TheThaiger
Banned
Cheers. Everest tips are very soft anyway, so might be a different story with a firmer tip.
Which Predator?
- Thread starter TheThaiger
- Start date
Cheers. Everest tips are very soft anyway, so might be a different story with a firmer tip.
I had a 5k and still have P2. The construction was different but the main thing is that P2 will be more butt heavy than a 5k. Tried other P2’s, 5k, 4k all were good.
The two P3’s that I tried felt kind of flimsy and worse than a P2.
As for sneaky pete’s the ones with metal joint were nice. One with wood to wood was absolutely terrible.
Predator cues have lively hit , all in all good cues IMHO.
The two P3’s that I tried felt kind of flimsy and worse than a P2.
As for sneaky pete’s the ones with metal joint were nice. One with wood to wood was absolutely terrible.
Predator cues have lively hit , all in all good cues IMHO.
Bro i'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply to this. just haven't been on this thread in a while. anyway i'd go with the P2 because i like the way they hit. while they do hit softer than the other predators imo they seem to have a little more feel to them. you still get that nice "tonk" sound which resonates all the way down the cue when you hit a ball with one.
i don't know when they did it but when they still came with the ultra leather wrap they were really cool. the wrap was super soft. in short it's all go and no show
i also like the 5K series cues though. all the ones before the -2 ones were pretty good. fewer problems
TheThaiger
Banned
Man, you don't forgive & forget! :grin:
TheThaiger
Banned
Cheers!!!!
Predator contracts custom cue makers like Pechauer, Jacoby, Samsara, Mezz and Longoni for limited runs of CERTAIN Special Edition cues and some Limited Edition. All Special Editions are made by these Contracted Cuemakers, while some Limited are made by them. They dont do all of them.
Heres the history:
SE1: Pechauer
SE2: Pechauer
SE3: Pechauer
SE4: Pechauer
SE5: Samsara
SE6: Longoni
SE7: Longoni
SE8: Pechauer
SE9: Pechauer
SE10: Mezz
SE11: Mezz
SE12: Jacoby
SE13: Jacoby
SE14: Longoni
SE15: Longoni
SE16: Pechauer
SE17: Pechauer
SE18: Samsara
SE19: Samsara
SE20: Jacoby
SE21: Jacoby
SE22: Pechauer "Imperial"
SE23: Pechauer "Imperial"
SE24: Mezz "Alchemy"
SE25: Mezz "Alchemy"
Mezz has also made the Limited Edition LE10 and LE11.
The P2 LE was made by Bill Stroud of Joss West
The Limited Edition Fire and Ice were made by Predator in their factory.
I suspect the LE Willie Hoppe was made in the Predator Factory.
TheThaiger
Banned
Thanks geo. The SE or LE ranges - do they play like a Pech/Mezz/Jacoby normally would with an aftermarket Predator shaft attached, or are they made to Predator's own spec? If they're made to Pred's spec, what's the point of getting other manufacturers to make them?
Not sure how specific Predator input was, ie whether they had a say in the butt taper and diameter at certain locations or if it was up to the CM.
From what I remember after talking to the Predator Reps at SBE, I think all LE are designed by Predator and made to their design. And I think SEs are designed by the custom cuemaker and Predator decides which one of their designs to go into production, I should call to confirm. I believe that is the case because each SE cue has something that is signature to that CM in that SE design, for example:
- the symmetrical points (matching points from buttsleeve and forearm are mirror into the wrap) in Pechauer designs (SE2-4, SE8-9, SE16-17),
- and the inlayed shafts in SE22-23, common in Pechauer Royal Crown
- the octogonal handle in the Longoni cues (SE14-15)
- the samsara stacks in the butt sleeves (SE5, SE18)
- 3 Hi/ 3lo V Grooved sharp points in Samsara (SE5, 18, 19)
I think as an SE it has to have a UniLoc Joint, which may be different than what the CM normally uses, ie Pechauer has his own quick release, as does Mezz, the only exception I can think of is SE20 and SE21, which are Jacoby and have Radial pins instead
Before Predator decides to go into production of the SE, the CM build various Prototypes with slight variance, here is an example of a prototype SE 17 on ebay
Ebay Item 290581359782
Ebay Item 290581359782
I believe Predator's Willie Hoppe tribute cue was actually built by Pechauer, via Predator's then-contract with Pechauer to build their Limited and Special Edition cues.
