Viking vs. Predator

A

AdamRA4

New member
I am possibly looking into buying a new cue. I currently shoot with a Meucci HOF-1. I want to upgrade to something a lot better (In my opinion). Which brand would be a better choice and for what reasons? Or should I get the butt I want and then pick a different shaft?
 
AdamRA4 said:
I am possibly looking into buying a new cue. I currently shoot with a Meucci HOF-1. I want to upgrade to something a lot better (In my opinion). Which brand would be a better choice and for what reasons? Or should I get the butt I want and then pick a different shaft?
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not a cue maker but i figure i'll throw in my .02 cents. you should find someone who'll let you try them out. i've hit with a couple of vikings that hit like they were made of cardboard. but a friend of mine has one that looks like it costs all of 5 bucks that hits really good. i myself have always been a fan of predators. you get a pretty consistant hit
 
Greetings,
If you like the feel of the Meucci handle, I'd put a 314 on it. If you'd like to get away from the Meucci entirely, then any handle that suits your fancy & put a 314 on it. Any handle other than Viking, from a cuemaker's perspective, since this is the forum in which you chose to ask this question.
If you'd like to get into a basic custom w/314, I can do that for around $400.
 
tell me more

KJ Cues said:
Greetings,
If you like the feel of the Meucci handle, I'd put a 314 on it. If you'd like to get away from the Meucci entirely, then any handle that suits your fancy & put a 314 on it. Any handle other than Viking, from a cuemaker's perspective, since this is the forum in which you chose to ask this question.
If you'd like to get into a basic custom w/314, I can do that for around $400.
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KJ,
Why do you say any handle other than viking?
I don't know anything about the construction process
and the last one I had was a VM8 which was limited production,
IIRC, it was pretty but I really didn't like the way it played.

If I knew then what I know now I'd probably have a clue
as to what exactly I didn't like about it.

I traded it for a predator sp and am still glad I did.
 
key thing here is you can't put a predator on the same level as other cue brands such as viking, joss, mcdermott etc, because predators are designed to do something different. they are low deflection shafts. if you want a low deflection shaft then a 314-2, or an ob-1 are your main options.

saying viking vs predator is a bit misleading because they do different things. hope this helps.
 
worriedbeef said:
key thing here is you can't put a predator on the same level as other cue brands such as viking, joss, mcdermott etc, because predators are designed to do something different. they are low deflection shafts. if you want a low deflection shaft then a 314-2, or an ob-1 are your main options.

saying viking vs predator is a bit misleading because they do different things. hope this helps.
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Construction wise the OB-1 is the top dog of glued-up shafts.
The way it is constructed makes it completely spineless and super warp resistant. In my opinion it is the best after market shaft you can buy.
Some people dont like the ferrule but even if you replace it with a regular ferrule and tip it will still still play better than a solid maple shaft. IMHO
 
Don't get a low deflection shaft. It's like steriod. You will get spoilt. Learn the long way. Don''t be lazy.
 
icem3n said:
Don't get a low deflection shaft. It's like steriod. You will get spoilt. Learn the long way. Don''t be lazy.
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I agree 100%. Don't get a car, you've got two legs, get there the hard way.

Dick
 
AdamRA4 said:
I am possibly looking into buying a new cue. I currently shoot with a Meucci HOF-1. I want to upgrade to something a lot better (In my opinion). Which brand would be a better choice and for what reasons? Or should I get the butt I want and then pick a different shaft?
Click to expand...

If you realy want something a lot better look for a custom cue maker near you. Of course 'better' has different meanings to different people.
Anyone can buy a cue like your HOF-1.
But with a custom cue you get something that is special and different.

Willee
 
if we want to talk about "getting there the hard way" we should also go back to the high nap cloth. i honestly believe that the use of simmonis (and all of the knock-offs) has helped undermine the development and maintenance of the pool players stroke. my 2 cents.

mark smith
mark smith custom cues and beezers billiards
russellville, arkansas
 
mark smith said:
if we want to talk about "getting there the hard way" we should also go back to the high nap cloth. i honestly believe that the use of simmonis (and all of the knock-offs) has helped undermine the development and maintenance of the pool players stroke. my 2 cents.

mark smith
mark smith custom cues and beezers billiards
russellville, arkansas
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This may very well be true but you do realize that Simonis, which is a worsted cloth, has been used on Billiard and Pool tables since 1650 or so. It's widespread use in the last 20 or so years has come about from the professional tournament players demanding it as they can go from tournament to tournament and not have to do so much about adapting to the cloth as it plays nearly the same under many different adverse conditions.

Dick

Dick
 
rhncue said:
Simonis, which is a worsted cloth, has been used on Billiard and Pool tables since 1650 or so.
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I didn't realize the company was so old ( I looked, Simonis started up in 1680 ! ). Kinda makes you want to say "wow". Thanks for posting this Dick.

Dave
 
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