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

There's no guessing with BHE....

8pack said:
I agree with you and i cant believe more people dont play with them.
I know you can used to the original shaft of the cue but there's still the
guessing involved .I have used ob-1 and 2 but i think the 314 is better.
(314 less adjusting)
Click to expand...

Reduced squirt is not NO SQUIRT. There is still some adjustment needed with LD shafts.

A non LD shaft can be just as easy to use if you learn how to properly use BHE.

The only advantage to using LD shafts and not using BHE is the ease of having a more consistent stroke. You're taking some of the additional motion out of the equation.

some people prefer the feedback that a non LD shaft provides and the benefits of the LD tech is not worth it to them. I don't entirely disagree.

Jaden
 
The real nutz

the real nutz is playing with a LAMBROS ultrajoint cue

he makes a LD shaft as well:thumbup:

i had played predator for 13 years previously
 
lstevedus said:
Is it ok to break with them?
Click to expand...

I would say NO and I never break with mine. These shafts are designed to give a little on contact with the cue ball and I don't think that's what you want in a break cue shaft.

James
 
I used an original 314 on a predator for a break cue for years.

SCCues said:
I would say NO and I never break with mine. These shafts are designed to give a little on contact with the cue ball and I don't think that's what you want in a break cue shaft.

James
Click to expand...

I used a 314 for a break cue; however, it was not stock. I drilled out the foam core and added a HW tenon and new ferule, so it wasn't really a LD 314 any more.

Jaden
 
If someone tried to take it away right now......

8pack said:
I agree with you and i cant believe more people dont play with them.
I know you can used to the original shaft of the cue but there's still the
guessing involved .I have used ob-1 and 2 but i think the 314 is better.
(314 less adjusting)
Click to expand...

If someone tried to take this shaft away from me right now at a tournament I think they would get hurt.

Just kidding.

But I am going to hurt alot of players on the table with my new toy.

the biggest advantage i can see right now is when i'm in a tournament of gambling and I'm real tired which happens alot being diabetic, I don't have to do all this adjusting and figuring.

Simple is better especially when your tired.

I'm also more consistent or should I say deadly on combos. Just a little squirt or deflection can really screw up a combo. It's just rediculous the difference.

All these players that havn't really tried these shafts though is missing the boat, or train,or even the bus.

depending where they live.:groucho::rotflmao1:
 
Thanks James

I was thinking more in controlling the cue ball type of break. I don't break super hard anyway. My hardest break is probably around 3/4 the speed of a pro with a big break. I had to take my Predator cue to the pool room this morning and hit some with it. This thread really got me thinking. Now I have to go back and see how I do with masse' and jump shots. My regular player does fine. Should be interesting.
 
Just ordered one.

Blue Hog ridr said:
Gene, your case won't be complete until you also have a Z in it.
I carry one of each.
Click to expand...

My eyes are opened. There's no stopping now.

Just like My Perfect Aim. Seeing is believing.

Once your there it's over. Now you just have to go to work.

thanks geno.........
 
Ratta said:
Geno,

always a good thing if somebody takes a shaft/cue and it works immediatley well for him.
But in my opinion the 314² shafts have too much weight-differences.
Have had here 3 shafts for testing-
95 gr
105 gr
118 gr

and this sure doesn t sound like reproducable craftmenship and quality.

lg
Ingo
Click to expand...

If they didn't come in different weights, it would be much more difficult to buy one that matches your current shaft weight, so you can preserve the balance of your cue. I have yet to find a Predator vendor who was not happy to weigh the shaft before I bought it.

Also, you may be aware that standard maple shafts also vary quite a bit in weight. It is only the time spent by the cuemaker to sort through them and find one for you that is the same that gives the impression that they are easy to control weight-wise.

I am a satisfied Predator 314-2 user. Tip: buy a blank and have your cuemaker install the joint. Changes the feel closer to what your cue normally feels like, but still gives the Predator benefits. Best of both worlds for me.

KMRUNOUT
 
I am happy for everyone who found *his* ideal shaft-may it be oldgrown, non-laminated or predator or whatever. Just wrote my opinion and what i felt after testing. I m not the chief-inspector of the *ld-testing-laboratory*, lol :-)
but it is strange in my opinion. I don t want to say that all is bad and this is the holy-gral. That are just things, which would tease me personally, nothing else,

lg
Ingo
 
Predator 314's rock

After playing with Predator 314's for 8 years I know what they do for my game.

Now I shoot with a standard shaft and hit the ball "my way" and can miss by a long ways. The best deflection test shot is a ball 3 ciamonds up a rail about 3 inches off the rail with the CB 10 inches off the side rail on the other side and end of the table (basically a long 45 degree cue). When I hit it with a non low deflection shaft the ball deflects outward and hits the side rail about 2 feet up the rail. Shoot with the predator it's straight in.

When learning to use a Predator of other LD shaft you correct the opposite way for awhile, really a few months, then it's all muscle memory from there.

The issue is consistency in shotmaking, which is what brings home the cash. Keeping it simpler is the way to go.
 
