I recently started playing pool again, and am looking for a decent cue and heard predators were pretty good. I was curious if you guys could help with the following:

1) Any comments on pros/cons on using wood to wood joint verses a metal joint? I was interested in the sneaky pete since some reviews enjoy the feel, but was a little worried about wear/tear.

2) Any experience with the following site? It has some pretty good deals but seems a little shady.
http://www.jjcue.com/predatorcues_5k-cues.htm

Thanks for the help.

Predators are great cues but Lucasi's are as well. Its kinda like Ford or Chevy, most people pick one and stick with it for life.

Wood to Wood joint has a little bit of a different feel than other joints but if your no pro then honestly I dont think it will make that much difference in your game. Id go with a normal joint connection since if you decide to ever get extra shafts (which most players do) wood to wood shafts are just a little harder to find...at a discount that is.

J&J is a reputable authorized Predator dealer and will be able to help you.

GL and stay down on ur shots...

Just buy a Meucci. If you don't stay in pool long, then the cue will still have decent resale value.

I prefer wood to wood joints where the brass screw on the butt is 3/8-11 threads. The main maker is Southwest. Ironically Southwest cues are built in Las Vegas. The wait period is ten years. You can find Southwest cues on the secondary market they are mega pricey but the resale value is great. You can buy the cue use it for a year and still sell it for what you have in it.

Personal preference and your budget are the biggest factors here.

Predator cues are fine, if you like predator. I personally don't like the feel of most 314 shafts - and aside from that I'm not used to the low-deflection shafts when it comes to putting any english on the balls.
I prefer the feel of an OB-1 over a 314 - but same issue with english.

Predator, OB, and most other low deflection shafts are made by a process that involves splicing together several pieces of wood together to make a single shaft - where traditionally a shaft is made by a single piece of wood. The end result is the spliced together shafts have lower deflection which basically means the cue-ball will deflect less off the tip - so if you load up a cueball with left english the ball will not move out towards the right as much as it would with a traditional shaft. Whether this is a pro or a con is debatable - in the end if you practice long enough with either you're going to get good at using it.

My personal favorite hitting cues and shafts are custom made by individual cue makers. There are production cues that hit very well also.


Re: wood joints. They don't last as long - but provided you aren't breaking with it and only play a moderate amount of pool it is still likely to last you close to a lifetime. I'd rather have a phenolic or ivory (or faux-ivory) joint but, again, to each his own.

I haven't liked the hit on any meucci since the last 90's era cues - they also tend to be very high deflection IMO, altho I think they also make a low-deflection shaft (red dot?).


My advice would be to go to your local pool hall and ask any people you're somewhat friendly with if they wouldn't mind letting you hit a few balls with their stick.
See what type of cue you feel most comfortable using.

There are some decent online sites (pooldawg, ozone billiards, etc) but you may do best to compare prices online then go to your local pool hall and ask if they have a cue magazine - if they do tell them you were looking for X cue and found it online for Y price and ask if they can go any lower.
The pool halls that sell cues out of catalogs usually get them for a much lower price than you would pay and can give you enough of a discount to beat the online competition if they want to make a few bucks on an order.

Watch some pros play on tv the majority of them use predator cues- there is a good reason for this.

If you want longevity go with a metal joint as you wont face any warping or swelling over a long number of years....

Im a huge fan of the z2 shafts by predator, they are hard to beat and are super low deflection. Try some of your friends equipment if they will let you, you can get a sense of what you personally prefer.

This the answers in this thread couldn't be more wrong. I've been making cues and doing repairs for 12 years. A quality cue will last longer then you is treated properly. It is all preference. Without seeing it there is no player on earth that can accurately pick the joint (pin) of a cue without seeing it. Flat faced or piloted that is.

Do not buy a meucci. Quality is way down. It's a name but you will take a bath on any production cue you buy predator lucasi or meucci ect...

I personally do not like the construction of the new predators. Think of a cue as a musical instrument. The technology of the 314 shaft is to eliminate end mass by drilling a hole .250" 6 inches deep in the front of the shaft. By removing that heart of the shaft they are also removing the vibration and musical quality and feeling of the cue which helps feel. Can you play with them. Yes. But you can also preform just the same with a maple standard shaft.

As for the comment that most play with 314. Not true. Some do bc of sponsorship. They are given equipment however you would be surprised how many have standard maple shafts on their predator butt or lucasi "hybrid" especially older players

you won't notice much of a difference in a joint at this level. just make sure not to use it as a break cue if it is a wood joint. otherwise, at a non pro level, it really doesn't matter.

So true, even if you do get a good straight grained shaft and a cue with no vibrations, you will have a cue that goes down in value. If you buy a good custom, the value goes up.

Having said that, if you are re-learning the game, buy whatever you feel comfortable with that is inexpensive and eventually, you'll know what you are looking for in a cue.

this. i think people put too much emphasis on the cue too early on. learn your stroke and game. that can happen with fairly good house cues. as you progress, progress your cue. a mediocre cue in good hands is way better than a good cue in mediocre hands from what i have seen.

I disagree with DZC and Jmitchell.

Picking a solid playing cue is critical to your success, consistency and frankly your liklihood to stick with the game. The reason I would recommend a cue like a Predator is, is because it's so easy to get. Let's say you play for 2 years and quit and sell your cue cause you need the cash - you can literally go to any pool shop, or pool hall and find one of these cues for sale. They all hit great, solid, and will improve your game.

I personally shoot with a 314 P3, and I love it. I think if you are re-learning and want to stick with it, a 314 will keep your shot consistent, the tip wont mushroom, the cue wont warp and it'll also do 1 thing -- hold value.

Shoot well!

You are right in many things you say.... FOR YOU !!!!

1) hit is subjective. I think all predators hit like shovels.

2) all tips mushroom. ESP when new. I personally press all tips before install to help avoid as much as possible and they still need a shape up from time to time.

3) even 314s warp. It's wood. It's natural. It does what it wants.

4) all production cues decrease in value the second they are purchased. Even predators. The cue market in general is bad right now. Only a handful of custom makers hold their value or even increase. It's all about supply and demand. A makers that produces 12 cues a year and has a 5 year wait list will command more then a import company like predator that spits our thousands of cues a year. As fast as possible.

i do agree that a good cue can make a difference and i wasn't trying to say just don't get a cue. after all it took me a while and getting a feel for a good cue to figure out what a decent house cue was. i still do feel that people spend too much on a cue that they don't need at that time. i spent $110 on an action cue that i played for years. it was a perfect cue to learn on. i didn't need to spend a ton on a big name brand cue (not discounting predator) to learn if i was working on learning the right things. i think we are discussing similar things just a slightly different perspective. that is was is great about this sport.

sorry, was just for fun. couldn't resist.