Buying new cue for $120-160. Need advice.

N

NervousNovice

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Buying new cue for $120-200. Need advice.

Hi Everybody,

You guys were very helpful when I first bought my McDermott a few months ago. I played with that entry-level McDermott with standard triangle tip for awhile. I'm not skillful enough to say I like the hit or not, but I have positive impression about it. I'll give it to my girlfriend so I need to buy a new cue again.

I want a new production cue. Priced around $120-200. No 2nd hand. No ebay. No Cuetec. No Dominiak. I try not to purchase another similar McDermott unless there is some strong reason for it.

Any suggestions? Joss? Falcon? Lucasi ... LE-R? Entry-level Viking?

Thank you!


Edit: Increased my budget.
 
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Dominiak

NervousNovice said:
Hi Everybody,

You guys were very helpful when I first bought my McDermott a few months ago. I played with that entry-level McDermott with standard triangle tip for awhile. I'm not skillful enough to say I like the hit or not, but I have positive impression about it. I'll give it to my girlfriend so I need to buy a new cue again.

I want a new production cue. Priced around $120-160. No 2nd hand. No ebay. No Cuetec. A lot of people recommend Joss or custome-made but I don't think they are in my $$ range. I try not to purchase another similar McDermott unless there is some strong reason for it.

Any suggestions? Lucasi LE-R? Entry-level Viking?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Take a look at Dominiak Cues
http://www.dominiakcues.com/
You can't beat the value
 
There are alot of cues in that price range... Ofcourse I recomend a Base model Joss but you can also get Lucasi, Mcdermott, Viking, Helmstetter, 5280, Mali, Falcon, and Fury.


you have alot of options, I suggest you do a lil research before you committ to one brand. Unless ofcourse its JOSS...lol



SPINDOKTOR
 
Do yourself a favor!

Keep saving to $250, you will get better quality, than cues under $200.

$200 is kind of a low level cutoff point. < $200 = questionable, > $200 = decent. Lucasi makes some pretty good sticks for the money at about
the $210-$260 range. (better joints, better ferrules, better tips, etc).

My cuemaker makes an entry custom for $250, the way you want it.
 
Viking makes a good cue in that price range, I bought the F-99 and am happy with it. If I had heard of Dominiak, I might have gone that way too.

And the joint that came standard on the Viking gives a soft hit, so it might be something a little different to compare to your McDermott.
 
Thanks for all the advices. Maybe I should increase my budget a bit.

SPINDOKTOR said:
There are alot of cues in that price range... Ofcourse I recomend a Base model Joss but you can also get Lucasi, Mcdermott, Viking, Helmstetter, 5280, Mali, Falcon, and Fury.

you have alot of options, I suggest you do a lil research before you committ to one brand. Unless ofcourse its JOSS...lol

SPINDOKTOR
Click to expand...

Can someone please explain why Joss over other production cues? The entry-level Joss is around $210. If it is that good and really worth it, I don't mind investing a little more on it in the long run.
 
Joss is a good quality build and nice playing production cue. At that $200 price range it is a good choice. If you can get your hands on a Falcon from someone in that price range, that is a good bet also. They play similiar and will last a long time. However, I keep hearing good things about the Dominak cues. Give that a look!
 
I got my Dominiak about a month ago, and have been incredibly happy with it. It was a great value at 99$, and still is at 119$. It has a very nice hit, and a very elegant, if plain, look. For a low budget cue, I don't think you can beat the deal Dominiak is giving.
 
Dominiak Feedback

I've had my Dominiak WD1020 for a few months now and after some modifications really like it. I had the taper modified and the original tip was a little to hard for me, so I changed to a Moori. The cue looks great and is very solid. William is a good guy to do business with.
 
I like my Dominiak too, there isn't much choice in these cues (you can have any kind of wood as long as it is plain curly maple) but they play super solid. Just have William put the tip of your liking on it and you're good to go. I'm sure he can change the taper to your liking too, that;s why it's a custom. Because of the extremely low price, you will probably have to pay a little extra for any changes.
If you need the cue fast, then Joe Nielsen still has the McDermott mg-31 thru 34 on sale. They have a three piece butt construction for around 130$ shipped AZ member price, can't really beat that either.

gr. Dave
 
I have a Lucasi and I would recommend them to anyone. They play nice and look good too...Hit with some cues and see which one naturally feels better to you...which one is most comfortable in your hands. Everyone is different and likes different things in a cue...its all about what you like not us, we can only tell you what we like.

Ben
 
For that price I would go with a Viking rather than a Lucasi. Just a better reputation for quality. Not that Lucasi is sub-par. It is just that Viking has a reputation for not letting many people down.

That and you can basically choose the type of pin, joint, tip, shaft diameter, cue weight, and wrap color you want. Basically they give you the freedom to choose a look and combo that you like even on their entry level cues. But the entry level cues will have the same basic contruction as the high end ones.

http://www.billiardswarehouse.com/cues/viking/viking_pool_cues.htm

They have some entry level ones here that are in your price range.
Good luck. Glad you liked the Mcdermott. Trying another cue now will help you really notice the subltle differences between cues and hits.

Vic
 
210$ ??????? NOOOOO.....

