Having attended the SBE for a while now I thought I would share a few of my thoughts on the event. Also, a few thoughts on where the direction that pool equipment is headed. The SBE crowd has been impressive the last few years to say the least, if you plan to attend on a Saturday, be prepared to park out in the nose bleeds...Or on the mulch.
-There have been quite a few generic sticker cue brands in attendance the last few years. Basically a company creates a "brand" and sells generic catalog import cues of varying quality. Some with carbon shafts, some with wood. Basically on the level of an Action or Players style cue. No innovation, no style. Just generic decal cues in a flashy booth. I really hope pool does not go down this path of pure import garbage. Some of the cues for $350 with a "carbon" shaft were absolutely horrible. I know there is a huge market for the cheap players cues (I own a few), but these "brands" market them as something more. They pop up and then disappear all the time.
- I really miss the booths that featured used cues and the guys were up for a good haggling. Those booths are what made the Expo fun IMO. Go down there with a case full of cues and see what kind of trade deals you could work up. Most of the trading aspect is gone. Most of the vendors offer "show specials", but none of them want to get into any fun back and forth negotiations. The price is the price nowadays. I understand margins are slim, but with the price of production cues doubling in the last few years...There is definitely room to wiggle. A few manufactures had "show specials" that were hundreds of dollars more expensive than their price on Seyberts....I think the amount of people who make offers on the internet and then disappear have killed negotiations.
- I hit a large variety of cues. Getting on a table was sometimes difficult because of the crowds. Most everything felt decent in my hands. A few certainly were not my cup of tea. Carbon fiber and me (still) do not get along, although a Becue made me feel like I could actually give it a go at some point. Having a 100% carbon butt and shaft certainly has its advantages.
- A Longoni with their S2 shaft was by far the standout favorite of the production cues I tested...It just felt right in every aspect. Their build quality was excellent and it felt perfect in my hands. For a brand I have never considered, I will be putting one into my arsenal soon....Their Expo pricing was a bit.....steep. The only downside is the proprietary pin. Cuelees make gorgeous cues, but they are NOT cheap. They also screwed together like crap. They would not even budge a dollar on price lol. As a Schon fan it was nice to see a large display of them this year. The all carbon Mcdermott was ok, but nothing Earth shattering.
- As a mild Predator fanboy, they have been seriously lacking as of late. Their build quality has been a bit questionable as well. I purchased a sneaky from them with a Centro shaft. They were offering an incredible deal on their website, an offer I couldn't refuse. The fit and finish on the butt was complete trash. Selling cues with stickers and paint for $2,000+ is absolutely disgusting as is selling $1,200 Skittle colored breakers...and they sell every single one they produce. Their selection at the show was abysmal, but the booth was always full. They sold more t-shirts than cues.
- Musashi/Adam/Hayakawa make some incredible looking cues. They are priced inline with the craftsmanship.
- The variety of chalk available is absolutely mind blowing...It is freaking chalk.
- I felt kind of bad for the people playing in the amateur side of the tournament. The crowds were spilling over into the tables with active matches going on, and there was no way around it. I am hoping they get a logistics guy in there to make the floor plan flow a bit more. A lot of room is wasted and it really makes for some annoying congestion for both players and people just browsing.
- Long lines for the bathrooms all day. The port-a-shitters were fine early in the day. They became a warzone after dark.
- The action room could have used more tables. There were a few points in the night where there were more arguments happening than shots on a table. Some big money, supposedly, changed hands. I take everything that happens in there with a grain of salt. A few more tables would help with the riff raff.
- I went down there with a pocket full of cash ready to buy something that stood out. Instead I came home with a new tip on my breaker and a full case of unsold/untraded cues. Now to search for a Longoni....
Thanks for the post and for sharing your observations. I really enjoyed reading about your experience at the Expo. I would love to attend one myself, and hopefully I’ll be able to make it next year.
I was also glad to see you mention Longoni and give them some recognition. They don’t seem to get nearly as much attention in the pool world, especially in North America, as some of the bigger brands. Since you brought them up, I thought I’d share a little of my own experience with the brand. I’m a big Longoni fan and have a lot of respect for what they do. I currently own four Custom Pro 3-cushion cues and one pool cue, the Sparkle by Niels Feijen, so I’ve had the chance to experience several of their cues across both disciplines.
One of the things that has impressed me the most is their manufacturing consistency. My four carom cues were produced in very different years, yet the dimensions and weights are virtually identical. Their technical specifications and quality control are exceptional for a production cue manufacturer.
Longoni has also always been very strong on technology. They continue to develop their construction methods, internal cores, materials, shafts, and accessories. The 3Lobite extension system is a good example. It is simple, solid, and extremely convenient, especially because the adapter is already integrated into the butt on many of their higher-end cues.
Another thing I appreciate is that Longoni actually designs cues around the discipline they are intended for. A Longoni 3-cushion cue is fundamentally different from a Longoni pool cue in dimensions, balance, construction, etc. This may sound obvious, but not every manufacturer takes that approach. Predator, for example, has used essentially the same butt platform across different disciplines and changed mainly the shaft and setup.
Their designs are generally very elegant as well. Even when they use modern materials and construction, most of their cues still have a clean European look rather than being overly flashy.
Longoni also offers a huge selection of shafts, probably one of the widest ranges from a major production manufacturer. I also like that they pay attention to the complete product. Their higher-end cues normally include joint protectors and a proper neoprene or heavy fabric sleeve, and many already have the 3Lobite extension adapter installed. These are small details, but appreciated by customers. Compared with the cheap accessories included with some Predator cues, Longoni does a much better job here. Their entry-level models obviously don’t include all of this, but they are still decent playing cues.
As far as the hit and feel, I think they are excellent. Any Longoni gives up absolutely nothing to Predator, Viking, or other established production brands in that respect.
That said, there are a few things I don’t like.
From my own experience, I have noticed more deflection from some of Longoni’s laminated wood shafts compared with Predator shafts. That doesn’t make them bad shafts at all—you adjust to them—but to me they have a slightly more traditional, old-school character. I can’t comment on the Luna Nera carbon shafts because I have never played with one (I’m not a carbon fibre fan either lol).
I also think some of their entry-level cues are overpriced. They play decently, but the difference in materials and finishing compared with the higher-end Longoni models is very noticeable. At those prices, there are Cuetec, Viking, and other alternatives that I think offer better value.
My biggest disappointment, however, is the direction Longoni has taken with materials in recent years. They have gradually moved away from some of the beautiful exotic and premium woods they used extensively in the past, such as rosewoods, ebony and cocobolo, replacing them in many models with stained woods or engineered materials such as Nox. Longoni presents this partly in terms of sustainability and better weight management, which I understand, but the prices have remained quite high despite the use of less expensive materials in many cases. Some of the acrylics and other decorative materials used on newer models also don’t look as refined to me as the materials used on some of their older cues.
Longoni is still very focused on the European and 3-cushion markets, and their production is relatively limited compared with the big pool brands. But the quality of what they produce, especially their higher-end cues, is excellent.
Overall, I remain a Longoni fan. They are not perfect, and I prefer some aspects of their older production, but their consistency, engineering, playability, and attention to detail make them one of my favorite production cue manufacturers.
Cheers pals!
$750.00 
