Serious problems with new Predator?? Help!!

G

graemeham

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I got a problem guys!!!

After playing pretty much all my life with a basic Bison cue, I decided to go for it and splash out out £600 on a top of the range cue. I went for a Predator because they have a strong following and appear to be one of the best brands. I went for an Ikon 3 with the Z2 shaft. I went Z2 because I find the 13mm tips a little too thick and sometimes find myself playing with a snooker cue (10mm) for more accuracy. So the 11.5 Z2 sounded like perfection!!!

I have played around for it for a couple of hours and I am mortified!! I am miscueing like hell and generally having a really really tough time adjusting to it. After a while of struggling through some 9 ball racks I switched back to my Bison with 13mm and played a flawless rack, spinning the ball all over the place and playing so smooth.

Can someone offer some advice and opinion. Why the heck is this supposedly top of the line cue, causing me so many problems to do even the most basic of spin shots. I am very close to putting it up on Ebay

ARgh
 
LD cues & shafts take some getting used to. Most likely 2-4 weeks. I'm not an LD guy and this is why. All cues deflect somewhat. The more you switch it up the more inconsistent your game will be. Staying with the same cue for along time is a good thing and when you change it's not always with great results. You have to mentally learn what the cue does all over again. It's up to you if you want to devote the time to the change. Switching back any fourth to your old cue will make this process longer.
 
Make sure your tip is scuffed up and well chalked and keep using it in your practice routine they take alittle getting use to but when you get it mastered you wont turn back.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys.

It is probably not a good thing to switch back to my old cue. I think I'll persevere with it.

Do you guys think I will have to adjust my game and how I strike the ball? Will general play and chalking help reduce the amount of miscues?

The tip is the standard everest tip. I tried to reserch the tip and the threads i saw here on AZB said the everest is decent enough and there's no need to change for a new one, I did consider getting a Kamui put on though
 
My advice would be to get a scuffer, tip pik, tip tapper, or sandpaper and rough your tip up a bit. Sometimes when tips are new they need that along with regular chalking to get broke in so they don't do the glaze over thing.
 
deadnutz said:
LD cues & shafts take some getting used to. Most likely 2-4 weeks. I'm not an LD guy and this is why. All cues deflect somewhat. The more you switch it up the more inconsistent your game will be. Staying with the same cue for along time is a good thing and when you change it's not always with great results. You have to mentally learn what the cue does all over again. It's up to you if you want to devote the time to the change. Switching back any fourth to your old cue will make this process longer.
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Excellent post.....

Don't be down on Predator products because they've got a heck of a following so they must be doing something right!

Any new cue that you buy LD or not will be a change from what you are used to so take it slowly and don't expect it to be your magic wand right away. A new cue has a new tip that must be scuffed and shaped to what you like. Take your time and play some with it and get used to how it deflects and what to expect it to do on different types of shots. It will take you a little time to get the feel of it and then you'll be running racks with your new cue.

I made the switch from regular shafts to Predator 314-2 shafts a couple of years ago and i'm hooked on how this shaft plays. I've been playing with this type of shaft long enough that I know what it's going to do when I approach different shots and then it's up to me to execute the proper stroke to make the ball and get position.

Give your new cue a chance before you put it on ebay and you'll be glad you did.

James
 
graemeham said:
Thanks for the feedback guys.

It is probably not a good thing to switch back to my old cue. I think I'll persevere with it.

Do you guys think I will have to adjust my game and how I strike the ball? Will general play and chalking help reduce the amount of miscues?

The tip is the standard everest tip. I tried to reserch the tip and the threads i saw here on AZB said the everest is decent enough and there's no need to change for a new one, I did consider getting a Kamui put on though
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Getting used to a new LD shaft can be very frustrating, but DO NOT switch back and forth. Just stick to it. You're game may suffer a little right now, but you'll get through it

It's not so much that you have to get used to it, as you have to untrain your brain from compensating for cut shots with English. It's kind of a funny thing because you didn't consciously learn to compensate for cut shots with English. With your non-LD shaft, your brain just sort of figured it out over hundreds and hundreds of shots that's what has to be done to make the ball. Now, your brain is still telling you where to aim, even though the cue ball isn't going to squirt because you're using an LD shaft, and you miss the shot. So, yes, you'll have to adjust your game, but thankfully it'll be on an unconscious level.

