Best materials & makers for stiff hitting W2W Cues?
- Thread starter SupaFoo
- Start date
Purpleheart forearm, bocote handle, 3/8 titanium pin, stag collars, melamine ferrules and old maple shaft.
Keith Josey...but I sure would like to try a Jack Madden sometime. One for sale here has me tempted..but I'm already "cue poor".
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=138262
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=138262
Last edited:
Ok here goes
Ok I know I am probably going to catch alot of crap about this but in my experience, It is hard to beat the stuff soming out of Dave Jacobys custom shop. Seriously, for the money I dont know if you CAN beat them. Just make sure the cue you find has the 3/8-10 or the radial pin with a wood or phenolic collar. My everyday shooter is one of dave's with a yellowheart collar on the butt and phenolic below and on the shaft. I have let guys hit with my cue and the first words out of any of their mouths is "WOW THAT THING HITS HARD!!!!!"
Honestly its just that firm, solid, fluid feel that I always dreamed of in a cue.:thumbup:
Ok I know I am probably going to catch alot of crap about this but in my experience, It is hard to beat the stuff soming out of Dave Jacobys custom shop. Seriously, for the money I dont know if you CAN beat them. Just make sure the cue you find has the 3/8-10 or the radial pin with a wood or phenolic collar. My everyday shooter is one of dave's with a yellowheart collar on the butt and phenolic below and on the shaft. I have let guys hit with my cue and the first words out of any of their mouths is "WOW THAT THING HITS HARD!!!!!"
Honestly its just that firm, solid, fluid feel that I always dreamed of in a cue.:thumbup:
You know, as has been said a million times on this forum, hit and playability are very subjective. It's all in your perspective. You can usually get a consensus on certain cuemakers work however.
For example. I think that 90% of all the players who have tried each of these maker's cues would agree that they hit "stiff". Southwest, Bender, Olney. Just three that I can name off the top of my head. Of the three, Jeff Olney is by far the most reasonable, Southwest is the most collectable, and possibly Bender is the most artistic. Another stiff hitting cuemaker that is extremely reasonable that comes to mind is Coker. The "poor man's Southwest"
. All things considered I think that Jeff Olney gives you the most cue for the money. He really tries to make a perfectly constructed cue and comes very close. He's positively anal about it if you'll forgive the expression. He has almost gone into seclusion now to make cues 16 hours a day without any distractions. 
Those makers all make large pin wood to wood cues. 3/8 X 10 or 3/8 X 11, I don't think it makes much difference. Radial pins are probably the most accurately installed I'm told, and I find the hit and performance to be very similar as well. I think that a recent poll here has shown that the majority of all players prefer a traditional maple shaft and I'm here to say that when you find one with the correct grain and many growth rings, plus a little darker color and more weight, a high tone when "rung", and not too much grain run out, you'll know that you have something special. They're hard to find at any price. Again, Jeff Olney chooses his shaftwood so carefully that he only really wants to give up one shaft per cue. I'm not kidding !
Purpleheart and Bacote both hit fantastic ! I really like Ebony and Cocobolo and Birdseye Maple. I heard Ernie Gutierrez of Ginacue on TAR saying that an ebony forend cue helped the great Ed Kelly play better back in the day. He said that an ebony fronted cue was like going to a race car from a Chevy. All I can say is that they ARE forward balanced, but the cuemaker has to achieve the perfect mix! I love ivory ferrules but I admit that LBM (linen based melamine) is probably just as good. Neither hold chalk and that is important to me. Tips are too personal. It's hard to beat a Moori but they are getting very expensive. Triangle tips are great and very reasonable. The Filipinos use plain old Elkmaster tips soaked in milk and pressed but you need someone like Mike Johnson from Jensen Cues who has experimented a lot and has it down to a science.
I hope you find what you are looking for. It's a worthy search...Tom
For example. I think that 90% of all the players who have tried each of these maker's cues would agree that they hit "stiff". Southwest, Bender, Olney. Just three that I can name off the top of my head. Of the three, Jeff Olney is by far the most reasonable, Southwest is the most collectable, and possibly Bender is the most artistic. Another stiff hitting cuemaker that is extremely reasonable that comes to mind is Coker. The "poor man's Southwest"
. All things considered I think that Jeff Olney gives you the most cue for the money. He really tries to make a perfectly constructed cue and comes very close. He's positively anal about it if you'll forgive the expression. He has almost gone into seclusion now to make cues 16 hours a day without any distractions. Those makers all make large pin wood to wood cues. 3/8 X 10 or 3/8 X 11, I don't think it makes much difference. Radial pins are probably the most accurately installed I'm told, and I find the hit and performance to be very similar as well. I think that a recent poll here has shown that the majority of all players prefer a traditional maple shaft and I'm here to say that when you find one with the correct grain and many growth rings, plus a little darker color and more weight, a high tone when "rung", and not too much grain run out, you'll know that you have something special. They're hard to find at any price. Again, Jeff Olney chooses his shaftwood so carefully that he only really wants to give up one shaft per cue. I'm not kidding !
Purpleheart and Bacote both hit fantastic ! I really like Ebony and Cocobolo and Birdseye Maple. I heard Ernie Gutierrez of Ginacue on TAR saying that an ebony forend cue helped the great Ed Kelly play better back in the day. He said that an ebony fronted cue was like going to a race car from a Chevy. All I can say is that they ARE forward balanced, but the cuemaker has to achieve the perfect mix! I love ivory ferrules but I admit that LBM (linen based melamine) is probably just as good. Neither hold chalk and that is important to me. Tips are too personal. It's hard to beat a Moori but they are getting very expensive. Triangle tips are great and very reasonable. The Filipinos use plain old Elkmaster tips soaked in milk and pressed but you need someone like Mike Johnson from Jensen Cues who has experimented a lot and has it down to a science.
I hope you find what you are looking for. It's a worthy search...Tom