314 seems to deflect normally

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I just got a Predator, and it seems to deflect the same as my old (early 90's) Meucci. I didn't do extensive testing, but hit about 15-20 balls with each, with about 1-1..5 tips of right english. I was careful to keep my cue level this time, and I could much better see how much deflection there was on 3/4 table length shots. I used a corner pocket and also a piece of chalk on the rail as aim points. There didn't seem to be any discernable difference in the amount of deflection between the cues. Do I have a magic Meucci or are 314's a lot of hype?

I did seem to have more spin using the predator than previously using the meucci, but I was also in a totally new pool hall today. I didn't try draw or follow today with the meucci.
 
In my experiences with the 314 I am able to control the CB much better than the Meucci Red Dot or any other shaft. My draw, follow, right/left english and definatly on my long shots...all shots are better controlled now and I'm crediting that to the 314 shaft.

...Zim
 
I'm having trouble with mine, i bought it from a friend and the taper on it is really thin and i'm not used to it, Predator said it works best when it's thin.....not helpin me yet so i'm selling it.
I personally think that it's more hype, why get used to another shaft when your already used the your own....they say "why fix it when it ain't broke".

But i will give it more time maybe a few more months and see wut happens. Well alot of pros seem to be playin with it so it must be doin somethin, but i'll be the judge of that if i wanna keep it or not.
 
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How thin is yours cardinal? I've got the standard 12.75 and I didn't really notice a difference from my old meucci shaft. I'm not sure of the diameter of that one. I think I'll try the deflection test with my friends' cuetec and newer meucci. Maybe the old meuccis had lower deflection, because I don't notice a discernable difference in my two cues.
 
i'm not sure of the diameter but it's really really thin maybe as thin as a snooker shaft...i tried selling ti to people and they said it was too thin for their liking, i got used to my falcon shaft 13mm. I just wanna sell it and buy a new one so i can play with a fatter shaft, the friend that i bought it from liked it think he even asked me how i could shoot with my falcon shaft...said it was like shooting with a log.
 
Predator is certainly on to something with their technology. Personally, I feel that it is a bunch of marketing hype, however many players swear by their Predator cues and shafts. I personally cannot make a ball with one, but then again, I have enough trouble making balls as it is. I can tell you that Meucci cues are notorious for throwing a ton of english on the cue ball without much effort from the shooter. However, when it comes to putting follow on the cue ball, many players have more success with other cues. I am not speaking of the Red Dot shafts or the newer Black Dot shafts, I haven't used either and haven't heard anything about either.

One last thing, Predator claims that their shafts puts more english on the cue ball. Well duh, they are on average .25-.5mm less in diameter at the tip than your average off the shelf cue, naturally the smaller tip alone is going to put more english on the cue ball.

Like it was said earlier, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And to add to that, if you have a Predator and like it, then beat as many people as you possibly can with it and enjoy it. If you are thinking of buying a Predator, try out one of their more affordable cues, or simply buy one of their shafts to fit your own cue, if you get noticeably better results with it, use it, if not ebay it. Also, Predator has a 30 day no questions asked return policy, I often consider that when I am in a slump, but have yet to pick up the phone and order one.
 
i use a 314 shaft on my custom cue and i like it fairly well......i just had to get used to the sound of the hit when playing one pocket with all the soft bunting....i had a tiger sniper tip installed from the dealer and i like that as well......its an aquired taste, not for everyone.......it doesnt make balls for me like i was hoping.....maybe it more of a mental thing, knowing you are shooting with what is supposed to be the straightest, most scientifically proven shaft on the market.....i am aware, however, that Johnny Archer could still spot me a lot of weight and use a mop handle to defeat me
 
Be like Mike,

E-Licious said:
I just got a Predator, and it seems to deflect the same as my old (early 90's) Meucci. I didn't do extensive testing, but hit about 15-20 balls with each, with about 1-1..5 tips of right english. I was careful to keep my cue level this time, and I could much better see how much deflection there was on 3/4 table length shots. I used a corner pocket and also a piece of chalk on the rail as aim points. There didn't seem to be any discernable difference in the amount of deflection between the cues. Do I have a magic Meucci or are 314's a lot of hype?

I did seem to have more spin using the predator than previously using the meucci, but I was also in a totally new pool hall today. I didn't try draw or follow today with the meucci.
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Aside from the robot arm statictical data that the Preditor folks use to show that their shaft deflects a ball less. When Mike Massey wants to put the most possible spin on a ball he uses a Preditor. I've seen him on private occasions testing trick shots and if the shot calls for massive draw or follow, its always a Preditor shafted stick he will ask for if he doesn't have his own near by.
 
My 314 has less deflection than my stock Fury shaft. One test I did was to shoot the cue ball straight into a rail from varying distances, pausing on the follow-through, and seeing if I could get the cue ball to rebound straight back into the tip of the cue. The 314 shaft allows me to do this nearly twice as often as the Fury shaft. The longer the shot the bigger the difference.
 
