Which Revo for a 25 year 314 player?

iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I bought a 12.9 Revo about 4 months ago. I've been playing with it since then, and really gave it a good chance. I don't feel right with it. I'm pretty sure its the shaft diameter and maybe even more so the tip diameter. The reaction of the CB is really off. It doesn't feel to be a squirt difference, it really feels like a tip placement and bridge diameter difference. When I pick up my 314, it feels so natural in my hands. The 12.9 Revo feels way off.

I know the 12.9 was supposed to be the same diameter as the 314 in the bridge area, and that was what Predator said their rationale was for it when it was released. I'm kind of surprised they didn't copy the 314 taper exactly. They built that whole market.

With that said, for the long time 314 users out there, did you try both a 12.9 and 12.4? If so, did one feel closer to the 314? I think I want to try one. The thing is, I bought 3 12.9's, thinking that would be the last shaft I bought. So I'm reluctant to buy another.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I bought a 12.9 Revo about 4 months ago. I've been playing with it since then, and really gave it a good chance. I don't feel right with it. I'm pretty sure its the shaft diameter and maybe even more so the tip diameter. The reaction of the CB is really off. It doesn't feel to be a squirt difference, it really feels like a tip placement and bridge diameter difference. When I pick up my 314, it feels so natural in my hands. The 12.9 Revo feels way off.

I know the 12.9 was supposed to be the same diameter as the 314 in the bridge area, and that was what Predator said their rationale was for it when it was released. I'm kind of surprised they didn't copy the 314 taper exactly. They built that whole market.

With that said, for the long time 314 users out there, did you try both a 12.9 and 12.4? If so, did one feel closer to the 314? I think I want to try one. The thing is, I bought 3 12.9's, thinking that would be the last shaft I bought. So I'm reluctant to buy another.
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I used to play with 314 v2 & v3’s and Joss HP shafts that were quite similar. I went through a long and pricey period of trying many CF shafts, to me the Cynergy 12.5 mm feels closest but definitely not exactly the same as a 314. Seems to me anything in CF over 12.5mm is just way too stiff & lifeless and I really can’t get into the thinner sub 12mm stuff - 12.5mm ish with a long pro taper is the sweet spot for me. The other good one that felt quite similar was the Meucci CF pro. To me the Revo’s felt nothing like a 314 & were the least desirable feeling & sounding out of any of them - I can get used to anything pretty quick, but biggest issue for me was lack of a white ferrule.

Only solution I’ve found was to just keep trying different makes until you find “the one”. And need at least a few days or a week of play with each one to really kick the tires. Borrowing one to hit a few balls/racks isn’t really enough for me to really sniff them out. Fortunately, its been pretty easy to buy/sell them used. I figure the overhead $$ of buying/selling is a reasonable investment to really find what works best for you.

Good luck!
 
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I went from 12.75mm-ish maple shafts for 35 years, to the predator vantage (12.9mm) for about a year (love it btw), tried the revo 12.9 for about 6 months, then went back to the wood vantage for the past 2 years. Both shafts have Triangle tips. The deflection is about the same for both pred shafts (extremely low), but I just shoot better with the wood vantage.
For me I just think I "sight" better with the wood shaft than the dark revo.
I play a lot in poorly lit bars that have dark green felt, so a more visible shaft matters to me lol. I'm 55 and I wear single-lens glasses that correct my long range vision to eagle-sharp 20/12.
BUT, the first 16 inches or so of my close-up vision is blurred (I can't read up close with my regular glasses on). And, since I can't shoot well in bifocals either, I think the lighter color ("sighting") of the wood shafts keep my game sharper.

In summary, I believe that a cf shaft's DARK COLOR is often over-looked as a KEY problem when trying to adapt from wood to cf, especially for us old-school shooters that were raised on light-colored wood shafts.
The first company that comes out with a true, light-colored cf shaft, is gonna make bank imo.
 
From 314-2 FAT to Revo 12.9.... bought a 12.4 a year later and I like it a lot. I like it much better. Would be nice if you can test drive one or see who'll exchange it after x amount of days. Sorry we're not neighbors...
 
iusedtoberich said:
I bought a 12.9 Revo about 4 months ago. I've been playing with it since then, and really gave it a good chance. I don't feel right with it. I'm pretty sure its the shaft diameter and maybe even more so the tip diameter. The reaction of the CB is really off. It doesn't feel to be a squirt difference, it really feels like a tip placement and bridge diameter difference. When I pick up my 314, it feels so natural in my hands. The 12.9 Revo feels way off.

I know the 12.9 was supposed to be the same diameter as the 314 in the bridge area, and that was what Predator said their rationale was for it when it was released. I'm kind of surprised they didn't copy the 314 taper exactly. They built that whole market.

