You can now buy a schon at the wal-mart web site.They now sell them on line only.
How do you ID a pool cue?
- Thread starter justadub
- Start date
You can now buy a schon at the wal-mart web site.They now sell them on line only.
I'm afraid of that!
Which is exactly the reason I'm trying to start on the cheap. I have a nasty habit of jumping in whole hog in any hobby pursuit that I ever begin. I've been resisting the urge to dump money into equipment now that I've begun playing this wonderful game last year. Got a few gadgety things at Christmas, but so far I've been a good boy. We'll see how long I can hold out!
Thanks again for all the help.
Thanks for the offer. If I don't have any luck, I may take you up on it. I'm kinda looking forward to the quest, truth be told. My cheapy department store cue still works, I've got plenty of time. Now if only I can have plenty of patience!
I read that entire thread with much amusement. I'm in the retail business myself, so I understand how they are being sold using their web site. And I don't have a bug up my tookus about Wally-World as many other folks, even tho they affect my business greatly. As they say (repeatedly) over in the smoking thread, it's a personal choice; if ya don't wanna shop there, don't.
I find it quite amusing that folks believe the value of their Schon is going to go down now that Wal-Mart sells them. Better get rid of your iPod, Blackberry, and Sony High-def TV, their values just went in the crapper.
Most of the world won't even be aware that Wal-Mart sells Schon cues, other than the folks that visit here.
Funny stuff.
I don't know the $$$ amount you want to spend, but a decent (brand new) Chinese made low-end cue can be had for as little $39.95 (discounted). If you are considering around $100, get a Cuetec (discounted). They are good for the $$$ and when you want to (and have bigger $$$), get the exact specification cue you want and convert the fiberglass clad Cuetec (or Excalibur) to a break cue (the are pretty stiff and only need a hard tip to be a good hard hitting break cue).
I'm not going to insult anyone here by trying to quite a budget, heh. I don't plan on spending much at this time, just trying to get something decent to tide me over until I can spend an appropriate amount of money on a nice cue. That time isn't now, so I'm just trying to learn what these better cues might look like or how to identify them, even the production types, in the event that I run into something at the pawn shops.
I realize that most pawn shops have the internet, and do their own research on items, or they wouldn't be very successful. Given how little information I'm finding on the internet, those folks aren't going to be able to know what they have any better than I do.And I plan on hitting the smaller shops more, rather than the one bigger operation here in town that I'm quite certain will know what they have. We're WAY out in the woods here, so they probably don't get a lot of this kind of traffic very often, in any event. Who knows? I think that part will be kind of fun, fishing around a little. I just wanna know a little bit about what I'm looking for. I do appreciate the help and suggestions.
Hell Wayne, if he's got $100, he can get a custom cue from the Phillipines off of Ebay that will hit a million times better than any Cuetec/Excalibur POS.
For $100.00 I'll ship an old D-1 McDermott that is fairly clean and straight. For an extra $25 I'll include a Creative Inventions case (before Joe Porpers name made the tag)... all in very nice condition too. The McD web site says the cue alone is worth $155... My seasoned vintage (20 to 26 years old) NON-WARPED MickeyD can beat up your cutec, excaliber, or import any day...... ahahaha. If that's a slight exageration, it's only because it plays just plain solid - like all the old D series McDermotts. In 1984 mine ran $80.00... so the potential for huge value increases are minimal. On the other hand - if you dont ding it up - it should always be worth what you paid. She's a suitor - She's Bona-Fide.
But really - find a cue that fits your style. If you love playing with it, your consistency will improve, the learning curve steepens quickly.
justadub,
I'm going to go off the beaten path here with my advice. If it were me, I'd just keep shooting with your department store cue and put whatever budget you have for a used cue into a fund and save, Save, SAVE until you get enough saved to buy you a cue that you can not only be proud of, but one you won't feel the need to replace several or more months down the road. I don't know what kind of department store cue you have, but I've got a couple I bought at Academy Sports & Outdoors and a few more cheapo Rage cues I bought online from billiards outlets (I bought them to fill up my wall rack here at the house), and I've run racks with them all. If you are not satisfied with the hit of your department store cue, just try putting a quality tip on it and give it a go before you spend money on something that you could end up regretting. Good luck with whatever route you choose to take. I hope you end up with just what you are looking for!!!
