I just got this cue (pics below, not as detailed as I would like - hosting limitations) from Ted Harris and wanted to share my experience. A little background first.
I was first made aware of Ted Harris cues when seeing Nick's (Planet 9-Ball Nick) cue at the Fast Eddies Friday night tournaments last year. I'm always on the lookout for nice cues and Nick's cue immediately caught my eye. Unfortunately he wouldn't part with it as much as I bugged him about it.
Nick got me in touch with Ted and over the next year we always seemed to miss each other on cue deals. I called him about a month ago and he told me about this cue being finished up and I took a leap of faith and bought it sight unseen.
I got it earlier today and gave it a thorough looking over and I'm truly amazed at the quality craftsmanship displayed in this cue. When Ted told me was a perfectionist he wasn't kidding.
I always roll a cue first - the butt on the table, then the shafts on the table, then the butt elevated on the rail, then the shafts elevated on the rail, and then the same process with the cue screwed together. This cue was absolutely perfect. I have owned over 300 cues of which many have been from premier cue makers, and this cue is one of maybe five that has ever done this. And what makes this even more remarkable is that this cue has more room for error since it has two joints.
I then went about checking the rest of the cue - the cue has some of the most expressive tulipwood I have ever seen---grainy, colorful, a nice knot in the forearm; the wrap is so well done it almost looks like leather; the joints are flush and nice and tight; the jump joint is nicely disguised; the finish is perfect; and the shafts are flawless. And check out the tulipwood joint, already stylish on its own, but Ted even lined up the grain so it flows from the forearm. A very nice touch.
I then went about checking playability - it is nicely balanced; it hits very, very well in that it has a nice solid feel without being hard; it moves the cue ball around effortlessly; and it has a lot of touch in that the cue is responsive in transmitting the strike of the cue ball back to you.
I then checked the weight of the cue and it is right at where I wanted it; and both shafts actually weigh the same - after dealing in a lot of cues, this seems to be somewhat of a rarity, I'm not sure why. However, this is just another indication of Ted's expertise and attention to detail.
Ted was a genuine pleasure to deal with, he is a great guy and a true credit to the cue making industry. I give him my highest recommendation and I'm sure anybody reading this would be happy if they were to deal with him as well.
For the pessimists reading this, I'm not affiliated with Ted in any way. I'm just a very satisfied customer who feels the need to share my experience.
I was first made aware of Ted Harris cues when seeing Nick's (Planet 9-Ball Nick) cue at the Fast Eddies Friday night tournaments last year. I'm always on the lookout for nice cues and Nick's cue immediately caught my eye. Unfortunately he wouldn't part with it as much as I bugged him about it.
Nick got me in touch with Ted and over the next year we always seemed to miss each other on cue deals. I called him about a month ago and he told me about this cue being finished up and I took a leap of faith and bought it sight unseen.
I got it earlier today and gave it a thorough looking over and I'm truly amazed at the quality craftsmanship displayed in this cue. When Ted told me was a perfectionist he wasn't kidding.
I always roll a cue first - the butt on the table, then the shafts on the table, then the butt elevated on the rail, then the shafts elevated on the rail, and then the same process with the cue screwed together. This cue was absolutely perfect. I have owned over 300 cues of which many have been from premier cue makers, and this cue is one of maybe five that has ever done this. And what makes this even more remarkable is that this cue has more room for error since it has two joints.
I then went about checking the rest of the cue - the cue has some of the most expressive tulipwood I have ever seen---grainy, colorful, a nice knot in the forearm; the wrap is so well done it almost looks like leather; the joints are flush and nice and tight; the jump joint is nicely disguised; the finish is perfect; and the shafts are flawless. And check out the tulipwood joint, already stylish on its own, but Ted even lined up the grain so it flows from the forearm. A very nice touch.
I then went about checking playability - it is nicely balanced; it hits very, very well in that it has a nice solid feel without being hard; it moves the cue ball around effortlessly; and it has a lot of touch in that the cue is responsive in transmitting the strike of the cue ball back to you.
I then checked the weight of the cue and it is right at where I wanted it; and both shafts actually weigh the same - after dealing in a lot of cues, this seems to be somewhat of a rarity, I'm not sure why. However, this is just another indication of Ted's expertise and attention to detail.
Ted was a genuine pleasure to deal with, he is a great guy and a true credit to the cue making industry. I give him my highest recommendation and I'm sure anybody reading this would be happy if they were to deal with him as well.
For the pessimists reading this, I'm not affiliated with Ted in any way. I'm just a very satisfied customer who feels the need to share my experience.
