Hey everyone,
I received my Audrick cue today and thought I should do a review for you guys.
I have to be honest, after winning it on Ebay I did some research here and found there were mixed reviews on the Audrick cues and it made me very nervous and I questioned my decision to purchase it. Some of you seemed to really like them and others, well, not so much. I was particularly concerned because some of you had mentioned that when you initially received your cue it was warped. Fortunately, mine came straight and I'm hoping it will stay that way.
Because I'm still new here I feel that I should qualify my experience so this review can be taken seriously. Before I quit playing about 5 years ago I was very involved in both playing and cue collecting for over 15 years. I have owned many, many high end cues from makers such as Mike Bender (2), Thomas Wayne (5), Phillippi, Scruggs, Josswest (3), Joe Porper, PFD, Samsara, Webb (3), Dishaw, Burton Spain, Schick (2), Omen, and Joe Gold.
As far as my experience as a player, when I stopped playing I was a high B low A level player. I started several 9 ball leagues at a local pool hall and was the house pro there for about 2 years.
Of all the cues I've owned, I would rate three specific ones as my favorites. My favorite being the last cue I owned before I quit. It was a Titlist conversion made by Thomas Wayne after he retired. As far as I know it was his last cue. It was designed to look much like a Hoppe complete with leather wrap and Ivory ring. It also had an Ivory joint. Second on the list of favorites was a 30 point (recut points) Bender that another cuemaker completely ruined by trying to install a leather wrap. He cut the groove way too deep and the wrap looked like crap. Needless to say I sold that cue shortly after at the SBE at Valley Forge and took a huge loss because of the hack job on the wrap. Rounding out my favorites was a Mike Webb. It had an Ebony forearm with six high/low curley maple points Southwest style. All three of those cues hit a ton.
Now on to the review of my new Audrick. Some of you are probably wondering why I went out and bought something like an Audrick when I had owned so many other high end cues from other makers. Well the answer is pretty simple really, my financial situation is not the same as it once was so I can't afford what I really wanted or so I thought.
I had originally intended to use the Audrick as my player until such time as I could afford something better. That all changed today after I unpacked the Audrick and got some playing time with it. All I can say is WOW! I am completely overwhelmed by this cue. Other than one small problem (more on that later), I absolutely love this cue. It hits as well if not better than anything I've ever owned. No need to check the date, it isn't April fool's day and I'm not being the least bit sarcastic. It also looks fantastic. The finish is perfect except for on one of the shafts. It looks as though it was packed for shipping before the finish was completely dry. It has some marks in it from the plastic wrap it came in. No worries as I have a very good friend who does cue repair so getting it fixed is no big deal. The points are razor sharp and are all even. The veneers are all very well executed, come together nicely at the point, and there is no excess glue anywhere to be found.
The woods used are all top quality. The joint pin is 3/8x10 and the joint is Ivory and measures .840". The Forearm is Gaboon Ebony with eight high/low points of Amboyna burl (high points) with Ivory Diamond inlays and Ivorine (low points). Each point has two veneers of BEM and Purple. The handle section is AAA Amboyna burl. The butt sleeve is also Ebony and has four large Ivory blocks with purple and BEM veneers overlayed with four Amboyna burl blocks with Ivory Diamonds and Purple and BEM veneers. It also has simple ringwork just before and after the handle and just above the butt cap.
As far as playability, it's effortless. Just think of where you want the cue ball to go and it's there. There's almost zero deflection with either of the two shafts. It has a nice solid feel and the hit is somewhat stiff.
It has great balance at about 19" from the butt plate and it feels great in your hand. It also drew a great deal of attention tonight when I was out trying it out for the first time. We have a charity tournament tomorrow and there were a lot of local players out tonight getting in some last minute practice while I was out. Several of them I have known for years came over to say hello and were blown away by the Audrick. It was funny because I have the reputation of usually owning very highend cues and they all just assumed that this was of the same caliber. I let a few of them take a few hits with it and they all thought it was fantastic just as I did. I asked several of the more knowledgable players what they thought it might sell for and all of them guessed between $2000 and $3000. It really looks and plays that good.
So in conclusion, I am completely shocked at how good this cue looks and plays. It's straight, has very nice balance, and hits fantastic. So much so that I am considering ordering up something custom made to my specs. I give it two thumbs up and highly recommend an Audrick to anyone looking for a cue that looks and plays as good as almost anything out there. IMHO Audrick cues are the best value for the money, period. Although, I reserve the right to withdraw that statement in the future if it falls apart.
Although they don't do this cue justice, here are a few pictures of it from the Ebay auction. I'll take some better ones in the next few days so you can really see the details.
