Cue Contest

[cueman]

Yeah Dean is correct, you'll need plenty of patience with the likely waiting times for those you mentioned.
If I was in your position I would just choose a couple of cue makers and firstly see if anyone has a cue near to the spec you want. From past experience having a cue made to identical spec doesn't usually ever result in a cue feeling the same as my previous one. In fact you might find a cue with a spec you'd never consider might end up feeling like the best cue you've ever tried.

Fair enough if that is what you want to do though, its a lot of money and time to wait for what could be 5 or so cues you don't like the feel of. I've probably had about 20 odd cues made to similar specs and never found one that felt right for me, and mostly including the cue makers you mentioned too!

[DeanH]

yep, forgot to add that; this will a contest in patience

[Terry Davidson]

pottr:

It looks like you not only have the same specs as I do but I'm also trying the same thing. I have a TW cue which I was playing with for a year but I kept looking at other types of cues so now I have one on order from MW, Andy Travis, Dave Coutts and I have ordered cues from Robin Cook and John Parris (not an Ultimate).

I recently discovered (at least for me) that shaft flex plays a very big part in what makes me really like the hit and feel of a cue. I have a 1pc Green Baize cue here which has a pure medium shaft flex (recognizing my 'medium' might be someone else's 'medium-stiff' or even stiff.

I would recommend if you like the shaft flex of your present cue then measure the diameter of it every 3" down to 39" or so and send those measurements to all the cuemakers and you should end up with nearly the same shaft flex on the cues you order.

I realize this might be a real pain for the cuemakers however I've found most cues today are made way too stiff for me and I have a hard time finding a cue with the flex that I prefer.

Terry

[Gerry Armstrong]

Gonna have to wait ages on the results of the contest based on current waiting times for some of those guys!!

[DeanH]

I would add Robin Cook (www.robincues.co.uk) to your list.

[pottr]

After fifteen years of knocking in balls with the same bat I am facing upto the fact that I need a new cue. The joint is shagged and is being repaired as we speak.

I was thinking that this would be the chance for me to add some weight to the cuemaker debate.

I intend on placing identical spec orders through some top cue makers... I'm thinking 5 or 6 tops and cataloguing my experiences of dealing with them, ordering through them and of course the product itself.

As he is local to me, I have already placed an order for the following with Tony Glover:

One piece
Maple shaft
9 millimeter ferrule
58 inches length
19 ounce weight
Balanced as close to 18" as possible
29mm butt diameter
Ebony butt with a front facing Thuya Burr splice over a thick Birdseye maple veneer.
Drilled to accept mini-butt and a telescopic extension (also to be made by the cuemaker).


I intend to forward the same request with Mike Wooldridge, Trevor White, John Parris and Dave Coutts.

Is there anyone else I should contact?