Why are Viking cues so often overlooked?

I've played with a few Vikings but never really gave them a good chance, but yesterday I got to play an extended session with one, and I really liked it. I guess my previous tries have been with cues that didn't have my preferred specs? It was a rather plain cue, with a special ordered slim butt, and a Vicore shaft turned down to about 12.5. Everything about the cue was nice, understated and it played brilliantly. I could easily have played wiht this rather than my Mezz and not be worse off, even though the shaft is a bit different. It doesn't hit like the Mezz, but instead has a very pleasant "pop" to the hit. My Mezz has been modified with harder ferrules and hits like a ton of bricks! I don't really like the joint pin on the Viking, that's really my only gripe. Otherwise the specs were perfectly to my liking, and the balance and overall feel was just great. I didn't really think about the cue too much,and just played. That's a good sign, to me.

For very reasonable money, I think it's a great playing cue. Got a really nice 60 ball run and crushed the 14.1 ghost on a very stingy and difficult playing table, and I was in control the whole time. The cue just did what I expected. It's a quality cue made in the US, and apart from some of the designs with "mother of pearl" in various colours (that I really hate) they make some good looking cues as well. They deserve more praise than they get. I mean after this I'd definitely recommend a low end Vicore over a G-core from McDermott for instance and I actually like those. I also like that Viking has special slim butt cues, which is something many players prefer. If you haven't tried a slimmer butt cue, I recommend that you do! You may like it!

PhilosopherKing said:

Identity crisis:

I think they change too much over the years.

Meucci, Schon, and Joss stay fundamentally the same, and they maintain their followings.

Also, all that pearlescent plastic can be a bit much.

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That may be true. I like their traditional designs without the "mother of toilet seat". They have some nice plain jane cues also along with some modern twists on the traditional, if you like that. I think the Vicore is a very underrated shaft, as far as "not extreme" ld shafts are concerned.

PhilosopherKing said:

Their stupid quick release joint also hurt them when the aftermarket shaft wave was building-up and cresting. I don't think people knew that they were compatible with 5/16x18 shafts.

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I actually never knew that you could use standard 5/16*18 shafts on them! That's a big plus, I think.

Shawn Armstrong said:

You can’t. That’s misinformation. The blind section above the threads is slightly larger than a standard 5/16-18 pin. The threads either need to be bored slightly, or drilled out fractionally larger.

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Thanks, I guess I should have known that was too good to be true.

Poolplaya9 said:

The two reasons that I believe Viking cues never got more popular have both already been mentioned.

1. They are UGLY. Just about every damn one of them ever made. And not just a little ugly, but fugly ugly. Those atrocious Filipino cues with the busy designs and the snake skin wraps almost look like works of art in comparison. Mostly it is all the plastic and "pearlerscent" crap that Viking used but their designs were generally pretty horrible too. I think a large portion of people are just thoroughly turned off by their looks.

2. All the plastic made them appear to be very cheap quality. They weren't for the most part, but they sure gave off that impression and I think it scared a lot of people away.

Put out a product that is ugly as sin and appears to be cheap quality and you are going to have an uphill battle.

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Some of the designs are not all that bad, the choice of materials just ruins them, IMO. That pearlescent plastic belongs on toilet seats in trashy caravans, and nowhere else!
Also the big floating point/arrow inlays are just not good looking with any kind of material.

Anyway, some people must love the fake mother of pearl and malachite since tons of American cues, and quite a few Filipino cues are rife with the stuff. Peachauer, Vikings and Schmelke cues are especially fond of it. Meucci is the most plasticky of all, but they are at least slightly better at using it, even though they still look trashy.

They should just take their medicine and hire an actual designer. There must be some student from a design school that could really spruce them up. Have them study the most beautiful Balabushka cues and put their own spin on it for instance, getting the right proportions between buttcap, joint and decorative rings. Maybe they could completely flip it around somehow...It wouldn't have to be expensive and could really turn their luck around. Good design doesn't need to be intricate or flashy, even simple changes could make a big difference.

They do have some good looking, simple designs, but you must look for them in a sea of pearlescent plastic, sadly.