I received my Audrick cue today and thought I should do a review for you guys.
I have to be honest, after winning it on Ebay I did some research here and found there were mixed reviews on the Audrick cues and it made me very nervous and I questioned my decision to purchase it. Some of you seemed to really like them and others, well, not so much. I was particularly concerned because some of you had mentioned that when you initially received your cue it was warped. Fortunately, mine came straight and I'm hoping it will stay that way.
Because I'm still new here I feel that I should qualify my experience so this review can be taken seriously. Before I quit playing about 5 years ago I was very involved in both playing and cue collecting for over 15 years. I have owned many, many high end cues from makers such as Mike Bender (2), Thomas Wayne (5), Phillippi, Scruggs, Josswest (3), Joe Porper, PFD, Samsara, Webb (3), Dishaw, Burton Spain, Schick (2), Omen, and Joe Gold.
As far as my experience as a player, when I stopped playing I was a high B low A level player. I started several 9 ball leagues at a local pool hall and was the house pro there for about 2 years.
Of all the cues I've owned, I would rate three specific ones as my favorites. My favorite being the last cue I owned before I quit. It was a Titlist conversion made by Thomas Wayne after he retired. As far as I know it was his last cue. It was designed to look much like a Hoppe complete with leather wrap and Ivory ring. It also had an Ivory joint. Second on the list of favorites was a 30 point (recut points) Bender that another cuemaker completely ruined by trying to install a leather wrap. He cut the groove way too deep and the wrap looked like crap. Needless to say I sold that cue shortly after at the SBE at Valley Forge and took a huge loss because of the hack job on the wrap. Rounding out my favorites was a Mike Webb. It had an Ebony forearm with six high/low curley maple points Southwest style. All three of those cues hit a ton.
Now on to the review of my new Audrick. Some of you are probably wondering why I went out and bought something like an Audrick when I had owned so many other high end cues from other makers. Well the answer is pretty simple really, my financial situation is not the same as it once was so I can't afford what I really wanted or so I thought.
I had originally intended to use the Audrick as my player until such time as I could afford something better. That all changed today after I unpacked the Audrick and got some playing time with it. All I can say is WOW! I am completely overwhelmed by this cue. Other than one small problem (more on that later), I absolutely love this cue. It hits as well if not better than anything I've ever owned. No need to check the date, it isn't April fool's day and I'm not being the least bit sarcastic. It also looks fantastic. The finish is perfect except for on one of the shafts. It looks as though it was packed for shipping before the finish was completely dry. It has some marks in it from the plastic wrap it came in. No worries as I have a very good friend who does cue repair so getting it fixed is no big deal. The points are razor sharp and are all even. The veneers are all very well executed, come together nicely at the point, and there is no excess glue anywhere to be found.
The woods used are all top quality. The joint pin is 3/8x10 and the joint is Ivory and measures .840". The Forearm is Gaboon Ebony with eight high/low points of Amboyna burl (high points) with Ivory Diamond inlays and Ivorine (low points). Each point has two veneers of BEM and Purple. The handle section is AAA Amboyna burl. The butt sleeve is also Ebony and has four large Ivory blocks with purple and BEM veneers overlayed with four Amboyna burl blocks with Ivory Diamonds and Purple and BEM veneers. It also has simple ringwork just before and after the handle and just above the butt cap.
As far as playability, it's effortless. Just think of where you want the cue ball to go and it's there. There's almost zero deflection with either of the two shafts. It has a nice solid feel and the hit is somewhat stiff.
It has great balance at about 19" from the butt plate and it feels great in your hand. It also drew a great deal of attention tonight when I was out trying it out for the first time. We have a charity tournament tomorrow and there were a lot of local players out tonight getting in some last minute practice while I was out. Several of them I have known for years came over to say hello and were blown away by the Audrick. It was funny because I have the reputation of usually owning very highend cues and they all just assumed that this was of the same caliber. I let a few of them take a few hits with it and they all thought it was fantastic just as I did. I asked several of the more knowledgable players what they thought it might sell for and all of them guessed between $2000 and $3000. It really looks and plays that good.
So in conclusion, I am completely shocked at how good this cue looks and plays. It's straight, has very nice balance, and hits fantastic. So much so that I am considering ordering up something custom made to my specs. I give it two thumbs up and highly recommend an Audrick to anyone looking for a cue that looks and plays as good as almost anything out there. IMHO Audrick cues are the best value for the money, period. Although, I reserve the right to withdraw that statement in the future if it falls apart.
Although they don't do this cue justice, here are a few pictures of it from the Ebay auction. I'll take some better ones in the next few days so you can really see the details.
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