BCM review

crawdaddio

Used and registered
Silver Member
First of all I will state that I do not intend to badmouth Mr. Mordt in any way. He is one of the nicest guys on the phone and through email,
and he absolutely stands behind his work. I have debated posting this for a few months and something happened recently that has prompted me
to finally write this down.

That being said, here's the story.
I bought a brand new BCM cue from someone here (a cue dealer) on AZ. It was a beautiful cue with Thuya burl points into BEM at a fair price.
Deal was made, cue was shipped. I received the cue and inspected it. Very nicely executed point and finish work. The cue hit very nicely,
not too soft, not too stiff. The problem was the cue had a wobble. I located it by rolling the cue on four separate pool tables, it was in the butt.
In the forearm, when rolled, the cue lifted off the table AT LEAST 1/16th of an inch. This made the cue wobble like crazy when put together.
If I were buying a cheap used cue, this wouldnt bother me so much, but this was a very expensive purchase for me. I called Bryan and told him
about my concern. On the phone he INSISTED that I send the cue back, I kind of wanted to keep it anyway because it played nicely and looked fantastic.
But at his insistence that I have a cue that was perfect for me, I sent it back.

A week later he emails saying that yes the butt is warped and he will make me a cue of my design. So we agree on a design, and he gets to work.
Now the reason I bought this one was, in part, because I didn't want to have to wait for one, but oh well, I'm a patient guy. Four months later,
I get my new cue. Again, the cue is visually stunning, but the points weren't straight, I think he rushed it. First thing I check is the straightness.
Yup--the butt is not straight.
This one is even worse. I call Bryan and he agrees to take the cue back and offers to either: refund my money, or send me a cue that he has just finished.
So I say send out the cue, if I like it, it will be fine. I get the cue, and again the butt is warped.

I call Bryan and ask for a refund, which he promptly agrees to, says he'll send a check out next week. Two months and several emails later, I
finally recieve a check. Six months I had quite a bit of money tied up in this deal.

I understand that the cuemaking business is a hard one, and I don't blame him for not having the funds available to send until he sold a few more
cues. It was just frustrating as a buyer. I needed that money to buy a different cue, and had to wait.

Now am I the only guy that happened to get the only three warped cues he has ever built? Possibly. I think more likely it happens alot and people don't
notice or care. I don't want him to lose business because of this post, I only intend to inform buyers. I wish I had read a review like this before
deciding to buy.

Thanks for reading and take it with a grain of salt.........

Peace,
~DC
 
crawdaddio said:
First of all I will state that I do not intend to badmouth Mr. Mordt in any way. He is one of the nicest guys on the phone and through email,
and he absolutely stands behind his work. I have debated posting this for a few months and something happened recently that has prompted me
to finally write this down.

That being said, here's the story.
I bought a brand new BCM cue from someone here (a cue dealer) on AZ. It was a beautiful cue with Thuya burl points into BEM at a fair price.
Deal was made, cue was shipped. I received the cue and inspected it. Very nicely executed point and finish work. The cue hit very nicely,
not too soft, not too stiff. The problem was the cue had a wobble. I located it by rolling the cue on four separate pool tables, it was in the butt.
In the forearm, when rolled, the cue lifted off the table AT LEAST 1/16th of an inch. This made the cue wobble like crazy when put together.
If I were buying a cheap used cue, this wouldnt bother me so much, but this was a very expensive purchase for me. I called Bryan and told him
about my concern. On the phone he INSISTED that I send the cue back, I kind of wanted to keep it anyway because it played nicely and looked fantastic.
But at his insistence that I have a cue that was perfect for me, I sent it back.

A week later he emails saying that yes the butt is warped and he will make me a cue of my design. So we agree on a design, and he gets to work.
Now the reason I bought this one was, in part, because I didn't want to have to wait for one, but oh well, I'm a patient guy. Four months later,
I get my new cue. Again, the cue is visually stunning, but the points weren't straight, I think he rushed it. First thing I check is the straightness.
Yup--the butt is not straight.
This one is even worse. I call Bryan and he agrees to take the cue back and offers to either: refund my money, or send me a cue that he has just finished.
So I say send out the cue, if I like it, it will be fine. I get the cue, and again the butt is warped.

