You Can Get Started With $100 Cue

Johnnyt · Feb 10, 2016

I think it's time to let all the new players that you can get started with a cue costing $100 or less and become an "A" player with it. As long as you have a good well shaped tip on it and it feels comfortable to you after a few weeks of play...your good to go. There are just too many that think they will never get good unless they can afford a $500+ cue. That's my opinion and I've been an "A" with $55 to $150 cues for many years. Not anymore though...75 YO. Johnnyt

Drop The Rock · Feb 10, 2016

The same goes for plain cues. I'm playing with a very simple looking rosewood into maple 4 point hustler-pete and its hits great and there isn't much else to say.

Any lower end production cue will work just fine for most new players. Ignore the brand, find something you like the look of and go from there.

A good playing shaft is much more important to me than the butt of the cue.

john coloccia · Feb 10, 2016

Personally, I'm done with inlays and splices in my cues. Simple maple butt (maybe birdseye because it's pretty), maybe a ring or two, and that's it. Next cue will probably be wrapless too. I don't think I'd ever spend a dime on ornamentation again. If I have more to spend, I'll spend it on getting a better brand, maybe a spare shaft, whatever.

JoeyM · Feb 10, 2016

I had a $50 Dufferin Sneaky Pete for years. Played as well with that cue as any other i've had.

lorider · Feb 10, 2016

Funny to see this thread after the change I made 2 weeks ago

12 years ago when I started playing league...bcapl. I bought a 100.00 players cue.

Over the years I kept progressing up the ladder in name brand and cost. I have bought and played with mid level up to highest price production cues.and then progressed to customs up to the latest at 2.500.00.

2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to aquire the 1st players cue I bought 12 years ago. its now my daily player again .since I take excellent care of my cues and it was sitting in a case in the closet ever since I let it go it still looks like new and is straight as ever.
As for playing....well... I played well enough with it at cities last weekend to be called a sand bagger lol.

slide13 · Feb 10, 2016

In my league we earn credits at Viking that can be redeemed for a cue (they're local). First timers can get the basic Valhalla import cue for free when they start if they don't have one, it's a $50 cue. I recently cashed in my credit for one at $70 which is the basic cue with a linen wrap. Going to leave it at my uncles house because the house cues aren't very good there. Honestly, it's a fine playing cue with a surprisingly nice balance and it's nice and straight. it's enough for any beginner to advance with I think.

Don't confuse people who ant to spend more money with those who think they have to though. It's a fair point to make that it's not needed, but if they're going to spend a lot of time playing a few hundred dollars on a cue they really like may seem like a fine way to spend their money.

I'm not nearly good enough to justify the quality of cues I own but I don't care, I like them and appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of them and they make me happy. Money well spent in my book. I don't think they make me a better player. If only it were that easy.

Sir Scratchalot · Feb 10, 2016

I'm a fan of having cues that will likely not have a twin out there, hence my willingness to spend a little extra on cues. However, I don't think for a moment that extra will mean I have a better player, especially after being impressed with the $70 Players SP I bought for myself and the $123 Star cue I bought for my roommate.

Expensive cues are never needed, just wanted...and there's nothing wrong with that.

SlashingAxe · Feb 10, 2016

slide13 said:
Don't confuse people who ant to spend more money with those who think they have to though. It's a fair point to make that it's not needed, but if they're going to spend a lot of time playing a few hundred dollars on a cue they really like may seem like a fine way to spend their money.

I recently told some people in my league that I was thinking of buying a certain cue but couldn't decide between 3 I really like and I got an endless amount of talks that the cue doesn't make the player, I'm already getting progressively good and that I shouldn't buy a cue as it won't improve my game, "you see this cue? Had it ten years you don't need a newer one to get better", etc. Meanwhile in my head I'm just thinking I know but I like this cue just couldn't decide between which not because I think it'll improve my game.

DaveM · Feb 10, 2016

I have some decent cues. They're all pretty plain, but Joss, Pechauer and Schon and not bad looking. I also have a Lucky cue in the trunk of my car. It plays pretty sporty, I enjoy using it. Not bad for $70, does everything I need it to.

Break and One · Feb 10, 2016

I agree with the statement it is the indian and not the arrow. But why cant the indian have a good looking arrow? Im new to the game and have what I would consider a basic cue (cheapest mcdermott).

Seeing some of these custom cues though makes me want to spend a little more money. Not because I will play better but the appearance and craftsmanship that went into the cue.

