In this post, I have decided to do the much requested and awaited Predator Revo shaft review. Originally made in Boston, it certainly is one of the best shafts ever made by the Predator. I will try to give both the positives and then the negatives by the end of this post. Hopefully, it would help people who are planning to buy this shaft.
Predator released the shaft on their 20th anniversary as a gesture to show their best product depicting their excellence in the industry. They surely have put a lot of effort into research and development to come up with new technology for the shafts, butts and quite amazing looking inlays.
The price usually remains fixed but I have often seen a 10% off for the stick.
So let’s dive straight into the Pros before we get to cons.
PROS
NEW TECHNOLOGY
The Revo in the name means revolutionary. They have employed carbon fiber to make the shaft and they show quite a lot of pride in that. The interior molecular space is filled up with the foam that gives the shaft the solid feel. Although Balicini introduced the carbon shafts way before Predator but it’s the way made by latter which they boast off.
SMOOTH FRICTIONLESS SLIDE
Starting with the look of the shaft, it is made of shiny black. Yes, this black shines a lot under the pool table light. The carbon shaft is made up of unidirectional molecular carbon weaved layers upon one another. The outer part of the shaft is probably a different carbon style maybe prepregs or paper style carbon. Upon looking closer you will see small circular grooves on the shaft. But this still does not alter the frictionless smooth surface of the shaft. In fact, if you are used to maple shafts then this one is going to be the most frictionless shaft you would have ever played with.
LOWER DEFLECTION
It is certainly better than its predecessor. It deflects five to ten percent lower than the previous generation shafts released by the predator. With that, it means that if you own a predator stick and looking to upgrade to Revo then your shots will become more accurate. With accuracy another benefit that comes along is the consistency, that means if you play the same long-distance shot then you will get the same results. Consistency surely helps in making someone a better player.
MULTIPLE JOINTS
Revo 12.4 and 12.9 both are available in Uni-Loc and Radial joints. They can join to almost all kinds of butts out there. The price goes quite higher if you plan to buy the butt along but that is not necessary.
REVO 12.4 vs REVO 12.9
The two values 12.4 and 12.9 means the diameter. These two variants behave differently. Always remember the smaller the tip of the cue is the more expertise you will require to play. So 12.4 is more suited for someone who is more experienced and 12.9 is ideal for those who still feel that more grip is needed on the game.
Basically, the smaller diameter increases the room for error e.g it would be a lot easier to hit the center of the ball with the 12.9 tips than with the 12.4. As for 12.4 shaft, it would be more difficult to hit the center of the ball than compared to the thicker 12.9 shaft. To understand consider this example, imagine you are playing with a long needle and trying to aim for the center of the cue ball. It’s going to be very difficult to hit the center of the cue ball. So a larger diameter is better for someone who is still finding the place in intermediate skill level.
However, if you are confident and have the control than 12.4 opens up a lot of options for the Englishes. You can spin the ball a lot easier and you can control the cue ball better and be a more aggressive player.
TIP OF THE SHAFT
It comes with a soft victory tip attached to the end shaft and there is no ferrule. I will discuss this point in the negatives of this shaft. Predator has tried to put in some sort of layered structure that helps to transfer on maximum power from the butt end to the tip and then on to the ball.
The feel of the shot is in fact quite different on the Revo because as soon as you play the shot you can feel the power transfer being reflected back on the butt end.
STRONG AND CLEAN BUILD
Predator takes quite a lot of pride on the strong build of the Revo and calls it indestructible. Although, I feel that is a little bit exaggerated but given the normal condition the game is played it really is a shaft that would not ding, scratch, warpage. This is quite important, often players who buy an expensive shaft are seen to be taking more care of the shaft than their game. Revo certainly takes that stress out of the mind because it really is a very strong material that would take some beating to break.
In fact, Tony Robles slammed the stick pretty hard with a metallic pipe probably aluminum and it still remained straight with no damage. That is pretty impressive!
It stays clean as well, all required is to clean it with a wet cloth or with the wet wipes that come along with the package.
CONS
The first thing which is a little annoying about the shaft is the shine. It’s very shiny, in fact, it appears as if a white strip is moving along the shaft, especially under the light. It glares at times and becomes quite distracting and difficult to play the shot. You need some time to get used to this. It would have been great if the shaft was available in some other color but you have to stick with the matte gray/black.
Another thing, I did not like is the lack of ferrule, it’s a personal thing but while playing the shot you don’t see any metallic or plastic or some different color end that that help aims the tip at the desired spot on the cue ball. It seems as if you are playing along black shaft onto the cue ball.
The soft victory tip mushrooms and is highly unrecommended to change the tip all by yourself because there is no ferrule and you might end up damaging the fiber structure of the carbon shaft. So be very careful if you are planning to change the tip by yourself.
Another con is the strong solid sound the grooves make while sliding on the bridge and then the sound of the shot. It’s quite solid but you will soon get used to it. It’s not that much of big deal but can be a little surprise in the first hour of usage.
CONCLUSION: PREDATOR REVO SHAFT REVIEW
Predator Revo certainly is one of the best shafts out there and has lots of reason to why it belongs to list of best pool cues I have tried to compile. It is smooth, slick, transfers maximum energy, has very low deflection and most importantly you can play with freedom in the mind to be careless with the stick because it is made to last for decades. The cons, however, are not the much of trouble that would make this amazing stick lose the reputation it enjoys among the pros.
If you can afford it then you should surely get this shaft because it really is worth the investment.
