The Snob factor and Pool

to defend the so called Snobs as you call us, let me say this. there is nothing wrong with a $80 cue vs. a $500+ cue. AS long as you have your own cue to shoot with it will help your game in some degree.

The reason that we pay more for cues, at least for me, is quality. I owned several cheap cues and the problem is that the craftsmanship doesn't hold up a lot of the times. A lot of that depends on brand. A $120 McDermott can hold up for a lifetime. The same thing with cases, more money, better quality, better cue protection. And i think that is really the way that you need to look at it.

People can be snobs about anything. Just because you own an expensive cue or case does not make a person a snob. People waste money on lots of other things.

One more thing, the next step to improving your game isn't practicing a lot. Since you saved so much by buying a cheaper cue and case, I would use some of that money to get yourself a lesson or two with a BCA certified instructor. That is truly the best investment in your game that you can make.

Bavompa said:

After reading the posts on this forum for many months, I think there are a lot of Pool Snobs, or equiptment junkies hanging out here.

My definition of Pool Snobs, or equiptment junkies are: Those who feel if you do not have a $500.00+ Cue, and a fancy Cue Case you are not capable of playing the game of pool.

Click to expand...

Be prepared, there are members out there in cyberspace that are gonna ask you to prove these allegations . I don't really feel that there are Pool Snobs on this site , nor do I think that anyone here exaggerates their playing ability !!! Equipment junkies???? WTF is that ???

Maniac

You're completely wrong on this issue.

We look down on any player who has an under $3,500 cue, unless they are drilling you using a Dufferin.

We also look down on any player with a $3,500 cue that's worth $500 on re-sale. Or any player that has a $3,500 cue and plays for $2 a game.

Or any player who has a $3500 cue and a $15 case. Or any player who has a $50 cue and a $500 case.

Maybe you can go back and edit your post.

Chris

I have a nice cue and play like crap.. I dont like snobs either

Bavompa said:

After reading the posts on this forum for many months, I think there are a lot of Pool Snobs, or equiptment junkies hanging out here.

Click to expand...

You read wrong. Or you're focusing on the wrong posts. That's not fair to the board.

What this board is made up of is a fair amount of people who like to support the industry and like to buy equipment. And moreso, they like to talk about the purchases. This is afterall a pool & billliard forum. You are suggesting that people on this board look down on people who don't buy $500 cues? That's simply ridiculous.

As quite honestly I really could not see, or feel much difference between in my play with the $400.00, $250.00, or $50.00 Cues I test play with.

Click to expand...

Newsflash: Everyone here thinks the same way. Now what?

Fred <~~~ can't stand these "snob posts."

Quote:
As quite honestly I really could not see, or feel much difference between in my play with the $400.00, $250.00, or $50.00 Cues I test play with.

Newsflash: Everyone here thinks the same way. Now what?

Fred <~~~ can't stand these "snob posts."

Hello,
Erm Cornerman are you sure that's what you meant to say? If it is I'm sorry but you might want to re-read the part of Bavompa's post that you quoted here again!

Chris (Chrstc).

Amazing!

I'm amazed that someone who is relatively new to pool has made such an astute observation. I have been playing for a few years, (38) yrs to be exact and have found this forum to be very informative. I have seen post's were people express their views and get flamed and also praised in the same thread.(the American way) Now, back to being a snob. I have an expensive cue, at least it was to me. My cue has hit an feel to me that is perfect! I went through a few to find it, hmmmm.....I must be a junkie. I guess what I am getting at is calling this forum group Snobs and putting yourself above the group with this pompous statement get's me wondering who the snob is.

Food for thought!

P.S. my first two piece cue was considered a cheap cue at the time. It is now very collectible. I guess I started out as a snob. GO SNOBS!!!

AL

Also, After you learn to PLAY the game, not just make balls then you might learn to tell the difference in hit and feel.

I'm an equipment junkie for sure...lol. That being said, I don't look down on people with less expensive equipment. I always suggest that beginning players buy an inexpensive Joss or something of the like that is good quality. If later on they begin to appreciate cues as some of us equipment junkies do then they can feel free to spend lots of money on cues and have "normal" people think them insane.

Nah, it's the pool physics snobs you gotta look out for!

Colin>~ Certified Pool Physics Snob

TATE said:

You're completely wrong on this issue.

