Quality starter cue for son?

F

flinchfree

Registered
Hi.

First time poster and won't bore you with my life story unless I become a regular poster.:D

I'd like to buy my son a cue for his 13th birthday, he's a convert to the game over the last 6 months and I think he'd love his own stick.

Were in KC and largely play bar tables, but I'd like to get him something he could grow with as a player.
A collectable vintage cue, inlays and sharp points, would be lost on him.
I need something I can get in a 57", under 18oz, 11mm - 12mm tip, good quality construction cue that he can get the most out of.....a cool look wouldn't hurt!;)

Happy to spend $150 - $250.

Suggestions from all would be welcomed.


Daniel
 
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flinchfree said:
Hi.

First time poster and won't bore you with my life story unless I become a regular poster.:D

I'd like to buy my son a cue for his 13th birthday, he's a convert to the game over the last 6 months and I think he'd love his own stick.

Were in KC and largely play bar tables, but I'd like to get him something he could grow with as a player.
A collectable vintage cue, inlays and sharp points, would be lost on him.
I need something I can get in a 57", under 18oz, 11mm - 12mm tip, good quality construction cue that he can get the most out of.....a cool look wouldn't hurt!;)

Happy to spend $150 - $250.





Suggestions from all would be welcomed.


Daniel
Click to expand...

This is who I chose.
I could not be happier.
https://schmelkecue.com

I would go with a 58" cue but they can do what ever you want.
 
You might give Bill Smith a call, he has some very nice reasonably priced starter cues. 321-258-3697 Check out his site Mr3cushion.com
 
flinchfree said:
Hi.

First time poster and won't bore you with my life story unless I become a regular poster.:D

I'd like to buy my son a cue for his 13th birthday, he's a convert to the game over the last 6 months and I think he'd love his own stick.

11mm - 12mm tip
Click to expand...

11mm would be pretty thin for a pool cue. Why so narrow?
 
flinchfree said:
Hi.

First time poster and won't bore you with my life story unless I become a regular poster.:D

I'd like to buy my son a cue for his 13th birthday, he's a convert to the game over the last 6 months and I think he'd love his own stick.

Were in KC and largely play bar tables, but I'd like to get him something he could grow with as a player.
A collectable vintage cue, inlays and sharp points, would be lost on him.
I need something I can get in a 57", under 18oz, 11mm - 12mm tip, good quality construction cue that he can get the most out of.....a cool look wouldn't hurt!;)

Happy to spend $150 - $250.

Suggestions from all would be welcomed.


Daniel
Click to expand...
One solid answer ~ Schmelke. Research that word on this forum !!!
 
Simply put, there are MANY good options.

Schmelke was mentioned. Lots on the forum lately about them. They can pt something together pretty darn nice for very small money.

You could also get something like a Joss. Weights can be changed, tips size can be ordered and/or changed. I am not recommending a seller, just showing examples. There are dealers here in this forum that might come up with a nice deal for you.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Joss-Pool-C...hash=item1a2646f8ab:m:mgDip4JTyQ1-CPxb9cCB57w

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Joss-Brown-...995625?hash=item3f75e6bd29:g:85IAAOSwARZXkAR5

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Joss-Pool-C...076004?hash=item2120ac2f64:g:TwgAAMXQMmJRSkGJ

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Joss-Pool-C...473756?hash=item1a2639d41c:g:SDMAAMXQGQRR8w29

You could also just do a nice Sneaky Pete. You can get a "custom" made sneaky in your price range from Schmelke or an individual cuemaker.


Wouldn't a "true custom" be a nice gift?



I am curious though...why so light? Why so short? Why such a small tip?


Likely he can start out with a standard 58 inch cue, 12-13mm tip, 18-19 ounce. No?


Anyway...there are MANY options.




.
 
Schmelke is my first choice on low end side new. Used a joss or pechauer would be a good choice.