I call Bryan and ask for a refund, which he promptly agrees to, says he'll send a check out next week. Two months and several emails later, I
finally recieve a check. Six months I had quite a bit of money tied up in this deal.

I understand that the cuemaking business is a hard one, and I don't blame him for not having the funds available to send until he sold a few more
cues. It was just frustrating as a buyer. I needed that money to buy a different cue, and had to wait.

Now am I the only guy that happened to get the only three warped cues he has ever built? Possibly. I think more likely it happens alot and people don't
notice or care. I don't want him to lose business because of this post, I only intend to inform buyers. I wish I had read a review like this before
deciding to buy.

Thanks for reading and take it with a grain of salt.........

Peace,
~DC

I'm not sure why you just didn't get a refund from the AZ seller.

If your story is true - and I think it is - then this is helpful internet info. Best case scenario is that your post prompts BCM to take a few extra steps in the building process and no-one loses.
 
Fat Ivory said:
I'm not sure why you just didn't get a refund from the AZ seller.

If your story is true - and I think it is - then this is helpful internet info. Best case scenario is that your post prompts BCM to take a few extra steps in the building process and no-one loses.

I called him first, and he just gave me Bryan's phone#.

The story is true, and this is what I'm hoping for.

Thanks,
~DC
 
Don't think the post hurts BCM any really. Sounds like he is trying to stand behind his cues. Refund could have been quicker, but you did get it in the end.

And think information like this just helps the buying public as well.
 
That is very interesting. I've seen some really really nice BCM cues, but I doubt that I'll ever purchase one now.
 
I absolutley love my BCM. When I got it it had a few dings, so I broght it Bryan to be refinished, a new wrap, re condition both shafts and put a new ivory farule on and he charged a very reasonable price and had a 4 day turn around time. I'm very impressed with his work. I would defineitly go back to him to have a cue made. His cues are very pleasing to the eye and the hit is unmatched. If you read this Bryan... I give you two thumbs up on the job you did for me.

Drew

crawdaddio said:
First of all I will state that I do not intend to badmouth Mr. Mordt in any way. He is one of the nicest guys on the phone and through email,
and he absolutely stands behind his work. I have debated posting this for a few months and something happened recently that has prompted me
to finally write this down.

That being said, here's the story.
I bought a brand new BCM cue from someone here (a cue dealer) on AZ. It was a beautiful cue with Thuya burl points into BEM at a fair price.
Deal was made, cue was shipped. I received the cue and inspected it. Very nicely executed point and finish work. The cue hit very nicely,
not too soft, not too stiff. The problem was the cue had a wobble. I located it by rolling the cue on four separate pool tables, it was in the butt.
In the forearm, when rolled, the cue lifted off the table AT LEAST 1/16th of an inch. This made the cue wobble like crazy when put together.
If I were buying a cheap used cue, this wouldnt bother me so much, but this was a very expensive purchase for me. I called Bryan and told him
about my concern. On the phone he INSISTED that I send the cue back, I kind of wanted to keep it anyway because it played nicely and looked fantastic.
But at his insistence that I have a cue that was perfect for me, I sent it back.

A week later he emails saying that yes the butt is warped and he will make me a cue of my design. So we agree on a design, and he gets to work.
Now the reason I bought this one was, in part, because I didn't want to have to wait for one, but oh well, I'm a patient guy. Four months later,
I get my new cue. Again, the cue is visually stunning, but the points weren't straight, I think he rushed it. First thing I check is the straightness.
Yup--the butt is not straight.
This one is even worse. I call Bryan and he agrees to take the cue back and offers to either: refund my money, or send me a cue that he has just finished.
So I say send out the cue, if I like it, it will be fine. I get the cue, and again the butt is warped.

I call Bryan and ask for a refund, which he promptly agrees to, says he'll send a check out next week. Two months and several emails later, I
finally recieve a check. Six months I had quite a bit of money tied up in this deal.

