Cues VS. Economy

Justifying a purchase, whether it be an expensive pool cue, a summer home, an Italian import sports car, etc. is NOT needed if you have the disposable income for it. If folks wouldn't pay the prices for such things, then such things wouldn't exist. Should you buy something beyond your means just to have it...NO! If you have trouble rubbing 2 nickels together at the end of every month after paying bills, there is NO WAY you should be buying a $3K sneaky pete....I'm not saying you can't, just that you shouldn't. You might wanna rethink the 60" 3D LCD as well, oh, and the $200 a month cell package, and the $100 you drop getting loaded EVERY Friday, and on and on (those are examples of friends of mine who wonder why they are always broke....$500 car payments, $1000 mortgages, etc...TOTALLY excessive at their income level).

Whoa, way off topic....back on - If a cuemaker can't sell their cues for the prices they are asking for them, then they HAVE to lower them, BUT if they can sell a sneaky for 2 GRRRRR....hey, more power to em. Why would they not sell them for the most that they can get? Economy is bad - maybe Southwest will cut their prices in half....VERY doubtful. lol
 
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JonTravisTaylor said:
How can cue prices be justified? In todays economy you would think pricing would go down or at least stabalize...is a 6 point BB with no inlays really worth 8k?? Or a dufferin bought from Walmart, then given to Searing for a "conversion" price...2500.00?? REALLY? I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong I have had some expensive cues, and sure some play great and look very nice, but some of the prices I am seeing seem a bit skewed. If you spend 6k and get the cue straight from the cue maker, should you ever be able to feel the rings?? I don't think so! Anyway...feel free to share some stories, both good and bad about pricing and quality...;)
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Honestly have you looked at some of the DEALS on AZB'z Wanted & For Sale Section. There are REAL DEALS OUT THERE NOW.

Yes there are some seller who have CASH UP THE WAZOO, and will hold out for top dollar, but there are, and the past few week some Cue that should have sold in an HOUR, and are not moving because of the RECESSION & ECOMONEY! JMHO.


LOOKING FOR A SUPER DEAL, LOOK HERE!
 
JonTravisTaylor said:
How can cue prices be justified? In todays economy you would think pricing would go down or at least stabalize...is a 6 point BB with no inlays really worth 8k?? Or a dufferin bought from Walmart, then given to Searing for a "conversion" price...2500.00?? REALLY? I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong I have had some expensive cues, and sure some play great and look very nice, but some of the prices I am seeing seem a bit skewed. If you spend 6k and get the cue straight from the cue maker, should you ever be able to feel the rings?? I don't think so! Anyway...feel free to share some stories, both good and bad about pricing and quality...;)
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The Law of Supply and Demand.

Next.
 
There are way, way too many good custom cues out there in the US market. This has been the case for many years now. The # of cuemakers has been on the rise for a long time while pool and people's disposable incomes have been dwindling. Perfect storm....
 
what i don't get is how you can get a gilbert JB or Lil al (romero) for 200-400 new that'll out play almost anything out there but people will pay over 2k for a Southwest. i like sothwest cues! they play great and look great but no joke a gilbert j/b or lil al can give most sw's the 7
 
ghost ball said:
Oh geez, just call that DZ cue a "pete" because there is nothing "sneaky" about it....:rolleyes:

ghost ball <-- owner of a freaking gorgeous TAD sneaky pete complete with stainless steel joint, inlays and veneers. Looks just like a bar cue!:p

From the highly trusted wikipedia:

"A high quality two-piece cue with a nearly invisible wood-to-wood joint, so that it looks like a cheap one-piece house cue, is called a sneaky pete.[8] Such a cue may be used by a hustler to temporarily fool unsuspecting gamblers into thinking that he or she is a novice."
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wasn't that Dz that was making the cues that looked like walmart budwizer cues? those are sneaky!
 
trustyrusty
Justifying a purchase, whether it be an expensive pool cue, a summer home, an Italian import sports car, etc. is NOT needed if you have the disposable income for it. If folks wouldn't pay the prices for such things, then such things wouldn't exist. Should you buy something beyond your means just to have it...NO! If you have trouble rubbing 2 nickels together at the end of every month after paying bills, there is NO WAY you should be buying a $3K sneaky pete....I'm not saying you can't, just that you shouldn't. You might wanna rethink the 60" 3D LCD as well, oh, and the $200 a month cell package, and the $100 you drop getting loaded EVERY Friday, and on and on (those are examples of friends of mine who wonder why they are always broke....$500 car payments, $1000 mortgages, etc...TOTALLY excessive at their income level).

