What Is The Most Over Rated Cue?

DavidMNienow said:
The whole situation described is frought with absolutely no relevant information whatsoever. After all you have no understanding of how strong both players were in the described match. Were they equal in overall skill level and one player was having an off day? Was the winner a stronger player than the loser? Was the loser unwilling to possibly admit that the reason they lost was because their skill level was lower or was not upto par with the winning player? Instead the loser chose to put the power of the their defeat to their opponents cue instead of putting the blame squarely onto their level of play?

It is more likely that of the situation described the player that was shooting with the Lucasi was the stronger player of the 2. So consequently the weaker player, who in my book was also most likely alot less experienced, would rather assume that they were beat by the cue, than admit they were defeated by a combination of a stronger player with stronger skills while they were maybe not playing at the top of their possible level of play.

The fact of the matter is that every defeat that a player experiences is the result of a combination of circumstances at the table + the ability of the player to cope and deal with those circumstances. In general the winning player is the player that successfully deals with what happens at the table based on their knowledge and experience.

The pool cue is the tool to achieve an end result at the table. But its the player's ability and how they wield the cue that matters. Put any cue in any top level player's hand and watch they player play at their general top level of play.

If your a loser in a match you need to take responsibility of who is really responsible for the loss, that's YOU!, NOT THE CUE! I play with expensive cues, but when I lose I dont blame my cue, and I dont blame my opponents cue, and I certainly do not blame my opponent. I blame me, because I'm the one that made the mistakes that led to my defeat. And anyone that does not take responsibility for their own defeats and places the blame on something else, or someone else, is someone who is not going to advance very far in their game skills.

As to the Lucasi cue in discussion, Lucasi cues are ok in terms of hit. They get the job done, and in comparison to much lower priced Chinese imports they are considerably better in quality. But I would never spend any more than $200 for any Lucasi cue because after that you can get a better quality cue that offers better value when you look at the American brand cues from Pechauer, Jacoby, McDermott, & Viking.
Click to expand...

This is a good post, especially the paragraph about putting any cue into a top players hands. The only thing I have a problem with is where you state as fact what can only be an opinion. Here is how (imo) this sentence SHOULD have read: "As to the Lucasi cue in discussion, Lucasi cues are, in my opinion, okay in terms of hit".

What is ok to you may be great to another person, and sh*t to still another person.

Maniac
 
Last edited:
randallt6 said:
Do lucasi's really hit that good? How would you compare it to other production cues in that price range?
Click to expand...

How a cue plays is a very subjective thing. I like the hit of my Lucasi and it compares well with a lot of customs and production cues I have hit with.
But this is just my opinion.
 
Maniac said:
This is a good post, especially the paragraph about putting any cue into a top players hands. The only thing I have a problem with is where you state as fact what can only be an opinion. Here is how (imo) this sentence SHOULD have read: "As to the Lucasi cue in discussion, Lucasi cues are, in my opinion, okay in terms of hit".

What is ok to you may be great to another person, and sh*t to still another person.

Maniac
Click to expand...

I agree to the edit. I was writing at 4am. It is very true that a cue hit is very subjective and based on an individual's own sense of feel and experience. It's possible for someone to maybe find a Lucasi cue whose hit works extremely well for them. And when that happens then that's great for them.

But back in the day when I was selling cues, and I sold quite a few Lucasi cues, I just never found a Lucasi cue whose hit was on par with the cues that I play with personally, or some of the other American brand cues whose cue models that I could find among my shop's cue stock that played consistently better, or could on occassion come close to the cues that I play with.

Which is why in my oppinion the Lucasi cues are ok. And are better than other lower priced Chinese imports. But once you start spending $200 or more on a possible cue purchase, I strongly believe that the buyer has got a much better set of options to select from for their cue buying decision among so many of the American brand cues.
 
I would say SouthWest,not because of the price but I've hit balls
with 2 of them and neither of them felt like anything special what
so ever.I think after a 10 year wait these cues should have the best
of the best when it comes to the woods used in the butt as well as
the shafts.I just didn't see it in the 2 I seen and played with.
 
There are several problems with saying a pool cue is "over rated" or "under rated". I will venture to say that it is impossible to accurately & honestly say a cue is over rated or under rated. The problem with pool cues is that they are a combination of Functional equipment, Art, Technical Prowess and craftsmanship. Throw in the collectable and investment aspect and you have an item that cannot be categorized easily.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to what someone is willing to pay for a cue and if they are happy with it as an individual. After all it is their money and their cue. To many a pool cue is more than a piece of equipment used to move balls around. It can be extension of our personality, part of our wardrobe, statement of wealth, conversation item, collecting passion or any one of many reasons. With that in mind, how can anyone say unequivocally, a cue is under rated or over rated?
 
scsuxci said:
I would say SouthWest,not because of the price but I've hit balls
with 2 of them and neither of them felt like anything special what
so ever.I think after a 10 year wait these cues should have the best
of the best when it comes to the woods used in the butt as well as
the shafts.I just didn't see it in the 2 I seen and played with.
Click to expand...