We look down on any player who has an under $3,500 cue, unless they are drilling you using a Dufferin.

We also look down on any player with a $3,500 cue that's worth $500 on re-sale. Or any player that has a $3,500 cue and plays for $2 a game.

Or any player who has a $3500 cue and a $15 case. Or any player who has a $50 cue and a $500 case.

Maybe you can go back and edit your post.

Chris

Click to expand...

LOL!
maybe that same guy wears a glove with his 3500.00 cue--- oh my!
thanks Tate

Me thinks you protest too much! Wer'e not snobs because we have expensive cues and lots of equipment. For me that comes with enjoying/loving our sport for almost 30 years. It is a natural progression.
I dare you to play pool for a decade and still be using your $80 special. Will you think you are a snob then...

Bavompa said:

After reading the posts on this forum for many months, I think there are a lot of Pool Snobs, or equiptment junkies hanging out here.

My definition of Pool Snobs, or equiptment junkies are: Those who feel if you do not have a $500.00+ Cue, and a fancy Cue Case you are not capable of playing the game of pool.

I recently went up to the big city, and bought my first (2) piece Cue, and Soft Cue Case.

I forget the name of the place I went but it was something like the Cue House, or House of Cues. They had a very good selection of Cues, Cases, accessories, and prices that were fair. Plus the sales staff was helpful, and not pushy.

The best part was the place had a try out table, and after spend about two hours testing about 20-30 Cues, I found one I liked. It was a close out special.

Cue, Soft Case, Willard, Tip Taper, and a few other accessories set me back a grand total of just under $80.00.

Now I think the next step in improving my Pool game is lots of practice with the Cue I just got.

As quite honestly I really could not see, or feel much difference between in my play with the $400.00, $250.00, or $50.00 Cues I test play with.

Click to expand...

When I started playing pool 11 years ago I went out and bought my first cue for $80.00. I played with it for several months and one night I asked an experienced player what he thought of it. He hit a few balls and then turned to me and said "to be honest it is basically a piece of sh-t". Since I was starting to take the game seriously I invested in a real cue for a thousand.

I think you have some other preconceived ideas about people that may have the ability and/or desire to spend more $$$ on the things they love, be it dolls, guns or cues. Few, if any on this forum, would agree that you must have an expensive cue to play well. Case in point, most of us have seen Efren and Cory play with cues that we wouldn't pay $100.00 for in a store like you described, but they have won tournaments with them.

We are smart enough to know that a persons playing ability is not related to their cue. To say otherwise, would be wrong and offensive to some. There are snobs in pool, but it has more to do with what they think of themselves and not what they think of us. Perhaps you should look inward and see why you feel this way about some of us.

There's always somebody out that that knows what's best for us, I used to be married to that person. I like your choice, its a starting point and as you spend more time and such you'll make adjustments as needed. Its no different than somebody trying to choose the weight of their first cue, do what you did and you have created a starting point and go from there.

There was this wise old man who used to sit on the steps at the local grocery store on Main Street.

One day a new kid in town walked up to the wise old man and asked:
“Hey old man, what are the people like in this town?

The wise old man replied:
“What were the people like in the town you came from?

The new kid in town answered:
They were braggarts, egotistical, show-offs and extremely SNOBbish.

The wise old man replied:
That’s what the people in this town are like too.

A few days later, another new kid in town approached the wise old man and asked:
“Hey old man, what are the people like in this town?”

The wise old man replied:
“What were the people like in the town you came from?

The new kid in town answered:
They were kind, sociable, sharing, very knowledgeable, helpful, and had some beautiful pool cues that I wish I could afford.

The wise old man replied:
That’s what the people in this town are like too.



The moral of the story is that you will find whatever you are looking for (in life) here at AZ. If you are looking for negativity, you will find negativity. If you are looking for something positive, you will find something positive.

It’s my positive experiences that continue to bring me back to AZ on a daily basis.
RJ

Ps. RJ is not jealous of those with the expensive cue collections. He just wishes he had more money.

I have seen these types of threads pop up time and again...and am getting bored with them, quite frankly.

