There's always a lot of talk about different 'super shafts' and inevitably the question arises: "Which is best?" Subjectivity aside, it's a valid question albeit inadequately vague.
Yesterday on my lunch break I decided to put down my Predator 314 shaft and put on the stock shaft. I play with a custom Huebler, s/s joint, 19.2 ounces.
The stock shaft has approx. 10 inch pro taper, then going to a conical Euro taper afterwards. It's much thicker than my 314 than I'm used to shooting with, and *wow* what a difference.
To be honest, when I started shooting with my Predator I wasn't very impressed. The only thing I liked about it was that it was stiff and I got good action on the cue ball. I never noticed much squirt reduction. But somewhere along the lines of using my Predator I must have started using a lot more english, because when I went back to my normal Huebler shaft the cue ball was squirting like it knew how to do nothing else. It was amazing, and for the first few minutes I was in disbelief.
This reaffirmed two things for me: 1.) Yes, the Predator does actually reduce squirt, and by a very decent amount, and 2.) OK, so the whole "center ball" thing really *does* apply to 9-ball, especially if using a high squirt shaft. Thank you Shawn Putnamn.
But how does the Predator 314 compare to the other super shafts?
Later in the day I run into a good friend who also deals in cues. He just happens to have on him the McDermott i-shaft (i2) and the Tiger X-Shaft. I ask him if I can shoot around with them to see how they feel.
McDermott Intimidated (i-2 shaft): to be honest when I shot with it I was reminded of my Predator. Not quite as stiff of a hit, but that aside it was very very similar. If one were switching from a 314 to an i-shaft, or vice versa there would be very little adjustment needed. I was able to get a lot of action from it, without a lot of squirt. In terms of squirt/deflection it seemed to act a lot like a 314. To me this was the most important thing--reducing squirt, or at least minimizing it so that it's easier to compensate.
The pro taper was *very* long; a good 1 or 2 inches longer than my 314, and probably the longest I've shot with before. So a warning to those who prefer a more europoean or constant taper: the i-2 isn't for you. However, prefering a pro taper myself it was perfect.
The only 'odd' thing about its playability was its sound. Perhaps it's the carbon core, or maybe it's just the characteristic of the shaft overall... but it made sort of a "ding" sound when I hit it very firmly. Power draws/follows would be met with this sound; it's hard to explain, and it didn't seem to affect playability (as noted, I was able to get tons of action), but it was offputting at first. However, it played so well I got over it fast.
In terms of the wood itself, it was of much higher quality than the 314s. My biggest gripe about Predators is that the shaft wood is CHEAP! It dings oh so easily and it's hard to justify spending $200 on something that probably cost them $15. The McDermott on the other hand, is of better quality wood. Straight grains and nice white wood. I think because it's not spliced or laminated, they can't go the cheap route and use substandard wood to cut up and glue back together. Wood aside, the ferule and the tip are great. Standard on all McDermotts are Moori (though which type of Moori depends on whether you get an i-1, i-2, or i-3). The ferrule is much longer than a Predator's and although I only used it for 15 minutes it seemed harder and less prone to be scratched like a 314's.
Tiger X-Shaft: First of all, I hate the logo near the joint. That aside, this seems like a good shaft. It deflected more than the 314 and the McD that I had shot with, but it also felt the most different. To be honest it felt firm although I didn't get much feedback (subjective disclaimer: this may be that I am used to the Predator's stiff hit, and the x-shaft didn't vibrate as much as I'm used to). I think because Predator and McD go to more extent to replace their cores with alternate materials they're able to reduce mass more and reduce cue ball squirt. It seems to have paid off, while the x-shaft is still trailing behind.
