Doug Patrick you are a killer. Simple but elegant. I never have and never will like cues that are over done. Whats the point make a simple cue that plays well and call it a day.Maybe collectors like that but i have been playing for 50 years and have played with everything from a house cue that when rolled you could drive a truck under it to a jam up Schon and all i ever cared about was getting the ball in the pocket. I ran my first 100 balls with a house cue in 1961.I am also a golfer and i have a $30 driver that go's just as far as my playing partners $400 Callaway.Great looking cues look great but it is the hand that pockets the balls.
When i was in Vietnam we had a base straight pool tournement,90 percent humidity and bananas with square tips for pool cues.I took a cue and shaped the tip as close to a nickel as i could on the concrete floor and won with a high run of 21 which was a miracle considering the table conditions.When i was hustleing pool as a teenager i would pick out the most crooked cue i could find and roll it on the table so my mark could see it and say rackem up.Truth is if you put the belly of the cue down and keep it there it does not play so bad. Sorry for my ramblings but i'm on my third bourbon and coke.