i'd go OB myself. their sneakys are just over $300, but to me the fact that you're getting one of their LD shafts makes the couple extra bucks more than worth it. phenomenal hitting cues for the money. mine actually hits better than the $1200 custom jacoby that i was playing with before i got it (don't get me wrong...jacoby makes phenomenal cues as well. i just prefer the hit of a simple sneaky myself.).
Best "production" cue for $300
- Thread starter Shooter08
- Start date
My first cue was a Players sneaky ($60) that I picked up because I wanted to get better while simultaneously not wanting to be that guy who pulls out a high priced fancy cue and sucks with it.
I got better and through research decided a Schmelke would be my next cue. I wanted something made in America that looked great and played even better. I picked up their solid maple (no stain) break cue/playing cue ($180) and from the first hit to this day, I absolutely hate it. I'm sure Schmelke can make a great cue but the particular one I have is a dud. I haven't found a single person that's liked the hit.
The current player in my case is an OB 122 ($360) and I freakin love it. The thickness of the butt. The feel of the hit. The shaft. The balance. The craftsmanship. That it's an American product. Everything about the cue I'm a fan of and realistically have no intentions of replacing it with anything else. In time, if a new cue is what I need, I'll be picking up another OB.
I would strongly suggest you raise your budget 60 or so bucks and pick up an OB, and then thank every person that suggested the same thing.
I got better and through research decided a Schmelke would be my next cue. I wanted something made in America that looked great and played even better. I picked up their solid maple (no stain) break cue/playing cue ($180) and from the first hit to this day, I absolutely hate it. I'm sure Schmelke can make a great cue but the particular one I have is a dud. I haven't found a single person that's liked the hit.
The current player in my case is an OB 122 ($360) and I freakin love it. The thickness of the butt. The feel of the hit. The shaft. The balance. The craftsmanship. That it's an American product. Everything about the cue I'm a fan of and realistically have no intentions of replacing it with anything else. In time, if a new cue is what I need, I'll be picking up another OB.
I would strongly suggest you raise your budget 60 or so bucks and pick up an OB, and then thank every person that suggested the same thing.
I sold about a hundred Josses in the 90s...
...most of the owners are still using them.
I had maybe two small flaws, I wholesaled them rather than restock.
About ten of my buyers have turned down a 300% profit...they love their cues.
I have a '68, an '86, and a '91 sneaky pete with a line-up to buy...I refuse to sell.
A low-line Joss with an LD shaft is very affordable and your customers will be satisfied.
JOSS is BOSS
cpcntr
Registered
add my .02$ to Joss
Bought it in 2006 and still playing with it (now with OB shaft cuz stock warped a bit after 8 years). Before a purchase i tried several other brand cues available at our market (Viking, Predator, McDermott, Cuetec, Meucci etc) and choosen Joss cuz i like how it hits and looks.
Bought it in 2006 and still playing with it (now with OB shaft cuz stock warped a bit after 8 years). Before a purchase i tried several other brand cues available at our market (Viking, Predator, McDermott, Cuetec, Meucci etc) and choosen Joss cuz i like how it hits and looks.
I don't think there is a "line" of cues that are the "best" at that price range. There are specific models of cues in that price range that can be phenomenal playing cues and they tend to be the very simple cues with little to no designs.
I have a Joss Hustler I bought back 20 years ago for $200 or so that is a great playing cue. I have a Brunswick break/jump I bought 15 year or so as well that was again right around that $200 mark and hits very well for a cue for that price range. The Hustler is absolutely the better hitting cue of the two and at $200 I have never hit with a better cue in that price range.
When I was young in Calgary the most basic Falcon cues with no design whatsoever were extremely popular. They were extremely reasonable in price and they were phenomenal players cues.
The thing about any of the production cues in those price ranges? The best are normally the cheapest and most simple designed cues. The more elaborate cues increased in price quickly and if anything the hit normally got worse as the inlays and extra details just added to more stuff that could be screwed up in the production process. At the cheap end I would say stick to the basic cues, avoid inlays and elaborate designs, there is no value, you will not get the money back in resale, and as often as not that more elaborate cue will actually play worse then the basic simple design.
There were few cues that will ever beat a Dufferin Sneaky Pete that once sold for $60 new. When you found one with straight grain up the shaft you basically had a cue that played 95% as good as anything you could buy and you paid peanuts for it. There is a reason those things went up in value and now sell for a premium, when you can find one at all.
I have a Joss Hustler I bought back 20 years ago for $200 or so that is a great playing cue. I have a Brunswick break/jump I bought 15 year or so as well that was again right around that $200 mark and hits very well for a cue for that price range. The Hustler is absolutely the better hitting cue of the two and at $200 I have never hit with a better cue in that price range.
When I was young in Calgary the most basic Falcon cues with no design whatsoever were extremely popular. They were extremely reasonable in price and they were phenomenal players cues.
The thing about any of the production cues in those price ranges? The best are normally the cheapest and most simple designed cues. The more elaborate cues increased in price quickly and if anything the hit normally got worse as the inlays and extra details just added to more stuff that could be screwed up in the production process. At the cheap end I would say stick to the basic cues, avoid inlays and elaborate designs, there is no value, you will not get the money back in resale, and as often as not that more elaborate cue will actually play worse then the basic simple design.
There were few cues that will ever beat a Dufferin Sneaky Pete that once sold for $60 new. When you found one with straight grain up the shaft you basically had a cue that played 95% as good as anything you could buy and you paid peanuts for it. There is a reason those things went up in value and now sell for a premium, when you can find one at all.
I have one, and would recommend it wholeheartedly. I also have a lucasi and like that too. Prefer the Pech. by just a touch. Also, Dufferin one piece gets a vote... not sure if
they are made anymore.... have one that I like as well as any cue I own.. (almost....I like
my JossWest best!! )
td
asiasdad
Banned
Never had a bad Pechauer and their custom shop is first rate
+1 for Pechauer from low end to the other end of their spectrum.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=392649
I must recommend the Players HXT series, there is just nothing that I have tried to this day to compare in the same price range :smile: They are well made, high in quality and low on deflection. The feel of the hit is, atleast to me, solid and near perfect.
Only thing that seems to seperate the HXT from my main player Mezz is on table lenght shots with extreme draw/follow, then the Mezz is a more accurate and solid feeling cue. And also 300$ more expensive.
To conclude: In my opinion the HXT cues are the best bang for the buck, and should keep the average player satisfied for a while before moving on to customs or higher end production cues
Haven't had the opportunity to play with a Schon or Joss though, they are not very popular here in Finland.
I also have a Valhalla, Classic and Action cues for my friends to play, none of them are very good in terms of quality and feel, but they do the job just fine for folks who dont play too seriously :embarrassed2:
- Kimmo
Only thing that seems to seperate the HXT from my main player Mezz is on table lenght shots with extreme draw/follow, then the Mezz is a more accurate and solid feeling cue. And also 300$ more expensive.
To conclude: In my opinion the HXT cues are the best bang for the buck, and should keep the average player satisfied for a while before moving on to customs or higher end production cues
Haven't had the opportunity to play with a Schon or Joss though, they are not very popular here in Finland.
I also have a Valhalla, Classic and Action cues for my friends to play, none of them are very good in terms of quality and feel, but they do the job just fine for folks who dont play too seriously :embarrassed2:
- Kimmo