Why buy a cue that is over $300?

It's understandable that you'd be skeptical about "Marketing BS".
Some pool products make claims that sound like nonsense.

BUT, every once in a while, some of the claims are legit.
Reduced deflection is a real thing that you can see with your own eyes
using a simple 1 minute test.

Once you figure out that lower deflection is a Real Thing,
it's up to you to decide if it's worth an extra, say, $100 to have it.

Personally, I think it is, if you want to get serious about pool.

With a standard (high deflection) shaft, certain shots that require lots of sidespin
will just "look weird" when you're aiming at the correct place to make the ball.
The cue ball doesn't go where you're pointing the stick...it deflects sideways so much that when you're lined up correctly, it looks like you're going to completely miss the ball. Or even hit the wrong side of it.

You can choose to use a high deflection shaft, and force your eyes and brain to just accept the fact that certain shots will always look weird, even when you're lined up perfectly.

Or you can get an LD shaft, and have the the cue ball actually go more or less where you're pointing the stick. Then these spin shots won't look so weird and unnatural.

Mosconi may have shot fine without one, but if he grew up with the OPTION to learn on one of these shafts, he probably would have at least looked into it.

I do agree that there's no need to blow excessive money on a cue, past a certain point you're just paying for looks... and ultimately it's just a tool. I got my "predator nonsense" shaft for just $200 and screwed it onto an existing cue I own. IMO that's a small price to pay for something that could help your game and will last decades if treated right.
 
My usual retort to 'why buy a great cue?'
'Doc Holiday didn't go to the OK corral with a 'saturday night' special.'

If you buy a cheap cue and it hits great....you got lucky.
If you buy an expensive cue and it hits bad....you got unlucky.
 
CreeDo said:
With a standard (high deflection) shaft, certain shots that require lots of sidespin
will just "look weird" when you're aiming at the correct place to make the ball.

Or you can get an LD shaft, and have the the cue ball actually go more or less where you're pointing the stick. Then these spin shots won't look so weird and unnatural.

Mosconi may have shot fine without one, but if he grew up with the OPTION to learn on one of these shafts, he probably would have at least looked into it.
Click to expand...

More or less weird?

LOL!

At least look into it? Sure, that'reasonable.

Now you only have to admit that it is just as reasonable to "look into" it and walk away from it as numerous top level players have. Some do, some don't. So it still comes down to simple preference. LD isn't higher performance no matter how hard some folks might want to try to distort it. It is different performance.


At least that's the way I see it.
.
 
Technology!

It's worth the money to buy a Low Deflection shaft for the same reason Golfers play with Metal Drivers. No one plays golf with and actual wood driver anymore because the technology is outdated.

The technology built into a Low Deflection shaft will make you more accurate.
It won't shoot the shots for you, but it will make you more accurate.

You reduce the amount of adjustment needed for deflection when shooting anything but center ball hits.

See posts about deflection...
 
Vulture said:
It's worth the money to buy a Low Deflection shaft for the same reason Golfers play with Metal Drivers. No one plays golf with and actual wood driver anymore because the technology is outdated.

The technology built into a Low Deflection shaft will make you more accurate.
It won't shoot the shots for you, but it will make you more accurate.

You reduce the amount of adjustment needed for deflection when shooting anything but center ball hits.

See posts about deflection...
Click to expand...

I actually don't think LD shafts make you more accurate, if you've spent enough years adjusting your aim with a hard maple shaft then you can be just as accurate. LD shaft probably help new players a bit more because you have to adjust less but the technology itself does not make you more accurate.

As for golf drivers, same thing, the major advance in sweet spots and MOI make the drivers more forgiving on off center shots and provide more distance but for pros it does not make them more accurate since they're hitting the center of the face 90% of the time anyway.... Most pros also still use blade irons purely because they can shape shots better with blades than cavity backs or the new hybrid irons. They don't need more distance or forgiveness.
 
I've always been fascinated when I see someone using their own financial/ability limitations to justify looking negatively at people who don't have the same limitations.
 
Matter of choice and opinion, not fact

9Cheeser said:
First off let me say that McDermott makes junk. None of their cues hit right and the gcore shaft has horrible deflection. I play with a $3k+ ariel Carmeli cue. It was custom built specifically for me and helps differentiate me from the standard fish in the pool hall playing with a production McDermott. Your question is rhetorical and ironic. Would you rather drive a Ford focus or a Ferrari?

Sent from my C5155 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Some folks would rather drive a Ford Focus than a Ferrari, and some folks would rather play with a McDermott than a Carmeli.

Opinion is not fact.
 
$20 hooker?

waylander said:
Example...

Sex is sex... why would you pay for a $300 hooker when a $20 one will do? Think about it... which will you enjoy sex with more?

We all enjoy having "pretty" things rather than plain jane things. Houses could just be cubes but all square rooms, and all white wall with no paintings or pictures on them... etc.

Square cars with 4 bangers and all painted black.

We could all wear plain khakis with white shirts.

Why have a 40" or larger TV when that 24" tube still works?

