Predator shaft vs Mezz shaft vs ??

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Sampwr

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I picked up a predator roadline with a 30 inch 314-2 about 3 years ago and have gotten pretty used to it but never really loved the feel or the feed back of the cue hitting the ball. As some have said it feels a little dead. I got a mezz wx700 for basically nothing that fits my joss cue butt and have been shooting with it a bit. Im really liking the feel of the shots compared to the 314 and the slightly small 12.5 tip as well, but missing the little bit of extra reach from the 30 inch shaft(Im pretty tall.) I have a 4 inch mid extension but dont really like that. Im really thinking about buying a mezz 30" shaft for either my joss pin or even as a uniloc for my predator butt.

If anyone has shot with a mezz here, are there any other shafts i should take a look at too? OB2 etc..

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Stay clear of OB for starters in my opinion. Their quality hasn't been that good as of late and there is a lot of talk about issues with their products. Opinions may vary but personally I find their products not worth the money.

I have tried quite a few shafts from Predator, OB, Tiger, Jacoby, Lucasi, BD360 etc. but none of them have the same kind of feel to them as mezz does.

Mezz makes some very good and solid hitting shafts. They have a distinct hit to them when we are speaking of LD shafts so if you really like the feel of your current shaft I would definitely recommend buying another one in 30". That way you'll get the reach you are looking for with a similiar feel and characteristics that you are used to now :rolleyes:
 
Get yourself a Mezz Hybrid Pro 2 shaft. I play now with a Joss butt and Mezz HP2 shaft, this is the best shaft I ever played. I have and tried 314-2, Z2, Tiger Ultra X, Jacoby Edge Hybrid, Mezz Wx700.
 
AlexandruM said:
Get yourself a Mezz Hybrid Pro 2 shaft. I play now with a Joss butt and Mezz HP2 shaft, this is the best shaft I ever played. I have and tried 314-2, Z2, Tiger Ultra X, Jacoby Edge Hybrid, Mezz Wx700.
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What would you say makes the hp2 better than the wx700?

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I play with a WD700 for a couple of years now and recently played a few weeks with both the Ex-Pro and HP2. The Ex-Pro had the lowest amount of deflection, surprisingly the HP2 had more deflection than my 700. I still like the hit and feedback of the 700 better than both Ex-Pro and HP2.
 
Mezz and Predator have a very different philosophy.
Mezz shafts have much more feedback and their shafts seldom have quality issues, even after years of play, yet the delflection isn't that far of compared to Predators offerings.
Due to the lengths Predator goes to in order to achieve the lowest possible deflection, their shafts tends to habe a somewhat muted and dull feel to them, some players seems to like it that way. Personally I prefer a high pitched ping sound when I shoot, so I like Mezz shafts over Predator, I also prefer the feel of a solid maple shaft over a laminated shaft.
 
I love my Ex Pro shaft. I have tried a few Predators and a lot of OB shafts. Nothing compares to my Ex Pro. 2 Thumbs all day.
 
Sampwr said:
I picked up a predator roadline with a 30 inch 314-2 about 3 years ago and have gotten pretty used to it but never really loved the feel or the feed back of the cue hitting the ball. As some have said it feels a little dead. I got a mezz wx700 for basically nothing that fits my joss cue butt and have been shooting with it a bit. Im really liking the feel of the shots compared to the 314 and the slightly small 12.5 tip as well, but missing the little bit of extra reach from the 30 inch shaft(Im pretty tall.) I have a 4 inch mid extension but dont really like that. Im really thinking about buying a mezz 30" shaft for either my joss pin or even as a uniloc for my predator butt.

If anyone has shot with a mezz here, are there any other shafts i should take a look at too? OB2 etc..

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Any Mezz shafts are available in 30" lengths, for an additional $40 upgrade. The Mezz WX700 gives a solid hit, but has considerably more deflection than either a Predator 314 or a Mezz WX900 or a Mezz EXPro. I loved my Mezz WX900 with the solid feel and the minimal deflection, but the smaller tip was just a little too tough for me to control in terms of accuracy. The EXPro provides the best of both worlds (minimal deflection,solid feel and not too slim at 12.5mm) and I love it. Only drawback is the price - over $400.
 
