After nearly a nine week wait, my Predator Revo 12.4mm uniloc shaft arrived in my anxious hands. My short impressions of this new shaft are what follows but first, I want to provide a couple of caveats. I have been using a generation 1 Predator Z shaft which, while old, is considered part of the family of low deflection shafts. Thus, impressions of the deflection differences will vary depending on the particular shaft one is currently using. The tip of the Z shaft measures 11.75mm. Also, I’ve been playing with the Revo for about 2 weeks now, so while I feel as though enough time has elapsed to become accustomed to it, mental and physical adjustments are likely still ongoing as these are required anytime new equipment is introduced.
When I first got my hands on the shaft, there were a few things I noticed immediately. First, outside the obvious color change going from wood to carbon composite, the shaft feels very smooth. Unlike a growing percentage of the billiard community, I do not use a pool glove and, except for power shots, I use an open bridge. While I have entertained the notion of getting a glove in the past to reduce glide friction, I don’t believe I now need to after using this shaft. From what I understand, the Revo prevents the development of dings or other blemishes where a glove could prove beneficial. The smoothness feels fabulous and when dirt/dust eventually clings to the shaft, it becomes silky smooth again in seconds by simply wiping the shaft with the included microfiber cloth and, on occasion, wiping with 90% isopropyl alcohol which is available at any drug store for next to nothing. I now actually keep a tiny sized spray bottle (like perfume size) filled with this alcohol in my case to apply via a cloth when needed. Unlike a lot of comments I have read concerning the Revo, I do not hear any distracting ‘ting’ sounds and feel adjusting to the slightly different taper of the Z shaft to be a non-issue. Furthermore, coming from an 11.75mm to 12.4mm tip size was noticeable at first but has also became a non-issue very quickly. I imagine that going from 11.75mm to 12.9mm would be a bigger adjustment and could initially affect intended cue ball tip contact, but from 11.75mm to 12.4mm, the change was fairly negligible. In fact, outside of deflection issues (see next paragraph), adjusting to the shaft took a matter of 30 minutes.
Of course, the main reason I invested in the Revo was a desire to nearly eliminate deflection. Aiming is hard enough taking into account contact-induced throw, spin-induced throw, and curvature on non-level strokes. Thus, I assumed that my aim would be vastly improved if deflection was a variable that could be eliminated. While deflection is reduced, I’m afraid it is not eliminated on shots with power. However, the shaft has GREATLY improved my ability to get more action on non-vertical center hits. That is, on the Revo, getting running English is a breeze when compared to the old shaft which now allows me to use less speed to get the same result. Since, for example, applying running English coming off 2 rails is now so much easier, I can hit the cue with less power which, consequently, increases my accuracy. Another significant advantage of the Revo is since deflection is nearly eliminated on medium/slow shots with a level stroke, I can confidently apply English when cueing off a rail. This effect has opened up a whole world of possibilities now because getting position off a rail used to be a herculean task with my old shaft.
In summary, I would characterize the Revo as a shaft that provides options. If you have perfect positional play and never get out of line, then the advantage of low deflection and the ability to use English aren’t relevant. Thus, the Revo really isn’t going to help you. If, like me, you often get out of line and need to recover rather frequently, then this shaft will provide more options in your shooting arsenal (e.g. running English with reduced speed, inside English to recover position, etc.). Does the Revo make you a better pool player? Yes and no. More options are absolutely an advantage, but also can encourage a bit of sloppiness since getting back in line will be easier. Personally, I’m sticking with the Revo because while I know that a purist player seldom needs to rely on English, I recognize my limitations and see the options that the Revo provides as a necessary evil.
