A cue you might want to sell later...should you leave it in clear plastic it shipped in?

[Sir Scratchalot]

A silly question, perhaps, but the McDermott/Chops cue I ordered arrived today. I buy cues to play, not save, but I figure I'll wait and see what happens with this one. Should I leave it in the packaging it shipped in or would it be prudent of me to take it out and inspect it for any damage/imperfections? If taking it out is ok, what about putting a different shaft on it for some test hits?

 

[hurricane145]

I only buy cues to use them. If the sleeve is stapled at one end, carefully remove the staple so you can re staple it closed later if you want to. You can test hit a few balls using centerball hits and no chalk. You might wait a very long time "to see if anything happens" to it's value. Different shafts may hit very different from each other.
I have a Rich Chudy cue that came with 2 shafts. HUGE difference between the two shafts! One has an awesome hit the other is nothing so special, it's a good hit but nothing like the other one that appears identical in taper, shaft size etc. Something is very different about the wood used but I don't know what.

 

[David in FL]

Play it.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Cues are made to hit balls, not collect dust. Sold my Safe Queens, as they were not being played with.

 

[Maxx]

Put it in the freezer, best way to preserve it.

 

[The Old Jaybird]

chalk that MFer and bang away.

 

[trob]

chalk that MFer and bang away.

I don’t believe in having cars that just sit in a garage and I sure don’t believe in having case queens … bang away

 

[Thunder Thighs]

It's a McDermott. Like everyone said, bang away.

 

[Bavafongoul]

The plastic shouldn’t afffect the cue’s condition and storage in a plastic sleeve is fine but a cloth sleeve provides
more protection despite it isn’t water resistant like plastic should moisture ever became a environmental variable.

 

[KenneyTran]

I usually leave cues next to my BBQ woods. They just looks better

 

[slide13]

Within the pool community I think there is absolutely zero reason to leave it in the plastic. Any buyer of a cue is gonna want to see better pictures than that, know if it's straight, etc.

Now, I don't know anything about Chops really so if there is a collector market for their stuff specifically then maybe it could be a factor for that market...but then you're asking in the wrong place. In the pool world, take it out and inspect it at minimum. I would say play with it, I don't foresee that being a highly collectible cue or anything within the pool world.

 

[ibuycues]

At a minimum,
1. Take it out and roll it.
2. Inspect for flaws.
3. Make sure it is exactly the cue you purchased.
4. Give it a few test hits to make sure no rattles, pops, etc.
5. You may just fall in love with it all over again.

Will Prout

 

[muskyed]

I love seeing cues for sale saying test hit only. I look at that as they test hit it and didn't like it and are trying to unload it on someone. To me I also find it hard to believe that a cue is for sale with a shaft that has never been hit. Possible I guess, but if you have two shafts, who is not going to want to see if one shaft feels better than the other. You can play a couple games and clean the tip up if you want and should look like new.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I love seeing cues for sale saying test hit only. I look at that as they test hit it and didn't like it and are trying to unload it on someone. To me I also find it hard to believe that a cue is for sale with a shaft that has never been hit. Possible I guess, but if you have two shafts, who is not going to want to see if one shaft feels better than the other. You can play a couple games and clean the tip up if you want and should look like new.

Or, for that matter, you could use the cue regularly but carefully for six months, take it to a cue repair guy, get a new tip and the shaft cleaned and sealed, and a little ArmorAll on the bumper, and it will look like it's never been played with.