That aside, you can get good action with this shaft but with it will be higher deflection. The tip is pretty decent (Sniper laminated) although the ferrule was really short and although I don't know how much if affects play, it was throwing me off. It just seemed unnatural. Regardless, Tiger guarantees the ferrule for life against cracking and they claim there's something special that reduces end mass on the shaft. The quality of workmanship was high, and seemed just as well made as the previous shafts.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the shaft, compared to the 314 and the McD. It was most definitely better than my stock Huebler, but if I were to pay almost $200 I'd go with the 314 or the McD.
So with all that said, I'll make a few notes: All these shafts are great. To be honest, player ability will make more of a difference than these shafts will amongst themselves. If someone is wondering what shaft to get, it won't make that much of a difference. A lot of it will depend on what sort of hit you want. Those who prefer the stiff hit should go with the McD or 314. All else apply for the X-Shaft.
However, if *I* were to get a shaft it would be the McDermott. In terms of playability it's really close to the Predator. So close that there really isn't that much difference. But it's the small things beyond performance that would persuade me towards the McD camp. They are:
-Better ferrule
-Longer taper
-*Standard* Moori tip (Predator has a Le Pro that mushrooms on the first hit. I always spend an extra $30 to get a Sniper tip put on it before I shoot with it)
-Higher quality shaft wood
-Lifetime guarantee against warping
Sorry for the long post but I have to add one more thing:
I was talking to Max Eberle last night, and we were talking about different shafts. He LOVES his Predator and definitely prefers it over the X-Shaft. BUT--and this is big--when he was at the BCA trade show in Vegas last March he had the chance to hit with a shaft that will be (is?) distributed by Lucasi. It's called the "Smart Shaft" and he said it was the best hitting shaft he's ever used. He cited the playability of the Predator, but with a softer hit. I haven't been able to find out anything on it yet but I look forward to hitting with one when I can. A lot of times I take peoples' opinions (including my own) with a grain of salt; but Max does this more or less for a living. He's been playing pool as long as I've been alive and he knows his equipment. So when he puts such an endorsement into a cut that he doesn't even own or get sponsorship from, I put a lot of stock in that.
This will of course re-open the debate--is the "smart shaft" better than everything else? But if all these companies are trying to build better shafts then hopefully we will all benefit by it. So stay tuned!
Yesterday on my lunch break I decided to put down my Predator 314 shaft and put on the stock shaft. I play with a custom Huebler, s/s joint, 19.2 ounces.
The stock shaft has approx. 10 inch pro taper, then going to a conical Euro taper afterwards. It's much thicker than my 314 than I'm used to shooting with, and *wow* what a difference.
To be honest, when I started shooting with my Predator I wasn't very impressed. The only thing I liked about it was that it was stiff and I got good action on the cue ball. I never noticed much squirt reduction. But somewhere along the lines of using my Predator I must have started using a lot more english, because when I went back to my normal Huebler shaft the cue ball was squirting like it knew how to do nothing else. It was amazing, and for the first few minutes I was in disbelief.
This reaffirmed two things for me: 1.) Yes, the Predator does actually reduce squirt, and by a very decent amount, and 2.) OK, so the whole "center ball" thing really *does* apply to 9-ball, especially if using a high squirt shaft. Thank you Shawn Putnamn.
But how does the Predator 314 compare to the other super shafts?
Later in the day I run into a good friend who also deals in cues. He just happens to have on him the McDermott i-shaft (i2) and the Tiger X-Shaft. I ask him if I can shoot around with them to see how they feel.
McDermott Intimidated (i-2 shaft): to be honest when I shot with it I was reminded of my Predator. Not quite as stiff of a hit, but that aside it was very very similar. If one were switching from a 314 to an i-shaft, or vice versa there would be very little adjustment needed. I was able to get a lot of action from it, without a lot of squirt. In terms of squirt/deflection it seemed to act a lot like a 314. To me this was the most important thing--reducing squirt, or at least minimizing it so that it's easier to compensate.
The pro taper was *very* long; a good 1 or 2 inches longer than my 314, and probably the longest I've shot with before. So a warning to those who prefer a more europoean or constant taper: the i-2 isn't for you. However, prefering a pro taper myself it was perfect.