Everyone of us generally picks up some sort of activity that brings us pleasure. If we stick to that activity for any length of time, we tend to want to get ourselves, when it is within our means, something a bit nicer, or something that may work better for us. It's called upgrading. Golfers will upgrade their equpiment. Guitar players will upgrade their equipment. Ballplayers will upgrade their equipment. Motorcycle riders will upgrade their equipment. Men will upgrade women, women will upgrade men. It is the nature of the beast.

I do not call it snobbery...I call it human nature. When I bought my first cue...a Viking...I thought that 180.00 was a lot of money. Then, a few years later, I had the means with which to buy my first custom...an Espiritu for 535.00...I thought that that was a lot of money, and swore I would never spend more than that. A few years later, I upgraded to an 800.00 cue.....a few years after that....a 1200.00 cue......then, well, you get the picture! I cannot afford to collect now, but I do deserve to give myself something very special, that brings me pleasure...afterall, you only go around once in life! Well, unless you are Hindu or Buddhist...Lol.

Lisa

Just because one person is not capable of telling the difference between one cue and another doesn't mean that everyone is that way.

Put a scalpel in the hands of the average joe and it doesn't make them a surgeon but I'd certainly want my surgeon using a scalpel from the finest blade maker than one from walmart.

Could say the same about almost anything, cars.. put average person in a ferrari and they won't know what to do with it.

People who do something 4-6+ hours per day and those who do it occasionally are going to perceive things differently about anything, cues included and that doesn't make them wrong or snobs, it just makes them more sensitive because their senses have been honed from years of repitition.

cue snobs

First, I have to say I giggled a few times reading Tate's post.

As for being a cue snob, I would like to add my perspective towards the expense of pool cues and those who own them. Given that my first pool, as opposed to snooker, cue was 150.00, I can fully appreciate the positions of those who are wanting to enjoy the game of pool and are either unable or uninterested in spending beyond certain amounts for their hobby. Personally, I neither look down on, nor do I make assumptions about, those who use less expensive cues, or even house cues, than what I may be using that day. Just as I would hope other people do not make unfair assumptions about me because I may choose to spend more on my cue than they do.

I have, on occasion, heard talk from other players, questioning why I own more than one cue and why would I spend, in their opinions, such outrageous amounts on them? Perhaps, they ask, am I compensating for something or trying to show off? It can be tough to take sometimes, as I have better manners than to question someone I know, only through a mutual hobby, as to how and why they make the choices they do in their personal lives. Ultimately, pool is a game to be enjoyed, much like the equipment. Some of us enjoy it more seriously than others. I love spending healthy sums on my cues, not just because they play well in my hands, but because I admire and appreciate the work and creativity that goes into their designs; nothing more, nothing less. More simply put, though, I earned my money and I will spend it any way I want, just like everyone else.

I recall reading another post in which someone was criticizing players that would only pull out an expensive cue so the other players would "ooohh" and "aahhh" about it. Well, where I live, I don't know anyone with cues that cost even close to mine. That may sound like it would lend credence to the desire to impress others with my cues but, the reality is, the only "pool hall" in my town is actually a bowling alley with some pool tables in the back, which are surrounded by video games. Nine out of ten times when I go there, I play straight pool by myself. Half of the time, I am the only person on a table. Even when it is busy, no one there knows what they're looking at when I pull out one of my cues, and I know that, so the only person I impress with my cues is me.

Expensive cues are no different the gold clubs, tennis rackets, or any other piece of equipment, when wielded by someone who knows how to use it. If you take the game (operative word being GAME) seriously, or even if you don't, you will find something that works well for you at the time and use it. If you expand your skills and knowledge, you may choose to invest more, financially, and will hopefully get a good return on the investment, either through performance on the table, or simply appreciating something of beauty you have worked for. Unfortunately, I think it is nothing more than personal insecurities that lead people to make assumptions about others they don't even know, based on something as trivial as the kind of cue they play with.

Ryan

funny, but related story :

kid who once lived in our area, bought a $1300 custom cue on the east coast; NO I won't name the maker,,,when he visits back home, he has to show it to everyone that will give him the time of day,,,

I suggested he play in the local tournament (he was bragging how super the stick shot) & guess who drew him in the first round,,,ME,,,race to three; waxed him 3-Zip,,,then I had to rub salt in his wounds & showed him how much my cue cost ($14.00),,,it's been almost a year since he came back to Mississippi to visit,,,SHAME ON ME !