AZ Buildoff Cues

[Gwen's up]

Ohhhh Exciting!

I can't wait until these are in my neck of the woods! They all look great and I am so excited to be able to hit with them!

I am interested though, was there a standardized "score sheet" that testers were to use for judging? (Forgive me if this was addressed and I didn't read it!)

Obviously, some of these look fancier than others. I recalled that there were certain criteria for the cues, so I looked up the specifications which were: (Copy/Pasted from the other thread.)


"Here are the requirements of the cues and all builders have agreed to these specs so we can get as close to the same cue as we can. The builder is going to have to work his magic to get the best hitting cue so he can have AZ bragging rights!

1. The cue will have a lightly figured BEM forearm and butt

2. Handle will be Maple or Purpleheart, wrapped or wrapless (up to cue builder) if you specifially build all your cues with PH then use PH.

3. Cue builder to decide to core or not to core

4. cue builders personal taper on shaft

5. Cue builder to use Molavia Medium tips provided by Duc Lam

6. Builder's to use black phenolic collars, buttcap

7. Cuemakers choice on ferrule, pin

8. Weight will be 19oz +/- 0.2oz

9. No ringwork, inlays, points, signatures or trademarks

10. have integrity & build the cue as if somebody had ordered it, the same way you'd build all of your cues"

Looks like some builders can't follow instructions. Kind of hard not to pick a potential favorite on looks, so far...LOL

Regardless, nice looking cues guys!! Congratulations.

 

[Poolplaya9]

P.S. I will be submitting my feedback on the cues after I've had a chance to think it over. Maybe those trying it out can wait to read the feedback. I think it will sub-consciously affect the testing process.

I think you are right, any feedback from anyone who already knows who made each cue is likely to sub-consciously sway the opinions of those behind you that are testing them blindly.

The whole point of this the way I understood it was to get honest, uninfluenced feedback from those that are blindly inspecting and testing the cues.

Anybody who knows which cuemakers made which cues should withhold their reviews until it is over and the makers of each cue are unveiled. Just number the cues somehow, post a new picture that shows the which cue is which number, and let each person who blindly reviews the cues make a post giving their feedback for cue #1, cue #2, etc. Don't prematurely influence the results by having a review from someone that already knows who made which cues.

Edited to add: If it wasn't originally intended to be a blind review, it should be made into one.

 

[ftgokie]

I think you are right, any feedback from anyone who already knows who made each cue is likely to sub-consciously sway the opinions of those behind you that are testing them blindly.

The whole point of this the way I understood it was to get honest, uninfluenced feedback from those that are blindly inspecting and testing the cues.

Anybody who knows which cuemakers made which cues should withhold their reviews until it is over and the makers of each cue are unveiled. Just number the cues somehow, post a new picture that shows the which cue is which number, and let each person who blindly reviews the cues make a post giving their feedback for cue #1, cue #2, etc. Don't prematurely influence the results by having a review from someone that already knows who made which cues.

Edited to add: If it wasn't originally intended to be a blind review, it should be made into one.

I know who made 4 of the cues, 2 of them I have no clue. BUT.....I have no idea WHOS cue is WHOS..They are numbered on the joint and shaft 1-6

I was trying to figure out who made which cue, but for the life of me I cant. I have an idea who made 1, but I am not sure..

I had a spreadsheet on what areas we are grading the cues..but like a DUM Bass, I left it at work :sorry:

Heading to Shooters right now..will be back in the hotel room later tonight

 

[sliprock]

I think you are right, any feedback from anyone who already knows who made each cue is likely to sub-consciously sway the opinions of those behind you that are testing them blindly.

The whole point of this the way I understood it was to get honest, uninfluenced feedback from those that are blindly inspecting and testing the cues.

Anybody who knows which cuemakers made which cues should withhold their reviews until it is over and the makers of each cue are unveiled. Just number the cues somehow, post a new picture that shows the which cue is which number, and let each person who blindly reviews the cues make a post giving their feedback for cue #1, cue #2, etc. Don't prematurely influence the results by having a review from someone that already knows who made which cues.

Edited to add: If it wasn't originally intended to be a blind review, it should be made into one.

If I'm not mistaken Eric Crisp is the only person that knows which cue belongs to which builder. He numbered the cues. Shawn knows the names of several cuemakers involved because he set all this up.He doesn't know which cue they built. He's in the blind just as everyone else will be. The only people that can spill the beans are Eric or the cuebuilders themselves.

 

[ftgokie]

If I'm not mistaken Eric Crisp is the only person that knows which cue belongs to which builder. He numbered the cues. Shawn knows the names of several cuemakers involved because he set all this up.He doesn't know which cue they built. He's in the blind just as everyone else will be. The only people that can spill the beans are Eric or the cuebuilders themselves.