So, as an interesting side note, by switching out the Predator shaft for an OB, you now have a 100% American-made cue.
-Sean
P.S.: Recently, for whatever reason, Predator switched to Mezz to make their Limited and Special Edition cues.
I recently had 3 prospective cue buyers meet me at a local pool hall for some intensive testing. No bangers here, one is a former multiple State & National champion and the other was a semi-pro snooker player with his brother who is no slouch.
I have a couple of cues I use for demo models:
An Ikon-1 19 oz
A 4K-3 18.5 oz
I had another buddy bring his quiver with him to open up the options. He has a Quiet Roller (QR-1) and a P2 both 19 oz.
Between us we have:
2 x 314 shafts - 1 w/Everest tip - 1 w/Sniper tip
3 x 314-2 shafts 1 w/Everest tip - 1 w/Sniper tip - 1 w/ Moori Med tip
2 x 314-Z2 shafts 1 w/Sniper tip - 1 w/Moori Med tip
2 x Tiger X shafts 1 is 29" w/Sniper tip - 1 is 30" w/Sniper tip
1 x OB-1 shaft w/Moori Med tip
2 x OB-2 shafts 1 w/Sniper tip - 1 w/Moori Med tip
Other than the QR which has a 314-2 w/Moori Med tip, they are all Uni-Loc quick release joints.
We lined up every combination available over a 5 hour period. Had a couple of other decent players join us at one point. One had a P3(white) with a 314-2 shaft and Kamui Black Med tip.
The former champ was torn between:
QR-1 with its 314-2 w/Moori Med tip
4K-3 + Tiger X shaft 29" w/Sniper tip
4K-3 + 314-2 shaft w/Sniper tip
The semi-pro snooker player likewise could not decide between:
QR-1 with its 314-2 w/Moori Med tip
4K-3 + 314-2 shafts w/Sniper tip
His brother liked:
P2 + 314-2 shaft w/Sniper tip
P2 + Tiger X shaft 29" w/Sniper tip
My buddy liked his original setup:
QR-1 with its 314-2 w/Moori Med tip
I still prefer my original setup:
4K-3 + Tiger X shaft 30" w/Sniper tip
Even though we all come from snooker backgrounds, the 314-Z2 shaft would only have been the next choice for all of us. We all agreed that the tip played a big part in our choice (note that the Moori was chosen purely because it was the only one tried with the QR-1. The Kamui was ruled out fairly quickly).
While we were having a break from play the semi-pro snooker player noticed another cue in my case. I pulled out the stock standard Mezz Demo cue I carry around. It has a WD700 shaft w/Moori Med tip.
20 mins later...
The semi-pro snooker player and his brother both handed me a deposit for 2 x ACE series Mezz cues with WD700 shafts w/Moori Med tips, and 2 extra WD700 shafts which I will fit with Sniper tips.
The owner of the P3 is getting me to swap his Kamui for a Sniper.
My buddy is getting another 314-2 shaft w/Sniper tip for his QR-1.
The former champ is still trying to convince me to part with my 4K-3, and he wants a Tiger X shaft 29" w/Sniper tip. I refuse to part with it and the 4K-series is no longer available... so he borrowed the Mezz Demo for a couple of weeks to decide.
I know this is probably not what you thought the result would be...BUT at least you have some info on the QR-1 against the Ikon, P2 and P3 models. Also some pretty good results regarding Predator shafts.
I added the quotes above because they mentioned the Kamui tip. Also because I think that most people who have tried something other than the mainstream Predator cues or have tried the styles with a radial pin, can find something special if they look for it. BTW the Mezz has a Wavy joint which is a big pin and makes the cue feel like a one piece. IMHO the closer a cue feels to being one piece, the better it hits.
I really hope this info helps you out.
PS - I have been selling cues for 20+ years and truly believe that the quality I see in the finished Mezz products is superior to any other production line cue. I still play with my 4K-3 though...lol