amateur said:
Hay good luck .And do rember we the "314 Haters"
, tryed to save u a lot of money .U'll come back to maple soon..And when u do we'll take u in .We all fall but learn to get up and back on the right track... 
Hay good luck .And do rember we the "314 Haters"
, tryed to save u a lot of money .U'll come back to maple soon..And when u do we'll take u in .We all fall but learn to get up and back on the right track...
A
amateur
Guest
Thanks. What do you all mean by "maple"? Are P shafts not made of maple? I was under the impression that it's just normal wood like any other. It's not a Cuetec for C's sake... 
amateur said:Thanks. What do you all mean by "maple"? Are P shafts not made of maple? I was under the impression that it's just normal wood like any other. It's not a Cuetec for C's sake...
Not the whole thing it has lamanated wood pie shape and maple and a little rod right down the middle of the ferrele..look in to it more ..Cuetec is maple under fiberglass..Shafts
Predators are made from maple. It's ten pieces of radially-cut maple glued together.deadstroke32 said:Not the whole thing it has lamanated wood pie shape and maple and a little rod right down the middle of the ferrele..look in to it more ..Cuetec is maple under fiberglass..Shafts
The "little rod" serves no other purpose than to fill in a 4-inch bore from the tip, which---along with their thin-walled ferrule---lowers the end mass of the shaft and consequently lowers deflection.
That's the whole point to predator shafts.
-Roger
Hi Buddha,buddha162 said:
Can you explain what radially cut maple means. I guess it has to do with the grain. And what is the purpose? ...to increase stiffness?
Also, what material is the core made of and what is its density and other physical characteristics?
Colin Colenso said:
It's ten pieces of maple wedges glued together in a pie-shape. It's radially-laminated, as opposed to flat-laminated, which is essentially ply-wood. This A.) increases radial consistency (not 100%, but achieves more consistency than most non-radially-laminated shafts), B.) allows Predator to use B-grade maple without straying from a comfortable zone of warpage (they're almost all a little bit off, some more than others).
The core (which only fills in the first 4 inches of the shaft from the tip) is some lightweight foam or gel or composite material, the only function of which is to plug up that empty hole which reduces end mass and thusly reduces deflection.
The exact material itself (which have been discussed on rsb I believe) is really of no consequence.
-Roger
buddha162 said:
Thanks Roger!
The radial, rather than laminated ply should provide anisotrophic charactersistics ( I believe this is the term for equal tension characteristics along all directional planes.)
Foam is pretty much self explanatory. I expected some low density compound would benefit lower end mass...hence lower deflection.
Pardon my ignorance, but what and where is 'rsb'?
drivermaker
Banned
THE SILENCER said:
Truer words could not have been spoken about getting used to a shaft. Let's face it, the reason any of us put additional money into the purchase of better equipment is to make more balls. If you take a nose dive in making balls instead of an immediate increase, you've wasted money. You always hear the stories from die hard Predator users about shooting worse in the beginning and then getting used to the shaft, but never do they say how long it took to regain their original level or how many balls better they became. I've never seen ANYONE get better over a period of time when they originally went downhill. They may have gotten back to where they started, but in the mean time, they lost a lot of matches. I guess nobody wants to look or feel like a numb nuts so they rationalize their purchase by seeing better play into it and being on the "exclusive Predator bandwagon". I know...I used to be a numb nuts.
You've never seen anyone improve after a drop in their game? That's odd. I've found that the only way for me to improve, is to try something new to get over a deficiency. When trying something new, often the result is a bit of a slip in my game. Once I get used to the new technique or adjustment, I improve again. I've seen lots of people do this. People who are afraid to branch out and try new things, are limited in their game and ability to improve. IMHO.
I'm not arguing for or against predator. That's a losing battle. Cues are like religion to some people. Not interested in a religious war!
I'm not arguing for or against predator. That's a losing battle. Cues are like religion to some people. Not interested in a religious war!
drivermaker
Banned
jer9ball said:You've never seen anyone improve after a drop in their game? That's odd. I've found that the only way for me to improve, is to try something new to get over a deficiency. When trying something new, often the result is a bit of a slip in my game. Once I get used to the new technique or adjustment, I improve again. I've seen lots of people do this. People who are afraid to branch out and try new things, are limited in their game and ability to improve. IMHO.
I'm not arguing for or against predator. That's a losing battle. Cues are like religion to some people. Not interested in a religious war!
Nice twist in the words and intent to try to take this in a different direction, but that's not what was said and you know it. Or could there be a reading comprehension problem? Surely, any time you're working on something new on your own as with a professional lesson to correct a problem, you can get worse before getting better. I'm specifically talking about a Predator and I'm talking about what I've seen in those using Predators. I'd like to hear some stories from the Predatorites that took a major nose dive, how long it took to get back to where they started, and how many balls they got better in the long haul as a result of the Predator. I've yet to hear or see it.
drivermaker said:
So, are you saying that anytime anyone switches cues/shafts, the adjustment period NEVER leads to net improvement? Surely this statement does not apply only to Predator shafts. Every shaft is different, with different squirt characteristics and elasticity and taper, etc. So if at point X a player breaks his southwest in half, and orders a Scruggs, his game will NEVER improve beyond the level of point X?
