First cue recommendations?

azone said:

I'm in the same boat as the OP, so what tip would you recommend for this cue http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/cues/schmelke/schmelke_veneer-hoppe-1.htm

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That is a nice cue. They will make it to your specs. Also will stand behind it if you have questions, problems. Schmelke is a first class company. Their customer service is excellent and that is everything. Take care of it and it'll give you years of enjoyment. TIP?..Triangle soft.

The cues shown ran less than $250 each.

Shoot with some of your friends cues. This will help tell the weight and balance point you like. If you have a local cue maker see if he will make a Sneaky Pete to your friends cues specs. If he did it right and your satisfied talk to him about down the road custom. You have people that flip cues at the drop of a hat and others that still play with the first cue. Good Luck.

TomHay said:

Shoot with some of your friends cues. This will help tell the weight and balance point you like. If you have a local cue maker see if he will make a Sneaky Pete to your friends cues specs. If he did it right and your satisfied talk to him about down the road custom. You have people that flip cues at the drop of a hat and others that still play with the first cue. Good Luck.

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If you like your friends cue, why not buy one like it? Why have a custom cue made, which costs more and takes longer?

just buy a production cue.
the really top custom cue makers are booked up for years and are way too expensive.
the lower tier guys are cheaper but there are a lot of unreliable ones that will drive you nuts or just take your money and not deliver.
I have a friend that ordered a cue from a very good local maker.

he put down a small deposit 5 years ago and his cue is now just a forearm with the points glued in.

he has been to the guys shop many times to see the progress.
its now kind of a joke to him.
we ask him how his forearm is looking

the good part is if it ever gets made it will be well seasoned wood.

measureman said:

just buy a production cue.
the really top custom cue makers are booked up for years and are way too expensive.
the lower tier guys are cheaper but there are a lot of unreliable ones that will drive you nuts or just take your money and not deliver.
I have a friend that ordered a cue from a very good local maker.

he put down a small deposit 5 years ago and his cue is now just a forearm with the points glued in.

he has been to the guys shop many times to see the progress.
its now kind of a joke to him.
we ask him how his forearm is looking

the good part is if it ever gets made it will be well seasoned wood.

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I just cannot agree with that. Sure if you want a Southwest, Tascarella, Hercek or something like that there is a huge wait. But there are many options for extrememly good custom cues from reputable custom cue makers that will be better than pretty much any production cue, tailored to your exact specifications, be much higher quality, made of better quality wood, look better and will last a lifetime.

That said, especially for a beginning player there is nothing wrong with some production cues. The Schmelke linked here is excellent. A Cuetec plays pretty well. McDermott still makes nice production cues as does Joss and Schon. There is a LOT of complete crap in the production cue world too.

But custom cues are often (not always) better, and if used is OK you can find fantastic used custom cues that are better than any production cue.

Even in the $500 range new you can get some seriously excellent custom cues. Dominiak makes one of the best hitting cues I have ever played with and custom ones are in the $400 range and he uses exceptional maple. a Frey sneaky pete is hard to beat, and are $500. For a little more you can get a Treadway Merry Widow and his cues are exceptional. The list goes on and on.

Another option that is not discussed often is to buy a high end JB cue, stick on a regular tip and use it as your playing cue. A Gilbert break cue can be had for $450 and plays pretty much exactly like his multi-thousand dollar customs. A Mace JB form Rick Howard is $400 and also plays phenomenally. Both of these are better options than almost any production cue as well and readily available.

Mr. C said:

I've only recently started playing again and was thinking about buying my first cue. (I have a bucket full of cheap house cues that came with the table)

I'm looking to keep this under $150.

One cue that stood out as a possibility was the Star S7 by McDermott. Does anyone have experience with the Star cue line?

What other cues should I be considering?

Thanks in advance.

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I purchased a McDermott Star S60 as my first starter cue. I can tell you there is nothing fancy about them as they are production, made in china cue's in the sub 200 dollar range. This is not a cheap or sub-par quality cue at all but it is a good starting point. like most star cues, it comes with a regular maple shaft, painted design on the butt, pro taper, with an Everest tip. What I do like is that it is functional, 100x better than using a house cue, and a great starting point to taking the next step in playing pool.

