Does the cost of playing cue impact your game?

ctyhntr

RIP Kelly
Silver Member
If it makes you feel better, then go buy and enjoy. If you're worried about the cost, don't follow-through on the purchase if you think you're going to regret it

I have friends who play with high end cues, Jerry, Gus, Barry and then my ex GF with her Hello Kitty pink cue.
 

flyrv9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
After the cost of a basic cue (a couple hundred or so) the rest is for artwork or brand cost and won't really affect play - other than the psychological effect! Some cues do appreciate in value - so there could be investment advantages though. This kinda goes back to the old argument - is it the arrow or the indian!
 
Last edited:

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you think spending more money on a higher end cue is a quick way to improving your game.
then you are really operating under a enormous misimpression about custom cues & your skills.

The expression "It's the indian, not the arrow." immediately comes to mind & seems appropriate.
As long as you play with cue that meets your preferences or "idiosyncracies", the cue is perfect.

A custom cue is not embued with special powers and a bad stroke still produces bad outcomes.
So dropping several grand on a cue will not elevate your game aside from perhaps trying harder,

So just find a cue that meets your cosmetic expectations, re" appearance. Then be sure it has the
specs you want & if you don't know what that is, you shouldn't even be thinking of an expensive cue.

The reality is nothing substitutes for knowledge, skills and strategy and expand your mastery of those
requirements & you can play with any house cue dazzling spectators. The cue is the arrow you use.


Matt B.
 

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
this is solely a matter of money! It's your money so it don't matter!
 

jackpot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Absolutely right

Absolutely!! The more it costs the better you will play. To be Pro level you have to spend at least $10K for a cue. That's all it takes. No practice, no skill, just more money.

:thumbup:

It's not fair but that's the way it is. Just look at Campbell, that should be proof enough.
jack
 

franko

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bravo

Something not often mentioned is that having something you enjoy often leads to more playing time.

Regardless of the cost, if you have a cue that you thoroughly enjoy playing with (because of how it hits, feels, looks... whatever the reason), then you will usually want to play with it more. Playing more will typically improve your play.

Whenever I get a new cue that I'm excited about, my game tends to improve. However, this is probably more due to the fact that I'm playing more pool, than the actual performance characteristics of the cue.

Well said and very true.
 

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Something not often mentioned is that having something you enjoy often leads to more playing time.

Regardless of the cost, if you have a cue that you thoroughly enjoy playing with (because of how it hits, feels, looks... whatever the reason), then you will usually want to play with it more. Playing more will typically improve your play.

Whenever I get a new cue that I'm excited about, my game tends to improve. However, this is probably more due to the fact that I'm playing more pool, than the actual performance characteristics of the cue.


This is very true, the best example I have to back this up is Michael Jordan. MJ (before it was the norm) wore brand new shoes every game. So new that they would be right out of the box at game time! He did this because of the way it made him feel. We all now how he played when he felt good lol
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In my opinion the cost of a cue does not affect your game at all. Granted cost will affect materials used ...and to some extent quality but the cost of a cue will not affect whether you can make a ball or not.

Having never carried cues on a plane I was afraid to take my 2,500.00 custom to Vegas for apa nationals. I instead took a cue that cost 20.00...new. It was a sneaky Pete made by premier of china. and I played some of the best pool I have ever played.

I sold that 2,500.00 cue later on and bought a used meucci for 200.00 and was raised to a 6 three weeks after I started playing with it.

It may make some people feel good about having a high priced cue and consequently may play better but cost does not make a ball go in the hole easier.
 
Last edited:

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In my opinion the cost of a cue does not affect your game at all. Granted cost will affect materials used ...and to some extent quality but the cost of a cue will not affect whether you can make a ball or not.

Having never carried cues on a plane I was afraid to take my 2,500.00 custom to Vegas for apa nationals. I instead took a cue that cost 20.00...new. It was a sneaky Pete made by premier of china. and I played some of the best pool I have ever played.

I sold that 2,500.00 cue later on and bought a used meucci for 200.00 and was raised to a 6 three weeks after I started playing with it.

It may make some people feel good about having a high priced cue and consequently may play better but cost does not make a ball go in the hole easier.

You were a 5handicap with a 2500$ cue? What was the cue???
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You were a 5handicap with a 2500$ cue? What was the cue???

Phillipi....picture of it in my album on my home page. 16 points..ivory and mop inlays...silver stitch rings at all locations. Dint know what it cost new but i paid 2,500.00 for it used. Played with it for 2 years and sold it for 2,500.00.
 

LeonD123

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In my pool club, the players with the most expensive cues tends to be the less skilled.
 

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
Does the cost of playing cue impact your game?

I am thinking about investing in a higher end cue.

I've tried some high end cues I thought hit like absolute logs. Completely dead and without any feel what so ever. Then again I've tried others that were great. Find out what kind of cue is right for you, then buy it. If you're shelling out the big bucks, being able to try before you buy is a must.

Always remember that whatever difference the cue makes is minimal compared to actual practise with ONE cue. The Predator Revo shaft has completely infested my local pool hall. It's a 500 dollar SHAFT! Lots of people claim it's helping them play better, and they may be right, but to a neutral observer the difference cannot easily be detected. They're still pretty much the exact same players they were before, only 500 dollars poorer. The pool hall hiearchy is left unchanged by this "revolution", and will remain so until people finally realize that CORRECT practise, and lots of it, is the only surefire way to improve.

That being said, if you can afford it and have realistic expectations, then by all means spend as much as you want on your hobby. It's your life and your money.
 

chefjeff

If not now...
Silver Member
Not any more than the cost of someone's watch impact how well it tells time.

My wife bought me a Mao watch, when she was in China, for a few bucks.

It ran about 20 seconds before stopping forever. I expected nothing more from such a watch.

If I spend less on equipment, I can afford more table time.



Jeff Livingston
 

Sealegs50

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Having never carried cues on a plane I was afraid to take my 2,500.00 custom to Vegas for apa nationals.

Similar problem. My two favorite cues are valued in the same range as your previous custom. I won't even play with them in weekly league matches. I would like to find a $200 cue that I like playing with enough to be my main player.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
To a certain point, yes.

In general though, just asking that type question tells me you need to worry more about higher quality practice instead of pricier cues.

Rake

I had to add: my player is ballpark of $1,600 but I could easily put the shaft on a $300 butt and never know the difference performance wise.

To this ^^^^ point, I leave an extra cue in my second home with the same shaft as I've been playing with on my regular player(s!!!). The cue butt is a Shmelke blank with a Schuler-copy joint. $60 butt.

Highjack and Segue': a couple decades ago, I (and many others) said that the most under-rated value of a secondary "performance shaft" is that you could put one shaft on different cues and get about the same performance, or a few of the same secondary shafts to match different joints. I think Ray Schuler pioneered this concept with various shaft profiles & parameters that fit on any Schuler cue. I would travel with a cheap Schuler butt with my playing Schuler shaft for many years.


Freddie <~~~ spends money to save money...
 

lakeman77

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
more expensive, worse I play :) foolishly expect a cue to solve problems.
 
Last edited:
Top