With that said, for the long time 314 users out there, did you try both a 12.9 and 12.4? If so, did one feel closer to the 314? I think I want to try one. The thing is, I bought 3 12.9's, thinking that would be the last shaft I bought. So I'm reluctant to buy another.
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You may want to see if you can trade one of your 12.9's for a 12.4. I think the 12.4 is just right. You may decide you still prefer the 314 but you won't know till you try one.
 
After playing with a 314 (or any other) shaft for 25 years, there is no way that another shaft will feel natural. Just put in the time to get used to it.
 
This is quite possibly one of the worst side effects of switching from snooker to pool, apart from letting my technique get sloppy; the variety of cue/shaft/butt/tip combinations. It’s horrible.

The first year I played snooker, I had a factory made powerglide. Then I had a custom cue made. I used that cue for about 9 years, and the only thing that ever changed was whether I’d use a blue diamond or an elk master tip. Then the wood under the ferrule split. The original maker tried to fix it up, but it never played the same. It took me 6 months to find another cue I liked, and that was the last snooker cue I bought.

I’ve been playing pool only on and off for 8 or 9 years, and I have 7 or 8 shafts and two butts, a break cue, and a jump cue (not to mention 3786 different tips), and sometimes I get stuck in loops of trying different combinations trying to figure what I actually like best, when I logically know that it doesn’t make any difference. And yeah, I realise my paltry collection is nothing compared to some.

EDIT: Sorry, none of that was very helpful to the OP 😂 Just ranting.
 
I switched from a Pred 314-3 to the revo 12.4. I didn't really notice too much of a difference in the diameter /taper of the cue. Obviosly the revo hit was much different.
 
I shot with a 314^2 for over 20 years and recently switched over to a 12.4 Pechauer Rogue. It played pretty similar from the get go, but after 3 months, it feels perfect. Best advice is to talk to friends and shoot with as many carbon shafts that you can before making a choice
 
I've only had my Pechauer Rogue 12.4 (on a Pechauer cue), for about a week, but I'd say it feels ballpark similar to my 314-2 (on a different cue). Not exactly the same, but I don't think the transition would be difficult.

Disclaimer....I virtually always use an open bridge now, so that may be why the change is fairly easy, for me.
 
Matt_24 said:
If you've played with a 314 that long, why change?
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Short story is I was not playing much the past couple of years, and the idea of getting a new cue and shaft excited me enough to play a bunch again. I did not try them 5 years ago when they first came out, because I play with a 30", and they were not available. They are now (or were a few months ago, out of stock again). I also have cues all over the place, and didn't want to have to buy shafts for all of them. So a few months ago I sold a bunch of cues I've had in a closest for 15 years, and use the money to buy 3 revo 12.9's. One for the house, one for the car, and one for my family home in Philly when I travel up there. I should have tried the different diameters and/or brands before I got 3 of the 12.9.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I bought a 12.9 Revo about 4 months ago. I've been playing with it since then, and really gave it a good chance. I don't feel right with it. I'm pretty sure its the shaft diameter and maybe even more so the tip diameter. The reaction of the CB is really off. It doesn't feel to be a squirt difference, it really feels like a tip placement and bridge diameter difference. When I pick up my 314, it feels so natural in my hands. The 12.9 Revo feels way off.

I know the 12.9 was supposed to be the same diameter as the 314 in the bridge area, and that was what Predator said their rationale was for it when it was released. I'm kind of surprised they didn't copy the 314 taper exactly. They built that whole market.

With that said, for the long time 314 users out there, did you try both a 12.9 and 12.4? If so, did one feel closer to the 314? I think I want to try one. The thing is, I bought 3 12.9's, thinking that would be the last shaft I bought. So I'm reluctant to buy another.
Click to expand...

If you feel more natural with your shaft, why force yourself to use something else? The point of swapping is for an improvement not just to use something different.

12.3 or even the 11.8 revo would be something to try. Also the Mezz one, that one has a more natural wood cue feel but has a bit more deflection, however it still feels like a CF shaft, not a wood shaft made of CF like many others do.

I have a 12.4 Revo and have played with a bunch of other CF shafts, keep going back to the Revo, or my Predator Z shaft or a custom shaft that plays similar to the Z shaft. However I think if I was forced to use only ONE shaft, I would stick with the 12.4 Revo. The 11.8 is a bit too thin feeling for that design for me. The 314 shafts I played were were OK but after the Revo and the Z they feel a bit too whippy to me, the shaft feels like it flexes too much on the hit for my taste. I am guessing for you it's the opposite, and since you are used to the 314 hit it's the same odd hit feel for you just the other way.
 
The used 12.4 came.

Wow I don’t want to put it down but I have to go to work. It’s night and day different than the 12.9. It feels so good. Plays just like the 314, with maybe a hair less cb deflection. The spin and sighting are the same.

With the 12.9, I felt like I was using an old solid wood 13mm shaft. It felt fat in my hands, the tip looked wrong on the cb, and it felt like the spin was less. I know it’s just a sighting difference. But man this feels right. Everything about it.
 
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