Predator cue opinions

I've been playing with my P2 Black for some 9 months now, but I wouldn't say that the cue improved my game. Rather, it was my work on the stroke. New cue maybe added a little comfort. So why did I buy such an expensive toy? Well, as a pool player, you want to have something that you like, something that is truly "yours". It's kinda like drinking your favourite beer all the time, even though you are well aware that there may be better kinds of beer out there (maybe even cheaper). But you just don't care about it. You simply drink, LOL.

I adjust quickly when switching cues, primarily because I refuse to blame the equipment for my misses. The problem is always me. Not the shaft, or the tip or whatever. Only me and nothing else. Last week I had to resort playing with an old cue with a regular wood shaft, since my highly rated Sniper tip fell off of my P2 cue. It took me about half an hour to adjust to a completely different feeling cue. No big fuss.

I've compared the "hit" of my cue and the hit of another expensive cue fitted with identical shaft. Now I understand why they say P2's hit like one piece cues...never understood that before trying other cues with a Predator shaft. P2 just sounds and feels different, maybe because of that Uni-loc or who knows what. Also, there might be some truth in what many players say, and that is that the best shaft for your cue is the one which originally came with it.
 
kokopuffs said:
Lemmiewinks Rules. Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!!!
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Alright, another fan...actually I liked the definiton distinguishing the difference between tolerance and acceptance. These guys think a lot like I do, I guess.

Lemmiewinks, Gerbil King. Maybe someone could make a Lemmiewinks cue, guaranteed to get you out of a shitty situation.

Jeff Livingston
 
Celtic said:
Most of those people are the types that dont have the experiance in the game either in using a large number of cues, or trusting their opinion to make their mind up for themselves, they go with the hype and then 6 months or a year later they get that experiance, they hit with afew more non-predator cues, and they decide they just dont like these gimmicky shot-limited shafts with no feel.
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That's not it. Do you think so many upper level players and pros use Predators because they don't know any better? No - but I think you have to play at a certain level to recognize the benefits. Some people just don't have the stroke or the skill to get any advantage out of one.

Chris
 
TATE said:
That's not it. Do you think so many upper level players and pros use Predators because they don't know any better? No - but I think you have to play at a certain level to recognize the benefits. Some people just don't have the stroke or the skill to get any advantage out of one.

Chris
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Thats what I said/meant. The people getting fooled are the people with no real knowledge of cues that come to a board like this and get the "Predator is the greatest invention pool has ever seen!" sales pitch. I think the upper level players and pro's that use Predator probably made the choice of whether they liked the shaft for themselves by using one and did not ask a message board for an opinion of whether they should get one. People who dont know anything about cues cannot just listen to someone elses opinion on a message board and think "since that cue is good for that person it will be good for me too!" I like a 12.25 mm tip, I shoot my best with that size, my cue is 59 inches long although I am only 5'5, I have a leather wrap on it, it is a hair over 20 ounces, it is the best cue I have ever shot with and is exactly what I wanted. Just because it works for me though, everything I have listed there wont please everyone. Same thing with Predator cues, some like em, some dont, and alot of less knowledgable players listen to the Preadtor hype and get lured into a cue that does not fit their playing style.
 
Celtic said:
Thats what I said/meant. The people getting fooled are the people with no real knowledge of cues that come to a board like this and get the "Predator is the greatest invention pool has ever seen!" sales pitch. I think the upper level players and pro's that use Predator probably made the choice of whether they liked the shaft for themselves by using one and did not ask a message board for an opinion of whether they should get one. People who dont know anything about cues cannot just listen to someone elses opinion on a message board and think "since that cue is good for that person it will be good for me too!" I like a 12.25 mm tip, I shoot my best with that size, my cue is 59 inches long although I am only 5'5, I have a leather wrap on it, it is a hair over 20 ounces, it is the best cue I have ever shot with and is exactly what I wanted. Just because it works for me though, everything I have listed there wont please everyone. Same thing with Predator cues, some like em, some dont, and alot of less knowledgable players listen to the Preadtor hype and get lured into a cue that does not fit their playing style.
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I'd love to see an ash cue 12.5 ml tip, straight tapper. And come in 3/4 length with inter changeable butt lengths. I think it would hit like a pred. There would be no whip in it. The long grain is very stiff, plus the straight tapper gives it added strength. The 3/4 length shaft would feel like a one piece. The pro tapper, what is it 12 to 14 in. of dowling? No wonder they bow on contact. Those fancy tappers they put on cues just for the sake of comfort in a looped bridge are the biggest problem with cues today. IMO St.
 
Celtic,

Oh, now I know exactly what you mean. After much tweaking, my cue has some pretty strange specs myself. My shafts are 30" long, and I have found that most conventional shafts at this length are too soft unless they have been made with really dense maple.

I have quite a few cues. There are very few shafts that are as accurate as either of my two Predator shafts. There are a few but they would usually be 15 or 20 years old and have a conical taper. When you get to a 30" shaft, the squirt on most cues is just unbelievable. So for me, the Predator means I can go ahead and shoot those long english shots with power that I might otherwise pass up with a high squirt cue.

Honestly, if there were no Predator I would just probably adapt to a shorter, stiffer cue, but I would hate it.

I thought I would mention I'm going to be in Australia with my wife next week on vacation, Sydney, Cairns (Port Douglas) and Alice Springs/Ayers Rock. No time for pool but I thought I would mention it.

Chris
 
If you buy directly from Predator expect to pay full retail price - about $225. Mueller (poolndarts.com) has it listed for $184. Other sites might have it for less. Bought mine over two years ago. Had a Tiger tip on for a year and now I have the med Moori. I think it is pretty okay. I still get deflection, and lately it seems I have been getting more of it. Today someone was showing me the backhand aiming technique that I tried to get Hal Houle to explain to me over the phone about a year ago.

Remember, if you buy the shaft for another butt the joint may not match and you may have a noticible bump. I finally got tired of catching it on the table everytime I stroked and had a local cue maker just make me a matching butt out of a Dufferin butt. It suits my purpose.

If I am not mistaken Young Jeong was playing with a Predator this weekend. And he seemed to shoot pretty good with it. Come to think of it, he was beaten by another player playing with a Predator. At least I think Charlie is still playing with the Predator. I'll bet he practices on a Brunswick table.

Jake
 
Stretch, the major reasons the Predator work the way they do is the hollowed out section of the shaft (this is also what causes the hit to lose alot of feel and generally suck). The actually pie construction of the shaft is pretty questionable as a real advantage. All it is doing is creating a false grain. Using a great piece of wood to begin with and turning it down such that the grain is perfectly following the length of the shaft is just as good, but when using lesser quality of wood then doing what Predator does can make up for it.

Of the 3 cue makers I have talked to about the Predator shafts they all said the major feature in them that changes the hit of the shaft from the normal is the hollowed out section, not the pie construction which is what most people think is the determining factor.

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TATE. Enjoy Australia man. There is some nice weather around nowadays. Not too hot yet. I am in Adelaide myself, a nice city but pretty paid back and not really a place for a vacation I would not think. The places you are going sounds to be the good choices to see most of the cool stuff. I would spend most of my time up North, that is where the real cool parts of Australia seem to be, down South is pretty standard fare (read boring) with regards to the environment. The pool scene sucks here generally, you are not missing anything if you never pick up a cue.
 
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