Average player cue recommendations?

[Reaboy]

Looking for recommendations for a decent cue in the $200-$400 range. I bought my older son an ebay era Dale Perry that seemed nicely made and played well for under $200.

We are low to average players at best. My youngest son has played the most and really likes the game. We have a McDermot and a JP that we purchased when we had our GC III built by King Cobra, but now he wants one of his own. I recommend quality of play over aesthetics but doesnt want a plain jain cue either.

I would love some suggestions of used or new that might make sense for him.

Thanks
Todd

 

[MitchAlsup]

Looking for recommendations for a decent cue in the $200-$400 range.

We are low to average players at best.

Find something your wallet can afford and your eye accepts.

For your first cue, nothing else matters.

It is going to take a beating while teaching you how to hold and move with a cue stick without damaging it. No amount of reading will do for you what you will do to it and regret every bump and dent.

 

[9Ballr]

Any straight cue will work just as fine as the expensive pretentious stuff.
Just find something from any of the major brand names and go to town.
Get used to it over the next few years learn to wield it and you’ll beat anyone out there.

 

[Reaboy]

Maybe I should have said he was a bit better than low/average - this kid is 19 and been playing since he was 8 or 9. He doesnt dent/drop/or smack cues on the table. He has used my McDermot since he was maybe 13 or his brothers Dale Perry so he is worth of something decent. I would gladly grab another DP if I could find him one for $200 but the ebay era ones seem to be going for 300-500 used now and I know there are better options.

 

[Saig0n]

Cuetec Avid will be the best bang for your buck in that price range. Can be had for $220ish. Maybe a nice Joss at the top of your price range. Tho both cues are a little "plain jane". They will shoot better than a lot of not plain jane cues out there.

 

[kling&allen]

Maybe I should have said he was a bit better than low/average - this kid is 19 and been playing since he was 8 or 9. He doesnt dent/drop/or smack cues on the table. He has used my McDermot since he was maybe 13 or his brothers Dale Perry so he is worth of something decent. I would gladly grab another DP if I could find him one for $200 but the ebay era ones seem to be going for 300-500 used now and I know there are better options.

I’d give him your McDermott if that’s what he has mostly played with. And then buy something for yourself.

 

[GoldCrown]

Get started with a cue where weight can be adjusted…
Shafts can turned down,
re-tapered or replaced. Take care of that first cue it will last forever.

 

[RT Ford]

Your son has been playing long enough to know what feels good in his hands. I've been playing 60 years. About 30 years ago, when I was installing tables for a Brunswick dealership, I grabbed a Brunswick cue off one of our display racks and hit a few balls with it. I loved it, bought it, and it's been my playing cue ever since. I happen to have a near mint Brunswick cue and a nice case that I'll sell you for $300.00 plus $30.00 shipping. It's 58 inches long and weighs about 19 ounces. It's straight as an arrow, smooth as silk, and it's just about the same size as the one I play with. If you don't want to buy it here, I could put it on Ebay, but I hate to do that because they take about 15% of the sale price plus shipping. Anyway, look at the photos and let me know.

 

[Bob Farr]

Maybe I should have said he was a bit better than low/average - this kid is 19 and been playing since he was 8 or 9. He doesnt dent/drop/or smack cues on the table. He has used my McDermot since he was maybe 13 or his brothers Dale Perry so he is worth of something decent. I would gladly grab another DP if I could find him one for $200 but the ebay era ones seem to be going for 300-500 used now and I know there are better options.

 

[RT Ford]

Looking for recommendations for a decent cue in the $200-$400 range. I bought my older son an ebay era Dale Perry that seemed nicely made and played well for under $200.

We are low to average players at best. My youngest son has played the most and really likes the game. We have a McDermot and a JP that we purchased when we had our GC III built by King Cobra, but now he wants one of his own. I recommend quality of play over aesthetics but doesnt want a plain jain cue either.

I would love some suggestions of used or new that might make sense for him.

Thanks
Todd

I posted a reply to you but I don't know if you were notified.

 

[iusedtoberich]

If he wants to try carbon fiber, JFlowers/Konlin on Amazon is about $300 for the whole cue. I had one and it was pretty nice. (I did return it because I was too used to the deflection of my Predator that I had been using for 20 years). The nice thing about Amazon is if he doesn't like it, its no strings attached to return it.

 

[Nullus]

Schmelke makes nice cues in that range.

 

[garczar]

Spend some more and get better cue. MEZZ has cues in the 500ish range which are super nice. You buy a 200ish cue and won't be long before you want to upgrade.

 

[Reaboy]

Thanks much for all the feedback. It looks like there are quite a few directions to go with a beginner cue. I am currently looking at a cue offered up on the forum here. If it works out I know my son will be happy with his B-Day present. I will keep the other offers and suggestions in mind (two other sons).

Thanks again
Todd

 

[Rusty in Montana]

Good Morning Todd ,
Another thought is buy him a gift card to a pool supply store and let him pick one out then it's a guarantee to be the right one ha ha yes I learned this the hard way with a grandson !

 

[hang-the-9]

Looking for recommendations for a decent cue in the $200-$400 range. I bought my older son an ebay era Dale Perry that seemed nicely made and played well for under $200.

We are low to average players at best. My youngest son has played the most and really likes the game. We have a McDermot and a JP that we purchased when we had our GC III built by King Cobra, but now he wants one of his own. I recommend quality of play over aesthetics but doesnt want a plain jain cue either.

I would love some suggestions of used or new that might make sense for him.

Thanks
Todd

Well if he likes that McDermott and JP that you have, get the same models for him. There are a hundred cues you can find for your price range, without actually trying them out, it's all just a guess as to what he will like over another.

 

[3kushn]

I assume there's no place close that has a wide selection of cues.

If you're serious/he's serious, plan a road trip over a weekend to a place that has a hundred or 2 hundred cues.
It'll be fun and possibly a learning experience.

Doing a spreadsheet on how many dings you get from this site, will only give you some minor clues.

There are NO! 2 Identical Looking Cues that play/feel the same, even though they look exactly identical!!

 

[lfigueroa]

Buy a cue you like the looks of, feels good in your hands, and that you like the sound of when you hit the ball.

I won a state championship with a $25 give-away cue.

Lou Figueroa

 

[Mustardeer]

At that price range get a cheap JOSS Butt (maybe $200), used z3 shaft (another 200), both 5/16x14, KO medium tip ( like $40 installed ). That’s his set up till 600 fargo.

 

[Rickhem]

I'm with the guy that suggested the gift card.
I worked in a mid/high end outdoor store for about 10 years part time. I worked in the fishing department, and we had a lot of very expensive fly-fishing gear. Around Christmas time, we'd always get people that wanted to buy their dad/grandfather/father-in-law/godson/whatever, a special gift for a present. Usually money wasn't a big deal up to a point. And it was always for someone "really into it". We'd almost always suggest a gift card and justify that by saying that for someone really involved in anything, will have a preference or an idea of what they want. Anything but that exact, specific thing, is not going to be what they wanted. We all have received these well intentioned gifts, and while they're appreciated in spirit, they're seldom used. So even if you can't go for the full value of what he wants, (and he may not be telling you what that is), it's a big head start for it.