Predator 314 2 is the nutz...........

it's close enough for me........

Flex (shaft deflection) doesn't cause cue ball deflection. Shaft end mass does.


You can't aim at the "true actual place" with a low deflection shaft, just closer to it. It's low deflection, not no deflection.

pj
chgo

Hi there pj,

I played in a handicap tourny here in Waukesha. I've been doing alot of lessons so I'm kind of getting out of stroke so I thought.

I gave two lessons today before I went to the tourny. I felt pretty run down. I'm finding that when i am tired it is harder to try and continually adjust for the flex or the squirt that i was getting with an ordinary shaft.

I played like I was playing everyday. Made the shots and got the shape.

Just for fun I got my old shaft out and shot some balls. It was rediculous.

You can call it whatever you want with the predator shaft. All I know is it makes it easier to make the ball, get shape and not miss the ball.

This is why so many players are playing so good that played kind of good before.

Like i said before, the playing field just got leveled out,

I'm back...............
 
Flex (shaft deflection) doesn't cause cue ball deflection. Shaft end mass does.


You can't aim at the "true actual place" with a low deflection shaft, just closer to it. It's low deflection, not no deflection.

pj
chgo

Thx god :p
 
I'm sure there is some deflection...........

Sure - it's just most helpful to others if you call it what it is.

pj
chgo

There has got to be some deflection or squirt I'm sure but the bottom line is that it is so small that it doesn't screw up your aim on the shot. You can aim just about where it looks like you want to hit and fire and the ball goes in the hole.

I met a player his name was Jim at master Z's cue club last night. He was from my home area but I had never gotten to know him. He had a g core shaft on his cue. He was trying the Z shaft from predator. What a difference it made for him of pocketing the balls. He looked like a completelt different player with the z shaft.

Curious I shot a few shots with his g core. It might have had a little less deflection than a regular shaft but I missed the ball anytime I didn't adjust alot for the squirt . I hope they don't claim that this is a low deflection shaft because it isn't.

The g core played like a regular shaft. Or at least this one did.

Bottom line the deflection on the 314 2 that I have is negligeable when you are shooting the shots with English. Especially when you load it up.

I think if someone tried to take this laminated shaft out of my hand it would be a true trajedy.

At my level to get to another is very difficult. I jumped right up there and it was almost immediately.

Players at a lower level might not see understand the drastic difference unless their aim is pretty good. But a little unwanted flex or squirt can really change the result on any given shot.

I'm going to try and win one this weekend and with this shaft it's possible even with little practice. it just shoots where i aim for the most part and that is so huge.

Have a great day geno........

And predator is not paying me a thing at least not yet anyway .It just simply works very well and helps make the balls easier. If it helps players i'm all for it. Especially helping this one for sure!!!!!!
 
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Gene:
There has got to be some deflection or squirt I'm sure but the bottom line is that it is so small that it doesn't screw up your aim on the shot. You can aim just about where it looks like you want to hit and fire and the ball goes in the hole.
I use an ultra-low squirt shaft, probably lower squirt than the shaft you're talking about, and I adjust my aim a noticable amount for squirt on just about every shot.

I know it seems like no adjustment is needed to many players who first try low-squirt shafts, but it's just not true - and this has been pointed out over and over again in these forums.

More than that, I'm surprised that the self-promoted "perfect aiming" expert would say "you can aim just about where it looks like you want to hit".

Bottom line the deflection on the 314 2 that I have is negligeable when you are shooting the shots with English. Especially when you load it up.
This is simply not true unless you have the first shaft known to man that defies the laws of physics.


pj
chgo
 
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Point out what they may.....

I use an ultra-low squirt shaft, probably lower squirt than the shaft you're talking about, and I adjust my aim a noticable amount for squirt on just about every shot.

I know it seems like no adjustment is needed to many players who first try low-squirt shafts, but it's just not true - and this has been pointed out over and over again in these forums.

More than that, I'm surprised that the self-promoted "perfect aiming" expert would say "you can aim just about where it looks like you want to hit".


This is simply not true unless you have the first shaft known to man that defies the laws of physics.


pj
chgo

I lived in Missouri for about 7 years. They have a State slogan that goes like this.

It's the Show Me state. that kind of means Show Me don't just tell me.