Whoa, way off topic....back on - If a cuemaker can't sell their cues for the prices they are asking for them, then they HAVE to lower them, BUT if they can sell a sneaky for 2 GRRRRR....hey, more power to em. Why would they not sell them for the most that they can get? Economy is bad - maybe Southwest will cut their prices in half....VERY doubtful. lol
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i wonder if somehow american economy still bad on next ten or twenty years...maybe Southwest cue will cut theirs prices 70%....
 
JonTravisTaylor said:
How can cue prices be justified? In todays economy you would think pricing would go down or at least stabalize...is a 6 point BB with no inlays really worth 8k?? Or a dufferin bought from Walmart, then given to Searing for a "conversion" price...2500.00?? REALLY? I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong I have had some expensive cues, and sure some play great and look very nice, but some of the prices I am seeing seem a bit skewed. If you spend 6k and get the cue straight from the cue maker, should you ever be able to feel the rings?? I don't think so! Anyway...feel free to share some stories, both good and bad about pricing and quality...;)
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The prices have gone down on a lot of cues. The evidence is in the amount of sales now vs. what it was a few years ago. But some cues have jumped into ultra-elite status and they will stay there for a while and are, as such, recession-proof for the most part because the people who can afford them are also pretty much recession-proof.

I LOVE Dennis Searing and his philosophy on cue making. How he approaches cue making is how I approach case making to a smaller degree.

But $3k for a Dufferin conversion he did a long time ago near the beginning of his cue making career is an out-of-line price in my opinion. That's only my opinion. If someone steps up to pay that then they don't share my opinion.

My mom, who was in the antiques and jewelry business, used to say that some things are priced to show and sell and some things are priced to show and tell.
 
just my personal opinion but the value of a cue to me is in the way it plays in my hands and i do play a custom but not an off the shelf custom but one that was weighted the way i wanted it with the joint type and material of my choice and the balance point i was looking for with a few added features i asked for that suit the way i play and although not terribly expensive wouldnt trade it even for the highest end southwest or gina or anyother cue made. The bottom line is know what you like in a cue and you can have it made the cue maker of your choice and have a great cue or buy of the shelf customs made to suit the tastes of the builder and hunt till you find it.
 
quadrary said:
actually only if the rolex keeps better time. And for me any off the shelf cistom not specifically made for me will not be better for a cue snob looking for bragging rights i guess thats true.
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I disagree. Your Jacoby may play better than a Barry Szamboti, but which is valued higher?

(Punctuation is critical when debating a differing point of view)
 
quadrary said:
for that matter a 200 dollar pc that updates time automatically from the atomic clock on 5 minute intervals is better than a rolex
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How can you check what time it is on your trusty $200 PC when you're at the park with your kids?

You seem to fail the key point of value vs. functionality.
 
1pRoscoe said:
I disagree. Your Jacoby may play better than a Barry Szamboti, but which is valued higher?

(Punctuation is critical when debating a differing point of view)
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exactly my point value of a product depends on purpose for a cue snob its value in pricing for a player its results at the table. As for the 200 dollar pc ever hear of hand helds and wireless.
 
quadrary said:
exactly my point value of a product depends on purpose for a cue snob its value in pricing for a player its results at the table. As for the 200 dollar pc ever hear of hand helds and wireless.
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Point

___________


Your head


I love how it has to be a "cue snob" to be someone that owns or appreciates higher end custom cues. Typically ones that hate on them the most (or the "cue snobs" if you will) are the ones that cannot seem to get them....

:rolleyes:
 
1pRoscoe said:
Point

___________


Your head


I love how it has to be a "cue snob" to be someone that owns or appreciates higher end custom cues. Typically ones that hate on them the most (or the "cue snobs" if you will) are the ones that cannot seem to get them....

:rolleyes:
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actually ive had them and sold them they look nice abd hit well played with them while i figured out what performed best for me and i am not a collector so they are no longer of great value to me. Not putting anyone down that chooses to own one but the topic of discussion isnt value in dollars but in playability and to know that you first have to know your game your stroke and all the small factors that work best for that and after you nail that down then you can have a cue made by any competent cue maker that will take the time to meet your needs, and dont knock my Jacoby its a great cue.
 
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