As for the miscues, if your tip is taking and holding chalk, then that's not the problem. Nor is it the fact that it's an Everest. IMHO there are better tips on the market, but the Everest is just fine. The problem could be that you just have to get used to shooting with a dramatically different sized tip. Going from a 13 to an 11.5 is a pretty big change. But I'm sure you'll get used to it in a hurry.
 
Everyone I know with a Pred ditched the Everest asap. I know I did. horrible mushy hit and miscue city. Change the tip, change the cue.
 
If you're used to a 13mm you probably should've bought the 314 instead of the smaller z2. Otherwise, play closer to center with the smaller tip. The Everest tip itself probably isn't causing your miscues, it's your technique with the larger 13mm being applied to the smaller one.
 
Very good feedback here.

I am gonna persevere with it, you guys have made me feel a bit more confident in it. I will consider taking a but of sandpaper to the tip however it seems to hold chalk quite well so perhaps that's not it but it can't hurt.

The last post makes a good point about using spin to make cut shots, It is something I tend to do alot.

I suppose it is early days with this new tip shape. Ill see how it goes
 
I play with a z2. ditch everest tip; get a kamui black and hit closer to the center on the ball until you get used to it. When you first start with a z2 people tend to hit to far outside center and that will cause miscues.
 
Miscueing is not a function of the shaft it is a function of the tip and your stroke. Scuff the tip for starters. Use chalk. See what that does for you.
 
You do know with a predator ,,you have to hit toward the center of the cue. And just outside of center for English. Nowhere near as far out as other cues. And you will get the same effect,, if not more English.

That is what takes time to get used to. One tip out at the most,,any further and you will miscue. Try it for awhile and you will see. Even a half tip out,, and English applies well.
You have to pay close attention to the cue tip placement on cue.
 
It's just a bit frustrating that I can cue the way I do with a crappy £100 cue but when i want to cue with an expensive one with a supposedly superior tip, it miscues most of the time. It shouldnt be like that.

I will definitely take a bit of sandpaper to it to see
 
flash5153 said:
You do know with a predator ,,you have to hit toward the center of the cue. And just outside of center for English. Nowhere near as far out as other cues. And you will get the same effect,, if not more English.

That is what takes time to get used to. One tip out at the most,,any further and you will miscue. Try it for awhile and you will see. Even a half tip out,, and English applies well.
You have to pay close attention to the cue tip placement on cue.
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This is a good point. I did notice I don't have to put as much fizz on the cueball as I would with other cues. Perhaps it's just about retraining myself on how to do certain spins with less effort
 
graemeham said:
This is a good point. I did notice I don't have to put as much fizz on the cueball as I would with other cues. Perhaps it's just about retraining myself on how to do certain spins with less effort
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Where is your location? I might be able to help you out.
 
No sandpaper!

graemeham said:
It's just a bit frustrating that I can cue the way I do with a crappy £100 cue but when i want to cue with an expensive one with a supposedly superior tip, it miscues most of the time. It shouldnt be like that.

I will definitely take a bit of sandpaper to it to see
Click to expand...

The last time I used sandpaper on the face of a tip was probably 1968.

Sandpaper may help the tip hold chalk, but only at the expense of wearing the tip out faster. There are a number of good tip tools on the market, and most are not too expensive.

I wouldn't over-think the correction on aiming thing. If you're an experienced player, your subconscious may make the adjustment for you. When I got my first Predator shaft, I struggled for the first half hour, trying to make conscious adjustments. Then I put the adjustments out of my mind, and fifteen minutes later I ran five racks.

By the way, I don't care for the Everest tips that much either, though I like the other tips that company makes.
 
I am up north in cold Scotland.

Donny thanks for advice, I might hold back on it.

Don't get me wrong guys, i can still run out however its just miscuing with certain shots for example deep screwing is quite tough.

I will keep at it and give you guys an update on how it is in a few days.

Thanks all for the advice. Much appreciated
 
I'd switch out the tip for a soft Kamui--or how ever it's spelled--or even a milk dud--but get rid of what's on there--I assume you have shaped the tip and scuffed it already--then work with what you have--I remember when I was young, I read that Mosconi stated that it took 100 hours with a new cue for him to learn it's nuance's--I have seen about the same time frame from that statement---From all the cues I have ever owned , there was only one that I fell for when I first hit a ball with it--and that's been over 30 years ago--I've never let loose of it since- one of Gus Szamboti's cues--Love the Kamui tip on that one , I do
 
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