who makes the best playing cue???

henrylr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My best player

ok im not knocking esthetics
but if you play and dont care about solid gold inlays etc
who in you opinion makes the best PLAYING cue???

also what specs
Hi all.
This is my take on what I think is a good playing cue. I've been playing for about 60 years and my first good cue was an Abe Rich solid Brazilian rosewood butt cue I got in 1962. It was and still is a real player. In 2011 I got a Bob Frey custom and it is a great player and better than the old Rich cue for me. About a month ago I got a circa 1993, or so, Schon SL 15 and it is the best cue I've ever used. The balance, feel and hit are great for me. I have tried Predator p3 and a mezz and they don't feel as good for me.
 

4railer

Registered
Pete Tonkin is a perfectionist also a perfect machinist. His cues are extremely consistent and they play unbelievably better than 90 plus percent of his competition . Not to mention they are f*ck#ng gorgeous . I have an Abe rich and I love it as well . Prather is also on that list for full splices .
 

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Best playin' cue? That's easy, its the one i had in my hand the last time i won 50bux or so. ;) Seriously, impossible to answer. Way too subjective a topic. What's the best beer? What's the best putter? You're gonna get a gillion takes.
 

johnnysd

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For each player there is a right answer depending on what you like in a cue.

For me, I went through a process of trying many cues (maybe as many as 30) over the last 2.5 years and eventually settled in on what is best for me.

What I am looking for in a cue is:

Very light -180z or just under
Thinner butt
Thinner shafts (12.4 to 12.5)
Medium stiff taper
Softer hit (more a finesse "smooth" stroking type cue than an aggressive power player's cue like a SW)
Crisp sound (like you get with ivory ferrules)
Forward balance

Once I zoomed in on what I wanted I have been able to acquire 2 exceptional cues all of which are in the category of "best playing" for me with one being above all the rest.

They are:

Custom Dan Janes -Dan made a cue to my specs by hand without any of the production parts from some exceptional cocobolo he had... cocobolo forearm with black centers, reverse points and Fleur-de-lis in butt. Fantastic cue and try beautiful

Alan Phelps: Very custom more modern style plain jane cue with a symbol I like inlaid from Rambuten and Goncalvo Alves. Incredibly well balanced and a truly awesome hit. Super smooth but very very solid. Best hitting cue I had played with until I got:

Pete Tascarella VERY traditional looking cue in straight grain maple and brazilian rosewood with flame veneers and some inlays, linen wrap. Bushka ring with white outside rings instead of metal. But this is far from a standard Tascarella. Pete Sr, made it and it has their SS compression joint, but is pefectly balanced but at 17.8 oz overall. Weight was helped by having a much thinner butt than normal (1.21 at bottom of wrap). 1" Ivory ferrules. Just super solid, smooth and crisp. Medium stiff. By far best cue I have ever played with and I have hit quite a few Tascarellas. Here is the kicker: it is VERY low deflection...lower than my friends BeCue CF shaft, lower by quote a bit over all my other cues, Completely baffled as to how. An ivory ferruled standard maple shaft shaft should be really high deflection but it isnt. It is an absolutely amazing cue.

So FOR ME the Tascarella, with the Phelps just a little behind is the best playing cue.

The reality is that the best playing cue will be for everyone a cue either off the shelf or made by a cuemaker that is exactly tailored to your preferences in weight., balance, length, width, stiffness, feel and sound.
 

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evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For each player there is a right answer depending on what you like in a cue.

For me, I went through a process of trying many cues (maybe as many as 30) over the last 2.5 years and eventually settled in on what is best for me.

What I am looking for in a cue is:

Very light -180z or just under
Thinner butt
Thinner shafts (12.4 to 12.5)
Medium stiff taper
Softer hit (more a finesse "smooth" stroking type cue than an aggressive power player's cue like a SW)
Crisp sound (like you get with ivory ferrules)
Forward balance

Once I zoomed in on what I wanted I have been able to acquire 2 exceptional cues all of which are in the category of "best playing" for me with one being above all the rest.

They are:

Custom Dan Janes -Dan made a cue to my specs by hand without any of the production parts from some exceptional cocobolo he had... cocobolo forearm with black centers, reverse points and Fleur-de-lis in butt. Fantastic cue and try beautiful

Alan Phelps: Very custom more modern style plain jane cue with a symbol I like inlaid from Rambuten and Goncalvo Alves. Incredibly well balanced and a truly awesome hit. Super smooth but very very solid. Best hitting cue I had played with until I got:

Pete Tascarella VERY traditional looking cue in straight grain maple and brazilian rosewood with flame veneers and some inlays, linen wrap. Bushka ring with white outside rings instead of metal. But this is far from a standard Tascarella. Pete Sr, made it and it has their SS compression joint, but is pefectly balanced but at 17.8 oz overall. Weight was helped by having a much thinner butt than normal (1.21 at bottom of wrap). 1" Ivory ferrules. Just super solid, smooth and crisp. Medium stiff. By far best cue I have ever played with and I have hit quite a few Tascarellas. Here is the kicker: it is VERY low deflection...lower than my friends BeCue CF shaft, lower by quote a bit over all my other cues, Completely baffled as to how. An ivory ferruled standard maple shaft shaft should be really high deflection but it isnt. It is an absolutely amazing cue.

