A new case.

Celtic

Celtic

AZB's own 8-ball jihadist
Silver Member
I am thinking on buying a new pool cue case before going to Australia due to the fact I am not sure I will be allowed to bring in my own hand made case due to their strict laws on imports using animal materials. Also the case I am building weighs far too much and I am thinking on switching to a briefcase style for my next case building project.

There are 3 case makers I am looking at.

Instroke: The cheapest I am looking at. They are pretty common which is a downside. I dont really like the looks of them all that much. On the other hand they supposedly are as good as anything out there at protecting cues. I am not sure how durable they are compared to the other 2 case makers I am looking at.

Justis: Nice looking cases. I am not sure about how protective these cases are, the Instroke might protect better due to the Justis being less rigid. Probably the most expensive case I am looking at due to the suede and tooling I would want. Anyone who owns these, are they more rigid then they look? I saw a case at the Instroke booth in Vegas last year they said was a Justis and the thing could be squished so that the tubes all moved around inside the case, I was not impressed but maybe this was not really a Justis or something was seriously wrong with this particular one. At this price I want a hell of alot of protection.

Whitten: I really like the look of these cases, maybe not quite as fancy as the Justis but Whitten seem to have very classy style to them. A touch cheaper then a Justis and these seem like they would protect the cue great. I am not sure if these protect a cue better or worse then a Instroke. Very unique case and in the middle price range of the 3.


Those are the 3 makers I am looking at. I would be getting a 3 butt and 5 or 6 shaft configuration. I am really not sure which to get, while I have seen Instroke cases in person I have never seen a Whitten in person, just heard great reviews from people and seen pictures. The Justis I saw (if it was even a Justis) was in bad shape and I can only imagine that his cases are usually alot better then what I saw as people seem to rave about them.

I looked at Chas Clements stuff briefly but his prices are out too lunch. A solid leather case with no carving at all costs an arm and a leg and I just dont see how he could charge so much when all he did was stitch the thing. Get him to carve the leather and suddenly you are looking at multiple thousands.

Anyways anyone who has experiance with the Whitten, Justis, or Instroke cases and how they compare to each other in pratical day to day use please let me know what you think about each maker. My biggest concern is cue protection and ease of use, looks are a distant second.
 
Remember, that you should choose a case that can handle the punishment from the baggage "handlers" on the airports. Cues are no longer permitted as hand luggage.
 
For protection of your cues, go with Instroke. a girlfriend of mine accidently ran over her 3/6 Instroke with a GMC Jimmy and all it did to the case was leave a tire mark on it. The cues were fine and the tubes didn't even crack.

Barbara
 
I've gone to a soft case to save weight and then put in rigid tubes to protect the cues. It has more pockets, weighs much less and is enough protection to suit me.

If I were to go on a plane I'd either have a Zero Halliburton, available at www.poolndarts.com or I'd put my cue case in a large suitcase and pack clothes around it. But that question is, for me, rhetorical only as I'm NEVER going on a plane. I'm too claustraphobic.

I got a Porper travel bag for Christmas but that's just a large bag that I'll use to transport my stuff around the area.

I have a 2x4 Whitten that is a great case and I think it's the best one I have. Like you I think the Whitten cases are the best looking and as far as I know are very rigid. I don't have a Justis and can't comment on them other than to say that I have friends that have them and love them.

I also have a 3x7 Instroke, very nice, very strong, the Buffalo model is, imo, real good looking.....but heavy. I also have a 2x4 Instroke, heavy, and several other cases but right now I lilke my Lucasi 4x8 soft case which I got from www.beadsandbilliards.com for only about $48 and change and then added some hard tubes. I think that's the way to go. Enough protection that casual bumps aren't going to hurt anything....weighs very little so it's easy to lug around a tournament all day, lots of pockets for all the stuff I like to carry. Silverfox also makes a really nice soft case with even greater pocket space. They are available from either Seyberts or Hawleys, I forget which...model BR2. Great soft case but I wanted brown :)

You might want to take a look at www.newyorkcase.com they make some pretty dressy looking cases.

You could check with John Barton, the founder of Instroke who now has a case repair business www.cuecaserepair.com He's been very helpful to me.

Good luck sifting through all the possibilities. :)
 
I have all three. The Justis case is a hand crafted beauty. It's very solid - the tubes don't move around at all and it's not ridiculously heavy. You buy one of these for the appearance and quality, both of which are second to none.

The Instroke case has hard, heavy leather. I don't like the latch design. If it falls over the latches break. It weighs 2 pounds more than my Justis case. It's not like a Whitten or a Justis - it's an imported production case.

