SHAFTS, stick with custom or go to predator?

UK-Collector

UK-Collector

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a number of custom cues. 3 PFD, 1 Judd, 1 Perry Weston and 1 AE and all the shafts play different. I would rate the Weston as the best of the ones i have but i hear everyone talking about Predators as being the best.

Should i ditch the custom shafts in favour of a predator (or a different alternative) or are the custom shafts better? After all they are made by top custom cue makers.

What should i do?
 
I like to have the shafts with matching rings. A couple years ago I wanted to get a new shaft for my old Adams, so I looked at Predator and they did not offer a black collar with Silver ring in a 5/16 X 18. I also called Cory at Tiger and they did not make one either, so I had a local cue maker make me a new shaft and could not be happier.

Last year I tried out a friends predator and the hit kinda felt funny to me, I don't know why or what kind of tip he had on it.

I say keep the original shafts, you can always pick up a laminated to experiment with and if you like the way it feels use it and save the originals.:D
 
UK-Collector said:
I have a number of custom cues. 3 PFD, 1 Judd, 1 Perry Weston and 1 AE and all the shafts play different. I would rate the Weston as the best of the ones i have but i hear everyone talking about Predators as being the best.

Should i ditch the custom shafts in favour of a predator (or a different alternative) or are the custom shafts better? After all they are made by top custom cue makers.

What should i do?
Click to expand...
We are all looking for "the perfect hit". Someone once said, If the perfect hit existed in only one product, they would only make and sell that one product. It's all subjective, go try one, if you don't like it, sell it and recoup 80-90% of your $$. Putting your mind at ease might cost you about $40 but you'll sleep better. Who knows, you might even keep it.

Welcome to the quest for the "holy hit". It can be maddening. Personally, if you like the Weston, keep it and master it.

Mike
 
I have a Paul Mottey with two shafts. One shaft plays slightly better than the other because they have different tips. I have an old but good Meucci with a 314 predator shaft.

The Predator compared to the Mottey has less deflection. The Mottey has a better feel. I think it depends more on your game and style of shooting.

I ordered a Predator Z (2nd gen) for the Mottey. It should be in in a few days. I ordered the Z shaft because I like a thin shaft and I would like to see how well it works. It is a good investment and the grandchildren might make a few bucks after I am through with it. I'll let you know more about the playing differences after it comes in.

My personal test for deflection is to place an object ball one ball's width off the second diamond on the foot rail. I shoot from the center diamond head rail and try to cut the ball in. This is a very thin 9' shot and the percentage of misses is fewer with the Predator even though I have been playing with the Mottey for 15 years.
 
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UK-Collector said:
I have a number of custom cues. 3 PFD, 1 Judd, 1 Perry Weston and 1 AE and all the shafts play different. I would rate the Weston as the best of the ones i have but i hear everyone talking about Predators as being the best.

Should i ditch the custom shafts in favour of a predator (or a different alternative) or are the custom shafts better? After all they are made by top custom cue makers.

What should i do?
Click to expand...

Look at the thread in the main forum "indiv. item that most helped your game". Almost half of the poster's said one type of the predator shaft's.
 
I think it depends on the player. I have played Predator now since 1997 and I love them. I have the Z2 shaft and I like the taper and spin it generates. That said, I have played a bit with a friends Scruggs and I could see myself play with that cue as is just fine. I have also tried other customs and didn't like the hit. I agree, hit is subjective and the player chooses the hit they like the best. Predator is the best shaft IMHO with regards to deflection, but feel can be incredible with a custom.

The question you need to ask, is deflection my problem? If you are not losing the ball to a squirt or deflection problem and you have invested that much money in a quality custom why switch?

I do love my Z2 though!!! Man can I spin whitey now!
 
Well if you play good with your current cues, why bother? But if you feel that you ''need" to try it out, I'd suggest buying 1 first, even 2nd hand to try it out. If you liked it, then go ahead and buy one for each of your cues. The good thing with that is, once you've learned how to play with a predator, it'll make your cues play more similar than before, therefore easier to switch around.
 
If you really want to, make DAMN sure you try a predator on one of your cues before you switch them all. They are NOT for everyone, including me. Most people I've talked to either love them or hate them. Not many on the fence.
 
Thanks

Thanks for all the feedback and i aggree with the consensis that it is all down to the individual and the desired result, less deflection or feel.

I think i will try one out and make a decision after that.
 
You might also want to check out ob-1, universal smartshaft, and an x shaft. The ob-1 is similar to a predator 314. The universal is a low deflection non-hollow shaft (not as low deflection as predator, but better feel).
 
New Predator Z shaft on a Mottey

Just played for about one hour with the new Predator Z that came today. I put it on my Paul Mottey. It is everything they say it is and more. It has a Mori tip and the feel is the same as the Mottey with a LePro tip.

