What are the best hitting cues you ever tried out, from fairly unknown cuemakers?

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
The hit or feedback of the cue is the most important part of the cue to me. I have had Runde and Clarke Schons, old and new McDermotts, Titlist conversions, Vikings, etc but nothing really felt really good until I bought my first Eclat, I have 3 now and I foresee owning them forever.
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had Richard Black make me a cue about 40 years ago, when he wasn't such a big name. It was probably the best hitting cue I've owned. I've heard he got a little better since I bought mine. :)
 

Lesh

One Hole Thinkifier
Silver Member
Michael Yingling - AKA Michael Cues / Yingling Cues

Mr. Yingling ran a shop out of his garage in Seminole Florida for years. Finally shut down shop around 2014 and lit out for the great American west. Mike never liked me, but he liked my money... I spent some of it on his skill as a repairman and a first-rate cue assembler. I have a couple Yingling cues and have to admit that they are very comfortable implements. Well-balanced and the dimensions are sleek and confident. I never trust a big butt and a smile. I almost resent the fact that they are my best hitting cues.

So wherever you are Mike....
Screw you and thanks for the cues you did make!

Lesh
 

Cezar Morales

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ditto Cezar,we must have the same source of information. The pool grapevine has never been so far-reaching,informative,and accurate as it is today !!!


Arhhh Shit , owner of eclat assured me that i was the only one let in on this dark secret.
Been betrayed !

I bought a dozen and have a couple more on order before i was told the inside info, what about you ?
 

Cezar Morales

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Keith-Andy cues from Japan. By far the best hitting low deflection cues out there.


Hey buddy , i've been very interested in Keith Andy cues for awhile, excellent design , nice wood , fit n finish all seems really too-notch but they seem to be on the pricier side.
Do u mind starting a new thread like posting your keith andy cues and share how it plays.. does it hits stiff like mezz or musashi with low deflection of course ?

Justin don bother asking, his plain janes starts at 2 grand.

And guys, here's a cool story of how Keith Andy cues came about, once young japanese cue maker Jun was really determined to learn the art of cuemaking knew he need to go to the states where all the greatest cuemakers r found in order to learn the craft .
Finally he decided to learn his craft from 2 great cuemakers who were willing to take him as an apprentice , they were both well knowm to be really nice guys none other than Keith Josey of savannah and Andy Gilbert.
Thus, he combined the best part of both cuemakers's art and branded hus custom cue Keith Andy after them as a form of tribute.

A couple top pros like lo li wen of japan ( taiwanese born ) used em and rodney morris used to be sponsored by him if im not wrong.
Hope u enjou the story guys !
 

Travis Niklich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
And guys, here's a cool story of how Keith Andy cues came about, once young japanese cue maker Jun was really determined to learn the art of cuemaking knew he need to go to the states where all the greatest cuemakers r found in order to learn the craft .
Finally he decided to learn his craft from 2 great cuemakers who were willing to take him as an apprentice , they were both well knowm to be really nice guys none other than Keith Josey of savannah and Andy Gilbert.
Thus, he combined the best part of both cuemakers's art and branded hus custom cue Keith Andy after them as a form of tribute.

This story is not quite right.

Jun is the business owner / investor more so than the cue maker. He also didn't apprentice under Andy or Keith. He was a dealer for both cue makers years ago. Under some questionable circumstances he used his position as their dealer to pickup on some cue making info. Even the name Keith Andy is controversial.

I don't know if more info is really "out there" and if Keith or Andy would even talk about it but they would be the ones to ask.
 

zrx replica

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Fathom Blue...My Mom lives in Lakeview, was in Flippin & Mountain home too. I spent a weekend at a cabin resort outside town. Beautiful country! Got carsick from the windy roads going to the Buffao River. She lives just a coupje miles from the Boal Shoals Dam. Do you know of Terry Bjoreck down your way? Major Heubler collector and personal friend of Paul's for years...
 
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PhilosopherKing

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
CJ Stevens out of one of the Carolinas... Poor man's Bluegrass. He uses really nice pieces of wood, too.

I had/have a rosewood burl and birdseye with brass rings.

Gorgeous cue.
 

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
John Nemic in Dallas makes great hitting cues
he is an engineer and also makes the best full splice cues i have seenp
with even veneers perfect up and down

buy one if you can get one
you will not be disappointed

Larry Vigus is better known,so he may not fit this category
but hus cues play as good as you can get
 

CokerFan82

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My new cue

I hit with a solid ebony Gilbert once that hit like a million bucks, and somewhere down the road a few years later a friend let me hit with a very plain looking black cue with some Silver dash inlays in all the ring positions that hit Even Better than the Gilbert.

I ended up buying that very plain looking cue and learning it was also Solid Ebony also and the name of it was a Cognoscenti by Joe Gold if I remember correctly. I don't forsee me buying another cue for a long time!!
 

SFC9ball

JimBaker PBIA Instructor
Silver Member
I had two that were built by Dave Ward.
One was made on a Titelist conversion theme. The other was finished from a John Davis full-splice blank.
They both played very well, and both looked fantastic. :smile:

Super Dave makes great cues I have owned probably 10 or more of them.
 

BWColeman

BWC
Silver Member
Gary Medlin -GEM Cues out of Lake Charles LA. makes a great cue

Tom Coker - Out of Fresno Ca. I Think (my Main Player)

KJ Cues - KJ here on AZB made me a great cue ( My goto back up)

Ryan Theewen - RAT cues very good playing cue
 

Masayoshi

Fusenshou no Masa
Silver Member
Hey buddy , i've been very interested in Keith Andy cues for awhile, excellent design , nice wood , fit n finish all seems really too-notch but they seem to be on the pricier side.
Do u mind starting a new thread like posting your keith andy cues and share how it plays.. does it hits stiff like mezz or musashi with low deflection of course ?

Justin don bother asking, his plain janes starts at 2 grand.

And guys, here's a cool story of how Keith Andy cues came about, once young japanese cue maker Jun was really determined to learn the art of cuemaking knew he need to go to the states where all the greatest cuemakers r found in order to learn the craft .
Finally he decided to learn his craft from 2 great cuemakers who were willing to take him as an apprentice , they were both well knowm to be really nice guys none other than Keith Josey of savannah and Andy Gilbert.
Thus, he combined the best part of both cuemakers's art and branded hus custom cue Keith Andy after them as a form of tribute.

A couple top pros like lo li wen of japan ( taiwanese born ) used em and rodney morris used to be sponsored by him if im not wrong.
Hope u enjou the story guys !

I don't actually own a keith-andy (a bit out of my price range), but I have played with many and they all hit on the softer side, but not whippy, and the balance is just right, so the cue goes through the cue ball effortlessly and without much vibration even when going way off center on the cue ball. My playing cue is a plain jane Tad with an original shaft and I am able to adjust to lower deflection Keith-Andy cues with ease compared to say a 314 or mezz ld shaft (although I was impressed with the 314-3 I briefly tried out).
 

jaetee

rack master ;)
Silver Member
Woodworth

I'd never heard of him until I met him in a Palm Harbor, FL pool room a few years back. Had to buy one of his cues after hitting with his... Stiff hit with outstanding audible and tactile feedback. His cues have a surprisingly consistent hit from cue to cue.

AFAIK, he is the only cue maker out there making full-splice five point cues with sharp points, with and without veneers.
 
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