Whitten cases are very strong, high quality cases. Mine doesn't have any pockets for storage. The zipper pulls on top will weaken and are subject to breakage. These are well made cases otherwise.

For traveling to Australia, I would probably go with something like a Porper foam injected vinyl case. They are light, strong, inexpensive, weatherproof, and well designed for traveling. Then, if the case gets banged around on flights, you'll be out $100 instead of $400.

Chris
 
TATE said:
I have all three. The Justis case is a hand crafted beauty. It's very solid - the tubes don't move around at all and it's not ridiculously heavy. You buy one of these for the appearance and quality, both of which are second to none.

The Instroke case has hard, heavy leather. I don't like the latch design. If it falls over the latches break. It weighs 2 pounds more than my Justis case. It's not like a Whitten or a Justis - it's an imported production case.

Whitten cases are very strong, high quality cases. Mine doesn't have any pockets for storage. The zipper pulls on top will weaken and are subject to breakage. These are well made cases otherwise.

For traveling to Australia, I would probably go with something like a Porper foam injected vinyl case. They are light, strong, inexpensive, weatherproof, and well designed for traveling. Then, if the case gets banged around on flights, you'll be out $100 instead of $400.

Chris
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This is John Barton - former owner of Instroke. The latches do not break just from falling over. While Instroke did have some latches that did have problems the newest ones are practically indestructible. I will personally give $1000 to anyone who can make any of the new Instroke latches break simply by letting the case fall over.

Instroke cases weigh less than Justis and Whitten on average. Different leathers have different weights however and so it is possible that some Instroke case models weigh more than some Justis or Whitten cases. I would respectfully disagree with a 2lb difference IF both cases are the same size.

I would seriously reccomend against a Porper for travel. Instroke, Justis and Whitten will all protect your cue against acute side impact much more than a Porper. The Porper and cases like it are made of hardened foam. While provides a seemingly ridgid shell it is in fact quite fragile. This type of case can usually be broken realtively easily.

Now, the main advantage of Instroke's protection as opposed to Justis and Whitten is the padding that Instroke's tubes are lined with. This padding cushions the cue against oscillation impact inside the tube. Imagine for a moment the case being hit hard - because the cue is tapered the small end will bang rapidly against the sides of the tube. This can cause a cue to crack at the point where the wrap and the forearm are joined. Instroke has proven this in public demonstrations. The other thing that the padding provides is that it keeps the cue securely in the case until it is deliberately removed.

Instroke protection can be had for as little as $109-$199 retail for the Premier line. Less if you shop around.

I won't argue for beauty or aesthics. I love both Justis and Whitten cases for their looks. Some people love the looks of the Instroke more and other's don't. That's a personal call. But for overall protection against impact, moisture and temperature change there is no tube case on the market that beats Instroke.

Because Instroke is made in a factory I have been able to bring the level of protection that I feel is neccesary to the consumer for less money than the custom casemakers. Instroke does not skimp on quality at all and each case has the same protective features AND each case is also more labor intensive and harder to make than either Justis or Whitten. But since so many are made they are widely available and realtively inexpensive but much more valuable when protection is the first consideration.

Lastly, for air travel, buy a duffel bag large enough to hold your case and bubble wrap your case. Then your case will be cushioned properly and disguised as normal luggage. Whether you choose and Instroke of not it would be wise to place some kind of cushion in the top of the case for travel. I use a piece of foam rubber or a sock.

Have a safe trip.

John Barton
 
John, have you ever seen the Halliburton cases? I dont mind the look of them on the outside but I don't really think the interior of the case is very impressive looking or the fact they only come in 4X8. I was looking at the custom gunsmith maker here

http://www.hueycases.com/main.html

and was thinking if he built a case to fit cues and accessories you could have one amazing case. You could build the case with any kind of interior material you would like and could put locks on the case and such. They are quite sweet looking cases.
 
instroke said:
This is John Barton - former owner of Instroke. The latches do not break just from falling over. While Instroke did have some latches that did have problems the newest ones are practically indestructible. I will personally give $1000 to anyone who can make any of the new Instroke latches break simply by letting the case fall over.

Instroke cases weigh less than Justis and Whitten on average. Different leathers have different weights however and so it is possible that some Instroke case models weigh more than some Justis or Whitten cases. I would respectfully disagree with a 2lb difference IF both cases are the same size.


John Barton
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John, that's great but it doesn't do me any good. Maybe the new latches are good - I hope so - because the "old ones (meaning six months ago) aren't. I had my 2X4 or exactly one week. It fell on it's face and pop goes the little brass latch.