I am sure everyone at some point has seen a beautiful cue that made you contemplate purchasing it even though your every day player was fine.

samiun · Feb 10, 2016

I also started with a no brand cue that cost around $50 at the time and it stay for about 4 years after my playing is so much better than before. After that, I bought a break jump and a new playing cue with a LD shaft. I think the first cue makes me know how to adjust/compensate for the deflection, before I even know the name of deflection itself and makes me not so hard to switch between the normal and LD shaft. The cue still on my bedroom today, so IMO yes you can start with a $100 or less cue, as long as the owner practice to play and have friend or a video lesson to watch/ask if he or she have a difficulty.

acedonkeyace · Feb 10, 2016

Schmelke SP01 Customized--4 point Bacote into BEM--$75.00

Beautiful piece of Bacote and Nice Eyes of Birdseye Maple. Has a Hoppe Ring and Big Pin 3/8x10 with Phenolic Black Collars. LBM 5/8" Ferrule with Clear Pad and Ultraskin Pro Tip. Shaft has 12.5mm with 16" ProTaper, The Maple is a great piece of no side runout and no churches and the Grains Per Inch came out at 15 to 18 GPI.

Plays as you would expect with this combination of parts.

All for under, $100.00 with the Shipping, Tip, Joint, Pin, Ferrule, Pad and Phenolic UPGRADES!!!

There is no name on this cue, when I let me friends who play with Showman and Herceck and Runde Era Joss, they all say the cue plays very well, lots of feedback, effortless english and squirt and deflection and on par with Custom Cues.

Not Bad feedback from B to A- Players who are playing with $1500 to $8000 cues.

Plus you can protect yourself if someone tries to rob you and you wont loose more money cracking the butt end over a thief or assaulters head, where you would loose thousands if it was a custom cue.

ENJOY

Mike 'acedonkeyace' Kennedy:thumbup:

ctyhntr · Feb 10, 2016

Back in the Golden days of pool, only the professionals had their own cues. In the word of Big John from The Hustler, "I don't never hustle people that walk into poolrooms with leather satchels." Everyone, especially hustlers used house cues.

Break and One said:
I agree with the statement it is the indian and not the arrow. But why cant the indian have a good looking arrow? Im new to the game and have what I would consider a basic cue (cheapest mcdermott).

Seeing some of these custom cues though makes me want to spend a little more money. Not because I will play better but the appearance and craftsmanship that went into the cue.

I am sure everyone at some point has seen a beautiful cue that made you contemplate purchasing it even though your every day player was fine.

Quesports · Feb 10, 2016

ctyhntr said:
Back in the Golden days of pool, only the professionals had their own cues. In the word of Big John from The Hustler, "I don't never hustle people that walk into poolrooms with leather satchels." Everyone, especially hustlers used house cues.

Yes Sir, This is absolutely how it was. Every pool hall had cues in racks on the walls and that is how kids like me (in 1966) got interested in pool. I look around every pool hall today and there are no cue racks with cues. Pool hall owners seem to do very little to promote pool or encourage new people to get interested in the game.

Johnnyt · Feb 10, 2016

That's right,95 % played off the wall up to around 1963, after "The Hustler" came out. After the book and movie came out, everyone had to walk I with a 2-piece and sometimes a 3 or 4 piece LOL.

As far as no sticks on the wall anymore, most poolroom owners are/were players and not business men, plus most are lazy. Pool could have been at least as big as bowling was in its hayday if it was handled right. Johnnyt

one stroke · Feb 10, 2016

Johnnyt said:
That's right,95 % played off the wall up to around 1963, after "The Hustler" came out. After the book and movie came out, everyone had to walk I with a 2-piece and sometimes a 3 or 4 piece LOL.

As far as no sticks on the wall anymore, most poolroom owners are/were players and not business men, plus most are lazy. Pool could have been at least as big as bowling was in its hayday if it was handled right. Johnnyt

Those off the wall cues where Brunswicks played as good as any 2 piece cues ,, might not find anything better than a Chinese made cue with a slip on tip in some places now

1

Johnnyt · Feb 10, 2016

I had 9 tables in my room and had 48 house cues on he wall. I had a old lathe to do the re-tipping. Johnnyt

Quesports · Feb 10, 2016

I was speaking with Mike Davis down in Raleigh last August one night. Telling him when I started to play back in the 60's and how great pool was in those days. There were always ring games and folks played for serious money as well. Mike told me how he would have loved to been playing during that era and how envious he was. No doubt he could have made some good money in those days. On the other side of things I was at Chris's a couple weeks ago listening to a couple guys trying to match up. The woofing went back and forth for 30 minutes or more, finally they agreed to play for ten bucks! LMAO! All that for ten lousy bucks, in the sixties you would have been embarrassed to even get in a game for ten bucks, let alone waste 30 minutes setting up the game. Times have sure changed!

Corwyn_8 · Feb 10, 2016

Even if it is true that some new cue might not make you play better, it might make you play more often, which might improve your game. For others, of course, it might make you play less often, those people might want to reconsider the purchase.

Thank you kindly.

p.s. Causing the creation of artistic cues really is an example of wealth creation, so no guilt as long as no endangered resources are used.

poolguy4u · Feb 10, 2016

.

When playing on a bar box, cheap cues will work fine.

Once you graduate to a 9 foot table, you will need something better.

Like instead of an old VW, you need to go to a Cadillac to play on a 9 footer.

Cheap cues do not work good on 9 foot tables.

.

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