Lucasi is another new option as well. Like most others I wouldn't go so thin on shaft for 8, 9, or 10 ball.
 
cubswin said:
Schmelke is my first choice on low end side new. Used a joss or pechauer would be a good choice.

Lucasi is another new option as well. Like most others I wouldn't go so thin on shaft for 8, 9, or 10 ball.
Click to expand...

As I showed, you can get a brand new Joss in that price range. Even with a case and JPs.



But I agree...I would likely look at Schmelke first.

Wouldn't it be cool to have your first cue made just for you? :thumbup:



.
 
For the range of $150 - $250 it would be very hard to beat a good production cue. This forum tends to favor the customs but as a brand new player it would be hard to go against McDermott or Viking.
 
flinchfree said:
Hi.

First time poster and won't bore you with my life story unless I become a regular poster.:D

I'd like to buy my son a cue for his 13th birthday, he's a convert to the game over the last 6 months and I think he'd love his own stick.

Were in KC and largely play bar tables, but I'd like to get him something he could grow with as a player.
A collectable vintage cue, inlays and sharp points, would be lost on him.
I need something I can get in a 57", under 18oz, 11mm - 12mm tip, good quality construction cue that he can get the most out of.....a cool look wouldn't hurt!;)

Happy to spend $150 - $250.

Suggestions from all would be welcomed.


Daniel
Click to expand...
If you live in KansasCity you might want to go over to Shooters in Olathe and talk to DougPatrick. He makes really nice cues and a basic merry-widow style player shouldn't be too expensive. If going production I'd highly recommend Schmelke also. I just got a sneaky from them for 140bux that plays great.
 
flinchfree said:
Hi.

First time poster and won't bore you with my life story unless I become a regular poster.:D

I'd like to buy my son a cue for his 13th birthday, he's a convert to the game over the last 6 months and I think he'd love his own stick.

Were in KC and largely play bar tables, but I'd like to get him something he could grow with as a player.
A collectable vintage cue, inlays and sharp points, would be lost on him.
I need something I can get in a 57", under 18oz, 11mm - 12mm tip, good quality construction cue that he can get the most out of.....a cool look wouldn't hurt!;)

Happy to spend $150 - $250.

Suggestions from all would be welcomed.


Daniel
Click to expand...

How about a Players HXT? http://www.ozonebilliards.com/playe...3xJPwk6cqXKpGyv5TyReuJ_HDke37A90ekRoCO_7w_wcB


http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/cues/players/players-hxt-series-pool-cues.htm I'm sure he'll see something he likes there.

For the price you get a lot, including a LD shaft, good tip, and quite a few design picks for under $200.

My son had a Players HXT-E10 cue to win a few state championships when he was 14-15, and his cue was passed on to another junior player that used it till recently when she got a sponsorship form Pechaur.

A friend of mine bought this model http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/cues/players/players_hxt90.htm and someone at SBE that saw it paid him $40 more than what he paid for it LOL
 
I don't think you can go wrong to start with a Viking, Players, Lucassi, Viking or Mcdermott. If price is a big concern look at Lucky or Star cues which are made by Mcdermott..
 
LHP5 said:
For the range of $150 - $250 it would be very hard to beat a good production cue. This forum tends to favor the customs but as a brand new player it would be hard to go against McDermott or Viking.
Click to expand...

I second this logic. At 13, did any of us really know we were in it for the long haul? Custom cues tend to lean toward the person who's been shooting for some time and knows exactly what they want. At the Schmelke website, you can change just about every single option based on how you want the design, which is fantastic! It's basically the baskin robins of cue selection.

Side note: no offense meant by my above comment*mad respect to all you Schmelke owners*, but you have to admit, when you go through the site selection at Schmelke, you feel like your midway through a line at Subway. And if you just go around picking stuff you think you might like (because he's 13), you might come out with a crap sandwich and have to take it back (or throw it away). Personally, I would only build my own cue from a site like that if I had a few years under my belt, would most of you agree?