Maniac
I'm going to go off the beaten path here with my advice. If it were me, I'd just keep shooting with your department store cue and put whatever budget you have for a used cue into a fund and save, Save, SAVE until you get enough saved to buy you a cue that you can not only be proud of, but one you won't feel the need to replace several or more months down the road. I don't know what kind of department store cue you have, but I've got a couple I bought at Academy Sports & Outdoors and a few more cheapo Rage cues I bought online from billiards outlets (I bought them to fill up my wall rack here at the house), and I've run racks with them all. If you are not satisfied with the hit of your department store cue, just try putting a quality tip on it and give it a go before you spend money on something that you could end up regretting. Good luck with whatever route you choose to take. I hope you end up with just what you are looking for!!!
Maniac
It took two pages, but here is a reply that I expected to see, and it makes sense, just save the dispensible $$$ until I have enough to buy a "proper" cue. I understand the thinking, certainly. Realize, I'm not gonna just go and buy anything just because.... I just wanna have a look-see and maybe find something nice. Probably not. But who knows, right?
For the record, I'm playing with an Excalibur that my friend (a very good player) bought for me before I even started playing, to give me something that would be more consistent than a house cue. And I don't know that I'm unhappy with it. Truthfully, I don't have the experience or perspective to be unhappy with it, I'm just that new to all this. I hit the ball, and sometimes it goes in. Seems to work...
It is rather funny. I played a 16-week league season, the 2-week playoff, and the Tri-Cup tournament with 27 teams. Not once did I see another fiberglass cue. First instinct was to be slightly embarrassed, which I quickly got over. I'm playing for me, not anyone else. Then I kinda liked the thought that I was lowering my opponents expectations of me! (That's how I played it in my mind, whether or not it's actually true. I laugh about it.)
Thanks again for all the advice, folks. It is all received, and being considered. I do appreciate it.
Maybe you should try and pawn the Excalibur. I see many lower ends cues with a price tag waaaaay too high at pawn shops. Checking out pawn shops is fun and could be rewarding, but most of the time it is a lost cause. The last time I went to a pawn shop, they had a cue that I would not pay $1 for...seriously. It was a super cheap import and did not even have a tip. They were asking $48
!If I were you, I would buy a cheap cue on here, and still cruise the local pawn shops for deals. If you wait to find a deal at a pawn shop, you may be in a nursing home when you do!
in answer to the OP's original question...
You ask it for it's drivers license.... ba dump dump....
JV
You ask it for it's drivers license.... ba dump dump....
JV
I will ask the jury another silly question, if I may. I see folks talking about which cue is better, worth more, holds it value, etc. What I get confused about is the issue of appearance (how "the points are set", what kind of inlays, etc) versus playability. While I can understand and appreciate wanting to buy something that looks real nice, how do I understand how to determine how good a cue "plays" versus how pretty it is, and how much the requisite materials to make it that pretty add to the cost/value structure versus playability?
In other words, I'm not as interested in the prettiest, just something that will play well. I'll worry about getting a fancy-looking cue at some other point in my life, I just wanna get something that will improve my game. Once I can sort that out, then I can start looking for the value and how much I can afford to determine the cue to buy. Unless I stumble onto something at the pawn shops, unlikely as that may be!
In other words, I'm not as interested in the prettiest, just something that will play well. I'll worry about getting a fancy-looking cue at some other point in my life, I just wanna get something that will improve my game. Once I can sort that out, then I can start looking for the value and how much I can afford to determine the cue to buy. Unless I stumble onto something at the pawn shops, unlikely as that may be!
Its not so much the cue that gives you an advantage. Its what you know. To tell you the truth you could give any cue to any pro and they will win with it. For that matter I can too and I'm far from being a pro. Its what you know. If I were you I'd buy a Predator sneaky pete and start down the path of pool knowledge. Books DVD's and lessons. Remember: have fun!
I have to agree with this statement.You can shoot with a bar cue or a 10000 szamboti and it wont make a difference to you until you know the fundaments of the game.Now collecting is another ball game altogether.
Once again, I'm getting somewhere. I suspected as much. Thanks, folks.
Oh, and by the way, I'm having a ball. Fun is the most important part. If it ain't fun, why bother?