Yep...I dont know who belongs to what cue....Other than the Vasilios 2 point Sneaky Pete......That sneaky pete is probably one of the highest quality sneakys I have seen in a long time.....Very Very pretty wood, super good hitting cue..I wouldnt hesitate to recomend Vasilios to anyone, he does really nice work!

 

[ftgokie]

Big Update

Ok guys....big update

John Morra, Melissa Little, Jared Spence.....and a whole bunch of top notch players are evaluating these cues as we speak.......

 

[Poolplaya9]

I know who made 4 of the cues, 2 of them I have no clue. BUT.....I have no idea WHOS cue is WHOS..They are numbered on the joint and shaft 1-6

I was trying to figure out who made which cue, but for the life of me I cant. I have an idea who made 1, but I am not sure..

I had a spreadsheet on what areas we are grading the cues..but like a DUM Bass, I left it at work :sorry:

Heading to Shooters right now..will be back in the hotel room later tonight

Ok, I thought yourself and SK custom cues already knew who the maker of each specific cue was. The only real problem I see with either of your reviews is that there may be a tendancy not to be very critical of any of the cues since you do know who most of the participating cue makers are, and particularly since you know who one of them is that is considered to be a very renowned cuemaker that posts here. Maybe it would be best to wait for a few others that don't even have a clue who the participating cuemakers were to post their reviews before you submit yours? I would just hate to see any chance of any kind of undue influence from someone that isn't "totally in the blind", although the potential influence does seem to be fairly minimal.

 

[ftgokie]

Ok, I thought yourself and SK custom cues already knew who the maker of each specific cue was. The only real problem I see with either of your reviews is that there may be a tendancy not to be very critical of any of the cues since you do know who most of the participating cue makers are, and particularly since you know who one of them is that is considered to be a very renowned cuemaker that posts here. Maybe it would be best to wait for a few others that don't even have a clue who the participating cuemakers were to post their reviews before you submit yours? I would just hate to see any chance of any kind of undue influence from someone that isn't "totally in the blind", although the potential influence does seem to be fairly minimal.

SK Custom Cues doesnt know who built cues for the build off. I know who built cues for the build off, but I dont know who built which cue. The only people that know who built which cue is Eric Crisp...and of course the builders know their cues only.. I do have a favorite cue that fits me good, and I have a least favorite...I have some things to say about each cue in my review. So I dont think that I will go easy on anyone....I will just give my honest opinion on each cue.

I will say this...we tried out the cues with the Molavia tips.. of the 8 people that tried the cues first, nobody liked the tips. We decided to go with a Triangle tip on each cue. Doug Patrick of Patrick Custom Cues installed the tips...Great JOB Doug :thumbup: The cues are absolutely awesome!!!!

I will be posting feedback tonight of what John Morra and some others thought of the cues.

 

[ftgokie]

Here is the 1st combined feedback for each cue from John Morra and fellow Candian Jarrod Spence. This is exactly as they wrote it down.

Cue #1
1. Balance of cue was very evenly distributed
2. The looks of the cue were simple but good enough
3. The quality of the work was very good considering how well it hit
4. The feel of the hit was soft and smooth, the tip felt good
5. The taper of the shaft was very good and the butt as well
6. Was very well balanced
7. Has a really smooth hit to it

Cue #2
1 Balance of cue was good but felt a little heavy in the joint
2. Looks of the cue were plain but good but dont like black linen
3. Quality of work was fair
4. The feel of the hit was medium and smooth, good tip
5. Taper of the shaft was too thick and butt was a little thick but fair

Cue #3 John Morra
1. Balance of cue is good
2. Tip felt very soft
3. Taper was soft on shaft
4. Quality of work was fair

Cue #3 Jarrod Spence
1. Balance felt a little butt heavy but fair
2. I didnt like the looks of it
3. Quality of work looked fair
4. Feel of the cue was between soft and medium, hit good
5. Taper of butt and shaft were good

Cue #4
1. Balance was very well distributed
2. Looks of cue were best of all six cues
3. Quality of work was very good
4. Taper of shaft was a little too thick, butt was perfect
5. Feel of hit was medium but very good

Cue #5 John Morra
1. Balance of cue was fair but heavy at the joint
2. Dont like the looks of the cue
3. Quality of the work was just under fair
4. Feel was medium and smooth hit good
5. Taper of the shaft was too thick in the middle and too thick in the butt

Cue #5 Jarrod Spence
1. Taper was thick and so was butt
2. Tip felt hard
3. Quality of work wasnt good
4. Didnt like the looks of the cue
5. Cue felt very heavy

Cue #6
1. Balance too heavy
2. Shaft and butt too thick
3. Feel of hit medium smooth and too much deflection
4. Dont like looks
5. Quality of work descent



Here is what Melissa Little had to say about the cues. Go check out her website as well, some very good pictures in there of some top notch players and some great info about Melissa as well!


