pre-release was done at the CERN supercollider in Switzerland under famed physicist Gib Shenanigan. Those testing pre production shafts have mentioned an almost other worldly aura coming from the shaft. One tester said he doesn't see how pool rooms and bars will be able to continue to use solid maple house cues anymore without it feeling like their in the 13th century.

None will be sold unless the shaft is tuned to the butt by a licensed and approved cue builder. It may be sayonara for any shortstop or better player with out this shaft , and Sayonara may be the name used for it upon release .:smile::smile:

I have read and re-read every post in this thread with no mention of who the above guys are. I have checked pool stats and videos for the last 6 decades and cant seem to find a single word about these pool players. What gives?:confused::confused::confused::confused::D :confused::confused:
 
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Jawzcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have read and re-read every post in this thread with no mention of who the above guys are. I have checked pool stats and videos for the last 6 decades and cant seem to find a single word about these pool players. What gives?:confused::confused::confused::confused::D :confused::confused:

Its because the information there is bogus. Those are all retired race car drivers. You have been trolled. LOL
 

Jdm34

jared marion
Silver Member
the REVO black shaft info has been released on the predator sight all sounds good but its a joke the only way to get this shaft is on their LE revo cues 3500 bucks. I have lost all respect for predator to greedy for my blood. maybe over time they will offer another option.
 

USOpenPlayer

Registered
Predator black REVO shaft

Well , hit some balls with a black Revo.....its accurate..maybe too accuarte for some players ...but so are the Old aluminum cues from the 60's. They had no ferrule and a tip stuck on the end. Sometime's you need a little flex to twist the bank in. No new concept here....foam filled carbon fibre. Does not feel like a wood shaft..of course. Blah.
 
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