I understand that the cuemaking business is a hard one, and I don't blame him for not having the funds available to send until he sold a few more
cues. It was just frustrating as a buyer. I needed that money to buy a different cue, and had to wait.

Now am I the only guy that happened to get the only three warped cues he has ever built? Possibly. I think more likely it happens alot and people don't
notice or care. I don't want him to lose business because of this post, I only intend to inform buyers. I wish I had read a review like this before
deciding to buy.

Thanks for reading and take it with a grain of salt.........

Peace,
~DC
 
Hal,

Don't let one person's experience dissuade you from buying Bryan's cues. I own several and haven't ever had a bit of problem with them. He makes a quality cue at a very reasonable price. I don't know anyone that does shafts like he does, and his finish is absolutely awesome.

Sometimes in any industry, a problem arises. I don't know why, but it seems like "when it rains, it pours" with certain customers. The harder you try to please them, the worse things just seem to get. It generally isn't through fault on either side, other than as previously mentioned, sometimes you rush things to get a new cue out to them, and mistakes get made in the process. Usually this happens to a customer that I have had a great relationship with, or personally like, and of all the people to have bad things happen to, you wish it wouldn't be them!

The main test of someone's business ethics, in my opinion, is whether or not they're willing to stand good on their product until the customer is satisfied. Bryan has gone to great lengths to satisfy me in the past, and it sounds like he made every effort to rectify the situation with Crawdaddio. Sometimes cuemakers don't have the same time frame the rest of us have, which can be pretty frustrating. I've been waiting for a cue for over three years from one of my favorite makers, and that's just his time frame. I kinda rushed him to make a matching pair of cues for me once, and one of them ended up warping. He ended up throwing it out! Since then, I just learned I have to be more patient. I'm currently on Dennis Searing's list, and as much as I would like the cue tomorrow, it's just not going to happen that way! I just know that when it's my turn, I'm going to get an awesome cue...

I know Bryan is getting his new shop situated right now. He might have a little problem with a lathe, or something, but if so, I'm sure it will get straightened out. He seems to be a very meticulous individual. Arizona has also had some really nasty weather this summer. We usually hear that it's not bad being in the 115+ degree weather here, because it's at least a "dry heat". That hasn't been the case this year. It's been 115+ with nasty humidity. Just a couple of possibilities... Anyways, I'm sure this is an isolated incident, so from a guy that's had lots of dealings with Bryan, don't let this keep you from trying out his work!

Regards,

Steve
 
Sure you think hes okay

I own one of Bryan's cues and I just love it.Never had a problem with it and i would buy another one from him without thinking twice.
I wonder why after all he did to make it up to you to still post your experience.
It has to be some sort of payback because of the waiting time.If he wasn't reputable he would of told you to take a walk.Instead of being happy he made good you come on here and bad mouth him.Yeah we all heard you say what a nice guy and all that but you still made your business public and that could only hurt his reputation even though he made it right by you.
 
bobroberts said:
I own one of Bryan's cues and I just love it.Never had a problem with it and i would buy another one from him without thinking twice.
I wonder why after all he did to make it up to you to still post your experience.
It has to be some sort of payback because of the waiting time.If he wasn't reputable he would of told you to take a walk.Instead of being happy he made good you come on here and bad mouth him.Yeah we all heard you say what a nice guy and all that but you still made your business public and that could only hurt his reputation even though he made it right by you.