http://www.melissalittle.com/melissa_little/About_The_Viper.html

Cue #1
Balance good, looks alright.
Quality was plain had a soft hit and the taper was too fat.
Cue was ok

Cue #2
Balance was good, looks plain
Quality was better than #1
Taper was longer than #1
Overall was pretty plain

Cue #3
This cue was the best all around

Cue #4
Ok

Cue #5
Butt was too fat, and not a good taper

Cue #6
Same as #5

 

[ftgokie]

Here is what another player there at Olathe that tried the cues out had to say about the build off cues;

1. I like the hit of #2 the Best, then #1
2. The defelection seemed to be the least on 2 and 1
3. #2 cue was the most consistant
4. I did not like 4 or 5

Here is how he rated the cues from Most liked to least liked

#2
#1
#3
#4
#5

Here is what Rob Moore from Willard, Mo. had to say about the cues

Cue #1
Solid but no draw

Cue #2
WOW, Great for controlling the cue ball. Seems like a L.D. Shaft

Cue #3
Plays good but a light hit

Cue #4
Same as #1, just add high deflection

Cue #5
Compares to #3 but with a harder hit

Cue #6
Ok, but has a soft hit and no draw

There you have it guys, the first feedback for the AZ Billiards Cue Buildoff.

As you can see, everyone is going to be different. What I may love, you may hate. What I think has a good hard hit, you may think it has a soft spongy hit. Just goes to show you how hard it is to cater to us picky pool players.

Hopefully you can follow this thread and maybe make a decision on your purchase of a custom cue in the future. And when the names of each cue builder is revealed, you will hit them up to make you a cue.

Keep in mind that these are simple, basic cues. Each cue builder is capable of making much fancier cues that can be tailored to your style.

Just tell them that ftgokie sent you from the AZB cue buildoff and I will get a good swift kick in the gnads the next time they see me:grin:

I will be at Magoos in Tulsa Okla this tues night around 7pm for everyone up there to get a chance to take them for a test spin. I am hoping we can video it and post it on youtube for you all to see. If you around the Tulsa area and wanna come on out feel free to do so.

 

[ftgokie]

Bump to the top

 

[Impact Blue]

Everything about this thread is EPIC. Seriously, what a genius idea....

Subscribing, and thank you for all your hard work!!

If other reviewers out there can make new videos of the cues in play, that would be great.\
And if there is anyway of measuring the balance point (in inches) from the butt, that would be awesome as well.

 

[ibuycues]

Hello! To the Cue Czar!

Hi all,

I met Shawn this weekend at Shooters, and want to let everyone know he is singularly one of the highest echelon persons involved in the cue business. He is only in the "cue business" inasmuch as the work he has underway with these cues. He worked diligently on his mission, getting as many test drives on the cues as he could at the tournament.

Great idea by a wonderful representative of our sport.

And great cues they are! My back is acting up which rendered me unable to give the cues their test runs, but must say they make a fine batch as a group. They all felt great in my hands. And you are right Shawn, the case makes you look like you have a rocket launcher with the cues on your shoulder! Heh, heh.....And really nice of John Barton to donate his work for the 6-cue case. It really helped.

I saw you pack up Sat. eve. about 4am, and I tried to find you by the counter to get together like we spoke, but missed you. I came back Sunday to try to connect with you, but you were not there by the time I arrived. Next time you come to Shooters, lets plan on getting together.

Thanks again, and take care :smile::smile:,

Will Prout

 

[ibuycues]

And.........

Hi all,

I met Shawn this weekend at Shooters, and want to let everyone know he is singularly one of the highest echelon persons involved in the cue business. He is only in the "cue business" inasmuch as the work he has underway with these cues. He worked diligently on his mission, getting as many test drives on the cues as he could at the tournament.

Great idea by a wonderful representative of our sport.

And great cues they are! My back is acting up which rendered me unable to give the cues their test runs, but must say they make a fine batch as a group. They all felt great in my hands. And you are right Shawn, the case makes you look like you have a rocket launcher with the cues on your shoulder! Heh, heh.....And really nice of John Barton to donate his work for the 6-cue case. It really helped.

I saw you pack up Sat. eve. about 4am, and I tried to find you by the counter to get together like we spoke, but missed you. I came back Sunday to try to connect with you, but you were not there by the time I arrived. Next time you come to Shooters, lets plan on getting together.

Thanks again, and take care :smile::smile:,

Will Prout

......And, I forgot to mention Shawn has an absolutely stunning Sugartree (Eric Crisp) that would make anyone on the planet proud.:bow-down::wave3::wave3:

Will

 

[Poolplaya9]

I put everything together so it is a little easier to compare what people had to say about each cue.

The six cues!