So FOR ME the Tascarella, with the Phelps just a little behind is the best playing cue.

The reality is that the best playing cue will be for everyone a cue either off the shelf or made by a cuemaker that is exactly tailored to your preferences in weight., balance, length, width, stiffness, feel and sound.

"The reality is that the best playing cue will be for everyone a cue either off the shelf or made by a cuemaker that is exactly tailored to your preferences in weight., balance, length, width, stiffness, feel and sound."

agree and
nice post!

a great thing about pool cues is that they're so easily customizable
says something about the game as a whole I think
for that reason, I say go on and get a nice cue
I play off the wall enough
but why not get something that really works for you

personally, I'm on that quest too
still figuring out my ideal cue specs.
goes hand in hand with learning the game
I'm finding out
it's a fun journey all around, isn't it?
:thumbup:
 

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know there will some pushback on this- but I have owned somewhere over 50 true custom and high end production cues. Yes they all had different tip/ferrule/ joint/wood/ wrap/ weight specs. Except for VERY hard tips and weights below 180z. (rare) or above 20 oz. (also not too common)- I have played with every cue I ever owned and after about three continuous sessions with any of those cues- I can play about the same speed without even thinking of using the cue as an excuse for a bad outing.
Yes - I do have a favorite of all time- my Richard Black Split Diamond model ( original owner purchased direct) - but that is really because it just FEELS so natural in my hands- I have owned other customs that are the same weight, same tip, ivory ferrule, SS joint, linen wrap- but this one just FEELS more natural to me- I think a lot of it is a cue's overall balance.

Add on to my post: Acquired a Tim Scruggs fancy sneaky pete this week- one with a piloted ivory joint and ivory ferrule- 19.3 oz. It is in mint condition- I will say this is the best playing cue i ever owned- amazed at how well it performs in terms of hit, balance, consistency.
 
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MmmSharp

Nudge is as good as a wink to a blind bat.
Silver Member
The best Player I have used is a my Sugar tree sneaky I got this summer. Everyone who has tried it loves the hit. Second best is my Scruggs. third is my friends Carmelli, and fourth is a ebony merry widow gilbert that I wish I had bought when it came up for sale.

the sugar tree sneaky is head and shoulders above the others for hit. I suppose it is a fancy sneaky since it has some ring work at the joints and butt. Micro rings are hard to see unless up close, so no thinks it is anything special until they try it.
 

xXGEARXx

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have owned and played with plenty of custom cues and production types (around 75ish). This would include Tascerella, Black Boar (4 point and 6 point), Leon Sly, Phillippi, Paul Mottey, Tim Scruggs, Pechauer, Jacoby, Mike Bender, some other Bender (lol?), Bill Schick, Mali, Meucci, McDermott, Mike Gulyassy, Richard Black, BHQ, Bill McDaniel, Schon, and plenty of others I just can't remember off the top of my head.

The overall best of the groups would be: Jacoby custom, Joseph Pechauer custom, Phillippi custom, and the Black Boar 4 pointer (I didn't like the 6 point), Paul Mottey, Tim Scruggs.

If I had to pick one it would be the Jacoby Ivory handled cue (custom), hands down the best followed by the custom Pechauers and the custom Phillippi/Black Boar 4 pointer.

Let me be clear that I liked most of what I have played with, but this has been my journey. I think one reason why Jacoby and Pechauer would take high marks is the fact of it being custom and being built on equipment that is probably worth 250K in their shop or more. There are advantages with this and that would include material selection (because they can afford it), precision of machinery, software used, etc.

This is just my opinion, but ANY cue could be good for you once you get used to it. Make sure it is straight and has a good tip.
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know there will some pushback on this- but I have owned somewhere over 50 true custom and high end production cues. Yes they all had different tip/ferrule/ joint/wood/ wrap/ weight specs. Except for VERY hard tips and weights below 180z. (rare) or above 20 oz. (also not too common)- I have played with every cue I ever owned and after about three continuous sessions with any of those cues- I can play about the same speed without even thinking of using the cue as an excuse for a bad outing.
Yes - I do have a favorite of all time- my Richard Black Split Diamond model ( original owner purchased direct) - but that is really because it just FEELS so natural in my hands- I have owned other customs that are the same weight, same tip, ivory ferrule, SS joint, linen wrap- but this one just FEELS more natural to me- I think a lot of it is a cue's overall balance.

Add on to my post: Acquired a Tim Scruggs fancy sneaky pete this week- one with a piloted ivory joint and ivory ferrule- 19.3 oz. It is in mint condition- I will say this is the best playing cue i ever owned- amazed at how well it performs in terms of hit, balance, consistency.

I have customs and productions.

I have had cues that cost less than $10 that played fantastic and I've had expensive custom cues by HOF makers that didn't play as well.

They don't have to be custom made or expensive to play well.

It is the combination of the wood, taper, ferrule, tip, etc., not the name on the cue.
 

AK-Stick

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
First I don’t know that there is a best playing cue as much as I’d like to claim some of my cues were made by the best. They were definitely made by those in the conversation as the best. I like cues made of good tone woods and my heart tells me they play better how ever my head tells me a well built tight cue will play..I think the tip and the correct shaft to your game are the key components to a great playing cue to the individual. I had one cue I just couldn’t get the feel for and I changed the tip less than a twenty dollar change and it was completely a different cue.
 
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