I don't understand, why would you wait ten years for a cue you do not like?
 
CMD said:
That seems a little silly to order something and wait that long WITHOUT trying one beforehand. :confused:
Click to expand...

Blame it on all the people that over hyped Southwest Cues, not on the person who didn't have the opportunity to hit with one before ordering one.
I purchased one on eBay a few years ago and thought it hit decent but not as good as the hype. I figured maybe I purchased a lemon.
I purchased another SW with higher grade wood, hoping that would make the difference. Nope.
I then purchased one from the Jerry Franklin era. It played and hit better in my opinion, but still not as likable as my playing cue at the time. A Blue Grass Hustler.
I could understand some players loving them.
Let's just say the three I owned had some stiff competition!
 
Last edited:
Bill Yerd said:
Blame it on all the people that over hyped Southwest Cues, not on the person who didn't have the opportunity to hit with one before ordering one.
I purchased one on eBay a few years ago and thought it hit decent but not as good as the hype. I figured maybe I purchased a lemon.
I purchased another SW with higher grade wood, hoping that would make the difference. Nope.
I then purchased one from the Jerry Franklin era. It played and hit better in my opinion, but still not as likable as my playing cue at the time. A Blue Grass Hustle
I could understand some players loving them.
Let's just say the three I owned had some stiff competition!
Click to expand...

Well, if he bought the cue direct (based on waiting 10 years) he should have made a bunch of money on it. The first reason is South West does NOT require a deposit. And if he sold it he could have made anywhere from 500-1000 profit over whatever he paid for.

So explain to me the overrated part?


<~~~~~~~knows hit is highly subjective
 
"Confessions of a Pool Hustler"

What nobody wants to tell you is that 95% of the way a cue plays depends on the tip and the shaft !
 
Southwests for sure...they still command a high price though thanks in large part to the fairly recent asian poularity....they are decent cues but some play crappy..most are good though...hugely overrated though
 
A Balabushka is no more over rated than Bobby Jones' homemade golf clubs. They are prized for their historical value and how collective they are. Of course they don't hit the same as cues now. Golf clubs from the 50's and 60's don't hit the same as clubs now either. Balabushka was one of the original custom cue makers. That is the prize.

Too many players now have been spoiled by cheap production line cues that they do not appreciate the distinctiveness and the hard work that goes into a custom cue. Most players aren't skilled enough or perceptive enough to tell the difference between the subtleties of a hit. Much less know which one plays better for their game.

Just because you can't tell the difference in a Latour and a box of Franzia don't tell me that one is overrated.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9650 using Tapatalk
 
CMD said:
I don't understand, why would you wait ten years for a cue you do not like?
Click to expand...
No,no,I didn't wait ten years but I tryed 2 of them that other people owned.I've heard its a 10year wait and thought if I did wait 10 years
I would of been more disappointed.:)
 
OUSooner said:
A Balabushka is no more over rated than Bobby Jones' homemade golf clubs. They are prized for their historical value and how collective they are. Of course they don't hit the same as cues now. Golf clubs from the 50's and 60's don't hit the same as clubs now either. Balabushka was one of the original custom cue makers. That is the prize.

Too many players now have been spoiled by cheap production line cues that they do not appreciate the distinctiveness and the hard work that goes into a custom cue. Most players aren't skilled enough or perceptive enough to tell the difference between the subtleties of a hit. Much less know which one plays better for their game.

Just because you can't tell the difference in a Latour and a box of Franzia don't tell me that one is overrated.
Sent from my BlackBerry 9650 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
is latour over rated to pichon lal lande or lamission haut brion???
just askin
p.s. i like them all:)
 
my great grand father ordered a Picasso,grandma cou;dn.t understand him spending nearly $500 and agreeing to wait'when grandpa could buy a canvass for 50cents and paint for a quarter

especially because some of her friends had a polaroid and could get pictures that looked more like the image she had in her mind

after all $500 was a coup;e of months salary,so she complained about it

fortunately she didn't have a forum like this to reenforce her ideas,so great granfpa campbell went off for the $500,

when mom deciided to sell the Picasso,it was easy to find a buyer even though the picture didn't really look exactly like the scene she thought of
but mom sold for $11,000,000 and was very happy until she saw the Picasso sell for $35,000,000