What if someone (like myself) have used Predator shafts for as long as they've been playing? Then according to your formula, I had better NEVER switch shafts in my life, unless of course I am completely satisfied with my game prior to switching, since there's no chance I'd improve beyond that point with a different shaft!
Very interesting theory.
-Roger
drivermaker said:
This sounds suspiciously like someone who does not practice. The golf industry is a gold mine fueled by the desire of players to get better by changing equipment, instead of the proper way - by proper practice. If you want to get better it takes daily practice - if you don't have your own table you are out of luck, you will never be beating the pros. At the risk of being redundant (this is on many other threads by other posters as well), check out the Jack Koehler book on the physics of pocket billiards, then ask yourself why anyone would want to waste their time learning how to use a high deflection cue. Pool at the highest level is a game of ultra-precision, any variability is to be avoided at all costs. The low deflection cues simply have less variability when using side English. Anyone can learn to use a high deflection cue (my instructor can beat you opposite handed using a broomstick), but why would they want to?? If you can't learn to use a low deflection cue, something is wrong with your practicing habits, or your instructor. If you practice inside and outside English for 15 minutes a day for 2 weeks you ought to be damn good at it whatever cue you are using (including the broomstick). There is no equipment shortcut.
Problem with 314 users I notice is they become english happy and are speed-control hampered. Honestly, I think it has become a crutch for a lot of beginners not an aid.Williebetmore said:
drivermaker
Banned
Williebetmore said:
Here we go, the typical Predatorite profile. A physics/science geek that takes Jack Koehlers book to the bathroom each morning and believes that pool is played entirely by physics instead of feel, something most who dislike Predators find to be very lacking. At any level of golf, practice is a key for improvement as evidenced by Vijay Singh who wouldn't go to sleep if the sun stayed up all night, pool also. However, in custom fitting for golf clubs whether PGA pro or any level, the clubs are fit for the golfers swing, feel, tempo, and style and those clubs have to perform IMMEDIATELY for the better or one of two things has occured: either it was a poor fitting that was administered by the individual who's matching the equipment to the swing and a mistake was made in the evaluation process, or the equipment was ill suited for the golfer, which still goes back to the fitting process. If no fitting pro was doing it, then typically a golfer just starts buying on a hit or miss basis only to find that out on their own. There's some great golf equipment made that's very ill suited for many players and NO amount of practice will change that. A large number of guys find the same to be true with a Predator. A player should NEVER have to alter his/her swing or tempo around equipment whether it's golf or pool for any length of time. And Willie, how much would YOU like to bet MORE, that I don't have a table and practice? I'll place my bet and say more than you, unless you can beat 30 + hours a week.
I once asked Efren how he compensated for deflection when he shot with inside english.drivermaker said:
He asked what deflection was.
He once tried a cue with supposedly low deflection. After one shot, he threw the cue and told his friend, he was aiming here and the cueball went there. I kid you not.Step down there drivermaker. You're out of line. Just because you don't understand something, or find something useful, doesn't give you a right to trash other people who talk about it. Its to easy to trash talk people on an anonymous forum. It is harder to have a decent, respectful conversation. Try it.
I played with a joss for years. Bought a predator shaft, and couldn't get used to it. Sold it, and went back to my joss. Finally decided to get an entirely new cue, with a predator shaft, recently. Except I'm now a better player than I was the first time I tried a predator. Now I'm able to understand the differences in cues, and adjust my game accordingly. I've adjusted my game, and I'm a better player than I was before I got the new cue. Then again, I've been practicing. I have no idea whether it was practice, the cue, or what. Don't really care to tell you the truth.
cheers,
jer9ball
predatorite
I played with a joss for years. Bought a predator shaft, and couldn't get used to it. Sold it, and went back to my joss. Finally decided to get an entirely new cue, with a predator shaft, recently. Except I'm now a better player than I was the first time I tried a predator. Now I'm able to understand the differences in cues, and adjust my game accordingly. I've adjusted my game, and I'm a better player than I was before I got the new cue. Then again, I've been practicing. I have no idea whether it was practice, the cue, or what. Don't really care to tell you the truth.
cheers,
jer9ball
predatorite
fast larry
Banned
THE SILENCER said:
I play Billiards with this shaft Bernie, it is too stiff for pool, I have all 8 schuler maple shafts plus the 5 bangkok birch, Ray hand made each one for me, plus 8 others he hand made to my personal specs and design. Only the first 4 to 5 schuler shafts are suitable for pool, the last 3 are for 3-cushion only.
fast larry
Banned
rocky said:Ya ,you know I cant understand why 50% of the top male profesionals use predator products with out being paid to. I guess that they dont know what they are doing.
The answer to that is predator gives them to them free, so amateurs will see them using them and then you will pay over $200 for one. Dope dealers market their product the same way, give it away free to create a market for it, this is nothing new. How do you think Walmart took over.
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fast larry
Banned
THE SILENCER said:
Oh my God, 4 times in one night I agree with Bernie, what is going on here.
Any time the price of a shaft gets higher than the normal price of a cue, something is not right. No shaft should ever be more than $125, anything beyond that becomes rape. I have 12 of them, rarely used them, stayed with my Schulers and red dots instead. The ferrules were too weak for me and that is what took me away from them. I blew several of them up, they opened up like a banana peal out on an exhibition floor, that did it for me.
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