Hi everyone,
I have been working with Paul for almost a year now regarding my first real high end custom cue, and I recieved the cue a few weeks ago and have had a chance to play with it. I figured I'd put up a review of the cue.
My dealings with Paul were frequent and very enjoyable. We spoke about everything ranging from the weather, sports, and politics, to education on cuemaking and characteristics. The cue was completed in a timely fashion and to my characteristics. If anyone has any particular questions about Paul or talking to him, you can feel free to PM me, I really would like talk about the cue here...
My preferences in a cue are a cue that weighs 19.0 - 19.5 ounces, with a 13mm shaft that feels stiff, but doesnt hit with high deflection. I also like to feel a difference in my grip hand when I hit different shots. Ive played with all different joint types in the past and have liked them all at different times. To date, my favorite cues have been a Frey rosewood sneaky pete and a four pointer Chris Nitti. When I talked to Paul about designing a high-end cue with eight points, ivory, inlays, and super figured wood, I was worried that I would get a cue that hit like junk, but that was definitely not the case.
The cue I ordered from Paul was a fairly intricate cue. I requested a cue that weighed between 19 and 19.5 ounces, with the target of towards the low end and Paul made me a 19.0 ounce cue with two matching shafts. We decided to go with a big pin flat faced ivory joint (radial pin) for a cue with great feedback and resonance. Also, Paul suggested short ivory ferrules with a wood tenon, pads, and moori tips for a lower deflection shaft. I also ordered it 12.8 mm. The shafts are both high pitched when bounced and have 20 growth rings. Everything came as ordered.
Although on the scale the cue weighs 19 ounces but felt weightless. This really allowed me to stroke the ball. Everything that I noticed the cueball doing was a direct result of something I did, it felt really good to get some cueball action with my stroke and not with the momentum of a heavy feeling cue.
The balance on the cue is exceptional, and I think thats partly why it feels so light. Whenever gripping the cue anywhere between the leather grip and buttcap, it feels weightless and balanced. While in my shooting stance, it feels as if every millimeter on the cue is a balance point.
The shafts are of high quality. Dense, straight growth rings, very nice shafts. They hit fairly stiff, but hit with low deflection. They really do feel like stronger, sturdier predator shafts.
I've never hit with a moori tip before, but boy do they grip the cueball well without any potential miscue. They hold chalk better than any other tip I've ever played with. I went through a stretch of about an hour without chalking before I realized that I wasn't chalking in between every shot, and that was not a problem. I didn't miscue once. Power strokes to impart heavy draw or follow are not a problem. I've played with capped ivory ferrules of one inch length before and they feel very heavy towards the end of the shaft... I feel no such weight with the new cue.
The best measure of a cue in my opinion is consistency. On every shot, the cue makes the same sound, my hand feels the same response, and everything just feels right. No matter if I hit the cueball hard or soft, if I hit the same part of the cueball, I get the same vibration and sound. Hitting the center of the cueball produces minimal resonance. The farther I hit from the center of the cueball, the more it resonates. It is very easy to tell if I hit the cueball where I intended to do so. I could tell I missed a shot based on the sound and feel before I even looked towards the pocket.
Pictures of the cue before delivery are posted in the cue gallery section. Thanks for reading everyone.
I have been working with Paul for almost a year now regarding my first real high end custom cue, and I recieved the cue a few weeks ago and have had a chance to play with it. I figured I'd put up a review of the cue.
My dealings with Paul were frequent and very enjoyable. We spoke about everything ranging from the weather, sports, and politics, to education on cuemaking and characteristics. The cue was completed in a timely fashion and to my characteristics. If anyone has any particular questions about Paul or talking to him, you can feel free to PM me, I really would like talk about the cue here...
My preferences in a cue are a cue that weighs 19.0 - 19.5 ounces, with a 13mm shaft that feels stiff, but doesnt hit with high deflection. I also like to feel a difference in my grip hand when I hit different shots. Ive played with all different joint types in the past and have liked them all at different times. To date, my favorite cues have been a Frey rosewood sneaky pete and a four pointer Chris Nitti. When I talked to Paul about designing a high-end cue with eight points, ivory, inlays, and super figured wood, I was worried that I would get a cue that hit like junk, but that was definitely not the case.
The cue I ordered from Paul was a fairly intricate cue. I requested a cue that weighed between 19 and 19.5 ounces, with the target of towards the low end and Paul made me a 19.0 ounce cue with two matching shafts. We decided to go with a big pin flat faced ivory joint (radial pin) for a cue with great feedback and resonance. Also, Paul suggested short ivory ferrules with a wood tenon, pads, and moori tips for a lower deflection shaft. I also ordered it 12.8 mm. The shafts are both high pitched when bounced and have 20 growth rings. Everything came as ordered.
Although on the scale the cue weighs 19 ounces but felt weightless. This really allowed me to stroke the ball. Everything that I noticed the cueball doing was a direct result of something I did, it felt really good to get some cueball action with my stroke and not with the momentum of a heavy feeling cue.
The balance on the cue is exceptional, and I think thats partly why it feels so light. Whenever gripping the cue anywhere between the leather grip and buttcap, it feels weightless and balanced. While in my shooting stance, it feels as if every millimeter on the cue is a balance point.
The shafts are of high quality. Dense, straight growth rings, very nice shafts. They hit fairly stiff, but hit with low deflection. They really do feel like stronger, sturdier predator shafts.
I've never hit with a moori tip before, but boy do they grip the cueball well without any potential miscue. They hold chalk better than any other tip I've ever played with. I went through a stretch of about an hour without chalking before I realized that I wasn't chalking in between every shot, and that was not a problem. I didn't miscue once. Power strokes to impart heavy draw or follow are not a problem. I've played with capped ivory ferrules of one inch length before and they feel very heavy towards the end of the shaft... I feel no such weight with the new cue.
The best measure of a cue in my opinion is consistency. On every shot, the cue makes the same sound, my hand feels the same response, and everything just feels right. No matter if I hit the cueball hard or soft, if I hit the same part of the cueball, I get the same vibration and sound. Hitting the center of the cueball produces minimal resonance. The farther I hit from the center of the cueball, the more it resonates. It is very easy to tell if I hit the cueball where I intended to do so. I could tell I missed a shot based on the sound and feel before I even looked towards the pocket.
Pictures of the cue before delivery are posted in the cue gallery section. Thanks for reading everyone.
