At What Price do You Consider a Cue Expensive

I bought a generic graphite, still dont know the brand name, but I like the way it plays and it suits me so I don't mind the fact that it's A) Graphite, and B) a non-brand name. Payed $100 for it. I thought I was crazy, but I have since played and gotten into it pretty heavy. Such a great game... anyway, I would like to have a nice mcdermott, the lowest one I've seen being $150 at a local retailer. That's a little much for me... I think the point at which I would consider it expensive is when I try to justify it ;)
 
I think anything over $350 is expensive, because that's about the price of a decent custom plain jane. You can pay a lot more for a plain jane, but there are plenty of good cuemakers selling them at that price. I paid about that for my plain jane Schuler, and it hits and looks great. That's not to say I won't eventually drop over $1,500 on a nice four pointer, but I'll know I'm buying a damn expensive cue -- not the most expensive, but still a luxury.
 
if it costs more than i can get ahold of in an hour,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,its expensive

1 Rizzo
I Gus
2 Barry
1 old joss e
 
About half a century ago, when I was just a kid,
I paid 15 bucks for a Willie Hoppe cue.
That was a lot of money then.
Still have it.
Worth about a grand now.
Shoulda bought 1000 of them,
I'd be a millionaire!

The last cue I bought was an X-Breaker jump/break,
and at 300 bucks, it seems cheap
for what it can do with such important shots.

I just bought a vintage cue on eBay for 700 bucks,
and that seemed about right for what it is,
compared with other vintage cues.

And now I'm drooling over a Predator LE-11,
but that seems expensive for what it is.

Like beauty, expensive is in the eyes of the beholder!
 
I think Expensive is a term that varies with each person, and depends on thier lifestyle.

I know several people who play with Schons that cost over 1000$, I ever seen a guy play with a Runde that cost 4000$.

Does one play better than the other? i dunno. Does a Schon that cost 500$ play any less than one that costs 1500$?

Alot is about looks these days, having a cue that is like WOW!!!

Now as someone asked, does a JossWest that costs 4500$ play better than a Schon for 500$? i dunno, never had a JossWest.

But the reason JossWest's go for so much, is when you hafta wait 7yrs for a cue, people will pay whatever is reasonable. Its Supply n Demand.

I am sure if Schons, had a 7yr wait, people would be paying big money for them too.

dave
 
Like some others said, it depends on lifestyle. I look at it as your buying a piece of art work. That painting has a price and thats what it sells for most of the time, because of the work and time that went into that piece. When I buy a cue over 5k, I look at the time and craftsmanship that went into the cue and what materials were used. It's an investment in art. Depending on the cue maker, his work will increase in value over time. So to me when I buy a cue, I say to myself, Is this cue worth the money, is it a good investment, will it increase in value over time. This applies to me as a collector and when I buy a cue. If you can afford it, buy it if it's worth it. IMO. :D
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - that is why beautiful women can charge so much. And some are tooooo pretty to go to jail.

I have a McDermott that I believe was made around 1990 with the Wolf design that I gave $400 for with a Porper case. I think it was a $200 cue.

Now I play with a Schon LTD that I gave $500 for and I like it a lot. Feels good, hits good, and looks good, and lately my game has seemed to have improved quite a bit. Because of the cue? Or because of my practice?

And I have a SouthWest that I gave $2500. It is nothing special. I really am not awed by it. I probably don't play as well with it as I do with my Schon. I bought it because I just happened to run across it.

The McDermott and the Schon have both paid for themselves in tournaments that I won money in so the cost there is meaningless.

The remarks I get about the Southwest are worth what I paid for it.

The most important thing about a cue is a good leather tip. After that it is all fluff and glitter. And it matters not what it cost. You pay for beauty, design, craftsmanship, and name. All that really matters is what one can afford to pay.

Jake
 
FastMikie said:
I just bought a vintage cue on eBay for 700 bucks,
and that seemed about right for what it is,
compared with other vintage cues.

!
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I did a google search for vintage pool cues and found several new ones all priced between $150 and $200. You may have discovered what makes a cue "expensive".
Steve
 
IMHO anything over $300.00 for a playing cue is expensive and over $500.00 is a luxury item.

That being said if someone earner their money honest and wants to play with a $5K stick God bless them, who am I to say anything bad about it.

The more expensive cues are more works of art that cues IMHO...not that this is bad.

LWW
 
It is not at all rare to see a $1000-$1200 cue these days in Canada (about $800-$1000 US). Here in Calgary you will get alot of people playing with cues in these ranges if you go to the master/pro level events. As such that level is kind of the standard, the lower end is still around $500+ for a pointless custom or a inlayed Predator.

A cue that actually gets noticed and seen as expensive will be in the $1500+ range in Calgary (about $1200+ US). One thing though, while we have a ton of cues in the $1000 range +- $200 we dont really go to the really high levels at all and the most expensive cues you will see are peaking out at about $3000 +- a few hundred. You wont see a $5000 cue in Calgary at all.

I imagine a question like this is very location specific. What a person in Tokyo see as an expensive cue is going to be different then what someone in LA sees as a expensive cue and those places are both going to differ greatly to what someone in Green Bay sees as an expensive cue.
 
