bender vs. omega dpk

[bruin70]

bender vs. omega dpk question

to all you very astute people,,,

how does a bender compare to the bender/dpk made omegas,,,,the ones with the scalloped butt, in terms of cue construction? same template,,different,,,shaft taper difference, etc etc?

is there such a thing as a dpk made omega and a bender made omega? and if so, when and how do the two diverge?

"i like the hit better" reasons need not apply unless you can tell me the characteristics of one hit over the other you like.

 

[ironchef.]

Bender's & Omega/dpk's share some of the same basic layouts. 5 point short splice construction and 3/8-14 stainless pins. Usually maple forearm's, occassionally ebony forearms and some exotic wood forearms for the Omegas. Bender is currently working with more exotic woods now.

Current Bender's have a slimmer butt construction than Omega/dpk's with the lipped butt-cap. The majority of Omega/dpk's were made by Bender with input from Kersenbrock. There are a few Omega's out there that were made or worked on by DPK. Evidence of this is inlay work in the style of DPK.

Bender's tend to hit stiffer than Omega/dpk because of the different shaft taper that Bender currently uses and he offers a couple of different tapers for players to choose from. Construction wise, Bender is at his best right now. Points are even & razor sharp and inlay work is very intricate & clean on his fancy cues.

Certain Omega/dpk's have clean construction lines, but you can tell that Bender was still experimenting and learning at the same time. You will see uneven point work most often ala the "Ugly Stick".

Interesting collectors note is when Mike Bender left Omega to do his own thing in Alaska, his younger brother Matt Bender took over his place. Bender has stated that after he left, most Omegas were made without the lip on the butt-cap. Additionally, some early model Omega/dpks were also made without the lip in the butt-cap as well.

Milt, your more than welcome to check out some of my Omegas anytime. I no longer have my Bender, but do have a couple on order.

PS: My personal opinion is both Bender's and Omega/dpks are very good hitting cues. Again, the Bender's I've hit with tend to be stiffer compared to Omega's that I've hit with. Of all the Omega's I've shot with, the one with the "best hit" is an early model one I have and the shafts have original ivory ferrules which are rare.

 

[pharaoh68]

I've hit with several Benders and several DPKs and I will say this. Not long ago, I sold a fancy, 10 point Bender to a fellow AZ'er. It had a curly purpleheart forearm with ebony high points and ivory low points. I also listed aa plane jane cocobolo Bender. These were two of the best hitting cues I have ever played with. THey played better than the DPKs I've hit with but, again, Ricky knows a helluva lot more about DPKs and Benders than I do.

 

[ironchef.]

I'm hoping Erik Lee chimes in with some input. If anyone knows about Omega/dpk's and Bender, it would be Erik.

 

[bruin70]

that's about as thorough and precise an answer as i could ever expect, r .

i've hit with two omegas and they were beautifully clean hits. i've hit with two benders, and one i did not like. i think it was an aberration. it was VERY whippy and i was surprised(i like stiffer hits). it was an oddly converted titleist that narrowed at the joint...almost like bender was stuck with a narrow jointed titleist, and he had to "fatten" his shaft quickly to what he liked,,,,so the cue took an odd shape.the other was an excellent hit.

i was told omegas had no metal other than the joint pin. is this true and are the benders the same?

 

[ironchef.]

Milt,

Some Omegas and Benders have silver/nickel ringwork and inlays. Additionally, some Omegas that have passed through my hands have weight bolts installed with an Allen key head.

 

[cuenut]

I've 2 Omegas and several Benders. Ricky's post is very accurate, but the latest Omega that I owned was very stiff hitting. I think this was partly because the shafts had inserts in them (I believe they were Phenolic). Correct me here if I am wrong guys. Tapers were different, but both are really good hitting cues. If you had one of each to pick for the same money, I'd go with the Omega, as it is currently much more desirable. Benders seem to drop initially in value a few $100, but seem to be steady movers in the $1200-1500 range for a 5 pointer. A comparable Omega is about $1800-2200.

 

[bruin70]

R,,,,i pm'd you.

 

[ironchef.]

Scott,

You are correct. Some Omegas do have inserts in the shafts. Kinda brownish red phenolic or some material. And yes some Omegas hit really stiff as well. If you have pics of your Omegas and Benders, please email or PM them to me. I'd love to take a look. Thanks!