Cue #1

John Morra and fellow Candian Jarrod Spence joint review
1. Balance of cue was very evenly distributed
2. The looks of the cue were simple but good enough
3. The quality of the work was very good considering how well it hit
4. The feel of the hit was soft and smooth, the tip felt good
5. The taper of the shaft was very good and the butt as well
6. Was very well balanced
7. Has a really smooth hit to it

Melissa Little
Balance good, looks alright.
Quality was plain had a soft hit and the taper was too fat.
Cue was ok

Unknown player at Olathe tournament
This cue had the second best hit of the 5 cues reviewed (did not review cue #6)
This cue was tied with #2 for least deflection

Rob Moore from Willard, Mo.
Solid but no draw

ftgokie
Cue looks good, it is plain and simple
The leather wrap is finished nicely, the seam is almost unnoticable
Cue hits good, has a nice hit to it
My confidence is high with this cue
I personally did not like the way the wrap felt in my hand, it felt cheap
Overall the cue is a really nice player, I rate this cue an 8

BENFICA
Never did submit his review for this cue

Safety
Never did submit his review for this cue

JoeyInCali
This cue and cue #7 were the best hitting cues.

Graciocues
Never did submit his review for this cue

Klink
Never did submit his review for this cue

SK Custom Cues
4 stars (on a 4 star scale?)
This cue was built in a superb manner.
This cue was tied with cue #6 for the most solid hit.

ugotactionTX
Overall comfort of feel rates a 9
Balance rates a 10
Weight of cue rates a 10
Feedback rates a 7
Stiffness rates a 10 (with 10 being highest maximum stiffness)
Feel of hit rates a 6
Sound quality rates a 8
Playability rates a 10

Cueballdg
Craftsmanship rating - 10
Feel and Playability to ME - 8
Rating - Top 2 of 6
Comments - Felt great in hands but did not like shaft taper

TWOFORPOOL
Craftsmanship: 10
Feel & Playability: 8.75
Overall: 9.375
RANKING: 3rd Place
Excellent leather wrap and craftsmanship. Hard noisy hit but played very well. I didn’t like the hard hit (personal preference) and balance as well but still a very good playing cue, but I would not buy it only because the hard hit and balance is not my preference.

asiasdad
This cue looks like a high school kid made it in wood shop for extra credit.
It may as well have been a McDermott pre-production test case.

HollyWood
Great shaft wood. The texture on the leather wrap is outstanding! I would say the whole cue is made from the same 30inch straight grained piece of wood. Nice fit and finish

John Biddle, Randy Mobley, Dan Whitten, James Roberts, and various other friend's scores averaged together
Fit and finish rates a 8.80
Wrap rates a 9.00
Rolls Straight rates a 7.60
Joint rates a 8.00
Balance rates a 7.33
Feel rates a 7.00
Feedback rates a 7.60
Gets Results rates a 7.50
Stiffness rates a 6.20 (10 is maximum stiffness)
Sound of Hit rates a 4.20 (10 is loudest)
Overall Rating is a 7.60
This cue scored the best out of the 6 cues in the "fit and finish" and "wrap" categories.




Cue #2

John Morra and fellow Candian Jarrod Spence joint review
1 Balance of cue was good but felt a little heavy in the joint
2. Looks of the cue were plain but good but dont like black linen
3. Quality of work was fair
4. The feel of the hit was medium and smooth, good tip
5. Taper of the shaft was too thick and butt was a little thick but fair

Melissa Little
Balance was good, looks plain
Quality was better than #1
Taper was longer than #1
Overall was pretty plain

Unknown player at Olathe tournament
This cue had the best hit of the 5 cues reviewed (did not review cue #6)
This cue was tied with #1 for least deflection out of the five cues reviewed (did not review #6)
This cue was the most consistant of the 5 cues reviewed (did not review #6)

Rob Moore from Willard, Mo.
WOW, Great for controlling the cue ball. Seems like a L.D. Shaft

ftgokie
Nice clean simple cue..
It felt good in my hand, balance was real good
Shaft wobbles a little when rolled on edge of the table (shaft was immediately replaced by the cuemaker when he was later notified of the warp).
Has a good hit
Nice smoothe Irish Linen wrap
I rate this cue a 7

BENFICA
Never did submit his review for this cue

Safety
Never did submit his review for this cue

JoeyInCali
Never did submit his review for this cue

Graciocues
Never did submit his review for this cue

Klink
Never did submit his review for this cue

SK Custom Cues
3 stars (on a 4 star scale?)
This cue was built in a superb manner.

ugotactionTX
Overall comfort of feel rates a 9
Balance rates a 10
Weight of cue rates a 10
Feedback rates a 8
Stiffness rates a 10 (with 10 being highest maximum stiffness)
Feel of hit rates a 7
Sound quality rates a 8
Playability rates a 10

Cueballdg
Craftsmanship rating - 4
Feel and Playability - 6
Overall rating - 4
Comments - This cue felt great but the shaft was severely warped.
The feel was excellent but had a difficult time playing with warped shaft (shaft was immediately replaced by the cuemaker when he was later notified of the warp).