What I ended up doing was using that cue as my starting point to make it of higher quality. I used the cue completely stock for 6-9 months first to understand what it means to play with a regular shaft and medium tip, and to learn basic shape, English, and squirt.

Once I started competing in local in-bar tournaments, I learned a ton from players more talented than I was and decided I wanted to take another step. Once I got my pre-stroke, stroke and follow thru mechanics I decided to upgrade my cue.


I live in Wisconsin, about 35 min from the McDermott factory and so I paid a small visit. In the McDermott store they sell blemished high quality low deflection shafts, (the G-core and higher end Intimidator series). I walked away with an I2 shaft with a Kamui soft black tip for $70 dollars (normally about 250 dollars). This is where I sit today, with my I2 and my star s60 butt. Eventually when I master this cue i'll move on to a better brand with nicer design. But in my career learning the game a starter cue is a good step in the pool world

BigBoof said:

I don't want to admit how much all of my cues add up to. I can tell you that this cue might have ended it for me. Buy right, buy once.

How much did your golf driver cost you, let alone a full set? Or if you bowl, what does a decent ball cost, which requires re-surfacing after a league session? A cue will last forever with little more tip changes.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

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When I was younger - I totally agree. At a certain age though, "collecting" can become enjoyable as well. I know it's a little off point from what you were actually saying (which I agree with), but it did lead me along a train of thought. :smile:

Mr. C said:

I'm looking to keep this under $150.

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One comes to mind because I have one.
SCHMELKE.
Mine is an M-Series; no inlays, no points, and no rings. What some call a Merry Widow.
http://schmelkecue.com/billiard-cues/schmelke-cues/schmelke-m-series.html

Everything (equiptment, that is; cue technique is up to you) needed to play well can be had for less than $150.00, and nothing not needed.
No frills, jingles, bells or whistles. Just an honest cue.

Don't let the photos on SCHMELKE's website fool you. The photography is not up to their cue making.
My cue is much better looking than any photo on SCHMELKE's site.
Best hunting for a good cue.
EDITED FOR ADDED COMMENTS
I did purchase three options:
1. Linen wrap $20.00
2. Butt cap $12.00
3. Extended Pro taper shaft $20.00
And the total cost of the SHEDUA wood cue including shipping was $143.35; I have the bill in my hand.

Dave

johnnysd said:

Dominiak makes one of the best hitting cues I have ever played with and custom ones are in the $400 range and he uses exceptional maple.

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I absolutely agree with looking at Dominiak. I was looking for some less expensive, quality, made in the US cues. I found recommendations for Dominiak in several posts and decided to give it a look. Bill gave me a great deal and built me 4 in total, 2 Ultra Petes for wall cues, 1 break cue with a hard Kamui tip, and I splurged for a player with a leather wrap and phenolic joints. All 4 are unique works of art. He used curly maple for two, birds eye maple for another, and the other was alternating birds eye and curly in his radial laminated construction. All play amazing and his customer service is amazing. I recommend giving a hard look at spending a little more and in return getting a quality custom cue that comes with a Kamui tip, LD shaft, and is made in the US. At a minimum, look at the for sale area for a used Dominiak. I've seen them go for around $200.

http://www.dominiakcues.com/ultra_pete.php

I've been playing with a Players/PureX HTX15 cue for about a year, which is my first cue. I bought it because it came equipped with a Kamui tip and low deflection shaft, features that you would find on more expensive shafts.

What I really recommend is buying a higher end production cue such as a Predator. Most high end cues have less vibration and a more solid hit, which is an attribute you want in a cue while using it to improve your stroke and aim.

Cuetec

If your sole use with cue purchase will be at your home, on your table and you only have crappy cues in a bucket for now, you can kill 2 birds with one stone by getting 4 one-piece Cuetec house cues,one of each of the following: 18, 19, 20, & 21 oz. Now you can experiment playing with different weighted cues that are not crap, take a beating, don't ding or warp and mostly play decent for a cue this inexpensive. Worse case scenario if you hate the cues you could easily sell them to a bar, club or fire company with a table. They sell easily in these venues. Should be able to get all 4 cues for well under $200. Now you and your guests will have proper cues to play with and also void the all to popular excuse "it was the cues fault" JMO Good Luck!