New cue for Christmas

T

terpdad

Registered
I expect to get beaten up over this question, but here goes. I am looking at 3 cues as a gift to myself:

!. A purpleheart into curly maple 4 prong Schmelke w/ radial joint & a torrified maple shaft
2. Predator Roadline w/ Uniloc joint & 314-3
3. A used Mezz w/ united joint & WX700

All 3 are within $50 of each other. Mezz is probably the prettiest, but I don't like linen wraps. If it were you, which would you choose & why?
 
I'd go with the Schmelke for a few reasons.

I'm a fan of purple heart, I want to try a kielwood (torrified) shaft, and I haven't heard any bad things about Schmelke stuff lately. I would pick the 3/8 x 10 pin though, personal preference.
 
terpdad said:
I expect to get beaten up over this question, but here goes. I am looking at 3 cues as a gift to myself:

!. A purpleheart into curly maple 4 prong Schmelke w/ radial joint & a torrified maple shaft
2. Predator Roadline w/ Uniloc joint & 314-3
3. A used Mezz w/ united joint & WX700

All 3 are within $50 of each other. Mezz is probably the prettiest, but I don't like linen wraps. If it were you, which would you choose & why?
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FYI, the Mezz WX700 will deflect more than the 314-3.
 
Z-Nole said:
Why not get them all? You deserve it. Or am I the only one who thinks like that?
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lol... this^^^

Seriously though. I've been dying to pick myself up a new cue, and a Mezz is at the top of the short list. I've never heard/read a negative word about their build quality. The down fall is they are rare in my neck of the woods so I haven't been able to hit one yet. They also don't offer a shaft at the same dimensions of my predator Z2. I can adjust for deflection, but I can't stand playing with a tip >=12mm.

On the flip side. To date, my favourite playing cue that I've held in hand is the predator P3 with Z3 shaft. I love that pairing and could buy it right now from countless vendors. However I will never own one. Most of that reasoning is rooted in my dislike of having the same damn cue as another dozen guys in my local room. I know that's a dumb reason if I enjoy the cue, but my next cue is my last cue and I don't want it to be available in a vending machine...lol. ...oh and I dislike unilock type joints

I suggest you buy the Mezz and let me know how it feels :)
 
You will find the 12mm Mezz WX 900 shafts to be very comparable to the predator Z series shafts, with the exception of having more desireable feel/feedback, in my opinion.

I am eagerly anticipating my new cue to arrive any day now – a Mezz Exceed custom 60-inch cue with a Mezz carbon fiber Ignite shaft, a full 2-1/2 years after placing this order.
 
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In addition to the wx900 shaft which is 12mm, MezzUSA offers the 314-3 and Z-3 shafts in Mezz pins. So you have options if you end up deciding to buy a Mezz. You won’t be disappointed.
 
Scrunge19 said:
In addition to the wx900 shaft which is 12mm, MezzUSA offers the 314-3 and Z-3 shafts in Mezz pins. So you have options if you end up deciding to buy a Mezz. You won’t be disappointed.
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If I’m not mistaken, MezzUSA does not offer their butts to fit Predator shafts - they only offer their butts to fit their Mezz united and Mezz wavy shafts. It is Predator that offers their shaft pins to fit Mezz cue butts.

I stand corrected – I just checked the Mezz USA website and they do offer different joint options that would allow their shafts to fit a predator butt, but I don’t believe they offer predator shafts to be sold from their website in combination with a Mezz butt.

Personally, I don’t no why anyone would want to combine a Mezz butt with a predator shaft, unless it was just that you preferred the look of the Mezz butt? Do you really think that combo would feel any differently that a Predator butt/shaft together?
 
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I was talking to the only Mezz rep in Canada the other day, and the Predator Z3 with either wavy or united joint is quite costly, but available.

ChrisinNC said:
Personally, I don’t no why anyone would want to combine a Mezz butt with a predator shaft, unless it was just that you preferred the look of the Mezz butt? Do you really think that combo would feel any differently that a Predator butt/shaft together?
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I have played with the predator Z2 for so long I can't even put a time frame on it. I know that shaft and how it plays. I would pair a Mezz with a Z3 because I like the notion of a relatively rare production cue and the familiarity of the deflection/tip of the Z3. If I went the route of a true custom cue I'd most likely pair it with the Z3 as well.

I see no value in learning to play a Mezz shaft merely because it is the default shaft it comes with. If given the option to use the cost of the WXxxx shaft to offset the "Mezz" wavy Z3, I would. The nasty truth is, because of the proprietary joint style, if I found I didn't like the feel of the WXxxx shaft. I'd end up with a Mezz trophy in my case that wouldn't be used until I saved up for the Z3 replacement. ...or I found someone to turn down the 12mm shaft to the taper and tip size of the Z2.

Please keep in mind, I have never hit a Mezz shaft of any model. I'm also mostly indifferent to the slightly varying deflection rates of the various LD shaft options out there. What I do have issue with is tip size.
 
