There's a guy on FB, goes by'Affordable Pool Cues', that sells Taiwanese SW looking cues for 250. They look pretty nice. He also makes car bon shafts,etc. Has a good rep from what i hear.
https://www.facebook.com/Affordablepoolcues
Thanks! There are a variety of such cues available if you hunt around.
I had meant specifically the Karella or KC cues when I said I wished I had grabbed one.
Really it would have just been more a novelty to have one with that exact branding on it.
Also, I like having examples of cue lines so when I say I know how X shoots compared to Y and Z I actually know. Yes, even "cheap" Taiwan cues. Same goes for the fit, finish, construction, etc. I don't just say "I had one 30 years ago and it was blah, blah, blah". I actually own the cues and compare them side by side, on the pool table, with "good" production cues like Pechauer, Joss, Schon, and Jacoby. In my findings, the "better" cues are not as much better as fans would have you think, and the "cheap" cues are not as bad as their detractors would have you think. That's a generalization, of course, and the reality is highly variable.
My recent post of six versions of the same cue design of six different brands from the same factory is a good example. The spectrum of quality is astounding. All the same design from the same factory, with a broad spectrum of quality of execution.
Here is an example. This curly shaft is actually from a Cobra Professional cue. It's a 1994 cue from the 1992 Professional Series catalog, Model CP-01. It's a KaoKao made cue. The fit, finish, and wood are astoundingly good. For example the black joint rings are not plastic, you can see the grain, they are some kind of linen or cotton phenolic. I got it from the original owner, yes it was used, not a closet queen. Condition is excellent. I got it for substantially less than just the shaft would sell for. In fact, it was dirt cheap. Yes, it is dead straight. These aren't even great pictures of it.
Sorry to carry on so much about something probably many won't care about (cheap cues), I am on pain meds from surgery yesterday and am liable to ramble.
