Best All-Around Production Cue for ~$1000 (Value, Playability, Durability, Support)?
- Thread starter july9x
- Start date
they ask for the best option under a $1000 not just any option....
I'd better save a little on the shaft and have really nice inlays and wood than the opposite. depends what best "all around" means. I wouldn't trade my setup for a REVO + "simple" butt.
I prefer traditional looking cues. I like Joss cues quite a bit. The stuff I find ugly is more along the lines of every carbon fiber shaft ever put on a traditional cue. I ordered a Joss 20-37 with a 12.50 mm HP shaft from them last week. I have it now, and it was $857.44. Shipped the same day I ordered it, came with joint protectors and a polishing cloth.
That’s a first… well maybe not
Current Joss models are not that traditional.
There are quite a few cues that I almost like but I hate the narrow points and the big gaps between them.
There are a few that look really nice but they are 5 points and I’m not sure how I feel about an uneven number of points
Looks nice, you'll have to post pics when it arrives
I have played a few Mezz cues. They feel ok, but nothing Earth shattering. Fit and finish appears to be no better than the big players. The biggest issue is availability. The Mcdermott warranty is tough to beat.I think this Rosewood Mezz looks nice, and made with all real wood, and real inlays.
ASTR-231 Billiard Cue
BEYOND THE HORIZONThe ultimate cue for advancing your skills to a new frontier. Built to launch your game into a new dimension, the ASTR features tapered core butt technology and a sleek design with alternating silver and black and white rings. Paired with the straight pro taper Sigma shaft...mezzusa.com
J&J has it instock (they say), for $965. It is really all you need, if you want a great, and super solid hitting cue. And, they are made in Japan (not China), for whatever that might be worth to the buyer.
And, there is no staining in that cue. I hate it when they stain cues. Seems that Mezz might not do that. Like trying to make Maple look like Ebony, for example, which I see in Pechauer cues, for example.
Predators also have great resale, and sell very quickly.
vintagecollectibles831
Well-known member
I do not know about the finish, but as you have had a few Mezz cues, you should kniw how super tight they connected together. No other production cue on the planet fits together as tight as a Mezz.
I heard that Mezz is a small shop, and that is why they have availability issues. Low supply, and high demand.
I just love the idea of Japanese craftsmanship. Predator just seems cheap, and probably cares more about quantity over quality. I have read about their spray painted Veneers, on some of their lower end cues, in the past.
Why not buy from a great old family of cue makers (Miki of Mezz), who have been building cues since the 60's, in Japan. They probably have more experience building cues then most other cue makers. Surely more then any cue maker in Asia, I bet. They were the makers of the old Adam Balabushka cues, from Japan, for example.
I agree about the narrow points (unless they are "bridged") and gaps between them. Also not a fan of odd umbers of points.
For cues under $1,000, I agree with earlier posts that there are SPs that play great. I have a Frey SP that plays great and was my regular playing cue for several years.
I just find the Mezz designs to be super boring. If not for that I would totally consider buying one.
Why not buy from them? Because they are never in stock anywhere. Also, they do not feel any better (to me) than any of the other big name production cues. Claiming that no other cue on the planet fits together as tightly as a Mezz is just ridiculous. Please prove it, and not with just "trust me bro" reasoning. Let's see some data.