If my words on here help just one player to play better then my time was well spent. Fortuanately I think I've helped a few more than one.

The 314 2 is pretty thick. This also helps it with the deflection just the same as a 13.25 mm shaft did in the old days when you were trying to move the big cue ball around.

I've since tried other low deflection shafts and have found them to not all be equal.

Try the 314 2 and see if it is a little less. You might be surprised. Or maybe you have and didn't notice a difference.

Now try them side by side. That will tell you the truth.

But if you can't aim nothing will do you any good.

It's just the way it is...............
 
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My 314 2 finally let me down.

.....................

First I got to my hotel room in Beloit about 2:00AM. Normally this would be plenty of time to get enough sleep. The room was totally cold so I didn't smell that bad from the smoke when I first walked into it. This was a no smoking room that has been smoked in regularly and I was real tired giving 3 lessons during the day.

Then the heater didn't warm the room up until about 5:30 AM. At least that was the last time I woke up being too cold.

Woke up and got to the tourny at the Carom room just in time to play.

Felt a little dizzy and had a little trouble driving the car.

I deffinitely wouldn't have gambled today but I was already here for the tourny so I played.

I was so out of cink that it really didn't make a difference what I shot with.

This is just one of these things that you run into on the road traveling that can really screw up a tournament.

Oh well. There will be another one someplace next weekend or the next weekend.

That's the nice thing about our great sport. There's always somewhere to go and play.

The 314 2 predator just couldn't pull me out of the fire today but I'm still confident that it will if I give it something to work with.

That's a well rested and prepared me............
 
I can understand that............

I play with something in between. Less deflection than regular maple but more than Predator and its a laminated shaft as well. I feel having a little bit of deflection helps on some shots that you need the cue ball to just get by an obstacle that you would need a slight masse stroke with a predator shaft

There are some shots where I don't feel comfortable with right now with the predator. It might be because I don't know where the cue ball will go.

The shot you are talking about I have to make sure I shoot the cue ball around the ball for sure. With the normal shaft I would aim to hit the ball real thin if I was going around but the squirt would push it over.

Right now I've been giving too many lessons here in Milwaukee area to play enough.

Tomorrow I'm going to play 5 or 6 hours for sure.

Have a great day geno.............
 
I'm all for it...........

Geno, the lamination makes for a more consistent shaft, but it's the low end mass that provides the reduced squirt.

The predator LD shafts use a drilled out foam cored end of the shaft with a smaller ferule that reduces end mass.

The problem that most people who dislike the feel of the hit is that it feels hollow (since it is) it gives very little feed back.

some of the other LD shafts are less like this. People I've talked to like the hit of the OB1 and I like the hit of the mcdermott I-2 shaft.

They all use the same principle of low end mass to decrease squirt. I'm designing an LD laminated shaft that I'm hoping will overcome this as well and provide consistency and better feel. We'll see how it goes.

Jaden

Good Luck with your project. I hope you can get it the way you want.

I'm all for anything that will help us play a little more consistent.

There are a few drawbacks I've found but the advantages of less squirt greatly outnumber them.

Good luck again. Geno,............
 
Like always- it s all about personal preferences. If you feel good, no matter which kind of shaft, stay with it and profite of it.
I just can t hear those sentences anymore where *experts* saying that there would be balls, which would not be playable with this and that shaft. Just a matter of training and practice.

The way Geno found HIS shaft is the way it should be: take it, shoot with it, love it and stay with it....nothing else.

lg
Ingo
 
ive tried 314 and z shaft of a friend and i didnt feel comfortable with it. probably its cause i dont use tons of english on every shot, thats why i prefer the nice sound of a classic wood shaft. i miss balls more often cause i drank too much :grin: or just didnt go through my pre shot routine, or just didnt really watch the shot.....
if u feel good with ur predator shaft... nice.... play with it and have fun (which is the most important) :thumbup: the only thing about predator players that i dont like is that they want to convince everyone of the superiority of their product.... heard that a thousand times allready....
 