I've had my 314 for almost 2 years and like it but I don't find that I can get more spin with it if anything I find that I need to exaggerate siding. The advantage is of course I don't have to worry so much about deflection. It took me awhile to get used to hitting everything straighter but I figured that before hand. I think that alot of the nayayers probably just haven't made the commitment or are ignorant to the difference.
 
Zims Rack said:
In my experiences with the 314 I am able to control the CB much better than the Meucci Red Dot or any other shaft. My draw, follow, right/left english and definatly on my long shots...all shots are better controlled now and I'm crediting that to the 314 shaft.

...Zim
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That is so not what he asked....
 
If you really want to test the difference in the deflection the best shot you can do is the 90 degree angle cut. Freeze the object ball on the short rail at the foot of the table in the center. Take the cue ball and put on the center of the breaking line. Now use spin and cut the object ball into either corner pocket, it takes huge siding and you have to miss the objectball by less then a hair and the cueball will hit the thing comming off the rail and send the objectball into the pocket. This shot takes exact knowledge of your cues deflection, if your predator and Meucii take the same aim to make the shot then the deflection is truely the same, but I doubt they will be the same.
 
For what it's worth, after reading on this board where someone said they could shoot a stop shot with extreme sidespin and spin the cue for 45 seconds I decided to do a test with my friends predator. I shot a stopshot with 2 tips of right and the OB about a foot from the pocket and the CB about a foot from the OB without adjusting for deflection. With the predator shaft the CB just sat there spinning whereas with my cue the CB squirted out to the left pretty noticably.

Zack
 
Rackin_Zack said:
For what it's worth, after reading on this board where someone said they could shoot a stop shot with extreme sidespin and spin the cue for 45 seconds I decided to do a test with my friends predator. I shot a stopshot with 2 tips of right and the OB about a foot from the pocket and the CB about a foot from the OB without adjusting for deflection. With the predator shaft the CB just sat there spinning whereas with my cue the CB squirted out to the left pretty noticably.

Zack
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Yes... but.... ummmm... why? What is the point? Why would you ever need to do that? I can think of no possible reason unless the handicap is you have to use 2 tips of right on every shot...

Thanks,

Jon
 
BiG_JoN said:
Yes... but.... ummmm... why? What is the point? Why would you ever need to do that? I can think of no possible reason unless the handicap is you have to use 2 tips of right on every shot...

Thanks,

Jon
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I think he's saying that he didn't have to adjust his aim to compensate for the squirt.
 
torment said:
i use a 314 shaft on my custom cue and i like it fairly well......i just had to get used to the sound of the hit when playing one pocket with all the soft bunting....i had a tiger sniper tip installed from the dealer and i like that as well......its an aquired taste, not for everyone.......it doesnt make balls for me like i was hoping.....maybe it more of a mental thing, knowing you are shooting with what is supposed to be the straightest, most scientifically proven shaft on the market.....
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I think you've just hit on the single most important factor why people buy and lead themselves to believe their games have improved..."maybe it more of a mental thing, knowing you are shooting with what is SUPPOSED to be the straightest, most scientifically proven shaft on the market".

And by the way for all of you Predator spin addicts that are always talking about spinning a CB in place or being able to put this super spin on the CB without deflection to get position, what about the shots you're MISSING as a result of the spin and not taking note of? Do you know why? It's called THROW! And don't tell me that doesn't occur to a larger degree and you don't miss shots because you're all full of shit if you believe otherwise. You CAN't have all of this extra spin and NOT have extra throw! There still has to be an adjustment somewhere down the line, if less for deflection then more for throw.
 
i had a predator 314 shaft. i hated it. mainly because i feel a 12.5 mm tip is non sense. it is very untrue. i felt that predator was taking people for a ride. you could almost invision how it all went down. "jerry, i got an idea." "suppose we had a robot and a story, and told people this was the best,--- we could charge a lot more money" great idea. any stock 13mm shaft, with good straight grained hard canadian rock maple and a nice pro taper, will perform better than the over inflated, over hyped and severly overPRICED predator. and drivemaker put it best, when you first get a predator your game drops like a roller coaster!, and it takes "time" for you to even attempt, to put your game back in order, his point being, you probally never come back to where you originally were!!!!!!!!! now that's a sad thing. my personal suggestion, if you want a custom well made shaft, contact mike capone jr. in new jersey. well made, to fit your hands, and butt of cue, for $100. this is what i use, as well as world champion mika immonen.
 
Bahhh, more anti-Predator propaganda. This is how the world is, you can't satisfy everyone. Then you have fools calling other people fools! Everyone is a fool!!!
 
Cue of Fury said:
Bahhh, more anti-Predator propaganda. This is how the world is, you can't satisfy everyone. Then you have fools calling other people fools! Everyone is a fool!!!
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Yeah...well...wake up fool and give everybody here a dissertation regarding spin and throw. Tell us how that phenomenom works exactly. Maybe you can fool yourself into thinking otherwise, but you can't fool me, fool. It's a foolproof law of science...every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. (Proud of me Willie?)
 
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