Schon STL Series vs. Predator 5K Series

imax

imax

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Schon STL Series vs. Predator 5K/312-2 Series; compare, contrast, and evaluate the playing characteristics of these two cue styles.

Living in an area where a player can't even try out a few cues to decide which to purchase I have narrowed it down to these two production cue manufacturers. Yes, I know Schon is supposedly not a "production" cue but how else could they make, produce, the amount of cues that they sell each year without being in the "production" cue business?

I have tried 12mm shafts and overall I feel I have more control with a more traditional size shaft; ie: 13mm/12.75mm. I have, what I feel, is a good stroke; who doesn't? I have a good sense of pattern play, but lack the finesse of position play. I know where I want it but the damn thing does NOT co-operate; well maybe sometimes.

I want a cue with good balance, not butt heavy. To me a well balanced cue should be like an extension on of your arm, it doesn't just lay there as a piece of wood I am holding on to. The cue feels like it belongs, like it assists my play.

You know what I mean. You pick it up shoot two balls with it and go yeahhhhhhh!

Only two cues I have played with meet this criteria. An original Balabuska many years ago and recently a Southwest; that's it. But again, I really am not now exposed to players using a great deal of cue variety that one would actually consider buying. That original Balabuska you can forget. And as far as a Southwest I'd have to try it first and I have found that rather hard to do online.

You can rule out Jacoby as I have tried Jacoby and I did not care for the way the particular Jacoby I hit with felt to me. IMHO, I thought that my current 25 year old ADAM AH-10 cue played better than that Jacoby which was "supposedly" setup by a custom cue maker.

I have tried a friends Predator 4K7 w/a Z shaft and it felt OK. Not great but certainly better than the aforementioned Jacoby. There is a very good player, a tournament player, where I play that uses a Schon with an OB-1 shaft and swears by it. I haven't asked him if I could hit with it as he is a nice fellow but rather stand-offish if you know what I mean. I'm gonna have to do it though as I think he may have the cue/shaft combo I might really like.

So what are your thoughts on this? Please don't get off topic. I know there are a lot of custom cues out there, Scruggs, Blacks, Varneys, Benders, Capones, et al., but I just would like feedback on Schon STL Series vs. Predator 5K Series. When I can go somewhere to see and feel/test a more high end cue then I'll spring for more bucks.
 
I think you might be comparing apples to lawn tractors!:D

Schon cues, which I have played with and sold for years are a rock solid investment. I just never have gotten a "dud". Every cue in their line plays the same!

Predator is a "tech" style cue which is a whole nother animal IMO. You can have an easier time comparing Predator vs OB-1 vs Tiger etc.

I think you might want to first figure if you are into the "low deflection" thing, or a player who likes a more natural approach....THEN, you choice will be easier...

good luck, G.
 
Having owned and played with both, the Schon was better with the original Schon shaft and MUCH better with a Predator shaft. The Schon has much more feel and better balance.

I think Predator went too far with the newer 5k series, the hit feels kinda dull and bland to me. It feels to me like they have dampened the vibration/feel so much that you can't feel when you've made a poor stroke, everything feels the same. Also I do not care much for the sound of the hit either. Having tried various tips, I never found anything that was quite right for me.

If you play with the original Schon shaft, it is a very stiff hit (with the original tip) and I don't believe would be a good/fair comparison. I really think a Schon with a Predator shaft is the way to go. Good consistant feel, moves the ball well. I cannot comment on the OB1 set-up, having never played it. Also, from what I see from the For Sale/Trade section and Ebay, Schon seems to hold value better (if that matters to you).
 
I play with a stl 7. If your concern is the diameter of the shaft, you can send a Schon shaft to them and they will take it down smaller for you. I had mine taken down to 12.75 by them. I wanted to maintain the same Schon taper.
I had a 314 shaft but I sold it after I had the Schon shaft taken down.

That's what worked for me but nobody can tell you what will work best for you. Your best bet is to hit with both cues and get an idea.

Good luck.
 
I've played with a bunch of high end cues. I've decided to stay with Schons.
To me they feel perfect. I had one Predator I think it was a limited edition P2. I hated it.
 
Thanks, I appreciate your replies; more replies are most welcomed . . .

Thanks alstl, and thanks to any one who has been kind enough to post a reply to my questions.

Honestly I am leaning towards this cue . . . http://www.schoncues.com/html/stl9.html . . . as the Predators do seem more of a hype type cue than a solid, well established, players cue like Schon. And thank you coryjeb, yes resale should always be a consideration even to a collector. I would agree with you that there is more value retained in a Schon cue and a better resale market as well. Actually, as I think about the Schon, if I like how they feel and hit, I might actually hold on to it much longer than a Predator.

I will probably get another shaft, a 12.75mm shaft either the OB-1 or Predator, but first I need to settle on the cue. You know you can always just buy a 12.5mm or 12.75mm Schon cue rather than having an existing shaft taken down. From what I read about Schon their shafts match up almost perfectly with any Schon cue out there; very good to know.

From my understanding Predators are mostly coming out of China now and Schons are still made in the good ole' U.S. of A.

Until I get to hit with a Schon I will not make decision. As far as weight any ideas? I am thinking 19oz. my current cue is 19.25oz but feels heavier than that to me; probably just a balance issue.

One thing I do like about the Predators though is the Uniloc joint. My 5/16x18 seems to take forever to put together and take apart. Just a mind thing I suppose. If I take my med maybe i won't notice :p
 
that unilock stuff is no good in my opinion. maybe that's it but i think it takes some of the feel away when playing.maybe it softens it. either way i didn't like it. on the same note i haven't liked any of the schons ive played with. but i'd try another for sure
 
I think the Schon cues are the best hitting cues I have ever played with. Much better than other production cues that I have played with.
 
imax said:
Thanks alstl, and thanks to any one who has been kind enough to post a reply to my questions.

Honestly I am leaning towards this cue . . . http://www.schoncues.com/html/stl9.html . . . as the Predators do seem more of a hype type cue than a solid, well established, players cue like Schon. And thank you coryjeb, yes resale should always be a consideration even to a collector. I would agree with you that there is more value retained in a Schon cue and a better resale market as well. Actually, as I think about the Schon, if I like how they feel and hit, I might actually hold on to it much longer than a Predator.

I will probably get another shaft, a 12.75mm shaft either the OB-1 or Predator, but first I need to settle on the cue. You know you can always just buy a 12.5mm or 12.75mm Schon cue rather than having an existing shaft taken down. From what I read about Schon their shafts match up almost perfectly with any Schon cue out there; very good to know.

From my understanding Predators are mostly coming out of China now and Schons are still made in the good ole' U.S. of A.

Until I get to hit with a Schon I will not make decision. As far as weight any ideas? I am thinking 19oz. my current cue is 19.25oz but feels heavier than that to me; probably just a balance issue.

One thing I do like about the Predators though is the Uniloc joint. My 5/16x18 seems to take forever to put together and take apart. Just a mind thing I suppose. If I take my med maybe i won't notice :p
Click to expand...

I haven't done a survey but I'd say 19oz is what a lot of people prefer. Here is a link to a guy who had a bunch of Schons for sale recently.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=89747&highlight=collection
 
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