Initial 314 impressions

C

Cue of Fury

Registered User
Silver Member
Here are some of the things I noticed last night when I first played with the 314 shaft.

1. The hit feels very different, kind of tough to describe but it doesn't feel quite as solid to me as my Fury shaft. As far as feel goes I rate my Fury shaft a B+ and the 314 a C. I do however believe that the feel is something that I can adjust to in time. Right now it just feels kind of awkward.

2. The performance is incredible, A+! When I use one tip low I get as much draw with the 314/LePro as when I hit two or more tips low with the Fury shaft/Moori tip combo. When I go ahead and hit very low on the cue ball the draw is much more than I am accustomed to, and I like it lol. I just have to get used to the increased spin.

3. As far as the intangibles I would say the 314 is great. The ferrule-tip fit and finish are very nice. The shaft is smooth and looks very uniform. Seybert's did a great job with the joint install, it looks OEM.

4. Overall, just after one night of playing, I rate it B+. The feel is a bit weird to me right now but the performance is superb even in my hands lol. I used some side english on the ball and intentionally did not adjust the line of aim and each time I did that the ball was potted. I know with the Fury shaft when I did that the ball was not potted. This is a big difference, and one that I think once I tune myself to the shaft characteristics will help my game.
 
Cue of Fury said:
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2. The performance is incredible, A+! When I use one tip low I get as much draw with the 314/LePro as when I hit two or more tips low with the Fury shaft/Moori tip combo. When I go ahead and hit very low on the cue ball the draw is much more than I am accustomed to, and I like it lol. I just have to get used to the increased spin.
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Ive tried a few 314 shafts myself and performed this experiment. Thats what convinced me to get a predator. I still havent got mine but it should be here in a few weeks. Try shooting a ball straight in with loads of side and see how long you can leave the cueball spinning in place, thats what really convinced me. Without a predator i couldnt load up with sides hit it hard and stop it dead, with the predator i left it spinnign for around 45 seconds!!
 
With the predator shaft, you dont feel the hit as much...it is more dead. It is something many people don't like.

Try putting a moori on the predator. I have a moori quick(hard) that has been soaked and pressed(makes it even harder) installed on my 314. I can draw 2+ table lengths and I can draw from great distances too(Last night I drew 1.5 table lengths from a little less than a table lengths distance on a 9' semi slow table). Do I need this? Not at all. It might come up once in my whole life that I would need that much draw for an actual shot. In fact I think it is a little to easy to put spin on the ball...I feel like I am using a crutch. I had a good stroke before I bought the shaft, so I didn't buy it as a band-aid.

Does the increased amount of spin come from the shaft being a smaller diameter? Or are other factors involved too?

BTW - I had my shaft turned down to 12.35mm
 
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Yep, the feel is like that. It is kind of dead or "airy" feeling. I like the confidence in knowing that I can use less effort to move the cue ball around the table. I don't want to have to do extra things or use extra effort which could throw my stroke off in order to get shape on the next shot. With the 314 shaft I feel like I can stay a lot closer to center ball and hit more softly and still control the cue ball as much as I want. I think that is a bonus.
 
No, I have not hit with the Z shaft. It is said to have more of a "euro" (conical) taper and hit with a more stiff feel than the 314 which has more of a pro taper.
 
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Oh, and when I mentioned earlier about having more draw I mean when I hit shots which would usually stop the cue ball dead, the cue ball is now spinning back a few inches. Ones that used to spin back just a few inches are coming back several inches. I am having to adjust the tip up higher on the cue ball so that I get the expected amount of spin.

P.S. STFU drivermaker
 
That's it.
I'm gonna bore my next shaft 10 inches deep by .250 in diameter.
The first 5 inches, I'll fill it up with carbon-alloy.
The next 5 will be just foam. I'll slip in a capped unthreaded polymer ferrule. :D
Never mind, I'd get sued. :p
 
Joseph Cues said:
That's it.
I'm gonna bore my next shaft 10 inches deep by .250 in diameter.
The first 5 inches, I'll fill it up with carbon-alloy.
The next 5 will be just foam. I'll slip in a capped unthreaded polymer ferrule. :D
Never mind, I'd get sued. :p
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LMAO, yeah you might want to alter that a slight bit. :p

Now honestly, I may be getting part or all of this added draw spin from the fact that there is a LePro tip on the shaft. My Fury shaft has a Moori M on it. Now another weird thing is that the Moori is supposed to provide excellent spin compared to non-layered tips. Confusing enough? :confused:
 
Here is Neil Fujiwara's response:

Neil Fujiwara
Predator Cues Rep

Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 707
Location: Jacksonville FL

The faster the tip is pushed aside when using any English, the more spin it puts on the ball.
 
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