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The_JV said:
I was talking to the only Mezz rep in Canada the other day, and the Predator Z3 with either wavy or united joint is quite costly, but available.


I have played with the predator Z2 for so long I can't even put a time frame on it. I know that shaft and how it plays. I would pair a Mezz with a Z3 because I like the notion of a relatively rare production cue and the familiarity of the deflection/tip of the Z3. If I went the route of a true custom cue I'd most likely pair it with the Z3 as well.

I see no value in learning to play a Mezz shaft merely because it is the default shaft it comes with. If given the option to use the cost of the WXxxx shaft to offset the "Mezz" wavy Z3, I would. The nasty truth is, because of the proprietary joint style, if I found I didn't like the feel of the WXxxx shaft. I'd end up with a Mezz trophy in my case that wouldn't be used until I saved up for the Z3 replacement. ...or I found someone to turn down the 12mm shaft to the taper and tip size of the Z2.
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So you’ve tried the Mezz WX900 12mm shaft and did not like it compared to the Predator Z3 shaft? Personally I don’t think the adjustment needed to make this switch would be much at all, in terms of the levels of the deflexion between them. Sounds like the slightly thicker 12mm shaft is the main issue for you? The trade-off in getting the much improved feel/feedback and decreased vibration of the WX900 vs the Z3 is worth the slight adjustment period it would require, in my opinion.
 
terpdad said:
I expect to get beaten up over this question, but here goes. I am looking at 3 cues as a gift to myself:

!. A purpleheart into curly maple 4 prong Schmelke w/ radial joint & a torrified maple shaft
2. Predator Roadline w/ Uniloc joint & 314-3
3. A used Mezz w/ united joint & WX700

All 3 are within $50 of each other. Mezz is probably the prettiest, but I don't like linen wraps. If it were you, which would you choose & why?
Click to expand...

Personally, I do not care for any of those three choices. Beyond the fact that I'm not a fan of any of those three brands, I do not like any of those three joint/pin selections.

Be that as it may, some things you may want to consider...
1. If you plan on making your purchase your new consistent player, I would recommend getting some table time with all three, before buying. Whichever you connect with most, and feel the most comfortable with, should be the one you buy.
2. If you're going merely off of aesthetics, then the choice is simple - buy whichever you like looking at the most.
3. If you're planning on reselling it later, maybe you should go with the Predator, as that brand has the biggest upside to retaining value down the road.

Good luck with your decision, whichever cue that may be.
 
terpdad said:
I expect to get beaten up over this question, but here goes. I am looking at 3 cues as a gift to myself:

!. A purpleheart into curly maple 4 prong Schmelke w/ radial joint & a torrified maple shaft
2. Predator Roadline w/ Uniloc joint & 314-3
3. A used Mezz w/ united joint & WX700

All 3 are within $50 of each other. Mezz is probably the prettiest, but I don't like linen wraps. If it were you, which would you choose & why?
Click to expand...
Yes I know I’m very picky regarding my cues. I personally would never be interested in purchasing a used cue unless I knew the owner, knew that he was the one and original owner only and knew that he took care of his cue as well as I do mine - That it is in virtually mint/new condition, regardless of age, which I would have to confirm by close inspection.
 
ChrisinNC said:
So you’ve tried the Mezz WX900 12mm shaft and did not like it compared to the Predator Z3 shaft? Personally I don’t think the adjustment needed to make this switch would be much at all, in terms of the levels of the deflexion between them. Sounds like the slightly thicker 12mm shaft is the main issue for you? The trade-off in getting the much improved feel/feedback and decreased vibration of the WX900 vs the Z3 is worth the slight adjustment period it would require, in my opinion.
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Sorry Chris, I was probably editing my previous post while you were responding. I have never hit any Mezz product. I don't have any opinion on them other than hearsay.

I can feel the .05mm difference between the Z2 and Z3 tip diameter. Although I have zero doubt I could grow accustomed to the size of the 12mm WX900, my thoughts are that I simply don't want to...lol. Minor differences in deflection are a non-issue.

If Mezz offered a 11.8mm WX900, I'd probably be waiting for my order to come in...
 
The_JV said:
Sorry Chris, I was probably editing my previous post while you were responding. I have never hit any Mezz product. I don't have any opinion on them other than hearsay.

I can feel the .05mm difference between the Z2 and Z3 tip diameter. Although I have zero doubt I could grow accustomed to the size of the 12mm WX900, my thoughts are that I simply don't want to...lol. Minor differences in deflection are a non-issue.

If Mezz offered a 11.8mm WX900, I'd probably be waiting for my order to come in...
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Sounds like you know what you want, but I doubt it would be an issue for a cue man to taper down a WX900 shaft from 12mm to 11.8mm, if you really wanted a Mezz cue - butt and shaft.
 
terpdad said:
Schmelke has them now.
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I've never owned a schmelke but only heard good things. I've have a Diveney Keilwood and it's awesome but I basically just use carbon fiber shafts now when I'm playing seriously. It's a tough decision and if was me I'd probably get all 3. If you are set on only getting 1, it would probably have to be the keilwood.
 
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