While you're getting the latches fixed, may as well get your scale calibrated. My Instroke cowboy 2 X 4 weighs 6 pounds. My Justis 2X4 weighs 4 pounds.

In any case, Instroke cases are fine for imported production cases, but they are not the same animal as a Whitten or Justis - nor are they the same cost.

Chris
 
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Chris, if your case was produced in 2003 then the latch did not break that easily. IT is possible that you got a case that was produced in 2002 which had the problem latches. In any event you are entitled to a full refund or replacement. Did you do anything about the broken latch?

And like I said, I respectfully disagree about the weight. Even if my scale is wrong then the weight difference would still be consistently shown. I have compared all of our models against the Justis and Instrokes are on average lighter. I do not doubt that you have one that is heavier. I just find that you cannot infer that ALL Instrokes are 2 pounds heavier than ALL Justis cases based on comparing 1 Justis and 1 Instroke. I have four Justis cases of varying weights that were compared against dozens of Instroke cases.

As for whether they are the same animal or not. I fully agree that there is a certain mystique to having a custom case made by a small shop. Pound for pound however, the Instroke will come out on top in the protection department. Everything else is personal taste.

Feel free to send me your case for repair if you haven't done so already. Of course the repair is gratis and I guarantee that the new latch won't break.

John
 
Haliburton cases are probably the very best protection for cues while traveling. The exterior can take something like 2000 psi before deforming at all. I used to take the foam out of a 3x6 and carry a 10 cue roll up case inside the Haliburton. I don't need to point out that the Haliburton is not a tube case though and it is quite bulky and not really comfortable for "everyday" use, at least in my opinion.

If I were shipping HIGH, HIGH DOLLAR cues then I would probably invest in a Haliburton and the appropriate insurance to go with it.

That said, I once had a an unplanned layover in Amsterdam while my luggage flew to Las Vegas ahead of me. Getting to Las Vegas a day later my friend and I were happy to see the 2 Instroke 16x32 dealer cases sitting there unharmed with $50,000 in cues in them.

John
 
I am sure that Huey cases would work for pool cues but if you are going to spend that kind of money then why not go to Chas Clements and get a case that is Safari-grade, meaning that it WILL survive the rigors of Safari hardships, that is covered in tooled art from a master?

www.chasclements.com

I guarantee you that NOBODY making leather cue cases today in the style that Chas does, meaning envelope/tube style builds a stronger and longer lasting case than he does. I have spent dozens of hours at this man's shop and when you get a case from him it IS truly built to last forever. And his artwork is all original, no patterns from a book, no embossing wheels, NO repeated motifs. Yes his work is expensive in relation to what is currently on the market but it is ridiculously underpriced in comparison to what you get for the money.

John
 
instroke said:

Feel free to send me your case for repair if you haven't done so already. Of course the repair is gratis and I guarantee that the new latch won't break.

John
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I will send it in - I've been planning on it but I figured to pay since I broke it . Instroke must be a good company to stand behind their products and to continue to improve them. So many companies don't these days. You have earned my respect.

Chris
 
TATE said:
Instroke must be a good company to stand behind their products and to continue to improve them. So many companies don't these days. You have earned my respect.

Chris
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I have to admit not knowing much about InStroke cases (except that the guy I bought my Gilbert from has one).

John Barton said:
I won't argue for beauty or aesthics. I love both Justis and Whitten cases for their looks.
Click to expand...

This thread and John's sincere posts and respect for his collegues say a lot about the company.

PoolMouse
 
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celtic...
I think I told you before on a previous thread...
I take my 3x6 handtooled leather case to Australia every year , which I check -in a "hockey bag" and also take a few leather suede cases with me for sales. never had a problem with customs/agriculture etc.
I have a new image/ and widowmaker for my personal cases.

note**check out your other thread about pool rooms in Adelaide...I added a few more locations

need lotsa australia/new zealand info ..
ajrack@yahoo.com
 
Thanks Arjack, I had no idea your case was hand tooled. I will have to contact them and see if I can get my custom work into the country, their true practices might be a little less strict then what they have up on the net.

Those cases by Chad Clements are damn nice but the price is by no means low. There is no case anywhere near that price range to even compare with, he is in a league of his own not only in workmanship which is far above the rest but also in price which is also far above the rest. I showed the Huey case maker just as an example of the case style I liked. I would actually build the case myself.
 
You also might think about getting some kangaroo hide after you get there to make your own case....
i purchased a hide a few years ago and brought it back to the states and made a nice case...gave it away to a friend for christmas a couple of years ago...i can always get one on another trip!
 
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