Idea for cue case.
- Thread starter JimS
- Start date
That is common. Once something becomes a "special" use item such as for boating or some other special use the price can be unreasonably high. You can get nice hard cases that are designed for archery that will hold several cues with some modification for like $20.00 as Bass Pro shop. If it was at a billiard supply and called a cue case it would be a $100. I had a nice case once that was made to carry an artists easel and carried three cues perfectly. $15.00 at Pearls art store. People always were asking me where I got it and when I told them what it cast and what it really was they were amazed. A lot of the cue stuff is really over priced for what it is and compared to other similar items on the market for non-billiard uses. Camera equipment comes to mind as well. They cater to suckers.
The case in the picture at 48 inches may be a little long but the idea to adapt another case to your cue needs makes a lot of sense..
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I don't know, JimS -- that soft bag might get burns from the ashes of Groucho's cigar. You might want to get something in a hard shell variety, this way as Groucho waggles his eyebrows and lit cigar over it, the sure-to-drop hot ashes won't burn the case.
J/K,
-Sean
One thing that you forgot to mention is that the billiard industry is super small compared to most other industries.
I live in China and bag manufacturers get orders for 10,000-100,000 pieces for hunting bags, golf bags, archery bags, backpacks (those are ordered in the 100,000+ range). And there are literally ten thousand factories here making those bags.
Comparatively an order for 1000 low end cases is a big one. Subsequently the PRICE for the cue cases are much higher than the price for those bags which are ordered in substantially higher quantities. And there are only a few dozen factories making cue cases.
I can't possibly make a golf club bag and sell it for what they go for on average in a pro shop and make a profit on it. Some of those bags have a LOT of work in them and sell for like $150 retail. Imagine how many of them are being made and what sort of operation they have to have to make such a complicated case at that price.
Archery cases and tripod cases come closest to being the right length for cues. Most other types are too long or too short.
But you're right in that there are a lot of cases designed for other uses which can be made into cue cases with not much effort.
It's not like the billiard industry is raping the consumer. It's a small industry with high overhead and low revenue. Consumers can get decent cue cases for as little as $15 with no upper limit AND they have more choices than in any other industry. Start looking at the sheer amount of different cue cases on the market and then compare it to other sports and past times. I'd bet cue cases occupies the top spot for diversity in product range and possibly also for models on offer.
Your right, that is just the way it is. If you needed a new radiator cap and went to a machine shop for a quote, it would be a few hundred dollars if they would make it at all. You could then go to a auto supply and buy one for like $6.00. Except for the high end market and people who want something unique or or they own design and are willing to pay, a small case maker can't compete. You need your niche market and it is pretty small.
My mention regarding boats was, when you go in a boating supply you see many of the same items you can get anywhere for like 3 times the price. It is amazing people will pay, that was the basis of my "Sucker" remark. Why would someone pay $3.00 for a SS screw they can get for $.50 somewhere else. When I was a kid I worked in boat yards, they billed people $10.00 a pound for rags and they paid no questions asked. Once you tap a niche market you can make money, people who will pay $50.00 for a sweater for their dog, you know the type. For me a cue case is just a utility, I am not looking to make a statement. That is not a knock I am just not the customer you are looking for. I hate things I have to care too much about or babysit because something may happen to it. To me a case is a case as long as it serves the need.
Good idea!
Hi,
I like all the storage the gun case offers. I have to have a bag hanging off my case because none of the pockets are deep enough for a Measle ball or Justa bridge.
If one were so inclined, I see a salable case that would dominate the lower shelf market.
Hi,
I like all the storage the gun case offers. I have to have a bag hanging off my case because none of the pockets are deep enough for a Measle ball or Justa bridge.
If one were so inclined, I see a salable case that would dominate the lower shelf market.
Added benefits! :groucho:
One AK, One Remington 870, One Southwest, One Breakcue = good to go. :groucho: (still room for the ashtray, some ammo, and a towel or two):groucho:
I'll probably settle for a few hard case tubes taped together and a couple Starkeys and Sailors, with assorted other "stuff". :groucho:
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http://cgi.ebay.com/Shotgun-Shell-P...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cea4f6084
Chalk and tool holder. :wink:
Chalk and tool holder. :wink:
No doubt. I am big fan of repurposing things. And repackaging items is a an old way to sell them to a new market.
There is also the convenience factor. When someone is at the boatyard they want to go boating and not have to run up the street to the hardware store. So they will often pay $3 for a .50ct screw.
A cue case is utility first for me too. That's why I make $5 ones. I only took umbrage at the idea that the people in the billiard industry are somehow ripping off everyone by jacking the prices on the cases just because we can. Believe me I fight for every penny to keep the cost down on what we make. I get offers all the time for backpacks that are more complicated than some of our basic cases and the price is lower - but only if I order 10,000 at a time.
The entire cue case industry could disappear today and it wouldn't even be a fraction of a blip on the radar of the luggage industry's annual turnover.
The thing is though that cue cases are kind of a specialty item and while there are plenty of other cases which would certainly work as a decent cue case, none of them are actually cue cases and so they mostly require some tweaking to get them working as an easy to use cue case.
This convenience is part of the reason that people like to spend the money on a dedicated cue case rather than spend less money but more time on a case that needs to be modified to work.
As for the custom aspect of it - take the $20 gun case to the local seamstress and tell her what needs to be done and my bet is that you are spending at least $20 more on the modifications. Or what's an hour or so of your time worth? For some people they would rather be plying than
Now, I recommend to anyone to get out there and make stuff for themselves. When I was 12 I made my own table tennis racquet case from an old jacket. I love going to the hardware store to find new things to play with, to the thrift store for vintage bags, picking things out of the trash, and recycling old cases into new ones. I just picked up a Hartmann briefcase for $5. Eventually it will be made into a cue case and probably will still sell for less than the briefcase cost when it was new.
But yeah, you can do a lot with a little imagination.