TWOFORPOOL
Craftsmanship: 7
Feel & Playability: 7
Overall: 7
RANKING: 5TH Place
Shaft warped, nice finish/wrap, hard hit but ok (shaft was immediately replaced by the cuemaker when he was later notified of the warp).
I would not buy this cue as it is just a regular cue that needs improvement.

asiasdad
This cue looks like a high school kid made it in wood shop for extra credit.
It may as well have been a McDermott pre-production test case.

HollyWood
Tightest grain count, linen wrap is tight. Wood is exceptional Birdseye. This cue plays very well-definitely a cue I would use hustling!!
This cue was tied with cues 5 and 7 as the most liked by my friends.

John Biddle, Randy Mobley, Dan Whitten, James Roberts, and various other friend's scores averaged together
Fit and finish rates a 7.60
Wrap rates a 6.75
Rolls Straight rates a 8.40
Joint rates a 7.50
Balance rates a 8.00
Feel rates a 8.00
Feedback rates a 7.00
Gets Results rates a 7.75
Stiffness rates a 6.50 (10 is maximum stiffness)
Sound of Hit rates a 3.20 (10 is loudest)
Overall Rating is a 7.6




Cue #3

John Morra
1. Balance of cue is good
2. Tip felt very soft
3. Taper was soft on shaft
4. Quality of work was fair

Jarrod Spence
1. Balance felt a little butt heavy but fair
2. I didnt like the looks of it
3. Quality of work looked fair
4. Feel of the cue was between soft and medium, hit good
5. Taper of butt and shaft were good

Melissa Little
This cue was the best all around

Unknown player at Olathe tournament
This was the third best hitting cue of the 5 reviewed cues (did not review #6)

Rob Moore from Willard, Mo.
Plays good but a light hit

ftgokie
Has an ok finish
Cue looks clean, but the finish on the collars and buttcap is kinda rough
Cue has a nice hit, but kindof soft for me
I rate this cue a 6


BENFICA
Never did submit his review for this cue

Safety
Never did submit his review for this cue

JoeyInCali
Never did submit his review for this cue

Graciocues
Never did submit his review for this cue

Klink
Never did submit his review for this cue

SK Custom Cues
3 stars (on a 4 star scale?)
The cues were all built in a superb manner except for this one.
I actually thought that this cue hit pretty dang good, and it hit with the most feedback and tone.

ugotactionTX
Overall comfort of feel rates a 9
Balance rates a 10
Weight of cue rates a 10
Feedback rates a 8
Stiffness rates a 10 (with 10 being highest maximum stiffness)
Feel of hit rates a 7
Sound quality rates a 8
Playability rates a 10

Cueballdg
Craftsmanship - 8
Feel and Playability - 6
Overall rating - Bottom 6 of 6
Comments - This cue's craftsmanship was great but the feel and playability was just not there for ME.

TWOFORPOOL
Craftsmanship: 6
Feel & Playability: 6
Overall: 6
RANKING: 6th Place
Poor finish that is flaking and too soft. Small ding UNDER finish, hit was just ok.
I would not buy this cue as it is just a regular cue that needs improvement.

asiasdad
This cue looks like a high school kid made it in wood shop for extra credit.
It may as well have been a McDermott pre-production test case.

HollyWood
This Birdseye wood is over the top,(staining and sanding) brought out all the eyes. Abalone tip on the G-10. I think the handle is stained rosewood and is beautiful. Long butt cap and joint-reminds me of SW.

John Biddle, Randy Mobley, Dan Whitten, James Roberts, and various other friend's scores averaged together
Fit and finish rates a 6.25
Wrap rates a ----
Rolls Straight rates a 5.80
Joint rates a 4.00
Balance rates a 5.67
Feel rates a 5.75
Feedback rates a 4.67
Gets Results rates a 6.00
Stiffness rates a 5.00 (10 is maximum stiffness)
Sound of Hit rates a 3.20 (10 is loudest)
Overall Rating is a 5.00
This cue scored the worst out of the 6 cues in the "joint," "balance," "feel," "feedback," and "overall rating" categories

 

[Poolplaya9]

(Continued from post above...)

The six cues!




Cue #4

John Morra and fellow Candian Jarrod Spence joint review
1. Balance was very well distributed
2. Looks of cue were best of all six cues
3. Quality of work was very good
4. Taper of shaft was a little too thick, butt was perfect
5. Feel of hit was medium but very good

Melissa Little
Ok

Unknown player at Olathe tournament
This was the fourth best hitting cue of the 5 reviewed (did not review cue #6)
I did not like this cue

Rob Moore from Willard, Mo.
Solid but no draw and has high deflection

ftgokie
Nice clean finish, good solid hit
Felt good in my hand, nicely balanced. Irish linen was kinda rough in my hand though, could have been smoother
Shaft was nice and smooth
I give this cue a 7

