Cue Contest

[pottr]

surely you will not remember how it played to the exact weight, balance, shaft flex? when if you had stuck with the first replacement perhaps you would now be happy?

I find that the flex is determined by the taper. I have specified all my cues to be a near conical taper meaning the flex's should be similar. There will be incongruities with the wood densities but wood if cultivated, not forged so I can't expect the stars... the moon would be nice though.

anyway this strays from my point from the OP, i'm not having a dig at anyone, just saying that it seems to have become a trend to be having a new cue made every month or so from various makers. i AM interested in how it pans out though :-)

Yes, it does make me laugh too. Well, like I said, I'm a fair player so I know what I'm after. It makes me laugh when I see lads at my club who can't string 40 together investing the sums of money like this on cues.

The decline of my cue has been noted on here for some time. It's actually the reason I joined the forum in the first place as I wanted a more rounded opinion of trying to preserve it.

Even with the best advice, you can't win em all.

Cheers Ritchie, look forward to it. Pairs and Singles final for my local league on Thursday and I have no cue! Didn't stop me in the semis though

[Mellow Yellow]

cheers for the reply pottr :-)

i have a friend who is a decent player in my small town, i practice with him quote a lot, he uses a battered old craftsman cue that he got 2nd hand many years ago. i have retipped it and oiled it loads of times for him. he once split it at the furrule end and i clamped it and glued it the best i could, its bent to buggary and all skew wiff at the tip end, but he just wont change it for anything, it sounds an absolute state as well sometimes but he knocked in a nice 69 in our first match of the season last night..... i dread the day that it eventually breaks for good, although it will give me more of a chance to beat him :-)

good look with your search, i will keep a close eye on this thread.

[The Doctor]

Oh and Cue is almost ready m8.

[The Doctor]

Yes even a small time cue maker like me, in my last batch of 20 cues I sent 5 over to China.

[pottr]

dont take this the wrong way as i am just interested in why you would go through all this time and expense and wait to have 4 or 5 cues that you will probably never use.

It's fine, I don't mind answering. I have had the same cue for 15 years which was perfect for me. I won it in a bet and I think retail it would have cost around £150 tops.
I have never tinkered or toyed with another cue other than that one. I have played with many cues when friends have asked my opinion but for matches, tournaments I have never played with another cue.

Last night I snapped the cue... It is not the same, not even close since it's (third!) repair. I felt I was flogging a dead horse so I stopped torturing myself and snapped it.

I need to move forward and get myself a cue to call 'my own'. I am a serious player. I have dedicated a massive chunk of my life to snooker. I may not be the best player, but it doesn't change the fact that it's more than a game to me. It's a mood breaker, I absolutely love it.

I was always curious about all of the Top Branded cues but the old addage 'if it ain't broke' came to mind whenever I'd consider a change. If my cue hadn't broke, I wouldn't have considered this. I trust very few people's opinions on anything so I figured I'd put my money where my mouth is. After all, if I buy these cues and I don't like any of them, it's not like they're going to lose much value, are they?

No wonder all the cuemakers waiting lists are so long, as it has now become a trend to have various cues all on order at the same time, just to post pictures up on here then have them stored away, or sold straight on.

Supply and demand. The kind of cues the top guy churn out can't be rushed.

I wonder how long the waiting lists would actually be if players ordered one cue, got used to it and kept it?

One cue in fifteen years, not a bad ratio. I want one cue now for the rest of my years and it's not a decision I plan to take lightly. I didn't buy the first house I looked at or indeed settle down with the first girl I slept with... or guy

I do agree with Mellow but then again if you have the money and its a passion of yours to want to try the best cues from all the top cue makers then fair enough, you should end up with a cue that suits you that is as good as you can possibly buy.

That really is all there is to it. I'm not trying to show off, I meant this thread to be an informative piece so perspective buyers can see the waiting times. When I have recieved each cue I will create a thorough right up for each one so you can make up your own minds.

[Mellow Yellow]

i do see the logic in finding the "right" cue terry, in your case the right cue was the one you broke, but in trying to find a cue to replace that do you not feel like you are missing the point a little as after such a long search surely you will not remember how it played to the exact weight, balance, shaft flex? when if you had stuck with the first replacement perhaps you would now be happy?

anyway this strays from my point from the OP, i'm not having a dig at anyone, just saying that it seems to have become a trend to be having a new cue made every month or so from various makers. i AM interested in how it pans out though :-)

and thanks for pointing out about the far east market, it would also be interesting to know how many cues are sent over there by trev and mike etc. as apposed to cabinet fillers over here ;-)

[Terry Davidson]

mellow:

I think you missed the point. I too am one of those who has ordered a few cues, a lot of which are from the top cuemakers.

I used a JP custom cue for years which I had bought sometime in the early 80's but the cue snapped at the ferrule and I had to shorten it and it never played the same so I had to find a new cue that I could use. The closest I had come was a very fine Trevor White but it wasn't quite what I'm looking for so I've been trying all the best cuemakers to see if I can find a cue which I feel suits me.

The other option I had of course was to buy one good cue and then just work at it and play with it until I got used to it, but at my age I just don't have the time for all that work so I'm looking for the 'ONE' cue and I believe throtts is doing the same in his quest, although he is spending a lot of money to find his 'ONE' replacement cue

Terry

[NorthWestJunior]

As long as the quality of the cue makers' cues are still at the high standards they always were I don't see a problem. The best cues are worth waiting for I would of thought. Besides, the reviews will be helpful for people looking to order.

[cueman]

I do agree with Mellow but then again if you have the money and its a passion of yours to want to try the best cues from all the top cue makers then fair enough, you should end up with a cue that suits you that is as good as you can possibly buy.

As for cue makers having such long waiting lists, blame the far east and China inparticular. They are the main reason so many cue makers have so many orders. I would guess that 70% of most UK based cue makers work is from abroad, would be nice if Trev or Mike or even the likes of Jason and Raymo could shed some light on this.

[Mellow Yellow]

dont take this the wrong way as i am just interested in why you would go through all this time and expense and wait to have 4 or 5 cues that you will probably never use.

No wonder all the cuemakers waiting lists are so long, as it has now become a trend to have various cues all on order at the same time, just to post pictures up on here then have them stored away, or sold straight on.

I wonder how long the waiting lists would actually be if players ordered one cue, got used to it and kept it?

dont get me wrong i'm sure the likes of trev and mike dont complain as its good for the business :-)

but at the same time i am interested in the outcome of your little test and am slightly jealous that you can afford a £3ks worth of cues that you may or may not use.

[haggishunter]

Placed an order with robin a couple of months ago, so only 13 or so months to go.... Getting my Exquisite next week, looking forward to that, local lad in my club has one, really nice.

[grimreaper]

You are lucky to have placed a order with Robin as he told me he he is not taking any new orders as he is to busy. good luck finding the right cue it can be a very expensive time.

[Particle Physics]

Interesting that the longest queue is for Robin; people in the know are in the know.

[jrc750]

Just showed this thread to my wife for a laugh - she didn't laugh!!

Yeah women have no sense of humour

[Gerry Armstrong]

Just showed this thread to my wife for a laugh - she didn't laugh!!