Well a month or two ago I bought a Z2 shaft. On the first rack of 9-ball the tip breaks... I guess it was a common issue on some of the batches. Anyway, I sent it back to Predator after procrastinating a bit. For anyone not annoyed with Predator talk, some reviews:
--First Review: Predator Customer Service:
Took about 3 weeks after I sent it to have a new one from Predator. No questions asked, no hassle. Brand new 30" P2 with a thus-far unbroken ferrule. I'd have preferred a phone call to confirm delivery and an estimated time for the replacement, but I trusted they'd come through and they did. Thanks.
--The Real Review: The Shaft:
Shot some today. The Z2 really is amazing at what it's claimed to do. I kept throwing balls with english so much because it took a while to compensate for the lessened squirt. On light/medium shots I could pretty much use max english and not think adjust around a pivot point. I'd played with 314s in the past, but lately I've been using a standard maple shaft because 1.) I prefer the way it feels and 2.) it makes me pay attention more since I think they can be a little less forgiving than Predators. I had forgotten how forgiving Predators are.
I'm skeptical by nature, and try to find out the facts behind the fiction. But the Z2 really does minimize squirt. It's strange, using 2.5 tips of inside english and not worrying about squirt. I know what Efren meant now when he said the Predator shafts don't play right (I think I know what he meant anyway).
It isn't as stiff as I'd like it to be. I think the taper of the back 15" of the cue (the back half; not the tip half) could be a little thicker. Not sure how it would play if stiffer; but it does what it's supposed to (i.e. minimize squirt) so I can't fault it for a personal preference.
Prior to this, I have been playing with a shaft similar to the Z shaft in taper, but it is solid maple with 30 rings per inch, and a 12.2 mm tip. It's not too stiff, but not too whippy. Probably right in the middle, but it feels good. Stiffer than the Z2, and better "feel" however you want to subjectively quantify that [sic].
Compared to my other shafts, I think I lose a little bit of accuracy with long shots. I cant think of a good reason why, but it may be that I'm also adjusting to the change in balance. The Z2 is definitely lighter than my other shafts, and coupled with it's extra length (30" vs 29") it changes the balance point that much more.
I also don't mind the small tip. As many know, the taper in the first 4-5 inches grows pretty rapidly -- so most people who have bridges longer than 5" won't notice the small tip other than visually. Then again, I've been playing with 12.1 and 12.2 mm tips for a while, so it may not be as big a change for me compared to others.
Moori tip (optional) plays well. No real problems, but I still prefer harder tips like Triangles. But it plays well so it stays on for now.
Seems like it's harder to jump a ball with the Z2 -- even more than with the 314. The easiest "jump" I regularly do is to make the object ball jump. Pretty easy, for those who know what I'm talking about: elevate the cue to make the cueball jump a tad, and when struck hard the object ball will typically jump higher than the cueball without much effort. But with the Z2 I found the object ball wasn't getting the same height, and I'm left to assume it's because the cueball wasn't either. (side note: I'm not just doing this to bang balls; rather, just to practice when there's a slight obstruction between object ball and pocket.... maybe a 1/4 or an 1/8 of a ball).
OK that's all for now.
[Edit: Holy cow I wrote a lot. I need to get to bed.]
--First Review: Predator Customer Service:
Took about 3 weeks after I sent it to have a new one from Predator. No questions asked, no hassle. Brand new 30" P2 with a thus-far unbroken ferrule. I'd have preferred a phone call to confirm delivery and an estimated time for the replacement, but I trusted they'd come through and they did. Thanks.
--The Real Review: The Shaft:
Shot some today. The Z2 really is amazing at what it's claimed to do. I kept throwing balls with english so much because it took a while to compensate for the lessened squirt. On light/medium shots I could pretty much use max english and not think adjust around a pivot point. I'd played with 314s in the past, but lately I've been using a standard maple shaft because 1.) I prefer the way it feels and 2.) it makes me pay attention more since I think they can be a little less forgiving than Predators. I had forgotten how forgiving Predators are.
I'm skeptical by nature, and try to find out the facts behind the fiction. But the Z2 really does minimize squirt. It's strange, using 2.5 tips of inside english and not worrying about squirt. I know what Efren meant now when he said the Predator shafts don't play right (I think I know what he meant anyway).
It isn't as stiff as I'd like it to be. I think the taper of the back 15" of the cue (the back half; not the tip half) could be a little thicker. Not sure how it would play if stiffer; but it does what it's supposed to (i.e. minimize squirt) so I can't fault it for a personal preference.
Prior to this, I have been playing with a shaft similar to the Z shaft in taper, but it is solid maple with 30 rings per inch, and a 12.2 mm tip. It's not too stiff, but not too whippy. Probably right in the middle, but it feels good. Stiffer than the Z2, and better "feel" however you want to subjectively quantify that [sic].
Compared to my other shafts, I think I lose a little bit of accuracy with long shots. I cant think of a good reason why, but it may be that I'm also adjusting to the change in balance. The Z2 is definitely lighter than my other shafts, and coupled with it's extra length (30" vs 29") it changes the balance point that much more.
I also don't mind the small tip. As many know, the taper in the first 4-5 inches grows pretty rapidly -- so most people who have bridges longer than 5" won't notice the small tip other than visually. Then again, I've been playing with 12.1 and 12.2 mm tips for a while, so it may not be as big a change for me compared to others.
Moori tip (optional) plays well. No real problems, but I still prefer harder tips like Triangles. But it plays well so it stays on for now.
Seems like it's harder to jump a ball with the Z2 -- even more than with the 314. The easiest "jump" I regularly do is to make the object ball jump. Pretty easy, for those who know what I'm talking about: elevate the cue to make the cueball jump a tad, and when struck hard the object ball will typically jump higher than the cueball without much effort. But with the Z2 I found the object ball wasn't getting the same height, and I'm left to assume it's because the cueball wasn't either. (side note: I'm not just doing this to bang balls; rather, just to practice when there's a slight obstruction between object ball and pocket.... maybe a 1/4 or an 1/8 of a ball).
OK that's all for now.
[Edit: Holy cow I wrote a lot. I need to get to bed.]