i didn't care because i couldn't draw my ball with a picture
 
IbeAnEngineer said:
There are several problems with saying a pool cue is "over rated" or "under rated". I will venture to say that it is impossible to accurately & honestly say a cue is over rated or under rated. The problem with pool cues is that they are a combination of Functional equipment, Art, Technical Prowess and craftsmanship. Throw in the collectable and investment aspect and you have an item that cannot be categorized easily.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to what someone is willing to pay for a cue and if they are happy with it as an individual. After all it is their money and their cue. To many a pool cue is more than a piece of equipment used to move balls around. It can be extension of our personality, part of our wardrobe, statement of wealth, conversation item, collecting passion or any one of many reasons. With that in mind, how can anyone say unequivocally, a cue is under rated or over rated?
Click to expand...

All very true.. under rated, over rated, no such thing. One mans under is another mans over.. :) The only part of the game that isn't over rated is practice. Heck most people should worry about practice and not worry about their cue.

You cannot buy a stroke no matter how much money you have to spend. No cue can give you a stroke, or knowledge. But having a cue you're proud of and like can give you the push to play a little more and make you a little better. For some it might be a Schon, a Joss, a Lucasi.. for some it might be a Szam, a Bushka, or a Searing.

JV
 
cues

WELL THIS IS A INTERESTING THREAD SO HERES MY 2 CENTS WORTH.
I HAVE BEEN BUYING SELLING COLLECTING AND ENJOYING CUES FOR MANY YEARS AND THEY ALL PLAY ALITTLE DIFFERENT AS WE ALL KNOW I DON'T THINK ANY CUE IS OVER RATED BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION OF WHAT A CUE SHOULD PLAY LIKE SO TO HAVE SOME FUN I SUGGEST TO ALL THAT YOU BUY CUES AT DECENT PRICES AND PLAY WITH THEM AND SELL WHAT YOU DON'T FEEL PLAYS WELL AND IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO KEEP THE ONES THAT YOU LIKE START A COLLECTION OF WHAT YOU CONSIDER GREAT PLAYING CUES REGARDLESS OF NAME. ALSO I NOTICE THAT SOUTHWEST SEEMS TO BE GETTING KNOCKED AROUND ALOT ON THIS THREAD FOR ME I'VE NEVER BEEN A BIG FAN OF SOUTHWEST AS OVER THE YEARS THE ONES I PLAYED WITH DIDN'T SUIT ME BUT A COUPLE YEARS AGO I PICKED UP ONE(JERRY CUE) BECAUSE THE PRICE WAS RIGHT AND TO MY SURPRISE THE CUE PLAYS GREAT SO MY EXPERIENCE WITH SOUTHWWEST HAS VARIED CUE TO CUE JUST LIKE ALL OTHER CUE NAMES EXCEPT FOR TASCARELLA AND ARIEL CARMELLI AS THESE TWO CUEMAKERS SEEM TO BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT EVERYTIME THEY BUILD A CUE AS EVERY CUE FROM BOOTH MAKERS THAT I HAVE PLAYED WITH HAVE PLAYED LIGHTS OUT.....OOPS I THINK I SAID MORE THAN TWO CENTS WORTH..........:smile:
 
scsuxci said:
No,no,I didn't wait ten years but I tryed 2 of them that other people owned.I've heard its a 10year wait and thought if I did wait 10 years
I would of been more disappointed.:)
Click to expand...

I'm just curious, but how many cues have you played with since you started playing pool?

By which cue makers?

And what cue do you play with now?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
CMD said:
I'm just curious, but how many cues have you played with since you started playing pool?

By which cue makers?

And what cue do you play with now?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Great Question and now I have to think:)I've played with between 75 to 100 for sure.Guys who
know me personally know I love cues and seeing what the playability
of different cues are like.I've had cues from ,Prewitt,Carmelli.Lambros
Capone,Varney,Mordt,Matthews,Layani,Deroo,Pierce,Lee,Gracio and the list goes on and on.That doesn't include the whack of production cues
and a laundry list of Predators.I've hit with some cues I've never owned
to see how they played.I've tryed pretty well all the LD shafts on the market but have always had a soft spot for Predators.I had most of my success in pool, playing with a Predator cue or just there shafts.I currently play with a older Rosewwod 4k-6 Predator that plays fantastic.
I've always been impartial to the Uniloc joint,but find if the forearm
is a dense wood the uniloc joint plays fantastic.
I'm a picky guy when it comes to being comfortable with my equipment
but enjoy the process of finding out the good from the bad.Thanks
for asking,it made me think for a change:)Takecare
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top