John Barton
New member
Well as some of you know I am pretty much for jumping and jump cues under the current rules.
I finally got to test out a Predator Air jump cue this weekend.
A little background for those that don't know me: I brought out the Bunjee Jumper in 1998/99 and spent five years doing demos, shows, and clinics around the country. During that time I had a standing challenge that if anyone could show me another cue (that wasn't a direct copy of the Bunjee) which provided the same or better performance for the same or less money - then I would give them $500. But noone was ever able to claim that money.
So naturally I am still interested in all types of jump cues that come out and specifically when they are claimed to be the greatest.
Now, the Predator Air is out there, and I don't own Bunjee anymore. I do however still sell jump cues through Sterling Gaming and specifically the Fury Jump/Break so I have a stake in whether or not there is a better product on the market than what I sell.
If a product is better then I get to work to improve ours or I get to work to show ours is better.
Which then brings me to the P-Air review.
This cue has the look, it has the hype - but does it have the performance?
No.
It jumps great. Because it's super lightweight it does exactly what using just a shaft does which is to get the ball airborne quickly. But also like just a shaft you sacrifice control because there is not enough weight pushing against the cueball.
The person doing the jumping then has to work harder to control the cue to add enough force to achieve a decent level of accuracy.
Using a "traditional" (can I say that about a product that is ten years old) jump cue which weighs about 9oz, the player has the balance and feel of a normal cue when he/she is in the jacked up position. This allows the player to swing comfortably and confidently. And this allows for english to be put on the cueball with the same degree of confidence as when shooting a level shot.
With the Predator Air and all ultralights like it (yes, as hard as it is to believe Predator was not the first in this area either), the player is forced to compensate for the lack of mass by hitting the ball harder than they need to. On top of that the cue deflects crazily with an ultralight cue making it very difficult to control the cueball. For long jump shots this cue is almost completely unsuitable. Now I know that this probably goes against whatever Predator has to say about the subject. But my personal experience with dozens of brands of jump cues and well over a hundred thousand jump shots proves what I am saying.
I have nothing against Predator bringing out a jump cue.
But I do take issue with statements like these;
"The world?s most accurate jump cue."
"Thanks to advanced front-end technology and the unparalleled flexibility of its extra handle, Predator?s first ever jump cue has the height to dazzle and the accuracy to destroy. And when you?re wielding it, so do you."
from the Predator website.
The claim is untrue. And others before Predator offered extra handles and extensions to lengthen the cue. Bunjee has the Bunjee Extension which adds five inches to the handle. The Stealth Air Jumper (seems awfully convenient that Predator chose "Air" when Ned Morris has used it for many years before) has used the double jointed handle since it's inception. The Fury Break Jump uses the same joint at the jump portion so that the bottom handle can be used to provide an extended jump cue.
And the funny thing is that Predator will make the cue perform worse for an additional $25. That's right, for $25 they will install a leather tip which will decrease the performance. Although in fairness, as an ultralight, the cue might be more comfortable with a leather tip instead of a phenolic one.
After all, the entire reason for having phenolic tips on jump cues is to allow them to have the right weight to control the cueball AND provide the jumpability that just a shaft provides.
And with today's crop of good jump cues out there that are properly weighted and balanced there is no need to believe the hype surrounding the Predator Air if you are looking for the ultimate in performance and price. The P-Air can take it's place among the pack but it is clearly not the leader.
And I have $500 to prove it.
John Barton
I finally got to test out a Predator Air jump cue this weekend.
A little background for those that don't know me: I brought out the Bunjee Jumper in 1998/99 and spent five years doing demos, shows, and clinics around the country. During that time I had a standing challenge that if anyone could show me another cue (that wasn't a direct copy of the Bunjee) which provided the same or better performance for the same or less money - then I would give them $500. But noone was ever able to claim that money.
So naturally I am still interested in all types of jump cues that come out and specifically when they are claimed to be the greatest.
Now, the Predator Air is out there, and I don't own Bunjee anymore. I do however still sell jump cues through Sterling Gaming and specifically the Fury Jump/Break so I have a stake in whether or not there is a better product on the market than what I sell.
If a product is better then I get to work to improve ours or I get to work to show ours is better.
Which then brings me to the P-Air review.
This cue has the look, it has the hype - but does it have the performance?
No.
It jumps great. Because it's super lightweight it does exactly what using just a shaft does which is to get the ball airborne quickly. But also like just a shaft you sacrifice control because there is not enough weight pushing against the cueball.
The person doing the jumping then has to work harder to control the cue to add enough force to achieve a decent level of accuracy.
Using a "traditional" (can I say that about a product that is ten years old) jump cue which weighs about 9oz, the player has the balance and feel of a normal cue when he/she is in the jacked up position. This allows the player to swing comfortably and confidently. And this allows for english to be put on the cueball with the same degree of confidence as when shooting a level shot.
With the Predator Air and all ultralights like it (yes, as hard as it is to believe Predator was not the first in this area either), the player is forced to compensate for the lack of mass by hitting the ball harder than they need to. On top of that the cue deflects crazily with an ultralight cue making it very difficult to control the cueball. For long jump shots this cue is almost completely unsuitable. Now I know that this probably goes against whatever Predator has to say about the subject. But my personal experience with dozens of brands of jump cues and well over a hundred thousand jump shots proves what I am saying.
I have nothing against Predator bringing out a jump cue.
But I do take issue with statements like these;
"The world?s most accurate jump cue."
"Thanks to advanced front-end technology and the unparalleled flexibility of its extra handle, Predator?s first ever jump cue has the height to dazzle and the accuracy to destroy. And when you?re wielding it, so do you."
from the Predator website.
The claim is untrue. And others before Predator offered extra handles and extensions to lengthen the cue. Bunjee has the Bunjee Extension which adds five inches to the handle. The Stealth Air Jumper (seems awfully convenient that Predator chose "Air" when Ned Morris has used it for many years before) has used the double jointed handle since it's inception. The Fury Break Jump uses the same joint at the jump portion so that the bottom handle can be used to provide an extended jump cue.
And the funny thing is that Predator will make the cue perform worse for an additional $25. That's right, for $25 they will install a leather tip which will decrease the performance. Although in fairness, as an ultralight, the cue might be more comfortable with a leather tip instead of a phenolic one.
After all, the entire reason for having phenolic tips on jump cues is to allow them to have the right weight to control the cueball AND provide the jumpability that just a shaft provides.
And with today's crop of good jump cues out there that are properly weighted and balanced there is no need to believe the hype surrounding the Predator Air if you are looking for the ultimate in performance and price. The P-Air can take it's place among the pack but it is clearly not the leader.
And I have $500 to prove it.
John Barton
