The word "wait" is doing an awful lot of work in these sentences.
I put my name on the list in 2017 but I'd hardly say I'm "waiting" for the cue.
To be honest, I forget I'm on the waitlist until threads like these pop up.
Same here. I don't get the "I would never wait..." crowd. You don't have to change a single thing in your life, you send an email, you're on the list. When your name comes up if you want to buy a cue you can, if you don't they'll just move on to the next person. There is almost zero investment in getting on the list, no money tied up at all.
If you don't want one, have no desire for a SW, then that makes much more sense to me than the "never wait" crowd.
I got on the list 10 years ago having never handled or seen a SW in person. Had no clue what they hit like, just their reputation. I have a history of waiting for things so this idea wasn't new to me. 10 years for a custom pocket knife, 6 years for a guitar pedal, etc. I've been on numerous lists for various hobbies over the years. The SW situation isn't exactly unique, though it is one of the more extreme ones I've personally come across as far as wait time goes.
I was really glad when my name came up for a Satin, which I had also requested a few years after originally getting on the list. I finally got to get my hands on a SW and see what one played like. They aren't cheap, even the satins, but seemed like a pretty safe buy considering what I've seen them selling for on the secondary.
As someone who has owned a few custom cues, mostly by Bob Runde but a few others too, and who plays regularly with a full Predator setup these days (K Series Classic cue with Revo shafts, BK & Air Rush).....I was prepared to be underwhelmed and sell it if I didn't like it. Especially since I've typically gravitated to traditional 4 point style cues, steel joints, etc. The SW is.....different. It just feels different. Between the shaft taper, butt taper, balance, etc....it's one of the most natural feeling cues I've ever picked up. I don't fully understand it but it really does feel great to play with and there are some shots (off the rail, over another ball, etc) where I've never had as much confidence as I do with the SW. It just kinda holds it's line during the stroke like nothing else I've played with.
I didn't sell it, but I also didn't start playing with it regularly either. Part of me wants to, I find it to be the most enjoyable cue I own to play with. But I'm also pretty used to my low deflection Revos these days and I can make some shots with that setup that I would really struggle to make with the SW without putting in a ton of time getting the feel for it's deflection characteristics. I'm not convinced some day I won't say screw it and go back to wood shafts permanently. I eventually did that with golf, gave up on most of the "game improvement" stuff and now pretty much play exclusively with a half set of players irons.