JUST MY 2 CENTS,
I'M GLAD TO KNOW THAT A CUEMAKER SOLD THREE WARPED CUES.(I DON'T CARE HOW HE TRIED TO MAKE UP FOR IT) IF HE'LL DO THAT HE DOESN'T NEED MY MONEY. I DON'T SEE THIS POST AS PAYBACK, HE WAS JUST LETTING EVERYONE ELSE KNOW OF HIS EXPERIENCE. IT'S NICE TO KNOW THAT THE MAKER TOOK SOME EFFORT TO RESOLVE IT, BUT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEM AT ALL IF HE DIDN'T SHIP WARPED CUES. I APPRECIATE THE KNOWLEDGE. I HEARD ANOTHER BAD STORY ABOUT BCM LAST WEEK, 2 BAD STORIES IN A WEEK IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO MAKE UP MY MIND. MAYBE THE GENTLEMAN,THAT TOLD ME THE OTHER STORY WILL SHARE HIS ONCE HE READS THIS POST.
 
bobroberts said:
I own one of Bryan's cues and I just love it.Never had a problem with it and i would buy another one from him without thinking twice.
I wonder why after all he did to make it up to you to still post your experience.

I did not post this for revenge or payback in any way. I, as a cue buyer, would like to know things like this before deciding to buy. I posted this for common knowledge.

It has to be some sort of payback because of the waiting time.


No, it is not. This all happened last year and the beginning of this year. I thought alot about this before deciding to post it. I do NOT intend to harm his business or reputation. I just thought people (like myself) would like this information. I highly doubt that one little post on a forum is going to drive him out of business.


If he wasn't reputable he would of told you to take a walk.Instead of being happy he made good you come on here and bad mouth him.

It is not badmouthing him. These are the facts, plain and simple.

Yeah we all heard you say what a nice guy and all that but you still made your business public and that could only hurt his reputation even though he made it right by you.

Take it however you like.........

Peace,
~DC
 
Hal said:
That is very interesting. I've seen some really really nice BCM cues, but I doubt that I'll ever purchase one now.
Having owned and played Bryan's cues, this would be a mistake, in my opinion.
 
Hunter said:
Hal,

Don't let one person's experience dissuade you from buying Bryan's cues. I own several and haven't ever had a bit of problem with them. He makes a quality cue at a very reasonable price. I don't know anyone that does shafts like he does, and his finish is absolutely awesome.

Sometimes in any industry, a problem arises. I don't know why, but it seems like "when it rains, it pours" with certain customers. The harder you try to please them, the worse things just seem to get. It generally isn't through fault on either side, other than as previously mentioned, sometimes you rush things to get a new cue out to them, and mistakes get made in the process. Usually this happens to a customer that I have had a great relationship with, or personally like, and of all the people to have bad things happen to, you wish it wouldn't be them!

The main test of someone's business ethics, in my opinion, is whether or not they're willing to stand good on their product until the customer is satisfied. Bryan has gone to great lengths to satisfy me in the past, and it sounds like he made every effort to rectify the situation with Crawdaddio. Sometimes cuemakers don't have the same time frame the rest of us have, which can be pretty frustrating. I've been waiting for a cue for over three years from one of my favorite makers, and that's just his time frame. I kinda rushed him to make a matching pair of cues for me once, and one of them ended up warping. He ended up throwing it out! Since then, I just learned I have to be more patient. I'm currently on Dennis Searing's list, and as much as I would like the cue tomorrow, it's just not going to happen that way! I just know that when it's my turn, I'm going to get an awesome cue...

I know Bryan is getting his new shop situated right now. He might have a little problem with a lathe, or something, but if so, I'm sure it will get straightened out. He seems to be a very meticulous individual. Arizona has also had some really nasty weather this summer. We usually hear that it's not bad being in the 115+ degree weather here, because it's at least a "dry heat". That hasn't been the case this year. It's been 115+ with nasty humidity. Just a couple of possibilities... Anyways, I'm sure this is an isolated incident, so from a guy that's had lots of dealings with Bryan, don't let this keep you from trying out his work!

Regards,

Steve
Tap, tap, tap

Great post Steve.

EVERYONE . . . read this before you pass judgement. "Walk a mile in their shoes" before you pass judgement. Bryan tried every avenue to make your cue right. You did NOT come out on the short end of this situation.

