Predator's Carbon-Fiber Revolution - The Future Is Now for Pool Cues

Once in a blue moon, an innovation comes along that is so revolutionary you're forced to fall back on cliches in trying to describe it: game changing, paradigm shift, sea change, cutting edge, state of the art. Ultimately, though, all those phrases from your bag of cliches fall short. Predator has created one of those innovations with their carbon-fiber shafts.

In the Beginning

The challenge has always been solving the problem of cue-ball drift. Predator first attacked this problem in partnership with University of North Florida's Engineering Department and with the assistance of "Iron Willie" the pool-playing robot. And after intensive research and testing, they found the solution.

This solution, beginning with the Predator 314 and then the Z-3 Shaft, consisted in the use of 10 pie-shaped wooden edges – unblemished Michigan maple only, from trees already harvested for syrup – to eliminate the problem of grain directionality. The shafts also utilized a more-tapered, slenderer front end to reduce cue-ball deflection and allow for more spin.

But the innovators at Predator weren't content to sit comfortably on their achievements . . . so the game moved on toward the future . . .

The Predator Carbon-Fiber REVOlution

Carbon-fiber construction first saw widespread application in the aircraft/aerospace sector, especially the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 programs, owing to the demand for lightweight, fuel-saving, "green" technologies. And then in this millennium, carbon fiber really took hold in the sporting-goods world.

The Predator team recognized the potential in carbon fiber's mass per unit length (fiber yield), uniform sizing and processing possibilities like low fuzz and even tow (filament band) spreadability, and ability to control tensile strength and resistance to bending (tensile modulus). The result of nearly 20 years of research, technological innovation, and testing is the REVO shaft.

"The ultimate in billiards technology and performance," these shafts utilize the latest fiber-placement theories and a ferrule-less carbon-fiber-composite construction (not woven fibers) to achieve the optimum orientation in fiber-tow directionality. The end result is the "most accurate billiards shaft in the world at low and high speeds."

What It Means for You

Predator's REVO cues offer truer aim, deliver more English, produce lower deflection, have enhanced consistency, and more:

Proprietary Materials and Construction – These shafts are composed of a proprietary aerospace-grade carbon-fiber composite "impregnated with our proprietary resin and filled with R2 molecular multi-density foam" – a Predator product all the way.

Greater Accuracy – Depending, of course, on cue-ball velocity, object-ball distance, and amount of spin deployed, REVO shafts consistently deliver an average of 5% to 10% more accuracy than the third-generation shafts.

Unique Sound – And the sound is different, "a unique acoustic signature." The unique materials and construction allow these shafts to amplify sound at a much greater rate than wood shafts are capable of, thus giving you nearly instantaneous audible feedback about every shot.

Near-Impossible Warping – REVO shafts have been tested for warpage in high-humidity environments, in freezers, and in an oven – and the shafts still held their straightness. The Predator team is so confident your REVO shaft won't warp that they offer a limited-lifetime warranty against warpage.

Join the REVOlution

But don't just take our word for it. Here's what several-times world champion Darren "Dynamite" Appleton had to say: "Swapping from 314-2 to REVO was a mental challenge because of the difference in material and color, but once I made the adjustment, the benefits of playing with REVO massively outweigh playing with a wood shaft. It's so accurate, reliable, and powerful, and coupled with the durability, playing with REVO is a no brainer."

So if you're ready to join the carbon-fiber REVOlution, or just go deeper in, to up your game, FCI Billiards has your Predator solution. Appleton aptly summed it up: "That is what we all look for – something we can trust because we know it is going to deliver." To get yours today, fill out the brief