Ricky
chef_iron@hotmail.com

 

[dooziexx]

Bender's tend to hit stiffer than Omega/dpk

Ricky,
Most of the Omegas that I owned hit really stiff. Much stiffer than a Bender. And these are cues that Bender made while he was at Omega before DPK join the company. The newer ones are iffy.. Some hit better than others. As we all know, the way the cue hits is totally subjective.
-Erik

 

[dooziexx]

I've 2 Omegas and several Benders. Ricky's post is very accurate, but the latest Omega that I owned was very stiff hitting. I think this was partly because the shafts had inserts in them (I believe they were Phenolic). Correct me here if I am wrong guys. Tapers were different, but both are really good hitting cues. If you had one of each to pick for the same money, I'd go with the Omega, as it is currently much more desirable. Benders seem to drop initially in value a few $100, but seem to be steady movers in the $1200-1500 range for a 5 pointer. A comparable Omega is about $1800-2200.

I believe most of the early Omegas have the brown phenolic shaft inserts. I currently own 4 cues that Mike Bender made for himself and for his other brother Mark while he was at Omega, and all 4 have the shaft inserts as well.

 

[dooziexx]

Omega/dpk Ringwork

Yes Ricky provided a very concise and thorough post. I believe you when you say that some benders hit better than others. Not just the titlist but
his regular cues. Most omegas have no other metal other than the joint pin. There are a few that due. The 'Szambushka' has silver ring work. Also
the last few batches of Omegas had a different ringwork than what Omega is known to have.
Here are some examples of the different ring work that Omega made:
Ring Work #1:
Crown style rings (some call them Piano key rings) at A,B & E. This could be either wood or ivory. Slotted woodend or ivory blocks at C & D.

Ring Work #2:
Slotted woodend or ivory blocks at A,B,C,D & E.

Ring Work #3 'Szambushka':
I know of 3 cues that are of this design with different veneer colors. Called Szambushka for Szamboti-like colored veneers and Balabushka-like ringwork. Ebony/Ivory/Silver rings at C & D. At A, B & E, slotted Ivory blocks with tiny inlaid veneers matching the veneer colors of the forearm separating each block, all sandwich between 2 silver rings. You can view a better pic of the ringwork on my site, www.erikleecues.com, under Cue Collection / Omega/dpk. Look for the Szambushka cue.

Ring Work #4:
This cue has an additional ivory ring right under the joint collar. This actual cue was called the 'Incardona Cue'. It was used by Billy Incardona back in the late 80s or early 90s when he was an Omega Player Rep.

Ring Work #5:
In the last few batches cues that Omega made, Matt Bender used the faceted silver rings much like that of Cognoscenti and Ed Young ringwork style.

These are just a few of the most common type of omega ring work you will find. Hope that helps.

 

[ironchef.]

Great post Erik. Lots of info. I should also point out as a sort of unprecise dating tool that Omegas are made with 3/8-14 pins of different designs. An early model usually has a straight through flat top pin head. Middle of the line production had beveled shaped pin heads. Late models had either beveled or rounded pin heads. Obviously, please take this with a grain of salt. This is from my own personal observations.

There are also special circumstances to the above info. Some pin heads had the Omega symbol stamped on the top. Erik has an Omega example with a titanium pin that has Bender's name engraved, a predecessor to Bender's now trademark pins with his name on them.

 

[Hidy Ho]

I'm clearing imcomplete in my Omega/DPK collection ... sigh ...

Thanks for the info Erik and Ricky.

 

[dooziexx]

Erik has an Omega example with a titanium pin that has Bender's name engraved, a predecessor to Bender's now trademark pins with his name on them.
QUOTE]

Thats the rosewood on rosewood with a Kangaroo wrap on it.. That was one of Mike Bender's personal playing cues. He changed the pin on that cue to a titanium pin after he left omega to make his own cues. It has his typical engraving on the pin like the rest of his cues. Probably the stiffest Omega I ever hit with....

 

[ironchef.]

Thats the rosewood on rosewood with a Kangaroo wrap on it.. That was one of Mike Bender's personal playing cues. He changed the pin on that cue to a titanium pin after he left omega to make his own cues. It has his typical engraving on the pin like the rest of his cues. Probably the stiffest Omega I ever hit with....

I will have that cue one day....oh yes I will.....

 

[andyho1984]

Hi, what is the pin size name call for the most left side cue butt? The flat headed joint pin.

Great post Erik. Lots of info. I should also point out as a sort of unprecise dating tool that Omegas are made with 3/8-14 pins of different designs. An early model usually has a straight through flat top pin head. Middle of the line production had beveled shaped pin heads. Late models had either beveled or rounded pin heads. Obviously, please take this with a grain of salt. This is from my own personal observations.

There are also special circumstances to the above info. Some pin heads had the Omega symbol stamped on the top. Erik has an Omega example with a titanium pin that has Bender's name engraved, a predecessor to Bender's now trademark pins with his name on them.