BENFICA
Never did submit his review for this cue

Safety
Never did submit his review for this cue

JoeyInCali
Never did submit his review for this cue

Graciocues
Never did submit his review for this cue

Klink
Never did submit his review for this cue

SK Custom Cues
4 stars (on a 4 star scale?)
This cue was built in a superb manner.

ugotactionTX
Overall comfort of feel rates a 10
Balance rates a 10
Weight of cue rates a 10
Feedback rates a 7
Stiffness rates a 10 (with 10 being highest maximum stiffness)
Feel of hit rates a 7
Sound quality rates a 7
Playability rates a 10

Cueballdg
Craftsmanship - 7
Feel and Playability - 6
Overall rating - 5 of 6
Comments - Again the craftsmanship was also very good but did not like feel (butt size and shaft taper).

TWOFORPOOL
Craftsmanship: 8
Feel & Playability: 8
Overall: 8
RANKING: 4TH Place
You can feel changes in materials (plastic to wood). Hit was just ok.
I would not buy this cue as it is just a regular cue that needs improvement.

asiasdad
This cue looks like a high school kid made it in wood shop for extra credit.
It may as well have been a McDermott pre-production test case.

HollyWood
2nd tightest grain, I like the dark color. The collars and joints (over sized) needed a little more sanding to fit perfectly. I don't like the squeaking aluminum pin. Has the most popular linen wrap.

John Biddle, Randy Mobley, Dan Whitten, James Roberts, and various other friend's scores averaged together
Fit and finish rates a 6.20
Wrap rates a 5.75
Rolls Straight rates a 5.60
Joint rates a 5.00
Balance rates a 5.67
Feel rates a 6.00
Feedback rates a 5.75
Gets Results rates a 5.00
Stiffness rates a 5.25 (10 is maximum stiffness)
Sound of Hit rates a 5.00 (10 is loudest)
Overall Rating is a 5.25
This cue scored the worst out of the 6 cues in the "fit and finish," "wrap," "balance," and "gets results" categories.




Cue #5

John Morra
1. Balance of cue was fair but heavy at the joint
2. Dont like the looks of the cue
3. Quality of the work was just under fair
4. Feel was medium and smooth hit good
5. Taper of the shaft was too thick in the middle and too thick in the butt

Jarrod Spence
1. Taper was thick and so was butt
2. Tip felt hard
3. Quality of work wasnt good
4. Didnt like the looks of the cue
5. Cue felt very heavy

Melissa Little
Butt was too fat, and not a good taper

Unknown player at Olathe tournament
This was the fifth best hitting cue of the 5 reviewed cues (did not review cue #6)
I did not like this cue

Rob Moore from Willard, Mo.
Plays good, compares to cue #3 but with a harder hit

ftgokie
Great finish, builder took pride in making this cue
Cue has a good hard hit to it
Really good looking cue, super nice shaft......smooth as silk
Handle area was a little big around for my liking, but overall the cue was really good
I give this an 8

BENFICA
Never did submit his review for this cue

Safety
Never did submit his review for this cue

JoeyInCali
Never did submit his review for this cue

Graciocues
Never did submit his review for this cue

Klink
Never did submit his review for this cue

SK Custom Cues
2 stars (on a 4 star scale?)
This cue was built in a superb manner.

ugotactionTX
Overall comfort of feel rates a 10
Balance rates a 10
Weight of cue rates a 10
Feedback rates a 9
Stiffness rates a 10 (with 10 being highest maximum stiffness)
Feel of hit rates a 9
Sound quality rates a 9
Playability rates a 10

Cueballdg
Craftsmanship - 10
Feel and Playability - 9
Overall rating - Top 1 of 6
Comments - I really like the balance of the cue as well as shaft taper and butt size. My favorite cue of the 6.

TWOFORPOOL
Craftsmanship: 10
Feel & Playability: 9
Overall: 9.50
RANKING: 2ND Place
Excellent finish and craftsmanship. Very well balanced and great hit. I really liked this cue and it was a tough decision between this cue and cue 6. I liked the shaft taper on this cue better than 6.
I would buy this cue.

asiasdad
This cue looks like a high school kid made it in wood shop for extra credit.
As far as playability, this cue is a well tuned instrument. extremely well balanced, and had excellent feedback. It played as well as a TAD, better than a SW, and nearly as well as a Lambros. It would make a great chunk of wood to pull out of a case as it does not draw attention to itself in the fact that it looks like just another cheap import cue. That is part of its' appeal to me. I would buy raffle tickets for it.

HollyWood
Stunning Birdseye and purple heart- best player. I must say again all the shafts are $100. Soft hit but made ALL the balls.
This cue was tied with cues 2 and 7 as the most liked by my friends.

