Correct me if I am wrong, but it appears that Predator paints some of their cues, instead of using real woods.

9ballscorpion said:
Does this sound cheap to you?

"Metallic Black Hard Maple"

Sounds like a fancy way of them saying "Painted Black over Maple".

Predator 9K-1 Pool Cue with Choice of Predator Shaft (billiardwarehouse.com)

I understand that Predator is not the only cue company who does this, but I think that a cue that expensive should have all real woods in it, and without any paint, or whatever it is that they are coving the ugly Straight Grain Maple with, to make it appear to have a nice Ebony look to it.
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Unless they call it ebony wood when it is not ebony then all they are doing is giving an accurate product description. I don't find it deceptive. If it doesn't seem like a good value then find a cue you are satisfied with and pay the price. Hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals make pool cues.



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9ballscorpion said:
Okay, so the Veneers are real, but the black under the Veneers is just Spray Paint.

Billiard Warehouse states "six-point full splice construction" in their description of the cue, and it looks like the colored veneers are real.

Predator SP6GL 6 Point Road Line Pool Cue - On Sale Now (billiardwarehouse.com)

The description does not say what it is below the points, so that is all probably Spray Paint. That is still a really beautiful cue, I think. I just wonder what it would look like if it were to ever get refinished. It would not be so pretty after that, other then that nice piece of Curly Maple, in the forearm.

Edit: Those front Black veneers at the very top are probably Painted too, and not real veneers.

Here is one that has all natural woods, with no spray paint, and real Ebony. That is super nice.

Predator Limited Edition True Splice 16 Ebony Pool Cue (billiardwarehouse.com)
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I think all the black on the cue is painted.
 
logical said:
Unless they call it ebony wood when it is not ebony then all they are doing is giving an accurate product description. I don't find it deceptive. If it doesn't seem like a good value then find a cue you are satisfied with and pay the price. Hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals make pool cues.



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Well, not deceptive, just not 100% clear about all of the materials that they are using to make the cues.
 
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HawaiianEye said:
Justin has a tendency to repeat things over and over and over and over and over and over.............

He also uses the word “amazing” an amazing number of times...over and over and over
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jimmyco said:
No worries, Justin. It appears I am clueless when it comes to banned members rejoining under alias accounts while being sucked into their mindless prattle.
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Oh no, not again... and again... and again.. 🥱
 
9ballscorpion said:
Pool cues (production, and custom) are made using all sorts of different types of woods, not just Maple.
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Need to differentiate between SHAFTS and BUTTS. Shafts are the critical part of the cue .. that is where deflection, warpage etc. become critical defects. The VAST MAJORITY of production AND custom cues have shafts made from high quality hard Maple or Ash. The tight grain aspect of Maple makes it much more resistant to warping .. if properly prepared prior to turning. As for staining things like Birds Eye Maple .. man just putting a quality finish on it brings out the beautiful natural grain. I have a custom Shiloh Sharps rifle with presentation grade wood that is just oiled .. and it is an heirloom.
 
Sort of unrelated but what’s the factory or company in China that makes predator cues? They make a bunch of other brands also. Someone told me not too long ago and I already forgot.
 
Manufacturers are in business, to make MONEY. Some Companies add more profit, to their bottom line, by cutting Quality. While some Companies add to their bottom line, by increasing Quality & the price of the goods.

The consumer that shops the COST of a product, is a customer for the first batch of companies.
 
CaleAYS said:
Sort of unrelated but what’s the factory or company in China that makes predator cues? They make a bunch of other brands also. Someone told me not too long ago and I already forgot.
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Here is a very interesting old post, from 2018, that I found, from a question that Bill Stroud, of Josswest cues, answered.

"The Lucasi cues, Predator cues and the Universal cues are all made in the same factory in China.

I know because I helped design the factory for Taican. One of the largest furniture manufactures in the world. Perhaps the largest. The cue factory employs only about 1000 workers.

Each cue make has different quality control standards within the factory. I set that up as well.
At the China factory quality control is relentless. A workers job is often at risk for not following protocol exactly. After every operation the cue is inspected and precise records are kept. Any cue less that perfect in sold in China or destroyed.

Taican has the ability to source and buy the finest wood in the world and have the most sophisticated wood storage of any cue manufacture in the world.

I did not design the Universal Cue but I did design the Universal Smart Shaft.

Bill S."
 
LWW said:
Their 'LEATHER" wraps aren't actually leather either.
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They DO state just what it is however .. "Leather Luxe" and they provide a detailed explanation of what that is .. including a diagram showing the 3 layers of the material .. and how it protects the cue and provides a quality grip. It's a high tech cue .. appears to be really well engineered and built. They also do offer cues that use more exotic wood for the butt .. actual ebony .. but the price is at least double the price of the cue the OP referenced.
 
289FIA said:
They DO state just what it is however .. "Leather Luxe" and they provide a detailed explanation of what that is .. including a diagram showing the 3 layers of the material .. and how it protects the cue and provides a quality grip. It's a high tech cue .. appears to be really well engineered and built. They also do offer cues that use more exotic wood for the butt .. actual ebony .. but the price is at least double the price of the cue the OP referenced.
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Agreed, just as they state that the painted area is done by use of paint.

Sadly, many consumers mislead themselves by not reading/researching material ... and companies often mislead them by test marketed wording.

As a non billiards example, I recently saw a poster in a SPEEDWAY extolling plant based tobacco.

Im not downing PREDATOR by any stretch, I own a wrapless PREDATOR with a 314 shaft, a Z shaft and a BJ shaft.
 
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