The only 'odd' thing about its playability was its sound. Perhaps it's the carbon core, or maybe it's just the characteristic of the shaft overall... but it made sort of a "ding" sound when I hit it very firmly. Power draws/follows would be met with this sound; it's hard to explain, and it didn't seem to affect playability (as noted, I was able to get tons of action), but it was offputting at first. However, it played so well I got over it fast.
In terms of the wood itself, it was of much higher quality than the 314s. My biggest gripe about Predators is that the shaft wood is CHEAP! It dings oh so easily and it's hard to justify spending $200 on something that probably cost them $15. The McDermott on the other hand, is of better quality wood. Straight grains and nice white wood. I think because it's not spliced or laminated, they can't go the cheap route and use substandard wood to cut up and glue back together. Wood aside, the ferule and the tip are great. Standard on all McDermotts are Moori (though which type of Moori depends on whether you get an i-1, i-2, or i-3). The ferrule is much longer than a Predator's and although I only used it for 15 minutes it seemed harder and less prone to be scratched like a 314's.
Tiger X-Shaft: First of all, I hate the logo near the joint. That aside, this seems like a good shaft. It deflected more than the 314 and the McD that I had shot with, but it also felt the most different. To be honest it felt firm although I didn't get much feedback (subjective disclaimer: this may be that I am used to the Predator's stiff hit, and the x-shaft didn't vibrate as much as I'm used to). I think because Predator and McD go to more extent to replace their cores with alternate materials they're able to reduce mass more and reduce cue ball squirt. It seems to have paid off, while the x-shaft is still trailing behind.
That aside, you can get good action with this shaft but with it will be higher deflection. The tip is pretty decent (Sniper laminated) although the ferrule was really short and although I don't know how much if affects play, it was throwing me off. It just seemed unnatural. Regardless, Tiger guarantees the ferrule for life against cracking and they claim there's something special that reduces end mass on the shaft. The quality of workmanship was high, and seemed just as well made as the previous shafts.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the shaft, compared to the 314 and the McD. It was most definitely better than my stock Huebler, but if I were to pay almost $200 I'd go with the 314 or the McD.
So with all that said, I'll make a few notes: All these shafts are great. To be honest, player ability will make more of a difference than these shafts will amongst themselves. If someone is wondering what shaft to get, it won't make that much of a difference. A lot of it will depend on what sort of hit you want. Those who prefer the stiff hit should go with the McD or 314. All else apply for the X-Shaft.
However, if *I* were to get a shaft it would be the McDermott. In terms of playability it's really close to the Predator. So close that there really isn't that much difference. But it's the small things beyond performance that would persuade me towards the McD camp. They are:
-Better ferrule
-Longer taper
-*Standard* Moori tip (Predator has a Le Pro that mushrooms on the first hit. I always spend an extra $30 to get a Sniper tip put on it before I shoot with it)
-Higher quality shaft wood
-Lifetime guarantee against warping
Sorry for the long post but I have to add one more thing:
I was talking to Max Eberle last night, and we were talking about different shafts. He LOVES his Predator and definitely prefers it over the X-Shaft. BUT--and this is big--when he was at the BCA trade show in Vegas last March he had the chance to hit with a shaft that will be (is?) distributed by Lucasi. It's called the "Smart Shaft" and he said it was the best hitting shaft he's ever used. He cited the playability of the Predator, but with a softer hit. I haven't been able to find out anything on it yet but I look forward to hitting with one when I can. A lot of times I take peoples' opinions (including my own) with a grain of salt; but Max does this more or less for a living. He's been playing pool as long as I've been alive and he knows his equipment. So when he puts such an endorsement into a cut that he doesn't even own or get sponsorship from, I put a lot of stock in that.
This will of course re-open the debate--is the "smart shaft" better than everything else? But if all these companies are trying to build better shafts then hopefully we will all benefit by it. So stay tuned!