My very first cue was a production Palmer, nothing from the collectors catalog, from the 3rd catalog. My Dad and I picked it up, he says at a cue shop but I recall it was a pawn shop. I hit a few balls with it and liked it. Took it out shooting with him and loved it. I was 11 or 12. Standard length, standard shaft, yada yada.

Something I could grow with? Let's see. It sits in my case today, 20 years later. Original shaft with a Kamui clear tan on it. I bust it out every now and then to get that feeling. Sure it has a little roll to it, but it still hits well. And no matter what, I can definitely say I grew with it.

Players HXT. Gets my vote. Joss? Schon? All good to me. Lots of choices for production, as for playability that's all subjective to him and his feeling. *** Production for the first cue. Custom for when he's ready to graduate***

Congrats on the convert no matter what. Welcome the kid to the pool scene, and happy birthday.
 
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You might like this one for him. It's Old School and Lite. 17.9 oz. but, it's 13mm and 58" long. $150 shipped in a 1x1 hard case. Any 5/16x14 piloted shaft will fit on this cue. You could find a thinner shaft with a black collar and silver ring probably pretty cheap.

This is a nice production cue that I've had for a year and a half. Very little play and it's still straight so, it's probably going to stay straight.
 

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You know what they say about advice:
The wise don't need it,
the fools don't heed it.
 
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GideonF said:
11mm would be pretty thin for a pool cue. Why so narrow?
Click to expand...

I'll use your post to reply to the many that followed.;)
And so, you get to hear my life story.:thumbup:

It comes down to my own history, and a tad of his....

I grew up in Australia, being taken to pool halls and even the odd snack joint that had a coin table sitting lifelessly in its parlor.
My Dad was a cab driver, not very good with communication or interest in a young child, but would pick me up while it was slow on the clock and we'd go shoot pool.

Had a tiny table in my house, and at 16 would spend summers working in a serious snooker hall.
Later I would run a hall or two in a miss spent early 20's.
My first love is Snooker on a full size table, and my only cue a 1 piece ash Barracuda with 10mm tip I bought at 16 out of what little pay the owner might sling my way.

I was a decent player, and never knew of these weird taper cues overly weighted in the butt until I moved here to the US in 2000. I still don't understand the love for the weird pro taper......

Anyway, my son and I were in Australia this past Christmas and stayed at my best friends home who has a beautiful Alcock 9ft table with what you guys might call 'english' styple pockets, nice and tight, and a stand full of cues with 10mm tips.

My kid played a tonne against my best mate's son, and showed some quick improvement with stance and bridge that he was willing to take advice on from my mate. Course he wouldn't listen to me even though I ruled the table.:thumbup:

Fast forward to today, and he has his 13th birthday coming up.
I wanted to think of something cool and a stick popped into my mind.
I have no idea why anyone would want an unseemly thick shaft that ended abruptly in a tip no different in diameter, but hey - I love buffalo wings so it's not like you guys got everything wrong!!!

He's a slight kid, and his rear hand doesn't sit at 90 degrees to the butt because he can feel the weight of US cues dangling off the back.
My own stick is 17oz and I never knew a day I thought of it as light.
I understand US pool balls are bigger/heavier, but still think an 18oz cue will be plenty with his current swing and needs.

57" length would also work best if I can shoehorn a 9ft table in to my basement without hitting walls.....


There, I spat it all out.

I appreciate some of the early suggestions, if others could be model specific to go with the generic maker recommendations it would be enormously helpful!:thumbup:
 
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None of my business as it's your choice to make, but I would recommend using standard specs. As you say, he's going to grow into it. It'll be an adjustment for him later as he grows & begins getting cues of his own. If you start him with standard specs, there's nothing to grow into and transitioning to a nicer cue later will not be such an adjustment. Changing cue specs can dramatically alter how you play the game. Again, it may be worth considering standard specs to begin with.
 
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