We spend more money on things to stand out, to look different than the other 50 guys there and because we all appreciate aesthetics.

Will a more expensive cue perform better? Certainly, $300 is not the point at which you don't gain any more performance IMO, it's more like $500 or $600, after that it's aesthetics and there is nothing wrong with that.
Click to expand...

That $20 hooker may turn out to be not quite the bargain that it seemed!
But I agree with your point.
 
People buy cues for many reason....

-Look
-Feel
-Hit

These 3 things vary from cue to cue, from production or custom. Some people just like fancy looking sticks, some people think that a move expensive cue hits better, and some cues honestly do hit better.

Go to your local poolhall and find someone with a $1k+ custom cue, and if you can't feel the difference between how that hits and your mcdermott then you don't know pool very well.

As far as LD is concered, you use the term LD so I am assuming you know what it means. For low-mid level players they many times have a inconsistent stroke, and don't always strike the CB exactly where they intend to. SO when you put accidental english on the CB you get more or less deflection than you were anticipating which causes you to miss. If you have lower deflection in your shaft, then there is a smaller margine or error, which in turn means you are less likely to miss shots.

Hope this helps.
 
waylander said:
I actually don't think LD shafts make you more accurate, if you've spent enough years adjusting your aim with a hard maple shaft then you can be just as accurate. LD shaft probably help new players a bit more because you have to adjust less but the technology itself does not make you more accurate.

As for golf drivers, same thing, the major advance in sweet spots and MOI make the drivers more forgiving on off center shots and provide more distance but for pros it does not make them more accurate since they're hitting the center of the face 90% of the time anyway.... Most pros also still use blade irons purely because they can shape shots better with blades than cavity backs or the new hybrid irons. They don't need more distance or forgiveness.
Click to expand...

You mentioned spending years adjusting your aim with a hard maple shaft. I'm always confused when people think that it's just as easy to play pool when adjusting for aim on almost every shot. Why the resistance to a cue where you don't have to adjust as much? Fewer adjustments should equal more consistency and accuracy, right?

Just as I'm sure you know, you are more accurate hitting center ball than when you are hitting side English, this is due to the compensations needed for deflection.

I played with a standard shaft for 18 years. I was capable of running multiple racks. Then switched to a predator. I did have to adjust for the LD, and started aiming in the direction i wanted the ball to go. Now I am a more consistent player and feel more comfortable not having to calculate the adjustments on every shot.

For a new player getting ready to spend some money on a new cue, the best thing they can do is buy LD. This will help him get better quicker, and pass by the steps learning about how much deflection is needed on every shot.


And the pro golfers playing with blades, yes they are pros, and don't need the forgiveness. Pros play a different game.

I would never tell Efren to start playing with a predator, he doesn't need the help.

Just my opinion....
 
EasyEJL said:
I've always been fascinated when I see someone using their own financial/ability limitations to justify looking negatively at people who don't have the same limitations.
Click to expand...


Ouch!

Yes, but some things aren't necessarily financially significant.

For example:

- buying my first car, my parents pushed me into a 1971 Ford Pinto. A 1971 Mustang Convertible was $600 more, or $15 per month on payments. The Pinto today is worth zero and I hated the POS, the Mustang Convertible about $15,000 and I still think they're hot.


- In 1984 my Gina Cue was stolen. I bought a great cue - an Adam - for $100, but I could have bought a used Gina for around $300. The Adam would be worth $300 today, the Gina $2500.

- In 1979 I bought my first house. I bought in a so-so area to save $25,000, or roughly $180 per month. That house I bought might be worth $275,000 today, but the house for $25,000 more is worth $500,000.

- You spend $6000 on a family vacation to Hawaii. You cheap out and save $500 to look at the dumpster instead of sunset on the ocean.

These are lessons in life I learned and hopefully will not ever repeat.
 
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TATE said:
Ouch!

Yes, but some things aren't necessarily financially significant.

For example:

- buying my first car, my parents pushed me into a 1971 Ford Pinto. A 1971 Mustang Convertible was $600 more, or $15 per month on payments. The Pinto today is worth zero and I hated the POS, the Mustang Convertible about $15,000 and I still think they're hot.


- In 1984 my Gina Cue was stolen. I bought a great cue - an Adam - for $100, but I could have bought a used Gina for around $300. The Adam would be worth $300 today, the Gina $2500.

- In 1979 I bought my first house. I bought in a so-so area to save $25,000, or roughly $180 per month. That house I bought might be worth $275,000 today, but the house for $25,000 more is worth $500,000.

- You spend $6000 on a family vacation to Hawaii. You cheap out and save $500 to look at the dumpster instead of sunset on the ocean.

These are lessons in life I learned and hopefully will not ever repeat.
Click to expand...

Bingo! Well stated! Life's too short to not indulge yourself from time to time.
 
...because I wouldn't own my Webb which is my favorite playing cue of all time.

$300 is very low IMO.

And, like Tate said, sometimes it just makes more sense to spend a little more.
 
Chopdoc said:
More or less weird?

LOL!

At least look into it? Sure, that'reasonable.