Kind of a funny thing...........

ive tried 314 and z shaft of a friend and i didnt feel comfortable with it. probably its cause i dont use tons of english on every shot, thats why i prefer the nice sound of a classic wood shaft. i miss balls more often cause i drank too much :grin: or just didnt go through my pre shot routine, or just didnt really watch the shot.....
if u feel good with ur predator shaft... nice.... play with it and have fun (which is the most important) :thumbup: the only thing about predator players that i dont like is that they want to convince everyone of the superiority of their product.... heard that a thousand times allready....

Hi there,

I'm kind of amazed though. I'm in Milwaukee giving lessons and I find it hard to believe how many players have never even hit a ball with a shaft like the predator 314 2.

And then there are those that maybe did but nobody really told them to shoot where it is pointed instead of still adjusting so they missed the balls and decided right away theu didn't like it.

I really think every player should try one of these so they can see for themselves. Alot of the younger players that were beating me in some of these tournaments I was in are shooting so good because of this shaft. Now that I've adjusted to how it plays I know why.

i set up a shot for the players i'm giving lessons to and have them shoot it 5 or 6 times with their old shaft and they might miss it 2 or 3 times.

Then I give them my predator but I explain first to shoot at the ball like you are shooting with no english on every shot even though are and the results are pretty amazing. They were missing alot of shots because of the squirt for sure.

Sorry to hear it didn't do it for you but just about everyone that I have showed it to can't wait to get one.

I think that's why players that are happy with it try to tell players on here. They're just trying to help.

I sure wish I would have tried it about 2 years ago when I first started playing again.

I can think of a few tournaments that I would have won if I would have had this predator 314 2 in my bag.

Hace a great day geno..............
 
in fact i didnt like the taper, the diameter (felt like a too small pen in my hand ;)) and the sound.... well for the rest... i play crappy and i dont care :grin: here lots of young players play a 314 or Z... harder to find some1 with a wood shaft to try that :wink:
 
Imagine That. Most of them have predators..

in fact i didnt like the taper, the diameter (felt like a too small pen in my hand ;)) and the sound.... well for the rest... i play crappy and i dont care :grin: here lots of young players play a 314 or Z... harder to find some1 with a wood shaft to try that :wink:

Hi there,

I played 3 races to nine tomight at Romines. Havn't played much for about a week was kind of sick with a cold.

I missed about 2 shots in the first 2 races. One shot I had to put a ton of english on it and go down to the other end of the table and back up. I made the shot and got the shape and a guy on the side said WOW about the same time I was thinking it in my mind.

And this is a double shimmed table.

Any old schoolers like myself that have just plugged along with their old wood shafts better get with it and really give one of these a try.

I can't wait until it becomes second nature and I forget all together how to adjust with the squirt.

Have a great day geno.............
 
Gene, What are the drawbacks that your finding with the 314~2 and how are you compensating for them ?
 
Shooting past a ball..........

Gene, What are the drawbacks that your finding with the 314~2 and how are you compensating for them ?

Hi there,

The main drawback is I am so used to compensating for the squirt that I forget sometimes and go on auto pilot and aim like I would for a conventional shaft.

When I'm playing a safe and I just want to nick a ball with spin and going a couple of rails for a safe. I have a tendency to hit it too full.

Again I have to aim it where it goes and not how it would go with the squirt.

Other than that I can't think of anything that is a disadvantage. I hear players that are still using a normal shaft saying they need that squirt for certain shots but I really don't get it.

I can play a little and I think the advantages of not missing a ball because you didn't guess right on the squirt is huge. Combine that shaft with a good layered tip and you got a winner. You just have to make up your mind that you are going to shoot where it aims.

Now if you can aim nearly Perfect, and many players can,now they have a huge advantage over what they were doing with the old shaft.

It's a no BRAINER.

Big advantage is when your playing tired. Many times you miss the shot because you didn't adjust for the squirt. When you get tired you get lazy and don't think well sometimes.

Tired is a major problem if your diabetic like me but everyone gets tired.

My tired game went up a whole ball.

Ask the guys in Minnesota that saw me play with it the first few nights I used it.

Kind of funny. A good friend of mine in Minnesota said it all.

He said ahk OH. It was pretty awsome and precise.

I'll bet I've sold 25 shafts for predator in the past 2 weeks just trying to help players play better.

They shoot with their shaft and miss the shot. They shoot with mine and make the ball.

Like I said ; Kind of a no BRAINER.
 
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