John Biddle, Randy Mobley, Dan Whitten, James Roberts, and various other friend's scores averaged together
Fit and finish rates a 8.60
Wrap rates a ----
Rolls Straight rates a 9.20
Joint rates a 8.25
Balance rates a 9.00
Feel rates a 8.50
Feedback rates a 8.25
Gets Results rates a 8.25
Stiffness rates a 7.50 (10 is maximum stiffness)
Sound of Hit rates a 2.40 (10 is loudest)
Overall Rating is a 8.75
This cue scored the best out of the 6 cues in the "rolls straight," "balance," "feel," "feedback," "gets results," and "overall rating" categories.




Cue #6

John Morra and fellow Candian Jarrod Spence joint review
1. Balance too heavy
2. Shaft and butt too thick
3. Feel of hit medium smooth and too much deflection
4. Dont like looks
5. Quality of work descent

Melissa Little
Butt was too fat, and not a good taper

Unknown player at Olathe tournament
Did not review Cue #6

Rob Moore from Willard, Mo.
Ok, but has a soft hit and no draw

ftgokie
Best overall finish, best looking cue, craftsmanship was the best out of the whole bunch
Had an excellent hit
Butt was a touch too fat for me, shaft was way too big around for me (13.2mm)
Great playing cue though
I rate this a 9

BENFICA
Never did submit his review for this cue

Safety
Never did submit his review for this cue

JoeyInCali
Never did submit his review for this cue

Graciocues
Never did submit his review for this cue

Klink
Never did submit his review for this cue

SK Custom Cues
4 stars (on a 4 star scale?)
This cue was built in a superb manner.
This cue was tied with cue #1 for the most solid hit.

ugotactionTX
Overall comfort of feel rates a 10
Balance rates a 10
Weight of cue rates a 10
Feedback rates a 8
Stiffness rates a 10 (with 10 being highest maximum stiffness)
Feel of hit rates a 8
Sound quality rates a 9
Playability rates a 10

Cueballdg
Craftsmanship - 10
Feel and Playability - 9
Overall rating - Top 3 of 6
Comments - I liked the hit of this cue but the butt size was to large for me.
The shaft taper between cue 5 and cue 6 were fantastic.

TWOFORPOOL
Craftsmanship: 10
Feel & Playability: 9.5
Overall: 9.75
RANKING: 1ST Place
Excellent finish and craftsmanship. Very well balanced and great hit. I really liked this cue also. Although the shaft taper was stiffer it seemed to be a little more efficient and a hair more solid than cue 5. Again it was a tough decision between this cue and cue 5 as to which cue was best.
I would buy this cue.

asiasdad
This cue looks like a high school kid made it in wood shop for extra credit.
This cue has too much junk in the trunk.

HollyWood
Unique pin, butt cap work. Stunning Birdseye and purple heart. This shaft was different taper than the others, it was thicker shaft too. SWEET

John Biddle, Randy Mobley, Dan Whitten, James Roberts, and various other friend's scores averaged together
Fit and finish rates a 8.40
Wrap rates a ----
Rolls Straight rates a 8.60
Joint rates a 8.50
Balance rates a 8.00
Feel rates a 7.80
Feedback rates a 7.80
Gets Results rates a 6.75
Stiffness rates a 7.75 (10 is maximum stiffness)
Sound of Hit rates a 4.00 (10 is loudest)
Overall Rating is a 7.25
This cue scored the best out of the 6 cues in the "joint" category.




Cue #7
(An "extra" cue also being passed around for evaluation, but is not a part of the six cuemaker buildoff and therefore cannot be fairly or directly compared with them since it did not follow the same criteria.)

Vasilios Cocobolo 2 point Sneaky Pete, no picture available, not all players have reviewed this cue.

ftgokie
This cue is awesome... The wood is some of the best you will see
Cue plays great, almost a flawless cue
Nice clean hard hit, feels good in my hand
The butt is a touch too big around for me though
I would highly recommend this cue to anyone....Super Nice cue!

BENFICA
I did not care for this cue. The blank was like beyond "el cheapo", and I did not like this one at all.

Safety
Never did submit his review for this cue

JoeyInCali
This cue and cue #1 were the best hitting cues.

Graciocues
Never did submit his review for this cue

Klink
Never did submit his review for this cue

ugotactionTX
Overall comfort of feel rates a 8
Balance rates a 7
Weight of cue rates a 10
Feedback rates a 8
Stiffness rates a 10 (with 10 being highest maximum stiffness)
Feel of hit rates a 8
Sound quality rates a 7
Playability rates a 9

HollyWood
This cue had the most wood to wood contact. Very solid player. Finish is a little thin. Again I say great shaft wood. NICE POINTS AND PIN.
This cue was tied with cues 2 and 5 as the most liked by my friends.