Breaking is fine with your predator.. my power break's not too shabby and I've had absolutely no problems with it for the last 2 or 3 years or whatever its been. That's with the Z2.

If you like a slightly slimmer feel, get the Z.. it felt like a tree trunk to me when I tried the 314, but I had had my joss shaft tapered down quite a bit and the Z was about the exact same size.

Another thing that I like about the shaft, is that I can get more english without moving so far from center, so the hits can end up being much easier to execute for the same results. But getting lazy can cost you more, since you can just as easily get unintended english. I had to spend the first week or two adjusting for the additional throw and lack of squirt.

Btw, if you're out this way, I'll let you try my Z2 in exchange for a lesson! ;):thumbup:

I still like a good, solid bar cue, too..
 
I use a 314 cat shaft and find it to be alot better than the 314^2. I just can not for the life of me get used to the feel of the 314^2. I have been searching for a shaft that plays similar to the 314. I m thinking maybe the McD i2 (and the McDermott g-i2 series cues look great) or the Tiger X-Ultra LD shaft.
 
I can see why I could never go back..........

Neil said:
I've had mine (old 314 shaft) for 8 years now. I break with it, masse' with it, jump with it. I have broken one ferrule, and that started from a fall onto concrete.:yikes::o
Click to expand...

Hi there Neil,

I can see why you've had it for 8 years. I'm going to try a few more now that I could see the difference myself.

I'm going to hurt some players real bad with this new shaft.

Like in the old days when i would be on the road playing and walk into a poolhall i would think to myself. If they only knew?

If they only knew how I played i would get no action.

I feel that way about these shafts now. I didn't know. Now I do.


Look out. Here i come..........What a great feeling of confidence.

I feel like I'm cheating.
 
Gene it's surprising to me that someone of your ability/experience level can realize such a dramatic improvement from your new toy. I tried them for several years but don't currently use them. I hope they continue to work well for you.
 
It will be 17 or 18 years this May since I purchased my first Predator shaft. I bought 3 at the same time and 2 of them are still playing strong. One split at the joint collar late last year so I bought one of the 314-2s to try it out. It isn't even close to the same feel. I like the old ones much better but the the 314-2s still play good but they just don't have the feedback I was used to with my original 12 splice predator shafts.

On the note of breaking with a predator. If my 17 year old predator that has been on my break cue from day one is still in one piece, you can probably get away with it. My shaft that broke was on my playing cue and had never been broken with. If you are a decent player and hit the center of the cue ball on each and every break, it will probably hold up better on your break cue. Unless you have a breaking style where you cue looks like a boomerang at finish, break away...
 
Jaden said:
Reduced squirt is not NO SQUIRT. There is still some adjustment needed with LD shafts.

A non LD shaft can be just as easy to use if you learn how to properly use BHE.

The only advantage to using LD shafts and not using BHE is the ease of having a more consistent stroke. You're taking some of the additional motion out of the equation.

some people prefer the feedback that a non LD shaft provides and the benefits of the LD tech is not worth it to them. I don't entirely disagree.

Jaden
Click to expand...

I know there is some adjusting to still do with the 314 but is a lot easier
than standard shafts.
I never felt real comfortable approaching a shot that had some distance
between the cb and ob lets say it was a 3/4 hit on the ob and you had to shoot firm. You almost have to shoot straight at it if you where to use inside english. A lot of shot's when going outside of the cb center have took look wrong i order for them to be right .
With a 314 the shots will look more right .There's a comfort thing there
with a 314.
But to each his own.
 
I would say that if you are happy with the low deflection properties, you might want to try the Z shaft, or OB-1 (similar to 314) or OB-2 (similar to Z) as well.

Z and OB-2 deflect even quite a bit less than the 314 and OB-1.

There is still a fair bit of deflection when you hit the ball with lots of side, or pace. But certainly compared to a standard shaft it's still much less.
 
You Might not remember?

When you gave me my lesson at Romine's you hit a few with my Z-2. You said you liked it.
If I could have made it to Romine's Monday I would have let you try the 2 Z's I have.

Ken, AKA Fenwick
 
Here's the trick.......

jingle said:
Gene it's surprising to me that someone of your ability/experience level can realize such a dramatic improvement from your new toy. I tried them for several years but don't currently use them. I hope they continue to work well for you.
Click to expand...

Unless you totally forget how you naturally adjust for the flex you will seem to be having trouble.

You need to force yourself to just aim at the true actual place you need to aim instead of the adjusted aim for the squirt or flex.

It seems like the only time i miss now is when I forget which is becoming less and less all the time.

For what this is doing for my game it is just rediculous.

But of course I do know how to aim Perfect. Not that i always do it right but once I get it zeroed in and let it fly I can feel pretty confident that the ball is going in the hole.

Especially when you get tired you get kind of lazy and miss the shot because you didn't adjust for the flex in the shaft. With this laminated 314 2 you just aim and fire.

How simple. All you have to do is aim Perfect and let it fly.

I'm loving it. ...........
 
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