Strange Cue ID- For Fun
- Thread starter Chopdoc
- Start date
Well...then if it's an Adam it gets advertised as "made by Helmstetter" of course.I once took a course on cue identification. For the licensure exam, they told us, if you don't know the answer, pick C unless, of course, it wasn't a multiple-choice question. In those cases, they told us to pick "Adam," and we would be correct 62.7% of the time.
That's sort of what happened with this cue I think...but not with Adam but another notable manufacturer.
Is it a Dave Wilmoth "custom cue" ?
You bet. I have gone down on record stating all wraps on all pool cues should be white with green specs.
The cue I posted has no branding. It has a raminwood flat face shaft, and it looks like a synthetic wrap. The ad says it was set up for an extension, so the bumper was changed. It was listed as an 18 pin, but is a 14 pin.
Why is the cue so odd to me? Mainly the shaft. There are rumors the branded ones like below were made by Falcon, and that they were made in Canada. I think that drove the price up. Falcon did start in Canada, but these cues were made by KPS in Taiwan.
The cue in question has a great finish. One could say the brand came off in the refinish. But who would put so much into a cue, like a refinish and setup for an extension, yet have a raminwood shaft?
There is more to the story...
The design matches this:
Why is the cue so odd to me? Mainly the shaft. There are rumors the branded ones like below were made by Falcon, and that they were made in Canada. I think that drove the price up. Falcon did start in Canada, but these cues were made by KPS in Taiwan.
The cue in question has a great finish. One could say the brand came off in the refinish. But who would put so much into a cue, like a refinish and setup for an extension, yet have a raminwood shaft?
There is more to the story...
The design matches this:
orchid were very good entry level cues
Yes, and this isn't an Orchid. Or at least I don't think it is.
I think I know what it is.
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It looks like a lot of false information produced by AI is driving a lot of that.
It is not hallucination either.
It gets much information from forums, Facebook, Reddit, etc.
It can't see actual sold prices for accepted offers on eBay, so it uses asking prices for values.
Additionally, people are using AI to identify cues, which it commonly gets wrong.
It's also designed to stroke you, so it will say "Wow! What a discovery of a rare collectible cue!" Unless you know how to prompt it not to do that.
In this case, the cue was listed as: "Pampanga Custom Pool Cue 4 Point Inlays"
There you see it, the shaft was listed as maple. And Pampanga? And 18 pin?
You can see in the pictures it is a 14 pin.
As my thread title says "strange".
Here in this forum, people recognized that shaft was not maple right away and I think most knew it was raminwood.
And it went for $305 plus $15.93 shipping.
I honestly had not thought about AI driving the frenzy and I use it constantly but not to identify cues.It looks like a lot of false information produced by AI is driving a lot of that.
It is not hallucination either.
It gets much information from forums, Facebook, Reddit, etc.
It can't see actual sold prices for accepted offers on eBay, so it uses asking prices for values.
Additionally, people are using AI to identify cues, which it commonly gets wrong.
It's also designed to stroke you, so it will say "Wow! What a discovery of a rare collectible cue!" Unless you know how to prompt it not to do that.
In this case, the cue was listed as: "Pampanga Custom Pool Cue 4 Point Inlays"
There you see it, the shaft was listed as maple. And Pampanga? And 18 pin?
You can see in the pictures it is a 14 pin.
As my thread title says "strange".
Here in this forum, people recognized that shaft was not maple right away and I think most knew it was raminwood.
And it went for $305 plus $15.93 shipping.
I do use Google image search to look for matching design elements but that is the limit of what I'm willing to trust this stuff for.
I have noticed that recently I've seen more eBay auctions attributing cues to famous well known makers but assumed that was wishful thinking and not someone taking direct instruction from their AI overlords...
Nice looking wand.
Wishful thinking is stroked by public AI. It is designed to do it.
It looks like a lot of false information produced by AI is driving a lot of that.
It is not hallucination either.
It gets much information from forums, Facebook, Reddit, etc.
It can't see actual sold prices for accepted offers on eBay, so it uses asking prices for values.
Additionally, people are using AI to identify cues, which it commonly gets wrong.
It's also designed to stroke you, so it will say "Wow! What a discovery of a rare collectible cue!" Unless you know how to prompt it not to do that.
In this case, the cue was listed as: "Pampanga Custom Pool Cue 4 Point Inlays"
There you see it, the shaft was listed as maple. And Pampanga? And 18 pin?
You can see in the pictures it is a 14 pin.
As my thread title says "strange".
Here in this forum, people recognized that shaft was not maple right away and I think most knew it was raminwood.
And it went for $305 plus $15.93 shipping.
that's so retarded. but good for those that are flipping cues i guess
The only thing that rung a bell was the pin so Schon.
So, my theory for this cue is that the parts are KPS, which I think is obvious, and the cue was either made for the Asian market by KPS, or was assembled in the Philippines from KPS parts. I have heard that some Philippine operations bought KPS parts.
In any case, it is not an Orchid, and it was not made by Falcon as some rumors state.
Although Falcon is made by KPS, and was originally made in Canada, and Orchid is made by KPS, they are merely sister brands made in the same factory. Some might want to see them as a budget KPS brand under Falcon. Ernie Chen is the founder of KPS and Falcon.
FROM AI:
KPS Billiard Co. (founded by Ernie Chen in Taiwan) operates as a major parent company, OEM manufacturer, and parts supplier in the billiards industry. Over the decades, they have produced house lines, supplied parts for other brands, and owned high-end manufacturing operations across Taiwan, China, and Canada.
The primary brands and cue lines manufactured or heavily backed by KPS parts and facilities include:
Owned & Parent Brands
Major Contract Manufacturing & OEM Partners
In any case, it is not an Orchid, and it was not made by Falcon as some rumors state.
Although Falcon is made by KPS, and was originally made in Canada, and Orchid is made by KPS, they are merely sister brands made in the same factory. Some might want to see them as a budget KPS brand under Falcon. Ernie Chen is the founder of KPS and Falcon.
FROM AI:
KPS Billiard Co. (founded by Ernie Chen in Taiwan) operates as a major parent company, OEM manufacturer, and parts supplier in the billiards industry. Over the decades, they have produced house lines, supplied parts for other brands, and owned high-end manufacturing operations across Taiwan, China, and Canada.
The primary brands and cue lines manufactured or heavily backed by KPS parts and facilities include:
Owned & Parent Brands
- Falcon Cues: KPS serves as the parent company for Falcon. During their peak production era in Mississauga, Ontario, the Canadian facility was an extension of KPS operations to handle premium lines.
- Bear Cues: A highly regarded brand famously used by top international pros like Francisco Bustamante for many years, built under the KPS/Falcon umbrella.
Major Contract Manufacturing & OEM Partners
- Predator Cues (Early Generations): The Falcon/KPS facility in Canada was contracted to build the original, highly collectible cue butts and assemble the shafts for early Predator lines.
- Embassy Cues: A line of inexpensive, economical two-piece maple cues originally manufactured by KPS out of Taichung, Taiwan.
- Orchid / Orchid USA: Heavily tied to the early Canadian and KPS production eras, these cues utilized KPS parts, manufacturing designs, and components.
- Contract/White-Label Lines: KPS actively acts as an open OEM exporter. They build customized one-piece house cues, traditional full-splice cues, and modern carbon fiber shafts for dynamic brands looking to outsource production.