Awesome New Pool Cue Holder Project

9ball101

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've known about the E-Grip for a while since I worked in the same shop where it was being invented and improved. Now it's finally being released to the public after years of work and testing. If you haven't already seen it, the E-Grip is basically a pool cue holder that clamps to a table and make sure it doesn't get dinged up while you're not playing with it.

The inventor, Brandon Gramse, is a friend of mine and he's using the website Kickstarter to raise funds for mass manufacturing the E-Grip. I thought I'd post the link to his project here so it could get some extra attention. I've used this product in it's prototype form for years and I can definitely say that this is seriously the best pool cue holder on the market.

I know that this device is probably going to sell for $70 or more after this Kickstarter thing finishes up. Now's your chance to get one for almost half that price. That's a kick ass deal. I'll ask Brandon to come over on the forums and answer any questions people might have. For now, check out his project which has a video showing the E-Grip a little better.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandongramse/the-e-grip-the-most-secure-way-to-hold-your-pool-c "
 

javi2

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There's always someone who is going to knock your action... :rolleyes: I'm all for new pool related products, especially something that will protect expensive cues. Maybe Scott should have "Paused" before he "Finished" his statement.......
 
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SpiderWebComm

HelpImBeingOppressed
Silver Member
IMO, there are more functional, and MUCH less expensive products that do the same thing.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I'm not sure if there is -- DEF on the cheaper side and on the ease-of-use side-- but not functional. The claw design in unique (from my experience).

I think the opposite -- this thing is too engineered. The chip-clip product out in the market will not prevent someone from kicking your cue over like this thing. I think there's something called a bear claw that won't prevent a kick-over either.

The problem that I see with this product is that no one in their right mind is going to take the time to screw the anchor bolt to a table. Unless Brandon can figure out a quick-release mechanism to quickly-tighten and quickly-release, ehhh--- dunno if it'll fly.

I like the concept, though. I also don't think it needs to be aluminum. It could be made of flexible plastic and achieve the same thing. If the thing breaks, who cares--- at least the cue didn't (and it won't cost $50, or whatever he's looking for).

This thing would have to be small (fit inside a standard case pouch) and be inexpensive AND be super quick to setup. Otherwise, the concept is DOA.

People are usually cognizant of where they lean their cue. I can count the times my cue has been kicked over one hand in over 15 years of playing. Therefore, this thing has to kick it up a few notches in design and price to even make it an attractive purchase.

Personally, I've never seen a cue holder worth buying yet and I'm sure many feel the same way. This has the best potential, though.
 

sfleinen

14.1 & One Pocket Addict
Gold Member
Silver Member
Significant design enhancement suggestion

I've known about the E-Grip for a while since I worked in the same shop where it was being invented and improved. Now it's finally being released to the public after years of work and testing. If you haven't already seen it, the E-Grip is basically a pool cue holder that clamps to a table and make sure it doesn't get dinged up while you're not playing with it.

The inventor, Brandon Gramse, is a friend of mine and he's using the website Kickstarter to raise funds for mass manufacturing the E-Grip. I thought I'd post the link to his project here so it could get some extra attention. I've used this product in it's prototype form for years and I can definitely say that this is seriously the best pool cue holder on the market.

I know that this device is probably going to sell for $70 or more after this Kickstarter thing finishes up. Now's your chance to get one for almost half that price. That's a kick ass deal. I'll ask Brandon to come over on the forums and answer any questions people might have. For now, check out his project which has a video showing the E-Grip a little better.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandongramse/the-e-grip-the-most-secure-way-to-hold-your-pool-c "

Folks:

This looks like a quality product for what it does -- an impromptu cue holder that *securely* holds cues ("securely" unlike other impromptu cue holders like the Q-Claw, where the cue can be easily knocked out of it).

However, I'm not sure if it's too late to offer a helpful suggestion to the design of this product, because IMHO this product has an Achilles Heel built into it -- it can *only* be mounted on tables.

I'd like to offer a design suggestion -- if it's not too late to do so -- in that the product's clamp screw should be able to be rotated so that it can be clamped onto the back of a chair (or the "top" of another vertical surface).

For the environment where this product was targeted -- e.g. bars, etc. where this product is supposed to offer protection against people knocking your cues over where other cue holders would fail -- the product should have maximum flexibility in the type of surfaces where it could clamp to. *Sometimes* a flat table surface is not available, and one has to use the back of a chair, or a window sill with a lip, etc.