I don't know about others who say the Predator has a distictive sound. This one doesn't, perhaps the new tip fixed that problem.

Whatever these people did, they did it right as the new shaft "feels" as good as the Mottey shaft I have been playing with for 15 years. The new shaft is a little thinner and I got the 30" model. The balance is "right" for me. There is indeed less deflection and Ihave a learning curve here. All in all I got a winner.

I have no interest in Billiards Warehouse, I liked their return policy (which I won't need now). Paul, who works there, was pleasant and professional. Good people to do business with.
 
CaptainHook said:
I like to have the shafts with matching rings. A couple years ago I wanted to get a new shaft for my old Adams, so I looked at Predator and they did not offer a black collar with Silver ring in a 5/16 X 18. I also called Cory at Tiger and they did not make one either, so I had a local cue maker make me a new shaft and could not be happier.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't remember this call, but there must have been some misunderstanding as we do offer a 5/16-18 "X" Shaft w/Silver Ring :confused:
 
CrownCityCorey said:
Sorry, I don't remember this call, but there must have been some misunderstanding as we do offer a 5/16-18 "X" Shaft w/Silver Ring :confused:
Click to expand...


This was about 2 years ago, and all you had was a Black collar. I remember you telling me you just had a batch made and they were 12.75mm.
But no 5/16 X 18 with the Silver ring. I was bummed.

When did you start offering the 5/16 X 18 with the Silver ring?:)
 
Funny that I should see this thread today. I spoke to Billy Stroud of Josswest on the phone last Friday, and he had a lot to say on this subject. We were talking hit, and taper, and how he's changed his in the last 30 years. He also had a hand in designing the Universal Smart shaft.

Bill actually steered me away from a new Josswest shaft for my old cue. I thought that his latest taper might be an improvement, but here is what he said. IF A PLAYER IS A SERIOUS COMPETITOR, AND PLAYS ON SIMONIS CLOTH, HE NEEDS TO USE AN ANTI-DEFLECTION SHAFT. He could have steered me towards one of his shafts for $350, or a Universal since he designed it, but he didn't ! He spoke at length about how Simonis cloth has changed the game. He said that he had played with a Predator shaft for a few hours (he's a world class one-pocket player), and that it took 15 mins to adjust. After that, he said he just stopped compensating for deflection, and just pocketed EVERYTHING ! He is sold on it and the only qualifier was the tip. He likes the Moori medium and says that if you are used to another the hit may take some adjustment, but nothing major. He also likes the shaft in the 12.75mm configuration.

Last but not least, he mentioned the changes to position play in his game due to a laminated shaft. Keep in mind that this applies to great equipment with new Simonis cloth, but he said that he uses the rails less than before for shapes. He told me without mincing any words that I need a modern technology type shaft. He mentioned that there are many, but it seemed that Predator got named the most. I think that's a huge endorsement and a new shaft is on my short list...Tom
 
Seems like an easy answer here. Buy one and try it out. If you like it, you have your answer. Any decent cue-maker can custom fit some rings so that they match your other custom cues.

If you've got some PDFs, a Judd, a PWeston and an AE then I think you're serious enough to test out a $200 investment on a Predator shaft.

The best thing? Predator shafts retain their value pretty well. Buy a new shaft, and if you don't like it you can sell it on eBay in great condition for almost 75-80% of what you bought it for. What's the loss of $45, for peace of mind?

-SPW

UK-Collector said:
I have a number of custom cues. 3 PFD, 1 Judd, 1 Perry Weston and 1 AE and all the shafts play different. I would rate the Weston as the best of the ones i have but i hear everyone talking about Predators as being the best.

Should i ditch the custom shafts in favour of a predator (or a different alternative) or are the custom shafts better? After all they are made by top custom cue makers.

What should i do?
Click to expand...
 
Wow, that's pretty strong since he backed the Universal Smart Shaft for quite a while. Regardless of whether he's "right" (an awfully objective term for a subjective topic) it's good to see old-time cuemakers incorporating new technology into their craft/games/philosophy.

tpdtom said:
Bill [Stroud] actually steered me away from a new Josswest shaft for my old cue. I thought that his latest taper might be an improvement, but here is what he said. IF A PLAYER IS A SERIOUS COMPETITOR, AND PLAYS ON SIMONIS CLOTH, HE NEEDS TO USE AN ANTI-DEFLECTION SHAFT. He could have steered me towards one of his shafts for $350, or a Universal since he designed it, but he didn't ! He spoke at length about how Simonis cloth has changed the game. He said that he had played with a Predator shaft for a few hours (he's a world class one-pocket player), and that it took 15 mins to adjust. After that, he said he just stopped compensating for deflection, and just pocketed EVERYTHING ! He is sold on it...
Click to expand...
 
I believe that everybody ought to try a Predator shaft... they may not be for everybody... but every player ought to at least try one.
 
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