Egg McDogit said:
I have 3 cues...2 of them cost $29.95 a piece...and the other one cost $130. I don't play good enough to have a schon or some nice cue.
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I do not see why your level of play would dictate what Cue you play with. I think it has more to do with how much money you wallet has in it.
 
price generalization breakdowns

If it is a new Playing Cue (not break, jump and/or so forth) and their retail pricing is fair, here is what I believe the price range generalizations are (all things created equal):

$0 to $200 = Lower End cues
$200 to $499 = Medium Grade cues
$500 to $799 = Medium to High Grade cues
$800 to $1999 = Higher End cues
$2000 and UP = Collector, Ornamental, and/or Exotic cues

Keep in mind, that these are just guidelines. I mean if a cue has lots of inlays and still poor shaft construction, it can throw this kind of curve off. Also if you have a solid construction cue with little inlays and a great shaft it may sell cheaper than it plays. (And of course cues gotten as a gift that used to cost bundles, are always a welcome invite to any collection. LOL)

It always comes down to how it hits and feels to you, period. Just keep in mind if you haven't played with a variety of cues from all those different levels, it is difficult for you to have a good frame of reference. So ask to hit cues if you someone will let you and start gaining some experience in this.

JMO
 
zeeder said:
I'd have to say that I think anything over $2000 is expensive, that being said, my main playing cue is the most expensive cue I have (with or without the joint protectors...lol).
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I'm with Zeeder here. Anything over 2K for a playing cue is to much for me.
 
Thanks for all the responses and all the the cliche's, but it seems as if very few are answering my original questions.

My question is at what price is a cue expensive to you?

And how much did you pay for your playing cue and how long have you had it?
 
TheBook said:
Thanks for all the responses and all the the cliche's, but it seems as if very few are answering my original questions.

My question is at what price is a cue expensive to you?

And how much did you pay for your playing cue and how long have you had it?
Click to expand...

I think you are looking for an objective answer to a question that can only be answered subjectively.

Look at it this way; the perception of how expensive something is hinges on wealth (or lack thereof) and desire for the object (or lack thereof).

I would love to drive a brand new BMW 760 but, I cannot afford it. So therefore, it is too expensive for me. To an individual who could easily afford a Maybach, the BMW 760 may be a fantastic bargain priced luxury car.The same thing applies to cues, pool tables, homes, and in deed to just about anything that can be bought or sold.

My sweetest playing, best looking cue, is a 16 point Murray Tucker cue, with ivory ferrules on both of it's two shafts, and a black leather wrap. It is a cue that I won in a raffle on ASP and for which I have been offered over 2K.

I did not pay for the cue (other than the raffle entries), which makes it my least expensive cue. Yet it is still my most expensive cue, because I could not bear to part with it, and it would cost me quite a nice chunk of change to have Murray make another one with similar attributes.

I hope this helps clear things up for you.
 
Samsara...expensive?

I paid $800 for my Samsara. I love it so much, that I don't think I could have paid too much for it. If a cue feels great, how can you say it is too expensive. If it plays or feels like crap, anything you pay, is too much.

If you bought a Ford Pinto, even if it can get you from A to B, it was too expensive. Does this analogy make sense?

Your question really can't be answered the way you have asked it, so try to take what others have advised and do your best with that info.

PS: My fiance told me to say it like this, "Some people see their cues as an investment, not a luxury." She's the WOMAN!
 
as is sit here and try to figure out what the most i've ever paid for a cue i realize it's nothing. besides the first couple a long time ago i havent spent a dime. the last 4 or 5 cues i have used i either one in a game or kind of bargained for instead of a debt. the current ltd schon i use has ebony and ivory in it and i've never seen another one like it. i got that one after i stuck a guy for around 500
 
Pretty accurate

Donovan said:
If it is a new Playing Cue (not break, jump and/or so forth) and their retail pricing is fair, here is what I believe the price range generalizations are (all things created equal):

$0 to $200 = Lower End cues
$200 to $499 = Medium Grade cues
$500 to $799 = Medium to High Grade cues
$800 to $1999 = Higher End cues
$2000 and UP = Collector, Ornamental, and/or Exotic cues

Keep in mind, that these are just guidelines. I mean if a cue has lots of inlays and still poor shaft construction, it can throw this kind of curve off. Also if you have a solid construction cue with little inlays and a great shaft it may sell cheaper than it plays. (And of course cues gotten as a gift that used to cost bundles, are always a welcome invite to any collection. LOL)

It always comes down to how it hits and feels to you, period. Just keep in mind if you haven't played with a variety of cues from all those different levels, it is difficult for you to have a good frame of reference. So ask to hit cues if you someone will let you and start gaining some experience in this.

JMO
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I pretty well agree with Donovan, although I might tweak a couple of
ranges just a little, but it is subjective, and just removing your current
financial picture from the equation, these seem pretty accurate to me.
I have seen plain 4 pointers go for $1800 that I would not give over
$800 for, I don't care who made it. To me, a 4 pointer is a standard
thing all cuemakers should be able to do, and I expect good quality.
Some of the cuemakers from yesteryear were good, but today, I think
good cuemakers have much more imagination and opportunity for designs
than those in the past, and some are darn good at it. And design and
looks are more important to the majority of players today.
 
TheBook said:
Thanks for all the responses and all the the cliche's, but it seems as if very few are answering my original questions.

My question is at what price is a cue expensive to you?
Click to expand...

over $150 is expensive. IMO. Oh hell, anything over $20 is expensive. That's a unit in Black Jack.


And how much did you pay for your playing cue and how long have you had it?
Click to expand...
~ $500. I've had it since... '04.
Fred
 
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