any experience with J&J cases?
- Thread starter JOEY
- Start date
I
instroke
Guest
They suck. Take one apart and you will see why. They are nothing more than an Instroke copy. Take apart both cases side by side and you can see that the only thing good about the Vincitore is that they "look" like a good case.
Sorry bud, I have in fact had a lot of experience with them and I am a little bit biased. I am the designer of the Instroke cases and former owner of Instroke.
I am sure that there are plenty of players who have been using the Vincitore cases without any noticeable problems. I have taken apart dozens and the interior construction is a joke - eventually this case WILL harm your cue in some way. Use at your own risk.
John Barton
Sorry bud, I have in fact had a lot of experience with them and I am a little bit biased. I am the designer of the Instroke cases and former owner of Instroke.
I am sure that there are plenty of players who have been using the Vincitore cases without any noticeable problems. I have taken apart dozens and the interior construction is a joke - eventually this case WILL harm your cue in some way. Use at your own risk.
John Barton
Hey john, I have noticed that there are a lot of instroke copies and what exactly is the problem with the copy cases. I know that they are probably using cheaper materials but how are they in regards to the price that they are sold for. You can get a copy cat instroke 2x4 case for half the price of an authentic 2x2 instroke. I think that it is the price that draws people to the imposters. I personally would rather have an instroke but Im interested in knowing why the others are so bad. Would companies really sell a product that is crap and put their name on it?
I
instroke
Guest
Hot topic - warning - warning 
)
Without getting to windy the basic reason that the copies suck is that the manufacturers cut a bunch of corners to get the price down low enough to satisfy the importer/distributers who are buying them. The importers could care less about whether the case harms the cue six months from now when the fiberboard breaks and allows the nails to poke into the tubes.....
The importers just see the outside, maybe check to see if the cue goes in and out of the case - maybe - and that's it.
Yes, the importers really do sell products that are crap and put their names, made up names or whatever on them. To them it's ALL about profit margins and the consumer is considered to be ingorant and uncaring whether the case protects against moisture, impact and temperature. This last line comes directly from one of the largest importers of billiard equipment.
The margins are much higher on the copies because they can buy real cheap. Instroke cases take twice as long to produce, the materials are light years better, the guarantee is rock solid and the consumer is protected. That is where the cost difference comes in.
Sometimes I buy cheap tools that look as good as the Craftsmans. Once in a while I get lucky and get a lot of use out of the cheap tool but most often it breaks within several uses. All of the Craftsman tools I own have never failed me yet. I have forgotten the price I paid for those tools but whatever it was I got a lot more value than the dollars saved on the cheap copied versions.
The thing is that when I buy a cheap tool I usually know what I am getting. With cases the importer/distributers rip off Instroke's advertising copy and attributes and claim them as their own. So you see things like, just as good as Instroke and so on... which is a complete lie. And this is what gets me the most. These jerkoffs LIE to the consumer in order to sell their junk and then are nowhere to be found when things go wrong.
I got windy anyway. The answer to your question of how the cases are in regards to price is this: If you get lucky and get on that never develops problems then the price was fantastic. If you get one that falls apart quickly as many of them do, then you overpaid. If your cue becomes scratched or damaged in some way by the faulty construction then you not only overpaid but you are likely screwed.
John
)Without getting to windy the basic reason that the copies suck is that the manufacturers cut a bunch of corners to get the price down low enough to satisfy the importer/distributers who are buying them. The importers could care less about whether the case harms the cue six months from now when the fiberboard breaks and allows the nails to poke into the tubes.....
The importers just see the outside, maybe check to see if the cue goes in and out of the case - maybe - and that's it.
Yes, the importers really do sell products that are crap and put their names, made up names or whatever on them. To them it's ALL about profit margins and the consumer is considered to be ingorant and uncaring whether the case protects against moisture, impact and temperature. This last line comes directly from one of the largest importers of billiard equipment.
The margins are much higher on the copies because they can buy real cheap. Instroke cases take twice as long to produce, the materials are light years better, the guarantee is rock solid and the consumer is protected. That is where the cost difference comes in.
Sometimes I buy cheap tools that look as good as the Craftsmans. Once in a while I get lucky and get a lot of use out of the cheap tool but most often it breaks within several uses. All of the Craftsman tools I own have never failed me yet. I have forgotten the price I paid for those tools but whatever it was I got a lot more value than the dollars saved on the cheap copied versions.
The thing is that when I buy a cheap tool I usually know what I am getting. With cases the importer/distributers rip off Instroke's advertising copy and attributes and claim them as their own. So you see things like, just as good as Instroke and so on... which is a complete lie. And this is what gets me the most. These jerkoffs LIE to the consumer in order to sell their junk and then are nowhere to be found when things go wrong.
I got windy anyway. The answer to your question of how the cases are in regards to price is this: If you get lucky and get on that never develops problems then the price was fantastic. If you get one that falls apart quickly as many of them do, then you overpaid. If your cue becomes scratched or damaged in some way by the faulty construction then you not only overpaid but you are likely screwed.
John
I got a Black Instroke Cowboy 2x4 Case from a very nice gentleman at the 2002 U.S.Open and really love it!
Brady
Brady
I
instroke
Guest
"Well I can see your point John. Could you take one of those knock-off cases , make it better and fix all the loose ends and make it a halfway decent case?"
Yes, I can. I do it regularly. I used to be asked to repair Instroke knockoffs at the BCA/VNEA tournaments and I always would fix whatever I could while showing the owner exactly what their case was made of. In a few instances they elected to purchase an Instroke case rather than put their cues back into the knockoff.
Now I have a business that specializes in cue case repair. One of the things I offer is upgrades. An upgrade consists of doing whatever I can to improve the original case, including a new interior, better latches and anything else that is deficient. The downside is that these services can add up and may be more than the original case is worth. I'll always be happy to quote prices on request.
John
Yes, I can. I do it regularly. I used to be asked to repair Instroke knockoffs at the BCA/VNEA tournaments and I always would fix whatever I could while showing the owner exactly what their case was made of. In a few instances they elected to purchase an Instroke case rather than put their cues back into the knockoff.
Now I have a business that specializes in cue case repair. One of the things I offer is upgrades. An upgrade consists of doing whatever I can to improve the original case, including a new interior, better latches and anything else that is deficient. The downside is that these services can add up and may be more than the original case is worth. I'll always be happy to quote prices on request.
John
I have a j&j 3x6 and an instroke 3x7.
the instroke is FAR superior to the j&j.
I noticed that the j&j has no padding or support in the bottom
so when u set the case down, the only thing stopping ur cues
from banging on the floor is a thin piece of leather.
I paid 80 for the j&j and 140 for the instroke.....wish I had just spent the xtra$$ in the 1st place as the instroke is(hope,hope)
the last case I will ever buy.
the j&j just sits on a shelf.....
David
the instroke is FAR superior to the j&j.
I noticed that the j&j has no padding or support in the bottom
so when u set the case down, the only thing stopping ur cues
from banging on the floor is a thin piece of leather.
I paid 80 for the j&j and 140 for the instroke.....wish I had just spent the xtra$$ in the 1st place as the instroke is(hope,hope)
the last case I will ever buy.
the j&j just sits on a shelf.....
David