To be honest, I had a negative feelings towards McDermott back in the late 70s - early 80s. Still - I ran across a Lucky/McDermott cue for $41, and took a chance. I was very pleasantly surprised. Nice hit, and a good feel. The cue didn't come with a G-core or one of the "i" shafts - but it felt good and was accurate. This particular cue won't rank with the better cues - but for a sub-$100 stick ... not bad. It has a nice wood-to-wood feel, and it's good to go with a bar cue.