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Thanks for the great responses so far. Besides deflection, is there much difference in feel and feedback between the 700 / hp2 / expro? Thanks

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Kimmo H. said:
Stay clear of OB for starters in my opinion. Their quality hasn't been that good as of late and there is a lot of talk about issues with their products. Opinions may vary but personally I find their products not worth the money.

I have tried quite a few shafts from Predator, OB, Tiger, Jacoby, Lucasi, BD360 etc. but none of them have the same kind of feel to them as mezz does.

Mezz makes some very good and solid hitting shafts. They have a distinct hit to them when we are speaking of LD shafts so if you really like the feel of your current shaft I would definitely recommend buying another one in 30". That way you'll get the reach you are looking for with a similiar feel and characteristics that you are used to now :rolleyes:
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that's weird, we're a pretty big forum at AZB, and I've yet to hear any "talk" of any issues with OB. But, hey, no reason to get a shot in on a company that does a lot for the sport... what the heck.

Of course, OB customer service is second to none. They are like the Seyberts of cue builders. I watched a "name brand" break cue disintegrate before my very eyes on the table next to me in league on Wednesday night. I'm going to ask them how long it takes to get a response and a new cue.... i'm guessing he won't even have an answer by league next week. I will take a few pics of the joint that failed miserably.
 
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You would get it in the 5/16x14 joss threading or the predator uniloc pin. Or would it just be a preference thing. The joss is heavier than the pred even with all the weight removed

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Sampwr said:
I picked up a predator roadline with a 30 inch 314-2 about 3 years ago and have gotten pretty used to it but never really loved the feel or the feed back of the cue hitting the ball. As some have said it feels a little dead. I got a mezz wx700 for basically nothing that fits my joss cue butt and have been shooting with it a bit. Im really liking the feel of the shots compared to the 314 and the slightly small 12.5 tip as well, but missing the little bit of extra reach from the 30 inch shaft(Im pretty tall.) I have a 4 inch mid extension but dont really like that. Im really thinking about buying a mezz 30" shaft for either my joss pin or even as a uniloc for my predator butt.

If anyone has shot with a mezz here, are there any other shafts i should take a look at too? OB2 etc..

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If you want to stick with Predator, the Predator Vantage (V) shaft might be worth considering. It has a more solid feel than the 314 or the Z, but still has low deflection. I played with a 30" Vantage for a number of years before making the switch to Mezz cues and shafts.
 
ChrisinNC said:
If you want to stick with Predator, the Predator Vantage (V) shaft might be worth considering. It has a more solid feel than the 314 or the Z, but still has low deflection. I played with a 30" Vantage for a number of years before making the switch to Mezz cues and shafts.
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Thanks for the reply. I wish i knew someone locally with one. These shafts are too expensive to just be buying to test out. I dont necessarily want to stay with predator i just figure uniloc pins are a little more popular and incase i ever get a different cue. Thanks for the tip on the v shaft though.

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hi

HP2 is my favorite and wavy joint.
Mezz makes the best production cues, I never seen any imperfections.
Also their maple shaft is really good especially for positional players.
 
In regards to Predator, I liked their Vantage the best, had a 314-3 and Revo 12.4, both of which just didn't feel like what I was looking for. In regards to LD products I've liked the Mezz 30" Ex Pro probably the best out of all of them though.
 
ChicagoRJ said:
that's weird, we're a pretty big forum at AZB, and I've yet to hear any "talk" of any issues with OB. But, hey, no reason to get a shot in on a company that does a lot for the sport... what the heck.

Of course, OB customer service is second to none. They are like the Seyberts of cue builders. I watched a "name brand" break cue disintegrate before my very eyes on the table next to me in league on Wednesday night. I'm going to ask them how long it takes to get a response and a new cue.... i'm guessing he won't even have an answer by league next week. I will take a few pics of the joint that failed miserably.
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I didn't mean to sound quite as harsh, hence the "in my opinion". I have had issues with their shafts personally, there have been many threads here aswell with shafts warping, delaminating and ferrules breaking in half and the few cue makers that I'm friends with have shared their stories about most production cues and from what has stuck to my mind OB hasn't been gathering much praise from them either. That said there are a few other companies & makers that have their issues aswell. Predator for example is also notorious with their ferrules on older shafts along with a few other hickups but their all around build & finish quality has been way better than that of OB from the cues and shafts that I have owned so they still remain a viable option for a cue in my books.

