Recommendation for intermediate player

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rafiki121

Registered
Hey guys I recently started playing pool more often and now i'm looking for an intermediate cue to have. This will be my first cue and basically i want something that I can rely on rather than the house cues which are usually warped. My budget is 200 or less but mostly bang for the buck. Thank you
 
Standard recommendations are:

Lucasi Custom
Players
Cuetec R360
Schmelke

Of that list, I've personally only played with a Cuetec and Lucasi and can vouch for them being great choices.
 
pocket said:
Standard recommendations are:

Lucasi Custom
Players
Cuetec R360
Schmelke

Of that list, I've personally only played with a Cuetec and Lucasi and can vouch for them being great choices.
Click to expand...

I have a Lucasi and have played with a Schmelke.
Both solid choices.
 
Unfortunately the cue world gets interesting at around 250-270 (Tiger LD shaft + some nice butt to go with it) ...

There were similar requests in the last couple of days.
I'd go with Cuetec R360 (CER, CEV series). You might want to replace the tip right from the start with a Tiger Sniper or Onyx. The Everest gets far too hard far too quickly which will result in poor feeling despite that the R360 gives a great response with reasonable squirt.

That should cover your 200$ I think and last you quite a bit. Also get some magic chalk or blue diamond to go with it.

Schmelke seems to get favourable reviews, but I cannot say.
They sound German in origin, so the quality might be excellent ;)

Cheers!
 
Many years ago, I bought my dad a McDermott, I think the comparable these days would be a GS series. It was what I could afford as a college student, and I wanted to give him a cue that he could play consistently. Well, he died in 2003, and I only recently pulled that cue out from the case it was in for all these years. I have had a great time playing it. It feels good, is balanced well, and seems to be a lot of cue for the money I paid. Straight as an arrow.

They're running under $200 at Seybert's.
 
Was just in a similar position getting a first cue for my daughter. I went with Schmelke and just think you can't go wrong. You can specify the joint type, weight, shaft taper, tip, wrap color, etc...all for less than $200. Great people to work with. Hard to find a "custom cue" for that kind of scratch.
 
Really some decent choices around $200. McDermott G-Core is good also right around $200. Some have rightly suggested that used cues (test hit, lol) of a pretty decent quality can be had around there as well.
 
Hey guys thanks for the reply. After seeing some of your advices I'm thinking about the cutuec. Is it easy to change the tip yourself?
 
Players HXT, For about $120, you can have a shaft with less deflection than a g-core and a better tip(kumai soft). It also comes with a lifetime warranty.
 
rafiki121 said:
Hey guys thanks for the reply. After seeing some of your advices I'm thinking about the cutuec. Is it easy to change the tip yourself?
Click to expand...

Cuetec R360 is a solid choice, as is a McDermott or Viking. Schmelke looks great too, I just ordered one myself to check out but don't have it yet so no first hand experience. Lots of custom options for super budget price though.

As far as changing tips go....no, not rally easy to do yourself. Best done with a lathe. I've seen some well done home jobs without one but I think it takes a lot of care and patience to do well, I would never do it myself.
 
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