I will put this a simple as i can and expect a comment or few from others concerning my comments and thats ok.I have never ,ever heard of anyone dropping,shaking,smashing their cue case for any reason to determine if their brand of case has damaged their cues from doing any of this or any type of abuse.
next as an american you should always try to support amother american and their products.Justis cases do just fine with their protection under any normal situation involved.
Justis cases are terrific in resale and or holding their value compared to all other cases.
Justis cases will make the case exactly how you want and even do exotic cases like alligator,shark,elephant,crocodile,snake skins and others exotic hides as an upcharge when others dont offer any of these upgrades.
most pros play with very expensive cues and trust and use Justis cases to their expensive cues more than any other cases made period.
I personally play with a $10,000 cue and have many other cues over $10,000 and all of them are in Justis cases and im happy and have never,ever had any problems.Justis cases are lifetime warrantied and if you ever have a problem they are in florida not china so they can fix any problems really fast and you can talk to them on the phone.
I have 27 years experience in the billiard retail business and also a top professional player and have learned you get what you pay for.You can get a justis case made starting at around $500-$600 and even choose your colors which is a great value for an american case.I personally have bought over 40 justis cases and have never had a single probem.
Thanks,
Bobby Chamberlain
If you have a problem with a JB Case you do not have to send it to China. several customers here will testify that I take care of them at my expense and get their case fixed or replaced. I have several leather workers around the USA who can fix anything that happens to break on my cases.
I do agree with you about the protection in just about any normal situation. For normal handling any case will be sufficient. I build cases for those abnormal times when the extra protection is needed.
In any event as has been mentioned I do sell an upgrade (my opinion) kit for Justis cases which allows the user to have my interior in their Justis case. For some folks this is the best of both worlds as they get the iconic Justis look coupled with the extra protection we provide.
This kit is installed in about 30 minutes with minimal household tools. It's easy to install and easy to put the original interior back in. Jack does void the warranty on his cases for doing this non-intrusive work but that is between the customer and Jack. I merely provide a better interior for those that want it. Anyone interested can search the forum for more information on them. I don't have a page up yet but this reminds me that I need to do one.
Also, we have phones. China even has internet if you can believe it. Anyone who wants to talk to me on the phone can dial a USA phone number and get to me or my wife. I also do Skype and Google Chat so we are easy to get a hold of. About the only medium I am slow on is email but I still get plenty of them from customers each day.
And, (sigh), I suppose I should talk about the comment about supporting Americans.
What is it about the original poster's inquiry leads you to believe that he/she is an American? What if he is Canadian? Or Filipino? Or Zimbabwean? Or Chinese?????
If he is not an American then is your advice to him then that he NOT buy a Justis because he should be supporting cue case makers in his own country?
And do you think that Mr. Justis should be supporting his fellow Americans and have his tubes, liners and bags made in the USA? You see I don't really understand why this has anything to do with the actual product but I am interested to hear your answers since you think it's a reason to purchase.
As for resale value I addressed that earlier. But if you would like to prove your point then show us what you paid for your cases and what you got when you resold them. I think that I and many others are curious to know what the Chamberlin Collection brought when you went to sell them. Also since you have never bought or sold any of my cases as far as I know then you have no right to say that Jack's cases hold their value better.
Although I will concede that you might be right. Looking at it as an investment if you purchase a Justis with the intention to resell it some day then you might "lose" less of a percentage off the orginal purchase price than if you buy one of mine.
Ok. But if you wan to compare this on a monetary level you will spend less to get more case with mine on the front end. So you save money immediately that can be used for other things that you want. You get a better built case....that's a fact based on actual side-by-side comparison, you get more choice in color, more choice in sizes, more choice in interiors, more choice in interior color, more choice in pocket styles, you can decide where the handles go and what kind of handles you want, you choose where the strap goes and what type you want, you choose the lid style, you choose where the name will be which is done for free, and if you have some special request that we have never done we will try hard to do it.
If you want to compare apples to apples Mr. Chamberlin then please do so accurately.
You have a vested interest in promoting Justis cases because you invested into a lot of the multi-thousand dollar ones which you put up for sale. You and I have never done business, you have no idea what my cases are like, how well they are made or what value they contain.
You are entirely right, as long as you do not get into any situation outside the "norm" then the Justis will provide adequate protection. The same thing applies to a $20 round tube case.
I will concede the exotic skins to you. I don't do elephant, shark, bull penis, alligator, or any other exotic skin that I can't obtain in sufficient size.
I have done ostrich and python and many really great exotic embossed cowhide prints. So if someone is in the market for a case for $1800 made with elephant then Jack makes fantastic ones. Combined with Ron Ross tooling to bump the price to $3500 they often look incredible. There is no doubt that most Justis cases are classy and elegant. Jack has done a great job honing his style to a perfect edge. Like a Szamboti a Justis has a "look" that is distinct and easy to recognize by another Justis owner. There is a club and if you own a Justis then you belong to it. That's clear.
When I was growing up it was It's George and Jay Flowers (J.EF Q Cases) that players aspired to. Now it's Justis if you want to be in the "club". You are the Virginia chapter president and you fulfill your duty well. But don't hate me for providing an alternative for those who want something other than what Jack makes.