OB does have some really nice folk working for them as you stated. I think it is nice to see a president of a massive company personally comment on facebook posts etc. but that alone doensn't make the brands product better quality or worth recommending to others to me :frown: I'm glad you've had a better experience with their products though :smile:

Play well!

On topic:
I have owned and played extensively with all Mezz shafts currently in production so I'll try to chime in a bit here of what I think of the shafts you asked about;
The single biggest difference with WX700, HP2 and ExPro is the core.
WX700 doesn't have a core and therefore it has a rather natural hit with shaft flex that you'd expect from a maple shaft. A good shaft with not much tech stuffed in it.
HP2 has a very stiff carbon core so it has a very crisp hit to it. This is a personal thing if you like it or not. The sound of hit has a higher pitch than a WX700 for example from what I've experienced.
ExPro is something between the two mentioned earlier. It has a carbon core but it is clearly not as rigid and stiff of a core as the HP2. The hit is softer feeling & sounding than a HP2, more towards tge kind if hit that the WX700 has. ExPro is also more flexible than the HP2 with the stock taper and even more so if you like to alter the taper by taking it back some like I do.

Deflection between the three is within reason with all 3 so that alone shouldn't be the deciding factor in my opinion. You'll quickly get used to it regardless of which one you go with if you are used to LD shafts already :rolleyes: Go with the one you think you would like the most feelwise. That is hard to do without having a chance to hit a few balls with them but from what I understand that is not possible for you to do so hopefully these replies give you an idea of what the shafts are like.
 
Kimmo H. said:
I didn't mean to sound quite as harsh, hence the "in my opinion". I have had issues with their shafts personally, there have been many threads here aswell with shafts warping, delaminating and ferrules breaking in half and the few cue makers that I'm friends with have shared their stories about most production cues and from what has stuck to my mind OB hasn't been gathering much praise from them either. That said there are a few other companies & makers that have their issues aswell. Predator for example is also notorious with their ferrules on older shafts along with a few other hickups but their all around build & finish quality has been way better than that of OB from the cues and shafts that I have owned so they still remain a viable option for a cue in my books.

OB does have some really nice folk working for them as you stated. I think it is nice to see a president of a massive company personally comment on facebook posts etc. but that alone doensn't make the brands product better quality or worth recommending to others to me :frown: I'm glad you've had a better experience with their products though :smile:

Play well!

On topic:
I have owned and played extensively with all Mezz shafts currently in production so I'll try to chime in a bit here of what I think of the shafts you asked about;
The single biggest difference with WX700, HP2 and ExPro is the core.
WX700 doesn't have a core and therefore it has a rather natural hit with shaft flex that you'd expect from a maple shaft. A good shaft with not much tech stuffed in it.
HP2 has a very stiff carbon core so it has a very crisp hit to it. This is a personal thing if you like it or not. The sound of hit has a higher pitch than a WX700 for example from what I've experienced.
ExPro is something between the two mentioned earlier. It has a carbon core but it is clearly not as rigid and stiff of a core as the HP2. The hit is softer feeling & sounding than a HP2, more towards tge kind if hit that the WX700 has. ExPro is also more flexible than the HP2 with the stock taper and even more so if you like to alter the taper by taking it back some like I do.

Deflection between the three is within reason with all 3 so that alone shouldn't be the deciding factor in my opinion. You'll quickly get used to it regardless of which one you go with if you are used to LD shafts already :rolleyes: Go with the one you think you would like the most feelwise. That is hard to do without having a chance to hit a few balls with them but from what I understand that is not possible for you to do so hopefully these replies give you an idea of what the shafts are like.
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Have seen and heard not so flattering stuff about OB recently as well, including some really unacceptable work coming out of the factory. I own two OB shafts from some time back and they've been really good to me. I'm on Kimmo's side here in the sense that you should be more cautious when it comes to OB for the time being; no reason to rule them out entirely, but minimise your risk as far as you can if you really want to take the plunge in that direction.

As for the Mezz shafts, his summary pretty much covers all that you need to know. The only thing I can add is that if you liked the 314 and the 700 then I think its best to stick to a 700 since you can't really try before you buy.
 
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