John Biddle, Randy Mobley, Dan Whitten, James Roberts, and various other friend's scores averaged together
Fit and finish rates a 6.60
Wrap rates a ----
Rolls Straight rates a 4.80
Joint rates a 6.00
Balance rates a 6.00
Feel rates a 6.75
Feedback rates a 6.25
Gets Results rates a 6.75
Stiffness rates a 7.75 (10 is maximum stiffness)
Sound of Hit rates a 4.60 (10 is loudest)
Overall Rating is a 6.25
This cue scored the worst out of the 6 cues in the "rolls straight" category.

 

[ftgokie]

Everything about this thread is EPIC. Seriously, what a genius idea....

Subscribing, and thank you for all your hard work!!

If other reviewers out there can make new videos of the cues in play, that would be great.\
And if there is anyway of measuring the balance point (in inches) from the butt, that would be awesome as well.

I will try and get the balance points up for all the cues..

I am heading to Magoos in Tulsa tonight for people to test hit them

 

[ftgokie]

Hi all,

I met Shawn this weekend at Shooters, and want to let everyone know he is singularly one of the highest echelon persons involved in the cue business. He is only in the "cue business" inasmuch as the work he has underway with these cues. He worked diligently on his mission, getting as many test drives on the cues as he could at the tournament.

Great idea by a wonderful representative of our sport.

And great cues they are! My back is acting up which rendered me unable to give the cues their test runs, but must say they make a fine batch as a group. They all felt great in my hands. And you are right Shawn, the case makes you look like you have a rocket launcher with the cues on your shoulder! Heh, heh.....And really nice of John Barton to donate his work for the 6-cue case. It really helped.

I saw you pack up Sat. eve. about 4am, and I tried to find you by the counter to get together like we spoke, but missed you. I came back Sunday to try to connect with you, but you were not there by the time I arrived. Next time you come to Shooters, lets plan on getting together.

Thanks again, and take care :smile::smile:,

Will Prout

Thanks Will, I sincerely appreciate that! And I have to say, it was my honor to meet you! You are a super nice guy.

I left around 4am and my butt was dragging, and unfortunately didnt make it back sunday :frown: Me and my family will be back up there the weekend of the 16th I believe (I have to check with the wife/boss) It would be a great thrill to be able to meet you again.

One of my intentions for this idea was to give some cuemakers some exposure in parts of the country that they dont have. It is my hopes that it will help the cuemakers out. And us as pool players, get to try them before we buy them. So it is a Win Win situiation all around :grin:

As I told a cuemaker that was there, I will have each cuemaker that is in this buildoff to make my own personal cue. I want something to remember this by, and what better could I have than my own personal cue from each wonderful cuemaker.

And I want everyone to know, when Will pulled out his Wal Mart cues, I was really embarassed for him No, his 2 Ivory cues, Gina, and Gilbert I believe made me pass out...truly stunning cues. Thanks for the opportunity to look at them.

Shawn Smith

 

[ftgokie]

Just to let everyone know, here is the updated list...if you need to be taken off the list, please let me know

Ftgokie - Oklahoma

ugotactionTX - Texas

GroundHogg - Texas

Fast Lenny - Phoenix AZ

Vegasplayer - Las Vegas

poolplayer2093 - Stockton Cali

Benfica - Newman California

Safety - LA Cali

Cueballdg - Washington

Twoforpool - Washington

HollyWood - Minnesota

md5key - Indiana

Brandoncook26 - Kentucky

shakes - Mississippi

Klink - NW Florida

John Biddle - Clearwater FL

gunzby - Hickory NC

Brozif - Virginia

Bamacues - Maryland

hellfish - Syracuse, NY

a9ballbr8k - Rochester NY

logic - Buffalo, NY

jcommie - Champaign, Illinois

Then Back to ftgokie in Oklahoma for the cues and cases to be raffled off

 

[SK Custom Cues]

Ok....

Here's the scoop. I am not in anyway connected with the makers, or coming up with the original idea. I don't know who the makers are, and don't have a clue who made which cue. All I know is what I inspected, and after hitting them for a second time tonight, (with new Triangles) I am going to give my feedback, but I left the specs at work.

The only way I am connected with all this is the fact that Shawn met me at Magoo's right after meeting Eric Crisp, which was one of the most memorable mornings I will remember for a long time. Just to let ya'll know, I have cultivated my relationship with Shawn mainly through AZ. This place is such an incredible place to connect with pool playing brothers and sisters all over the world.

To try out so many different cues at this stage of the entire process and to be the first one to try em out was a real treat. One of the best attributes about this process is the creativity and the faith of all of the people involved. Watching the follow-through and delivery of key people along the way is something really impressive to be observed by our community and I hope that everyone that follows down the line can have the same outlook and respect upon the receipt of the cues.

I made a comment to Shawn tonight after the cues being through Olathe this past weekend, and I noticed how just about all the cues were in the same original, new and ding-free condition they were in on the first day. I was very surprised. Shawn mentioned how there was such a long road ahead and he just don't know what kind of condition they'll be in when all is said and done.

This process is about belief and faith and I hope everyone down line can sustain that till the end.