I'm new tot he forum, but have been reading for a good while. Recently I have read lots of threads on cues from the Philippines, which got me interested enough to want to try a few. The first one I received the other day was from Patrick Navarro, purchased on ebay.
How was the purchase/shipping/communication?
The purchase was fine, with me supplying the tip diameter (12.75mm). The shipping was fairly fast, I believe it shipped about a week after purchase, via Fedex and I was provided a tracking number. Communication was also good. This particular cue was made and signed by Dindo Perez, who according to the ebay listing used to work for Edwin Reyes. I have seen some other cues listed by Navarro that were made by Dindo Perez, and they seemed to be very nicely done, and some very unique styling.
Here is a link to the cue:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170359166391&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
How does it look in person?
Inlays are nicely done, with very, very minor imperfections one would expect as I imagine they are done mostly by hand. When I say minor, I mean you have to get up VERY close to see anything at all. In fact they are so minor, I would go as far as to say they barely need be mentioned. The joint is very tight, as jimmy stated above. I haven't had a new cue with a 3/8 x 10 joint, so I can't really comment on the normality of this. I imagine it will loosen slightly over time. The cue came with 2 shafts, and everything so far is dead straight. So, to recap, it's a VERY nice looking cue, dead straight, and seemingly very well contructed.
How does it play?
Well, it certainly has a totally different feel than my current player, which is an Adam Balabushka GB-4 (had this one for 10 years, plays great!). After knocking a couple balls around with it, I played 6 or 7 games. The cue plays fantastic, even with the relatively cheap Masters tip. At no time did I feel handicapped by the cue, or have any lack of confidence.
My main concern with a cue from the Philippines was potential warpage, but the average relative humidity there is barely more than where I live (Tallahassee, FL). I'll come back and post a more detailed review after a couple months.
just FYI, this cue was nice enough for me to have him working on a second one.
As part of my experimentation with Philippine cues, I also just received a cue from Audrick Cues (also from Philippines) that I will review in a new thread. It was not one of his ebay offerings, but one of his older designs that I liked.
-Coach