Is it still too late to offer this design suggestion?
-Sean
 

Brandon Gramse

Registered
Thanks for 9ball for starting this thread on my behalf. I'm the inventor of the E-Grip and I just got around to reading this discussion. Honestly, I had not considered sharing this project here but, if anything, this is the absolute MOST VALUABLE resource for getting feedback and backers on my E-Grip Project.

Thanks to all who replied. As I mentioned in the http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandongramse/the-e-grip-the-most-secure-way-to-hold-your-pool-cKickstarter project page, I've been working on this device for quite some time. In that time, I've tried a variety of different designs and clamping mechanisms. The 3 main considerations I had for this device were, in order of importance:

1)It protect a pool cue from getting damaged
2)It attaches securely to the table and can not be dislodged
3)It be small enough to fit into most pool cue cases

With the present design, I have accomplished each of the three goals in a manner that I feel best serves the player.

Some of my earlier designs featured a built-in clamping mechanism that made it quicker and easier to attach to a table. Unfortunately, this added extra length to the device which kept it from fitting in the cue case's side pocket. As a result, I had to scrap that idea.

While this device is very close to the final model, it is a Version 1.0 model. I fully expect to continue refining the E-Grip as the years go on. Offering a smaller, one piece device that fits a single cue is something I have considered. For now though, this model hits all my goals and players that use it have reported being able to attach it to a table in about 15 seconds or less.

For a little more help visualizing how the E-Grip attaches, check out this video that we shot recently for exactly that purpose.
The E-Grip Fits Anywhere on YouTube.
 

pooladdiction

shut up and rack em
Silver Member
I think this is a great idea that really has the potential to be the best cue holder on the market. Having said that I probably wouldn't pay more than $40 for one. Best of luck to you and keep us posted
 

ridewiththewind

♥ Hippie Hustler ♥
Silver Member
It's a neat design....but I have to agree, at the projected price point, it's gonna be a tough sell.

About 7-8 years ago, a member here was making the McKune cue holder out of completely machined aircraft grade aluminum. The break-down into two pieces was very similar, and it was also designed to be used without the clamp, being weighted and non-skid underside. Offered in a variety of neat colors....I felt it was the slickest cue holder on the market, next to the CueTender, which doesn't break down. I tried several times to get one, but at a $35 price point at that time, I guess it was a tough sell, because he discontinued making them. Still would love to have one, should I ever run across one.

Lisa
 

Brandon Gramse

Registered
Great points by everyone. Thanks for offering your insight into the pricing.

I'm confident that there is a market for this kind of "higher end" cue holder. Using the current methods of manufacturing, I would be unable to sell the device at a $30-ish price point since that is already less money than what it costs to do a short-run of these devices.

Its possible that the price could be reduced by opting to use a cheaper material like ABS plastic or something similar. I'm personally not willing to compromise the build quality to meet a price point, which may result in a loss of sales to certain markets. I can accept that. What I can not accept is a product that doesn't accomplish the goals I designed it for.

I would like to point out, to those who are mentioning the desire for a lower price, the E-Grip is currently available at a price of $45 for a limited number of early backers. If you have a Facebook account, it takes literally 30 seconds sign up for Kickstarter, and if the project doesn't meet it's funding goal, no money changes hands. It's a great way to support projects like mine with virtually no risk.

Relative to what other pool cue holders can do, I think the E-Grip is unique enough to justify the purchase price. I actually just recently finished another video that demonstrates how the E-Grip compares to other pool cue holders currently on the market. We did something pretty cool with one of those GoPro helmet cameras, which you can see when you check out the video below:

How Does The E-Grip Compare to Other Pool Cue Holders?
on YouTube
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
I personally don't think the price is overly high for the product. Why? Well, for one thing, the darn thing is gonna last forever. Secondly, the darn thing apparently works, which is more than you can say about MOST cue holders. I would think that anyone that would pay $28 for a single cube of chalk would be in the market for a cue holder of this quality. I mean, not ALL poolplayers are cheapskates, right???

Brandon, why not a double hook on the end of the threaded bolt? It would make tightening easier and give the user TWO hooks to use instead of one.

Maniac
 
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Brandon Gramse

Registered
Thank you for being a backer TexanZ06! It means a lot to have support for this project at this early stage.

Maniac, thank you for proving my point a bit that there may still be a market for a higher-end pool cue holder.

Can you explain your idea for a double hook a bit more? I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean.
 

Hobart007

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Disclaimer: This is meant to be constructive and not a knock as I truly appreciate the design work and the financial risk anyone takes to contribute to the sport.

