Low deflection shafts and higher end custom cues

No Limit

No Limit

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What's your opinion with using a low deflection shaft like a Predator 314-2 on a $2000+ cue? I recently bought a Hercek cue and was thinking about whether to get a Predator shaft fitted to it or not. Are the shafts that came with the cue better to shoot with since they were made specifically for the cue butt?
 
if you like it and it works for you, go for it! i'm sure some will say it is heresy to do so, but it's your cue, you can do whatever suits you best
 
Just slap on a cuetec sst shaft on that bad boy and you're ready to roll :thumbup:
 
No Limit said:
What's your opinion with using a low deflection shaft like a Predator 314-2 on a $2000+ cue? I recently bought a Hercek cue and was thinking about whether to get a Predator shaft fitted to it or not. Are the shafts that came with the cue better to shoot with since they were made specifically for the cue butt?
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I've used a Predator shaft on my Mottey ever since I got it and love it.
 
well you could just throw your custom hand selected top tier hard rock maple shaft.... made of wood equally desired by musical instrument makers of all types ...hand turned periodically for decades in some cases..in an attempt to achieve the pinnacle of the art form...

you can take that shaft and toss it in a wood chipper.. and glue the pieces back together for a one of a kind CUSTOM laminated shaft experience..

if you are even asking these kinds of questions you do not DESERVE a high quality pool cue..

and probably wouldn't even be able to pick one out of a line up without some one to point it out to you..
 
I am sure I am in the minority on this but I just do not like the plywood shafts. It`s like playing with a telephone pole.
 
Marketing vs. Performance

I shot exclusively with Predator shafts for about 6 years and still break with a BK2 as I believe it is a great break cue. And, I believe that at break speed, low deflection shafts are more important than during typical pocket speed shots. So, I am not a Predator hater.

Now I shoot with "cue maker" shafts from Nitti, Dayton and Southwest and am much happier with my game.
- I can tell when my stroke/grip are right by the tone of the sound the cue makes alone.
- I like the idea of financially supporting individual cue makers
- I like the idea of playing with art and history
- I like the way I can choose different tapers from different cue maker's

Predator sells a mass produced shaft made in China for the same or more than a top flight custom cue maker who invests years in each shaft. When Predator does this they have huge margins and can afford to pay for a lot of players to play with their shafts. Marketing dollars can really cloud pubic opinion on product quality.

Some of the most absolutely dominate players in the last 20 years... Fisher, Korr, Reyes, Bustamonte, Archer, Strickland, Morris.... clearly not part of the Predator clan with their playing cue shaft.

Predator makes a great product just like Ford (the originator of mass production) makes a great car... but I'll take the soul of a Ferrari or Pre-Date Southwest any day.
 
My $.02

If it were me, I'd not shoot with one of the Hercek shafts at all (assuming you got more than one, as you stated "shafts" in your OP). If you ever want to sell the cue, it is best for resale value to have at least one unplayed/unchalked shaft to offer. Now, if I had a high-end cue and was thinking that I may resell it someday and it only came with one shaft, I might get an aftermarket shaft to use on it for regular play.

But then again, I would never own a high-end cue. I buy/use cues for their playability and never consider the resale value. I use both Predator shafts and the shafts that come with my cues, depending on what game/rules/size table/conditions I'm playing with.

I prefer a tip diameter of between 12.5" and 12.75", and none of the stock shafts I use have this diameter.

Maniac
 
joelpope said:
I shot exclusively with Predator shafts for about 6 years and still break with a BK2 as I believe it is a great break cue. And, I believe that at break speed, low deflection shafts are more important than during typical pocket speed shots. So, I am not a Predator hater.

Now I shoot with "cue maker" shafts from Nitti, Dayton and Southwest and am much happier with my game.
- I can tell when my stroke/grip are right by the tone of the sound the cue makes alone.
- I like the idea of financially supporting individual cue makers
- I like the idea of playing with art and history
- I like the way I can choose different tapers from different cue maker's

Predator sells a mass produced shaft made in China for the same or more than a top flight custom cue maker who invests years in each shaft. When Predator does this they have huge margins and can afford to pay for a lot of players to play with their shafts. Marketing dollars can really cloud pubic opinion on product quality.

