Every time I have guests over to play pool, I feel sorta bad unless they bring their own cues. The house cues I got when I bought the table are nice (and were the upgraded two piece jobbies), but aren't nearly as nice as the Mezz I shoot with, or the Adam (Japan-made) Bushka cue I used to use.
A year or so ago, I bought Schmelke cues for my two older kids, and was really impressed with the build quality. The M-series rosewood with butterfly splice for the oldest, and a bocote for the middle child, both arrived looking beautiful and play very well. So, in order to assuage my guilt at having vastly superior firepower to that of my guests, I decided to get a couple of Schmelkes as house cues.
I found the very best prices at the Billiard Warehouse, and Greg S. did a fantastic job of handling a couple of special requests regarding the wood coloring and grain (light versus dark Goncalo Alves, etc.). Also kept me informed throughout the process, and shipping was extremely quick for in stock items. (I'd also bought some Magic Chalk, once just to get free shipping. Best chalk there is.) Can't recommend that shop highly enough. Fantastic prices...so good that I wondered at first if they were above board. They are.
The picture shows three cues: a 19 ounce Goncalo Alves (tigerwood) on top, a 20 ounce purple heart with white/black wrap, and a 19.75 ounce shedua. Brass on brass joints for the top and bottom, and a stainless steel joint for the PH cue. My goal was to have a range of hits available. Soft on the shedua and tigerwood cues, and stiff for the purple heart. I got my wish.
Lots of good feedback on all of them, with a fairly distinct feel to each. I'm not sure I could discern the shedua from the tigerwood cues blindfolded, but the PH cue stands out, which it should. Minimal deflection from the shafts, and they're the straight hard maple, standard shafts. I had Triangle tips put on each. If I have one ding, it's that the tigerwood cue is a bit lighter than I'd ordered. I'd asked for closer to 19.5 oz, and it came in at 19oz on the button, at least according to the scale I used. Still feels good, though, and it was here within 6 days of ordering.
I don't feel guilty about using my Mezz against guests anymore, and my son was so enamored with the Goncalo Alves cue that he asked that it be his first "real" cue. Strongly recommend Schmelke cues through Billiard Warehouse. But don't tell anybody, okay? Prices go up when that happens.
A year or so ago, I bought Schmelke cues for my two older kids, and was really impressed with the build quality. The M-series rosewood with butterfly splice for the oldest, and a bocote for the middle child, both arrived looking beautiful and play very well. So, in order to assuage my guilt at having vastly superior firepower to that of my guests, I decided to get a couple of Schmelkes as house cues.
I found the very best prices at the Billiard Warehouse, and Greg S. did a fantastic job of handling a couple of special requests regarding the wood coloring and grain (light versus dark Goncalo Alves, etc.). Also kept me informed throughout the process, and shipping was extremely quick for in stock items. (I'd also bought some Magic Chalk, once just to get free shipping. Best chalk there is.) Can't recommend that shop highly enough. Fantastic prices...so good that I wondered at first if they were above board. They are.
The picture shows three cues: a 19 ounce Goncalo Alves (tigerwood) on top, a 20 ounce purple heart with white/black wrap, and a 19.75 ounce shedua. Brass on brass joints for the top and bottom, and a stainless steel joint for the PH cue. My goal was to have a range of hits available. Soft on the shedua and tigerwood cues, and stiff for the purple heart. I got my wish.
Lots of good feedback on all of them, with a fairly distinct feel to each. I'm not sure I could discern the shedua from the tigerwood cues blindfolded, but the PH cue stands out, which it should. Minimal deflection from the shafts, and they're the straight hard maple, standard shafts. I had Triangle tips put on each. If I have one ding, it's that the tigerwood cue is a bit lighter than I'd ordered. I'd asked for closer to 19.5 oz, and it came in at 19oz on the button, at least according to the scale I used. Still feels good, though, and it was here within 6 days of ordering.
I don't feel guilty about using my Mezz against guests anymore, and my son was so enamored with the Goncalo Alves cue that he asked that it be his first "real" cue. Strongly recommend Schmelke cues through Billiard Warehouse. But don't tell anybody, okay? Prices go up when that happens.
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