Just received my Predator LE3 with 314-3 Shaft today. I haven't had a chance to hit any balls with it yet but here are some initial impressions. I will follow up with an extensive review later tonight.
1) The lines the lines the lines. The cue looks amazing. Very clean looking points. The contrast with the ebony and curly maple looks great.
2) The balance. I have only been playing for about a year and a half, however I'm pretty sure I have only missed 100 or so days in that time period. In other words, I have held enough cues to know what a well balanced cue feels like. Hot damn does this cue feel just right in my hand.
3) Shaft lamination. Laminated shafts (besides Mezz & some Meuccis) have taken the industry by storm and offer radial consistency. One issue I have with laminated shafts is how they look. Often times the various laminations will be different colors (First Gen OB shafts) and just won't look right. I am impressed with how the 314-3 shaft looks.
Disclaimer. I know that the Z2 and several other conical taper LD shafts have the least amount of deflection. I also don't give a shit. Often times shaft technology turns into a dick measuring contest about who manufactures the shaft with the least deflection. Having half the half the deflection in correlation to tip placement is perfectly fine with me. I also don't like playing with a small tip diameter. In other words, don't expect me to compare whether it has more or less deflection than another shaft maker because I quite frankly don't care and an 1/8th of an inch is pretty easy to adjust to.
All that being said, I will talk about the feel of the shaft and cue and offer my opinion as to whether I feel that it hits soft, firm, solid, hollow, etc.
1) The lines the lines the lines. The cue looks amazing. Very clean looking points. The contrast with the ebony and curly maple looks great.
2) The balance. I have only been playing for about a year and a half, however I'm pretty sure I have only missed 100 or so days in that time period. In other words, I have held enough cues to know what a well balanced cue feels like. Hot damn does this cue feel just right in my hand.
3) Shaft lamination. Laminated shafts (besides Mezz & some Meuccis) have taken the industry by storm and offer radial consistency. One issue I have with laminated shafts is how they look. Often times the various laminations will be different colors (First Gen OB shafts) and just won't look right. I am impressed with how the 314-3 shaft looks.
Disclaimer. I know that the Z2 and several other conical taper LD shafts have the least amount of deflection. I also don't give a shit. Often times shaft technology turns into a dick measuring contest about who manufactures the shaft with the least deflection. Having half the half the deflection in correlation to tip placement is perfectly fine with me. I also don't like playing with a small tip diameter. In other words, don't expect me to compare whether it has more or less deflection than another shaft maker because I quite frankly don't care and an 1/8th of an inch is pretty easy to adjust to.
All that being said, I will talk about the feel of the shaft and cue and offer my opinion as to whether I feel that it hits soft, firm, solid, hollow, etc.
