OB vs. Predator shafts. Which do you prefer and why??

Tough decision

KcKid77 said:
So i've always shot with an original Predator 314 shaft, but have heard amazing things about the 314 2, and Z shafts, as well as the OB series of shafts. What are your thoughts??
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I'm a bit embarassed to say that I find it a tough decision. I've been playing mostly with original 314s on a variety of cues for a number of years, but also like the OB Classic Pro a lot, and ran 8 racks with a Tiger X. Yet, I had some of my best years playing with Meucci Original shafts, too! And I really like Scruggs, Frey and Pechauer SPs with their non-LD shaft as well. Go figure!

I think some of us just adjust rather well to different cues and shafts after a few games...

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
 
Donny Lutz said:
I'm a bit embarassed to say that I find it a tough decision. I've been playing mostly with original 314s on a variety of cues for a number of years, but also like the OB Classic Pro a lot, and ran 8 racks with a Tiger X. Yet, I had some of my best years playing with Meucci Original shafts, too! And I really like Scruggs, Frey and Pechauer SPs with their non-LD shaft as well. Go figure!

I think some of us just adjust rather well to different cues and shafts after a few games...

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
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:smile:

My thoughts exactly. I like old Meucci Original shafts around 13mm or just under. Not the whippy shafts (not all of them are like that). And I only recommend the Tiger Ultra shafts.

For me, Predator shafts are nice to break with. I liked the OB shafts for about a week, then after that I didn't really care for them.

With an old Meucci original shaft, there might be a shot where you think you might miss...but the ball drops in the pocket anyway. With a Predator shaft...if you think you might miss a ball, you will miss it. Seems easier for me to pocket balls and move the cueball around with a Meucci shaft and Tiger-X shaft.

It's just me....:smile:
 
KcKid77 said:
Fantastic....thanks for the replies!! I love the Predator shafts, although only using the original 314 shaft, i'm hesitant to move to the 314 2 shaft without exploring other options. I like the idea of the OB classic...
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Please note that the classic series, like the original OB 1/2 series comes in two separate tip diameters. 12.75 for the Classic, and 11.75 for the Classic Pro. You can chose accordingly based on how thick you like your shafts.

My coach and good friend has used predators for quite a long time and recently made the switch to the OB Classic after hitting balls with my cue. He's ecstatic about the shafts and the results and describes the hit as much more solid than his previous 314 shaft. This is in part to the fact that the classic is not hollowed through like the predator shafts.

I'm currently an OB Classic pro user and have gone through every shaft in the OB line until this point. Having played at just about the highest levels of national competition and won 3 national titles with these shafts I can only attest to how solid they are, and how reliable the products have been for me. And yes, as it's been stated before, the guys at OB are just about the best you can find in the industry.

I hope you enjoy your testing and whatever decision you make moving forward that it benefits your game positively.

All the best.

Sincerely,

Raymond Linares
 
I'll toss my hat into the "OB Classic" ring...

Field Testing: I tried a friend's OB1. Got me interested in LD. Before SBE2011, shot a little with a Tiger-X that an AZ friend was 'borrowing' from another AZ poster's 'loan program'. Couldn't seem to make the necessary corrections from a whippy maple to the LD. At SBE2011, I tried out Preds, McD G-cores, and OBs. Felt rushed and insignificant at the Pred booth; same goes for the feel of their shafts. The McD felt good, but I wanted something with 'resell' value, if necessary.

Visited the OB booth, and Royce and Company did a fine job of explaining their product and giving me all the time I needed to test out. Quickly settled on the Classic series. Hit was stiffer and crisper. Needed MINIMAL adjustment in shooting from my stock McD maple. That sold it. The cue ball goes where you want it to go, and takes a lot of juice before getting out of line. I was up to shooting speed in a few practice sessions. Haven't looked back.

As many have previously said, it's a matter of personal preference. Very true. But a lot of us don't have the time/money/patience to experiment long enough with each shaft. If we do, it's not likely that it will be with the same tip/butt/chalk/table/cloth/mood/sleep combination. As a result, other factors will likely be the deciding ones.
 
Currently I'm using a Predator 314 with a Sniper tip that's worn and on the hard side on a Diviney fullsplice butt. I'm not shooting badly with it, but as a lot of people say, not a lot of feedback.
I also shoot with a Predator sneaky butt with 5/16-18 thread and an OB-2 shaft with a hard milk dud tip. Not much feedback in that combination either, then again, I'm not much of a feedback geek anyway:rolleyes:. Probably a little less deflection, but fairly easy to switch between the two cues. I haven't played with a solid shaft since I started playing pool again in '04, though I have tried the shafts that come with the cues I have and found I didn't like the amount of deflection they usually produced.
I've used 314's, Z2's, OB-1's, and OB-2's. I like the OB-2 a bit more than the 314, but I'm using the 314 now because threads are correct for the cue butt I'm playing with now:groucho: If I had an OB-2 that fit, I'd probably use that.
 
rayshooter22 said:
Please note that the classic series, like the original OB 1/2 series comes in two separate tip diameters. 12.75 for the Classic, and 11.75 for the Classic Pro. You can chose accordingly based on how thick you like your shafts.

My coach and good friend has used predators for quite a long time and recently made the switch to the OB Classic after hitting balls with my cue. He's ecstatic about the shafts and the results and describes the hit as much more solid than his previous 314 shaft. This is in part to the fact that the classic is not hollowed through like the predator shafts.

I'm currently an OB Classic pro user and have gone through every shaft in the OB line until this point. Having played at just about the highest levels of national competition and won 3 national titles with these shafts I can only attest to how solid they are, and how reliable the products have been for me. And yes, as it's been stated before, the guys at OB are just about the best you can find in the industry.

I hope you enjoy your testing and whatever decision you make moving forward that it benefits your game positively.

All the best.

Sincerely,

Raymond Linares
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input. Always nice to hear from a pro. OB classic is now at the top of my list to try. Thanks!!
 
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