McDermott G208 Pool Cue Review

Written by Benny in Our Favorites & Reviews

The McDermott G208 Pool Cue is a slick pool cue with its stylish vibrant red colors. But how’s it hold up on the table?

The G208 is part of McDermott’s G-Series line. All G-series Pool Cues come with their standard G-Core Shaft. These pool cues come features with detailed inlays and ring that may be made from exotic woods and material.

mcdermott g208McDermott – The Brand

McDermott has been making quality billiard products for over 35-years. They are a great brand that is known among pool players as a trusted brand.

McDermott is American-made and has been creating amazing quality pool cues that use a process of over 125 procedures in the construction of their pool cues! What’s even crazy amazing is they offer a LIFETIME Manufacturer’s warranty against warping and defects. Yes, you read right, Lifetime!!

G-CORE SHAFT TECHNOLOGY

The G-Core shaft combines shaft technology with a great feel. It has carbon fiber technology inside with the classic maple shaft. It comes standard with all of McDermott G-series pool cues which are in a certain price range.

The G208’s G-Core Shaft uses CT technology and a 3 layer construction to improve the hit while reducing the vibration. This helps you maintain your accuracy.

Triple Layer Carbon Fiber Core
  • The core is made out of triple-layer carbon fiber which stabilizes the front impact area of the shaft. This helps with control and predictability. The carbon fiber is in the first 7 inches of the shaft and helps reduce the vibrations that are usually found in a classic maple shaft.
Carbon Tenon Technology
  • The G-core shaft has a carbon fiber ferrule core inside with a red ring at its base which assists in absorbing the shock on hit.
Radial Consistency
  • The shaft has an ability to perform the exact same way, time after time on each shot. With the technology in the G-core it helps negate the need to compensate for English and spin.

Highlight Features

mcdermott g208

The G208 has a Birdseye Maple which is stained with Colorado Red to give you a really sweet finish. It has an organic, European stain, German brass rings, Italian pearl rings and to top it off an Irish Linen wrap. The wrap helps you to grip the bottom of the pool cue to prevent slips.

  • Low-deflection
    • The Radial Consistency with the G-core shaft prevents you from needing to compensate for English or Spin.
  • Reduced Vibrations
    • Triple Layer Carbon Fiber Core helps the front of the shaft reduce vibrations.
  • Durability
    • I have had this pool cue for over a year and it has not had any issues. The tip and playing cue overall has not been damaged.
  • Navigator Black Tip
    • The tip of this is made from Japanese pigskin leather bound together through adhesive.  It is multilayered and prevents oxidation.
  • Lifetime Warranty
    • McDermott really stands behind their product and it’s a peace of mind when you have this kind of warranty.

Sizing Up The Competition

There are a lot of other great low-deflection shafts out there besides the G208. Other notable low-deflection shafts that can go toe-to-toe in terms of quality and price point:

Of course, Predators 3 main shaft models:

And Katana’s low-deflection shaft, The KATXS1 which is on sale now at Pool Dawg, Click on the link to see more details. Besides the KATXS1, OB cues have been killing it.

You can read more about other Predator shafts, the KATXS1, and the OB shafts in detail Here in my post specifically about the best low-deflection shafts on the market.

Heads up – this is all opinion based and I’m sure that if you all ask 10 people the same question on what’s the best low-deflection shaft, you will get a lot of different answers.

Specs:
  • Tip: 13mm Tiger Everest
  • Ferrule: 1/4″ Juma
  • Shaft: 29″ G Core Shaft 10-12″ Pro Taper
  • Collar: Black
  • Pin: 3/8×10
  • Piloted: No
  • Forearm: Birdseye Maple with an Organic Colorado red stain
  • Rings: German Brass Rings
  • Wrap: Black and Red Irish Linen
  • Sleeve: Birdseye Maple with an organic Colorado red stain
  • Plate: Black with Gold McDermott logo
  • Bumper: Black rubber
  • Warranty: Lifetime
  • Weight Adjustable: Yes, with the McDermott Weight Bolt

Personal Experience

I have personally owned and used this shaft as my secondary shooting cue for over a year now. It’s one of the best looking cues in my arsenal and it performs great with any applied English or Spin.

I’ll let my friends try out this pool cue and they fall in love at first shot. I usually hear how smooth the hit is and how well the English or spin takes on the ball.

This is the perfect shaft for a player who has mastered the basics and is transitioning into a more intermediate player. Don’t be fooled though, a professional player could pick this pool cue up and still have the ability to run a rack out. Other owners who own this same G208 agree that it does have the ability to help you run racks.

The only downside is that it sounds slightly louder hit compared to my Predator 314-3 Shaft. This is a small amount but it feels firmer. This may be because the 314-3 has a patented hollow front end in the shaft. I guess that makes sense though if you’re willing to pay more for top quality.

Where To Buy

You can purchase the McDermott G208 from a few places:

#1. PoolDawgs has it listed. What I love about PoolDawgs is they let you customize the tip and other factors within your order. Plus shipping your customized order and then getting it delivered to your front doorstep is a sweet deal.

#2. Amazon is another big name seller that many folks trust. Many people have ordered Amazon before and it’s a recognizable brand. Plus you may find orders that ship for free with Amazon Prime, especially if you already have a Prime account (I know I do!).

#3. In person! There will most likely be a local billiard store around you and I urge you to do your own research online and in person. I will say that 99% (personal experience) of the time, you will not find a better price in store. A majority of the time it will be cheaper to order it online at Amazon, PoolDawg, Seyberts or another online source.

However, there are perks to purchasing in person because there is someone physically in the store who will be able to assist you and answer any other questions you may have. I will be receiving a commission from any purchases that you make through the links on this post, so I greatly appreciate it if you do use my link. I hope this post was helpful to you and thank you for reading.

The G-series includes other models that are similar because they have the same G-core Shaft; like the:

  • McDermott G201
  • McDermott G203
  • McDermott G204
  • McDermott G227
  • McDermott G209
  • McDermott G210
  • McDermott G205
  • McDermott G206
  • McDermott G237
  • McDermott G238
  • McDermott G239
  • McDermott G211
  • McDermott G219
  • McDermott G230
  • McDermott G323
  • McDermott G302
  • McDermott G331
  • McDermott G303
  • McDermott G332

Benny

Benny is the owner of Supreme Billiards and has been shooting pool and teaching people how to shoot pool for a few years now. He enjoys showing new players techniques and drills to improve their pool game.

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