Your pool cue thoughts before I make my Purchase

nevadarain

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello everyone. I have been playing pool since September 2016 casually. I play frequently but just casually. I dont play in a league and I dont play tournaments, but i plan to in the future. I have learned the game very quickly and I continue to progress at an exponential rate. I consider myself a very late stage beginner or an early intermediate, but thats just how I see myself. Can I run out a table, sometimes under optimal conditions.

I am looking to purchase my first cue soon and would like your feedback, which is why I'm here, and probably by the end of this post I may have answered my own quiestion. I mostly play on barboxes at a bar which hosts league game, so I mostly encounter decent players throughout the night. My budget is $1000. I really dont want to purchase a LD cue as I strive to have my game to the point where I can make my own adjustments to compensate for squirt. I was looking at a Schon point blank. I like the style of the cue, the company's reputation from the research ive done, and i like the way the cue hits. My only concern i guess is walking around, into dive bars and such with a thousand dollar cue. I guess I dont want to be "that guy" who thinks hes the Sh!t, when im nowhere near being that good to possess such a fine cue. I was also looking at maybe a mezz, OB, or predator as some of them are less expensive, but I really do want to stay away from LD cues as I dont want to go through the transition period of LD to solid. Thank you for your feedback and time.


Edit..... Thanks for all the feedback. I forgot to mention as I didn't think it was relevant., nor was it may first purchas, or purchase period for that matter . My girlfriend has a pretty nice pool table and the cues that came with it seem pretty (4 cues, 2 pieces, 19-21 ounces) as they are fairly straight and the tips seem pretty decent ( hard tips). Dont ask what type of table, as i don't know, but I'll check. I play with this cue at the bar sometimes. Thought I would disclose tthis information............ On another note...... I've taken great cconsideration from the feedback here and I'm looking into it...... Ive also looked at this cue in the pic.... A pechauer. Any thoughts?
 

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HoldemRw

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Get a good sneaky pete or merry widow from a good custom cue maker. U will still have money left over to spare.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 

michael4

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Schon = great choice.

as mentioned, either get a somewhat plain looking cue,

or get two cues, a nice one, and a "bar cue"..........easy for you to get both for well under $1000.
 

flyrv9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You can get a nice Joss for $300 - 400. Add a couple hundred for a case and you're good to go with half your money left.
 

Rackattach

Banned
Have a local cuemaker close to you build you a "plain Jane" or "Merry Widow" cue. Get two identical shafts. Should run you about $500-600 and also have them build you a matching break cue. The break is a very important shot and will give you the edge on everyone long term so breaking with your break cue for years will transform you to another level. Get one tip medium/hard and another soft/medium and play with both and when you have a favorite have your cue maker add that tip to the spare shaft.
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
You can get a nice Joss for $300 - 400. Add a couple hundred for a case and you're good to go with half your money left.

Add a sneaky Pete to that for breaking...and it's your 'stable' cue...good to go.
 

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pick up the phone and call Bob Owen.......or look for one of his cues listed for sale.


Matt B.
 

nevadarain

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks all for the feedback... Much appreciated. I don't post much as my Internet and forum search skills are top notch....... Lol...but thanks for this feedback.
 

nevadarain

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Have a local cuemaker close to you build you a "plain Jane" or "Merry Widow" cue. Get two identical shafts. Should run you about $500-600 and also have them build you a matching break cue. The break is a very important shot and will give you the edge on everyone long term so breaking with your break cue for years will transform you to another level. Get one tip medium/hard and another soft/medium and play with both and when you have a favorite have your cue maker add that tip to the spare shaft.

Thank you for this.. Makes perfect sense
 

johnnysd

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think the Merry Widow suggestions are solid as are getting a cue from Joss or Schon.

However in your situation, and with your statement that you are not really interested going down the LD road I would suggest a different approach.

At this point in your pool career you "don't know what you don't know" about your cue preferences. So I think your best best is to start with a completely neutral cue and then as you develop your game you will pick up some preferences in terms of joint, weight and balance, stiffness, what type of wrap you like and length and what appeals to your eye artistically.

So what I would start with is a cue from Schmelke, specifically a full splice from them, which they call their R series.

They make truly excellent cues with high grade woods and excellent workmanship. And they offer quite a bit of customization and will even allow you to choose the wood they make the cue out of.

I would go for this:

http://schmelkecue.com/billiard-cues/schmelke-cues/schmelke-r-series/r040-cocobola-4-prong.html

I would choose everything standard. I would go with 19oz which is most popular weight, and 58" which is most common length. I would recommend two slight upgrades at your level of play:

Upgrade the shaft tape to 14" Pro Taper. This will be a little more lively than the standard 12" they use but once again will be neutral.

I would upgrade the joint to 3/8" x 10. It is one of the most common.joints and close to the hit of the radial pin.

It will run $164. And it will play a ton.

Play with it for 3-6 months and figure out what you like and dont like and then consider a custom. When you get the custom, re-tip the Schmelke and use it as a break cue.
 

Get_A_Grip

Truth Will Set You Free
Silver Member
What's funny is, everything is relative. I have 3 Schon cues, and they ARE my bar cues. I have quite a few more expensive >$2000 cues, and to me, the Schon's are the cues that cost not so much where if they get stolen or damaged, I won't be concerned. :eek:

EDIT: So if you can't tell, I highly recommend a Schon.
 
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Welder84

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I would only buy a cue that had a warranty and you could try out. Companies like Joss,Mcdermott and Schon will stand behind cues that a small guy might not. I have had a famous custom cue warp on me and been stuck, I wasted a lot of money and time figuring that out. IMHO
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Knowing what I know now, after over forty years of pool and having owned everything from an el cheapo no name, to some of the finest available, to everything in between... for $1000 I would be looking at some of the newer guys who are making some kick-ass playing cues that look good, play good, and will retain some value.

White and Treadway are two that come to mind. Don't know what their entry level cue would cost but it might be close.

Lou Figueroa
 
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Hollismason

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You could get a excellent cue, break stick, and a case for under 700 dollars from Schmelke probably less.
 

johnnysd

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you decide to get a more expensive cue, here is what I would look at:

1. Handmade production: Joss or Schon

2. Semi custom: Dominiak

3. Custom around $1000: Treadway Merry Widow, Nitti Merry Widow, Mile Guylassy plain cue, low end Andy Gilbert or Josey, Bob Owen Kent Davis, Kim Walker

$1000 is not a great budget for a custom. You will get much more cue for $1500, which you might be able to save up for while playing with your Schmeke
 
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johnnysd

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What's funny is, everything is relative. I have 3 Schon cues, and they ARE my bar cues. I have quite a few more expensive >$2000 cues, and to me, the Schon's are the cues that cost not so much where if they get stolen or damaged, I won't be concerned. :eek:

I am about to get my Lambros and I am wondering if it will be bar safe. I have brought my beautiful Treadway and not had an issue, though Lambros is a much bigger name and more likely be stolen.
 
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