(edit) JEEZ. How many times can I say "pass judgement" in one post??? :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
FAST_N_LOOSE said:
JUST MY 2 CENTS,
I'M GLAD TO KNOW THAT A CUEMAKER SOLD THREE WARPED CUES.(I DON'T CARE HOW HE TRIED TO MAKE UP FOR IT) IF HE'LL DO THAT HE DOESN'T NEED MY MONEY. I DON'T SEE THIS POST AS PAYBACK, HE WAS JUST LETTING EVERYONE ELSE KNOW OF HIS EXPERIENCE. IT'S NICE TO KNOW THAT THE MAKER TOOK SOME EFFORT TO RESOLVE IT, BUT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEM AT ALL IF HE DIDN'T SHIP WARPED CUES. I APPRECIATE THE KNOWLEDGE. I HEARD ANOTHER BAD STORY ABOUT BCM LAST WEEK, 2 BAD STORIES IN A WEEK IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO MAKE UP MY MIND. MAYBE THE GENTLEMAN,THAT TOLD ME THE OTHER STORY WILL SHARE HIS ONCE HE READS THIS POST.
BINGO!!
I have had a alot of cues from many cuemakers as marcus will tell you and I could see one warped cue but to get 3 in a row,well,LOL to all those who own them. BCM should have been dam sure the next one wasnt warped when he shipped it and then a 3rd,I would have hit the roof! Out of about 200 cues I have had 2 warped butts.
 
Right on the number ScottR!

Mr. Mordt did everything he could to please his customer. Sometimes wood warps; One of the best hitting cues of all time (my old Zylr valley sneaky) was warped, and that is not to say that Kerry Zeiler is a bad cuemaker. Show me the best cuemaker, and I'll show you a warped cue.
Crawdaddio, you definitely could have come out in a far worse position.

Moving along, Mr. Mordt DOES make an excellent cue. He has the best finish in the business, uses the finest woods, and uses very aesthetically pleasing designs. But most importantly, his cues hit awesome!

Any potential buyers, please do not pass up purchasing a BCM simply on the grounds of one person's complaint. It seems like the only time people voice their opinion, especially in our society, is when they have a problem.

-ShaneS

ScottR said:
Tap, tap, tap

Great post Steve.

EVERYONE . . . read this before you pass judgement. "Walk a mile in their shoes" before you pass judgement. Bryan tried every avenue to make your cue right. You did NOT come out on the short end of this situation.

(edit) JEEZ. How many times can I say "pass judgement" in one post??? :rolleyes:
 
According to the Blue Book...

Crawdaddio is more warped than any 3 BCM cues.

Like a 9 ball player who plays bad shape, you are out-of-line and kicking at balls. In this case, BCM's balls.

May I recommend an enema instead of pool?
 
not the point

ShaneS said:
Right on the number ScottR!

Mr. Mordt did everything he could to please his customer. Sometimes wood warps; One of the best hitting cues of all time (my old Zylr valley sneaky) was warped, and that is not to say that Kerry Zeiler is a bad cuemaker. Show me the best cuemaker, and I'll show you a warped cue.


this is not the point.
the point is bcm knowingly shipped a warped cue. (3x)
i know cues warp....it happens to the best of them. but it doesn't warp during the 3 days of shipping the cue to you.

dayton had a problem years ago with his lathe and putting pins in straight.
he HAS corrected the problem.
hopefully BCM figures out the problem before his name gets hurt.
i've owned his product before....the hit was good and the finish was outstanding.

chris
 
FAST_N_LOOSE said:
JUST MY 2 CENTS,
I'M GLAD TO KNOW THAT A CUEMAKER SOLD THREE WARPED CUES.(I DON'T CARE HOW HE TRIED TO MAKE UP FOR IT) IF HE'LL DO THAT HE DOESN'T NEED MY MONEY. I DON'T SEE THIS POST AS PAYBACK, HE WAS JUST LETTING EVERYONE ELSE KNOW OF HIS EXPERIENCE. IT'S NICE TO KNOW THAT THE MAKER TOOK SOME EFFORT TO RESOLVE IT, BUT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEM AT ALL IF HE DIDN'T SHIP WARPED CUES. I APPRECIATE THE KNOWLEDGE. I HEARD ANOTHER BAD STORY ABOUT BCM LAST WEEK, 2 BAD STORIES IN A WEEK IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO MAKE UP MY MIND. MAYBE THE GENTLEMAN,THAT TOLD ME THE OTHER STORY WILL SHARE HIS ONCE HE READS THIS POST.

