Hit a bunch of amazing cues yesterday

The one that really stood out to me probably isn't one that everyone is expecting to hear.

The Bobby Hunter hit the best to me. I swear after I hit the first ball with it, I just looked up at my buddy with amazement. It was unreal. The only way I can really describe the hit on that cue, is pure. Absolutely pure. He smiled after I said it was the best one I had hit yet, and said he kinda thought I'd feel that way. The hit in that cue just resonates perfectly, it was like a piece of heaven in my hands. The balance is perfect, and it feels as though the cue almost strokes itself. It took everything I gave it with perfection. I felt like I couldn't miss, and it took probably 30+ balls to (just throwing them on the table and hitting them, not playing any games so I'm not sure how many exactly).

Second place was the Szamboti. It too had a pure hit, with a little "ping". It resonated very nicely, not too stiff but not too soft. Very good balance. I would play with that cue any day of the week.

Third place I would have to say pretty much a tie between the Black Boar and the Southwest. Black Boar had a hit I would describe as pretty stiff, and very solid. The Southwest had a good, solid hit. I've been told my daily playing cue has a taper very similar to the Southwest "parabolic" taper, so it was immediately comfortable in my hands.

I was pretty much indifferent to the hits of the Scruggs, Bender, and Phillipi. They played fine, just didn't think they hit better than the top 4 according to my personal tastes and opinions.

I didn't like the hit of the Hercek at all, to be honest. It didn't have a bumper, and it had a very considerable "ping" to it. It resonated to the point of almost being what I would describe as "harsh". I'd love to try one of his cues that does have a bumper so I can get a comparison.

All in all, I feel lucky for the chance to hit all of those cues at the same time. It was an incredible experience.

My new friend who owns all these cues actually used to post/buy/sell on here regularly. I'm sure he still looks around the site once in a while. I don't know what his username is/was, but his real name is Leo Oviedo. He told me he bought an Annie O from Jay Helfert.

PoolBum said:

Yep, that's why it felt and sounded that way. Taking the bumper off a cue changes the hit, the feel, and the sound.

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The cue was actually made that way. The owner loves the hit, he says it hits better to him than any other cue he has. He loved it so much, that he got the Szamboti with a significantly smaller-than-average bumper.

He has another Hercek that does have a traditional bumper. I didn't get to hit it, but would like to to compare the differences.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.


Also, he has a Cory Barnhart cue that looks absolutely amazing. Maybe I'll get to hit that one next time. One of the very cool things about hitting all these cues is that he's actually played with most of them, so I was able to chalk and play with them like I would with my daily player. The only one I couldn't chalk was the Scruggs. He even said he "didn't mind" if I chalked it, but both shafts were unchalked and I wouldn't put a piece of chalk near them out of respect.

pistolero said:

You forgot to mention the Omega/DPK and Bluegrass. I was happy to have someone in the pool hall that new what they were. I'll have you over sometime to hit some of the other ones.

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I knew I was forgetting some. I was definitely a little overwhelmed by awesomeness. Thanks again Leo! I'd love to come over to the casa and play you some in your room. By the way, just put a new tip on the break stick, literally about 5 minutes ago. May be calling to see if I can come over and finish it on the lathe.

Leland