Some of the most absolutely dominate players in the last 20 years... Fisher, Korr, Reyes, Bustamonte, Archer, Strickland, Morris.... clearly not part of the Predator clan with their playing cue shaft.

Predator makes a great product just like Ford (the originator of mass production) makes a great car... but I'll take the soul of a Ferrari or Pre-Date Southwest any day.
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Honestly, it's to each their own, but I agree 100% with this post ^^^
 
I think if you have the confidence with whatever shaft you put on should be the one you play with.Being mentally composed helps huge in the game of pool.Personally I've always loved Predator due to inside english is just so much easier but there are maple shafts out there that play outstanding,equal or even better than a Predator but alot harder to find where Predator is alot easier to acquire.I recently got a Gracio cue on trade that was never played with and thought I'd give it a whirl with his shafts.3hours later I forgot I wasn't playing with a Predator shaft.Awesome maple shafts are out there,you just have to search a little.Goodluck:smile:
 
I have a very nice 5/16-14 Kikel shaft with fancy ring and ivory ferrule if you're interested.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies so far

softshot said:
if you are even asking these kinds of questions you do not DESERVE a high quality pool cue..

and probably wouldn't even be able to pick one out of a line up without some one to point it out to you..
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I guess you're right. The only reason why I started playing around with low deflection shafts is because I tried a couple of test hits with a friend's Lucasi cue that had a Predator 314-2 shaft on it. That was a couple of months ago. I can't even tell if my shots are deflecting or not to be honest. I guess I bought into the whole "makes it easier to use english for better shape on the next shot and better control of the cue ball" aspect of low deflection shafts when in reality, I still need to work on my stroke. I haven't even begun to mess around with different tips yet as I haven't found a reason to. The stock ones play just fine for me.

I'm not going to resale this cue though since it looked simple, yet elegant to my eyes. I'll go back to the table and start playing with the stock shaft and see if it hits to my liking.


Bigjohn said:
I have a very nice 5/16-14 Kikel shaft with fancy ring and ivory ferrule if you're interested.
Click to expand...

That's not going to work for me as my Hercek cue has a 3/8x10 pin.
 
Marketing vs. Performance

joelpope said:
I shot exclusively with Predator shafts for about 6 years and still break with a BK2 as I believe it is a great break cue. And, I believe that at break speed, low deflection shafts are more important than during typical pocket speed shots. So, I am not a Predator hater.

Now I shoot with "cue maker" shafts from Nitti, Dayton and Southwest and am much happier with my game.
- I can tell when my stroke/grip are right by the tone of the sound the cue makes alone.
- I like the idea of financially supporting individual cue makers
- I like the idea of playing with art and history
- I like the way I can choose different tapers from different cue maker's

Predator sells a mass produced shaft made in China for the same or more than a top flight custom cue maker who invests years in each shaft. When Predator does this they have huge margins and can afford to pay for a lot of players to play with their shafts. Marketing dollars can really cloud pubic opinion on product quality.

Some of the most absolutely dominate players in the last 20 years... Fisher, Korr, Reyes, Bustamonte, Archer, Strickland, Morris.... clearly not part of the Predator clan with their playing cue shaft.

Predator makes a great product just like Ford (the originator of mass production) makes a great car... but I'll take the soul of a Ferrari or Pre-Date Southwest any day.
Click to expand...

I shoot better with a Predator shaft.
 
predator on custom

The best thing you can do is ignore all these opinions on predator and custom shafts and try both and see what suits your game and feels best to you. There are plenty of top p;ayers out there using predator shafts and most custom makers have predator blanks as a shaft option and finish them to match your cue, I shot with predators on my schon for years and now on my custom and wouldnt have it any other way.
 
What works for you is the real key...

What works for me?

