Purchasing a new cue, around £55. Please help.

[NervousNovice]

Hello everybody.

I guess everyone knows which planet I came from now. Haha. Now that I am at the snooker planet, I need some weapons to attack. I need to buy a snooker cue.

Can someone please give me some idea of names of manufacturers and cue makers (be it mass production or high end custom) and their price ranges? I have heard of Peradon, Craftsman, Mastercraft, O'min, Cuecraft, Mastercue, J Parris, Trevor White, Mike Wooldridge, BCE, Riley.

My budget is around £55. I know a lot of the names above are out of my budget. So what is within budget? I have heard of bad things about BCE and Riley. I hope my budget can do me better than those, say not Chinese but made in UK.

I am not too concern about the cosmetic (I don't think I could, anyway). I value playability more. Coming from a US pool background, I prefer maple shaft more. I know that limits my choices. If that left me with little choices then I would give ash shaft try.


Please give me some brands or series within those brands that I should check out. The following spec would be prefect but I don't expect to meet it all. I would rather get a better quality cue than to have a cheap one for the sake of meeting the spec.

tip size 9.5-10mm
Elkmaster tip (I might change to Talisman Pro Soft later, less maintenance is one reason)
prefer maple shaft
3/4 butt
17-18oz
length about 58"
no need base butt joint or extension (so prefer no butt screw hole)


What are some of the large reputable online vendors? Can someone please list some websites so I can take a look? I don't want to buy 2nd hand nor from Ebay.


Thanks a lot.

- NN

[Wity]

Ok it's on ebay but so what? It's a Mastercraft English made cue, a well respected company, it's new, it's real ebony, an ash shaft, but I bet you wont tell the difference least not for many a year to come hell you might prefer it most Brits do. Not quite the spec you say you prefer but I doubt that'd be a problem as you say snooker is virtually a brand new game to you. The guy had it on ebay for £65 and no one bid (close season is not really the best time to sell) A bit over your budget but I'm guessing you've accounted for a case as well on top so you could get some plastic water pipe and a couple of rubber caps for about a tenner that'd save you some and as a case its ace.

Anyways it's a bargain it really is a £130 cue. I'd have it myself but I bought one simlar only a few weeks ago. And even if you paid his buy it now price you should break even selling it on if you dont like it (say about november time )

Ebay Item number 330142827194

Other than that hang on, save till you've got nearer the ton mark and you might get a decent cue.

[McChen]

i don't think you are going to find a really good one for that price. you are really looking at chinese made lacquered cues which aren't that good. unless like wity mentioned you can find a used one. and i've never seen a production one at that price with a maple shaft. i would seriously suggest saving up until you can get a real cue for about £120-130. if you don't have a screw in extension, you'll also need a push on, a telescopic one will run you about £25.

[Watford]

You would be able to get a bottom of the range Machine spliced Craftsman for that money!
Otherwise maye be a machine spliced Master cue or Peradon might be around that money and ok!
Ebay might be a good bet like wity said!
Maybe ask ADR147 see what he can do?

You cue speck looks good to me but if you looking for maple you'll see less around than ash!
Craftsman should make you a Maple for the same money as ash though!

[NervousNovice]

http://www.craftsmancues.com/acatalo...ssic_cues.html
What about this Craftsman Victor cue for £55 here?

[Wity]

It's allright for £55. but machine spliced cues although theirs nothing wrong with them and many can be better than expensive hand spliced ones are nowhere near as popular. A stigma thing I suppose as machine spliced cues are cheaper to make.

Personally I think they look aweful I'd much rather have a cue without any splices at all.

Have a looksee at the Geordie Pool Supreme also sold by them. It's chinese, it's not everyones ideal snooker cue with an 8.5-8.7 mm or so tip and it's no Trevor White cue. and dealers such as ADR147 reckon those they've seen are poorly made, yet mines fine and no one can argue with the price if bought off Snurta /Geordie Pool on ebay usually for £40 or under. I'm quite happy with the one I have even when I found the ebony had been stained.
Ones just gone today..
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...4461&rd=1&rd=1

edit
bookmarkwelshpool trading too for the next one of these that comes up. If you can get it for a simlar price your laughing.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...2405&rd=1&rd=1

[Watford]

http://www.craftsmancues.com/acatalo...ssic_cues.html
What about this Craftsman Victor cue for £55 here?

I'd say this looks to be a good buy for £55!
You are also more likely to get what you want spec. wise (maple etc.)!
Having said that I did get a cue for my step son from were wity is talking about and it's OK!

[subzeer0]

ive got a geordie snooker cue i got for my son,,,,bent like a dogs hind leg...useless,,,,absolutely crap

[Wity]

ive got a geordie snooker cue i got for my son,,,,bent like a dogs hind leg...useless,,,,absolutely crap

Well, all I can say is at least I did try and point out those that know better than me reckoned they were poor. I had two at £38 each, sold the one on the same week and the other is fine still.

Hope you didn't pay the full whack SubzeerO that would have been a hard pill to swallow.

[jimmymoller]

Hello everybody.

I guess everyone knows which planet I came from now. Haha. Now that I am at the snooker planet, I need some weapons to attack. I need to buy a snooker cue.

Can someone please give me some idea of names of manufacturers and cue makers (be it mass production or high end custom) and their price ranges? I have heard of Peradon, Craftsman, Mastercraft, O'min, Cuecraft, Mastercue, J Parris, Trevor White, Mike Wooldridge, BCE, Riley.

My budget is around £55. I know a lot of the names above are out of my budget. So what is within budget? I have heard of bad things about BCE and Riley. I hope my budget can do me better than those, say not Chinese but made in UK.

I am not too concern about the cosmetic (I don't think I could, anyway). I value playability more. Coming from a US pool background, I prefer maple shaft more. I know that limits my choices. If that left me with little choices then I would give ash shaft try.


Please give me some brands or series within those brands that I should check out. The following spec would be prefect but I don't expect to meet it all. I would rather get a better quality cue than to have a cheap one for the sake of meeting the spec.

tip size 9.5-10mm
Elkmaster tip (I might change to Talisman Pro Soft later, less maintenance is one reason)
prefer maple shaft
3/4 butt
17-18oz
length about 58"
no need base butt joint or extension (so prefer no butt screw hole)


What are some of the large reputable online vendors? Can someone please list some websites so I can take a look? I don't want to buy 2nd hand nor from Ebay.


Thanks a lot.

- NN

im sellin a cue its 19 oz 9.5 tip 18 in

[jimmymoller]

its got a but joint and two exts check out my cue sale thread