Switching to the voice of Poindexter from cartoons....
....if you and your opponent were shooting pool on a frictionless ice plane, and a train started toward you from Albequerque at 55mph, and a semi started toward you at 70mph from Scranton, which cue should you buy? Make a decision, before it's all over. The problem with making that decision is that you have to have hit with enough cues to compare their qualities. I say start borrowing cues from others until you find a hit that is perfect for you, then get the owner to play you for it or sell it to you. There is no substitute for a great hit, and since these are made of wood, a naturally variable product, you can't know how it hits by looking. The longer you look without deciding, the more likely you are to get hit by an opponent who has already committed to a cue, like a train or semi. All the while you are spinning your wheels on ice. It's not rocket science, it's a decision. Make it sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, my cue decision was stolen by a meth-head.