I used to shoot with a Jacoby with a laminated shaft. Then I bought my Josey, which came with two shafts. I have no desire to buy a laminated shaft for this cue. It works well for me the way it is. When I miss, I know it's not the fault of the cue of the shaft.

But like I said, it's what works for you. :)
 
No Limit said:
What's your opinion with using a low deflection shaft like a Predator 314-2 on a $2000+ cue? I recently bought a Hercek cue and was thinking about whether to get a Predator shaft fitted to it or not. Are the shafts that came with the cue better to shoot with since they were made specifically for the cue butt?
Click to expand...


I have a Black Boar thats my daily player(its a very expensive cue), I use a Z Shaft on it for 3 cushion and sometimes as a break cue for one pocket if the table is real wet. I have 2 Z shafts. I use one for billiards, because I have a different tip on it than the 2nd Z Shaft I use for breaking 1P. I dont play with them except for those 2 things.

I have played with LD shafts on my cue, but I perfer the regular Black Boar shafts-I have 4 identical shafts to play with. 2 of them have cracked ferrels and one dont have a tip, so I'm down to one shaft to play with. Its about time I get my cue repaired. The cracked ferrels play the same and been that way for 3 or 4 months, I am going to get them replaced. Getting seasoned ivory is tough nowadays.


It dont matter what the butt costs, use what ever brings the best out of your game. If I played better with LD shafts I'd use them on my cue, like I said I use one to break with on a Black Boar butt thats 2 grams lighter than my daily player, they are identical in how they play, balance, weight. the 2 grams different because one has a bigger bumper that weighs 2 grams more, that how precise Boar's are built. I had Tony build a cue identical to my player, in case i lost mine.

There is no right or wrong, its what ever is best for you. I shared what I do to give you some insight into what works best for me. Thats why I went into detail on some unrelated stuff-to give you a idea how many different ways a person can organize their equipment to play with, different games, breaks, damages etc. Thats my set up, it took me years to figure out what I wanted and needed. Its different for everyone and it changes as you grow as a player. do what ever brings the best out in you, the balls dont know how much or little a cue costs. Shane is beating the world with a CueTec, I cant beat Shane with a 5 figure cue or a 6 figure cue(i'm gonna whack him upside his head with a broom stick next time I see him ;) J/K SVB is cool).

Prices are not related to anything but when you buy it after that it dont matter any more(until you sell it, the time in between buying/selling the price is meaningless), what you do is all that matters-that's the important thing. Hope that helps.

Eric:smile:
 
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I wouldn't be so quick to the the OP what an idiot he is. The question seems valid. I know several people that have commercial LD shafts hooked up with high price custom maker butts. I can't think of one custom cue maker that makes a LD shaft by the process that say Predator or OB or Tiger does, and regardless of their care and how many years it takes to taper the maple to their specs, if there is any truth to low deflection, it could make perfect sense to marry one to a custom butt.

Thanks

Kevin
 
Shafts

I have had 5 Custom cues made in the past 3 years and I order them without shafts. I talk with the cue maker and tell him that I will send him 2 Predator 314/2's and ask him to change out the joint collars to match the new cue. They all are willing to do it for a nominal price. LIke $25 per shaft. You get a low deflection shaft(s) that you are used to using and don't have a lot of traditional shafts lying around gathering dust.

Wedge
 
kvinbrwr said:
I wouldn't be so quick to the the OP what an idiot he is. The question seems valid. I know several people that have commercial LD shafts hooked up with high price custom maker butts. I can't think of one custom cue maker that makes a LD shaft by the process that say Predator or OB or Tiger does, and regardless of their care and how many years it takes to taper the maple to their specs, if there is any truth to low deflection, it could make perfect sense to marry one to a custom butt.

Thanks

Kevin
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well I was a bit harsh..

but the fact remains if you want a predator buy one for $200. and use the other $1800 for something else.

To toss away world class maple in favor of scraps and glue is an insult to the art of cue making.

now if you will excuse me I have to go pull the engine out of a Toyota Camry.. and put it in my Bentley.. because the guy at the stoplight says Camry engines are better..and the commercials say they are the best engines in existence :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
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