According to the Blue Book..

Man with name "Fast 'n Loose" needs to add fiber to diet.
 
bogey54311 said:
ShaneS said:
this is not the point.
the point is bcm knowingly shipped a warped cue. (3x)
i know cues warp....it happens to the best of them. but it doesn't warp during the 3 days of shipping the cue to you.

chris

Maybe table was warped, so there.
 
My opinion

crawdaddio said:
First of all I will state that I do not intend to badmouth Mr. Mordt in any way. He is one of the nicest guys on the phone and through email,
and he absolutely stands behind his work. I have debated posting this for a few months and something happened recently that has prompted me
to finally write this down.

That being said, here's the story.
I bought a brand new BCM cue from someone here (a cue dealer) on AZ. It was a beautiful cue with Thuya burl points into BEM at a fair price.
Deal was made, cue was shipped. I received the cue and inspected it. Very nicely executed point and finish work. The cue hit very nicely,
not too soft, not too stiff. The problem was the cue had a wobble. I located it by rolling the cue on four separate pool tables, it was in the butt.
In the forearm, when rolled, the cue lifted off the table AT LEAST 1/16th of an inch. This made the cue wobble like crazy when put together.
If I were buying a cheap used cue, this wouldnt bother me so much, but this was a very expensive purchase for me. I called Bryan and told him
about my concern. On the phone he INSISTED that I send the cue back, I kind of wanted to keep it anyway because it played nicely and looked fantastic.
But at his insistence that I have a cue that was perfect for me, I sent it back.

A week later he emails saying that yes the butt is warped and he will make me a cue of my design. So we agree on a design, and he gets to work.
Now the reason I bought this one was, in part, because I didn't want to have to wait for one, but oh well, I'm a patient guy. Four months later,
I get my new cue. Again, the cue is visually stunning, but the points weren't straight, I think he rushed it. First thing I check is the straightness.
Yup--the butt is not straight.
This one is even worse. I call Bryan and he agrees to take the cue back and offers to either: refund my money, or send me a cue that he has just finished.
So I say send out the cue, if I like it, it will be fine. I get the cue, and again the butt is warped.

I call Bryan and ask for a refund, which he promptly agrees to, says he'll send a check out next week. Two months and several emails later, I
finally recieve a check. Six months I had quite a bit of money tied up in this deal.

I understand that the cuemaking business is a hard one, and I don't blame him for not having the funds available to send until he sold a few more
cues. It was just frustrating as a buyer. I needed that money to buy a different cue, and had to wait.

Now am I the only guy that happened to get the only three warped cues he has ever built? Possibly. I think more likely it happens alot and people don't
notice or care. I don't want him to lose business because of this post, I only intend to inform buyers. I wish I had read a review like this before
deciding to buy.

Thanks for reading and take it with a grain of salt.........

Peace,
~DC
No cue maker should have to stand behind a cue that has been out of his shop for more than a month!bcm cues went over and above on this . warpage is somthing that usually happens do to shipping cue care or storage! I commend him for going as far as he did when it should have been the dealer that should of been refunding/replacing /giving you a rental until your cue is replaced ect!as long as you let him know within24 hrs of recieving the cue. we should do should do a topic on c ue shipping and recieving and acclimating to various climates.Iam not shure, but i believe bcm is in arizona
the second dryest area in the country.and ship it to a climate like fla. with alot of moisture in the air a cue is goin to move! So when recieving a cue take it out of the box and hang it from the ferruel and let it adjust to the climate for 24 hrs. also when you ship dont wrap it with bubble wrap and put rubberbands around all three peices or taping them tight together . it holds the wood in a position thet it cant naturaLLY move. and then it goes to many diff climates and atmospheres in planes and to the back of a hot truck right to your door!you cant expect it to stay perfect!! good luck guys
 
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