Now you only have to admit that it is just as reasonable to "look into" it and walk away from it as numerous top level players have. Some do, some don't. So it still comes down to simple preference. LD isn't higher performance no matter how hard some folks might want to try to distort it. It is different performance.


At least that's the way I see it.
.
Click to expand...

There's no distortion on my part, so I dunno why "I" have to admit anything :)

Maybe you meant to address your comment to people who say stuff like "It gives me so much better spin!" or "My leaves are twice as precise with an LD shaft!" or "It really helped my speed control!".

I personally don't buy (or sell) any of that crap.
I do consider a more 'natural' line of aim to be better than the alternative.
There's no logical reason to prefer higher deflection, other than you grew up with it and are now used to it.

You can argue "one line of aim is just as good as the other" when talking about shafts, but if they started selling ultra high deflection shafts tomorrow, would you buy one? Would you recommend one to a new player, knowing he will have to aim a foot off to the side to make a ball with heavy inside spin?
 
Why buy a cue over $300 ????

When your play ability reaches the stage where you are considered a very good player, and your personal finances allow you to step up in cue quality, getting a custom made cue makes sense .....IMO.

There are so many variables in the way a cue plays and feels and great custom cue-makers are able to perfect the cue so very differently than lower end cues. The age and grain of the shafts' wood, the placement of any inlays to compliment the overall cue weight balance, the overall shaft taper, the type of joint and the precise milling approach to manufacturing the cue customarily with sharp points rather than just plain CNC cuts, the wrap material (I'm a Cortland linen fan myself).....all of this combines into a custom cue that feels and plays uniquely.

Now does one need to spend $1k, $2k, $3k etc. on a custom cue? Hell no.......and I know and you know I could take one of my expensive cues into some pool hall and a local there might walk over to the rack on the wall.....pull off some stick with many imperfections from rough play......and just kick my ass in 9 ball or any other game.

Playing with an expensive cue does not automatically turn me into a better pool player but owning these cues does motivate me to aspire to become a better pool player. And when there are lots of eyes upon you during a match, and you're aware of this, well....you just try harder because you sure don't want to look like some well healed bozo that has a $3k cue and you can't even run one (1) 9 ball rack......duh?

When I take my out my Mottey or Scruggs cues and assemble them, everyone.....and I do mean everyone....that sees either of my cues invariably asks me about my cues......why not.....both cues are absolutely gorgeous and play even better than the cue looks. I am blessed to own a couple of very special cues made by esteeemed cue-makers that have since retired......their cues will never be made again........and if you ever have opportunity to own such a cue, you'll instantly know what I speak of.......pride of ownership translates into pride of play....you will try harder and play better because of it.

And the best part is my cues are like an investment. I can sell them anytime for what I paid since the cues were acquired at great prices and the probability is I'd sell them at a profit. So to me if you are going to buy a cue, buy the very best you can afford.

Matt B.
 
CreeDo said:
There's no distortion on my part, so I dunno why "I" have to admit anything :)

Maybe you meant to address your comment to people who say stuff like "It gives me so much better spin!" or "My leaves are twice as precise with an LD shaft!" or "It really helped my speed control!".

I personally don't buy (or sell) any of that crap.
I do consider a more 'natural' line of aim to be better than the alternative.
There's no logical reason to prefer higher deflection, other than you grew up with it and are now used to it.

You can argue "one line of aim is just as good as the other" when talking about shafts, but if they started selling ultra high deflection shafts tomorrow, would you buy one? Would you recommend one to a new player, knowing he will have to aim a foot off to the side to make a ball with heavy inside spin?
Click to expand...


I never said you distorted anything. I would call more of a creative mischaracterization if I had to apply a term. :wink: :grin-square:

I advise people to buy shafts they like to play with.

As it happens there are some very well regarded cue makers that make "conical" or "European" taper shafts for pool with ivory ferrules that are extremely highly regarded....they just don't call them high deflection now do they? :wink: :grin-square:

I like how Efren Reyes put it. He tried a shot with an LD shaft. He said something like "I aimed here and it went over there." He put it down and walked away. :lmao:


That's all I'm saying on the matter. :)



.
.
 
Ares49 said:
Well, maybe it is my lack of experience...but from watching pool on tv, at the halls and asking questions. It seems there is no real advantage to buying really expensive cues.

I am just hoping someone could steer me in the right direction regarding cue sticks.

Maybe explain the benefits that some of these custom cue makers or really expensive cues have over the cheaper production cues.
Click to expand...

There's a few threads on this subject....here is one of them.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=179791&highlight=hype+custom+cues
 
pt109 said:
There's a few threads on this subject....here is one of them.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=179791&highlight=hype+custom+cues
Click to expand...

I play with a limited edition predator and z2 shaft but if you're even thinking about why spend more than $300 you should be a cheaper cue and put the rest of the money into lessons. Played a guy the other night 9 ball. He used a POS house cue. Ran 12 racks on me. Let him play with with my cue; he ran another 11 later on. Up to a point its really about the indian and not the stick. Once you become a chief though you might want something a little more expensive ! :)
 
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