I have one main concern when looking at the design:

It appears that the padding on the inside of the device will protect the cue but from contact with metal but only at the correct angle. I can see where damage could occur over time to cues as contact with the metal would be all but inevitible. The edges of the body are beveled I can see in the video but cue balls are even more rounded and not as hard and still have the potential to dent a cue.

My only feedback is not based on price but on the design. I would reconsider the metal construction.

I love the idea but would worry about cue damage over time due to the introduction of non-wood-safe surfaces as I treat my Lambros like I treat my wife (with care - not the whole ball smacking and locking up when not using things). I can agree with the previous post that a soft surface on plastic would be nice both in terms of cost, wood-friendliness, and the off-chance that someone tripping wouldn't be hitting my cue trapped in a metal loop (yikes!) - I would rather the holder snap before the cue did!
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
Can you explain your idea for a double hook a bit more? I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean.

Picture a large "J" drawn on a sheet of paper. Now picture another large "J" butted-up to it but facing the opposite direction (or a backwards "J").

This would make a better gripping surface for screwing the holder down to the table. Sort of like a clock key. Plus, then you have TWO hooks to hang things onto.

Maniac
 

sfleinen

14.1 & One Pocket Addict
Gold Member
Silver Member
Picture a large "J" drawn on a sheet of paper. Now picture another large "J" butted-up to it but facing the opposite direction (or a backwards "J").

This would make a better gripping surface for screwing the holder down to the table. Sort of like a clock key. Plus, then you have TWO hooks to hang things onto.

Maniac

Like this?

(_________
(

(The left part is the handle part.)

To take this idea one step further, Brandon could make the handle of the screw like a treble hook (three hooked handles, 60 degrees apart) to hold three different things.

HTH,
-Sean
 

Hits 'em Hard

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
1)It protect a pool cue from getting damaged
2)It attaches securely to the table and can not be dislodged
3)It be small enough to fit into most pool cue cases

It will protect a cue from getting knocked over and damaged, but the device itself looks like it can cause a fair amount of damage. As for secure, sure, but it will eventually damage what it's attached too. And from the looks of it, it's not really small enough, it is in fact quite large still. You've over engineered something that was meant to be a simple device.

Personally I'd like the whole thing to be covered in rubber for actual protection. You can use steel not aluminum to cut down on size while keeping the same structure strength. The hook screw for attaching is a good idea, but looks too hardware store with the rounded nut cap. Get the type of screw/flat thing that clamps use, and then go about doing a hook.
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
Personally I'd like the whole thing to be covered in rubber for actual protection. You can use steel not aluminum to cut down on size while keeping the same structure strength. The hook screw for attaching is a good idea, but looks too hardware store with the rounded nut cap. Get the type of screw/flat thing that clamps use, and then go about doing a hook.

I like the idea of the rubber coating. I also agree that the cap nut is hokey-looking. Needs a wider gripping surface that pivots.

Porper had the right idea with their clamp, they just didn't make the actual holder strong enough to take the tourqing-down of the large, plastic bolt assembly. Mine snapped in half eventually.

Not a bad idea on the "treble hook" configuration either, Sean!

With enough brilliant minds, we can get one built right, AND to last!!!

Maniac
 

PickPocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As it is.. I'm in the market.

I currently have 3 Holders. I usually carry 2 with me. One QClaw, and 1 (4 Cue) Porper model. Been fairly happy. The 4 cue holder I bought a few years back 2007ish?, and it finally snapped. (Too much torque on the table, no cues were damaged, (Note: It didn’t happen til after it was being removed.) Also it’s my fault not Joe's cause I shaved it down a bit to fit in my case better, which compromised its integrity. All that being said. My 2 draw backs were that the rubber holders themselves sometimes left lil marks on my (Older/thicker) 13.25-13.5mm shafts. Also I could not always find a place to use it at bar's because it had limited depth surface grip. This new product looks like it solves that, so I'm very interest! :thumbup: I watched the You Tube stuff, and like everything about its design so far! One question I have, is does it react the same way holding multiple cue's? I usually share my holder, and fit between 3-5 cues near it or in it. It’s only tested using 1. So what’s the intention for use/protection? rated for 1? or Multiple? Thanks!
 
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PickPocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I could see this

Like this?

(_________
(

(The left part is the handle part.)

To take this idea one step further, Brandon could make the handle of the screw like a treble hook (three hooked handles, 60 degrees apart) to hold three different things.

HTH,
-Sean

design being hard to fit in a case, without a big buldge...
 
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