#JOS101- 164.80 $$$

http://www.budgetcues.com/joss-pool-cue-jos101.htm


I recomend Joss, a solid playing cue that will take you as far as you can go. A Joss is capable of Pro Calibur Play, any Joss. The only problem I have seen is the Tip from factory, it needs about a week to seat in properly. When it does, Joss is a fine playing cue. The 13.25mm Shaft helps with your stroke, you'll likely notice your stroking straighter, and that you can get alot of spin even with a big shaft. Lucasi is also a good cue and If 164.80 is to much to spend the LE-R is a fine choice.


SPINDOKTOR


NervousNovice said:
Thanks for all the advices. Maybe I should increase my budget a bit.



Can someone please explain why Joss over other production cues? The entry-level Joss is around $210. If it is that good and really worth it, I don't mind investing a little more on it in the long run.
Click to expand...
 
jgpool said:
Take a look at Dominiak Cues
http://www.dominiakcues.com/
You can't beat the value
Click to expand...

I believe they are good solid cues. The only issue I have is that they are too plain. Just my personal preference.

SPINDOKTOR said:
210$ ??????? NOOOOO.....

#JOS101- 164.80 $$$

http://www.budgetcues.com/joss-pool-cue-jos101.htm


I recomend Joss, a solid playing cue that will take you as far as you can go. A Joss is capable of Pro Calibur Play, any Joss. The only problem I have seen is the Tip from factory, it needs about a week to seat in properly. When it does, Joss is a fine playing cue. The 13.25mm Shaft helps with your stroke, you'll likely notice your stroking straighter, and that you can get alot of spin even with a big shaft. Lucasi is also a good cue and If 164.80 is to much to spend the LE-R is a fine choice.


SPINDOKTOR
Click to expand...

How does the JOS01 compare with the JOS101? What is the difference?

What do you mean by the tip "seat in properly"?

Why does a 13.25mm tip size help me straighten or improve my stroke (compare to, say, a 13mm)?
 
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for $200 you arent going to get anything fancy unless its a imported pos. i would say save up to $250-$300 and get a nice custom sneaky.
 
NervousNovice said:
I believe they are good solid cues. The only issue I have is that they are too plain. Just my personal preference.



In Pooldawg, the cheapest are JOS01 and JOS02. Here you show me the JOS101-JOS103. How many different entry-level series of Joss are there? How does the JOS01 compare to the JOS101? What is the difference?

What do you mean by the tip "seat in properly"?

Why does a 13.25mm tip size help me straighten or improve my stroke (compare to, say, a 13mm)?
Click to expand...




No differance, all Joss cues play the same. A JOS101 will play exactly the same as the 07-21 I bought. big differance in the price, but your paying for the inlays and the labor required to build a cue, not the performance.

Seat in means the tip from Joss has a big ol dome, when its seated in it will be roughly a nickle radius. so the tip will feel a lil soft at first compared to what it will feel like when it is broken in. this is true for basicaly all new non layered tips, except for the ultra hard tips.

you can get basicaly any size Joss shaft you want, the standard is 13.25mm and to me it just feels confortable, I suppose its the taper? I know compared to some cues and the tapers such as Mcdermott I stroke alot straighter using the Joss shaft. If you have small fingers a 12.75-13mm might be a better choice, I have rather large hands so I prefere the 13.25mm shaft.

HTH


SPINDOKTOR
 
SPINDOKTOR said:
No differance, all Joss cues play the same. A JOS101 will play exactly the same as the 07-21 I bought. big differance in the price, but your paying for the inlays and the labor required to build a cue, not the performance.

Seat in means the tip from Joss has a big ol dome, when its seated in it will be roughly a nickle radius. so the tip will feel a lil soft at first compared to what it will feel like when it is broken in. this is true for basicaly all new non layered tips, except for the ultra hard tips.

you can get basicaly any size Joss shaft you want, the standard is 13.25mm and to me it just feels confortable, I suppose its the taper? I know compared to some cues and the tapers such as Mcdermott I stroke alot straighter using the Joss shaft. If you have small fingers a 12.75-13mm might be a better choice, I have rather large hands so I prefere the 13.25mm shaft.

HTH


SPINDOKTOR
Click to expand...

I agree with the push for a Joss...

I just picked up a Joss101 with a bit of a different stain (purple/charcoal) from a fellow AZer. He won it at a big tourney, and hit a couple balls with it before he sold it to me, so its still in practically brand new condition. Thing shoots pretty well. Best production cue out there, IMO.

Mine has a 13.25mm shaft...granted, I think I might like a 13mm a little better, but I've always been partial to stiffer shafts, so it's not too bad. I do have smaller hands, but it doesn't really bother me. My Searing shaft (on my main player) gets fat pretty quick, so it doesn't feel too different in my stroke at all...

I've got what I think is an Everest layered tip on there. Shoots alright...
Gonna be changin' it too a Moori soon, tho :rolleyes:
 
I would say go for a Joss also. Viking has a lower cost entry level cue within your price limit. Thats the only reason I said Viking. But between the two I would go for Joss.

Now the difference between the JOS01 and the JOS101 is in the wood and in the inlays. More work into a cue=higher the cost. Inlays=Higher cost.
Now I personally believe that the woods used in a cue can affect the way it hits somewhat in feedback etc. But basic play and feel will be pretty much the same. Just subtle things that you may notice once you start shooting a lot more.

As for a tip taking a while to be "seated". I would assume that means the same thing as "breaking it in". Once you get a new cue sometimes it takes time to break in the tip.
Vic
 
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