Best Cue for a Beginner

Cuetec. They last forever. They are good shooters. Some have an adjustable weight system. They do not nick or warp. Buy it from a supplier that has a good return/exchange policy just in case you do not like it.
Just get started started...learn the game and have fun.
 
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Try a Players, Schmelke and don't forget to try the Wanted Section on here, ebay and your local Pawn Shops. I was browsing around the local pawn shops here and there were several Players in good shape for $25-$40. If you are going to use on-line retailers try Seyberts and Ozone I have ordered from both with no problems.
 
Here is my take on this, take one or two nights a week and go to your local pool room. Spend some time there getting to know people, watching them play, playing yourself, etc. Most rooms will house a few true gentleman. I am willing to bet you can pick up a better cue used from one of these guys for around 75-150 than you ever will new on a website. I've seen and bought a few pretty nice cues for half of what the were worth or less. The other benefit to going this route is you can hit some balls with the cues and see what feels best to you. I've played with cues that range from 50 dollar dufferins, to high end customs valued at thousands of dollars and can't find anything that plays as well as a Lambros sneaky Pete I bought 12 years ago for 225.00. I like the hit, feel, weight, and taper of this cue more than anything I've ever played with. Lastly, if you buy a decent used cue for let's say 125 bucks and in 5 years decide the games not for you chances are you will get your 125 back out of it. Now go buy an 80 dollar players cue and in 5 years you'll be lucky to get 25-40 bucks out of it. In my opinion anyway. You know the story.........you get what you pay for. Good luck! Also, if your deadset on a 75-80 dollar cue, my vote is also a cuetec.......if you can find one for that.
 
The 1st, real cue stick I bought (after getting tired of a cheap cue stick I bought from Sports Authority) was this McDermott cue stick a couple of years ago. And that's after asking for a suggestion from the guy at the billiards shop and shooting a couple of balls with it. Ever since then, I've shot with McDermott cues in terms of production cues. I'm not sure about those Lucky brand cues for McDermott as they didn't have those when I started with billiards.
 
A beginners cue? Not sure what qualifies a cue as a beginner.

If you are talking beginners as in lower quality (but still very good for the money) then stay with a players, action or similar brand. My personal opinion is that you should stay away from any cue that isn't 100% wood. (by this I mean the shaft )

If you are looking for a higher quality cue that will last you a long time then take others advice and play with every cue you can get your hands on, find out what cue fits your style. Things you will notice right away that you will like or not will be the weight, shaft diameter, and balance ( forward balance or not).

If someone was to ask you what features do you like in a cue and you say, uh I dunno, then you aren't ready to make a intelligent decision on what cue to buy that would benefit you as a player.

Take some time and do some research and for what its worth I did none of this when I was first starting out and ended up with several cues that I really wasn't happy with.
 
I think what cue you start off with just depends on your budget. One of my ex girlfriends bought me my first cue 12 years ago and it was as cuetech $125. Many will say that they suck, but it played like a dream compared to the house cues. The other thing was that it could take abuse like no other cur stick such as being left in the trunk of a car in Massachusetts year round and not warping etc.. I still use it to break since I haven't invested in a break cue yet. My point is that coming from no cue stick the investment should be minimal so that you have something decent while along the way you figure out what you like best.
 
deadnutz said:
Lastly, if you buy a decent used cue for let's say 125 bucks and in 5 years decide the games not for you chances are you will get your 125 back out of it. Now go buy an 80 dollar players cue and in 5 years you'll be lucky to get 25-40 bucks out of it. In my opinion anyway. You know the story.........you get what you pay for.
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I would think that resale value would be a big factor for a beginner player who may want to upgrade in a few years. If you buy new, you are definitely not going to get close to your money back. If you buy a nice used cue, you should be able to get most of your money back, if you buy smart. It is a great time to buy used cues. Make sure you post in the wanted/for sale section before you make any decision.
 
I'm also looking for a cue for under $100.. what are some good brands? I was looking on http://www.cuestore.ca/ and saw some players for under $100 that came with a life time warranty, are these any good? I'm kind of hesitant to buy used because I don't know anything about cues.. what do you guys mean by sneaky pete? I see that a lot with different brands attached to it.. is sneaky pete a model?

Also, keep in mind I'm Canadian so choices will be more limited and prices will be higher than those in the US
 
A sneaky Pete is a 2 piece cue that when assembled looks like a house cue. Some are made with ring work, joint mat'l, and butt caps but the jist of it is they are intended to play well but look plain. The true sneakies have no signs of being 2 piece cues when assembled.
Everyone has their own opinion on cues but in my earlier post I recommended a cuetec as a low end cue for someone just starting out. I guess I should elaborate my reasoning for saying this. First I wouldn't recommend a true fiberglass cue. Only the cuetecs that have wood shafts such as the sst models......now if my memory serves me correctly these "wood" shafts are embedded with fiberglass and garenteed never to warp. This is my main reasoning for the recommendation. If your only willing to spend under 100.00 on a cue then chances are you are going to buy a low end case. A lot of entry level players will leave their cue in their car (trunk) which will leave it susceptible to temp changes, humidity, moisture, etc.
In this senario a cuetec will hold up better than a players, action, etc. I hope this makes sense to some people who might think I'm nuts for suggesting a cuetec. In my experience they don't play awful either.
 
^^ thanks for clearing it up i won't be leaving my cue in a trunk though... $100 is a lot for a broke student so i'm gonna baby that thing..

I was browsing some cues on cuestore.ca and found some I liked based only on looks (cause I know nothing else) maybe you guys can help me narrow down my choices

Here are my top 3
1. Action IMP16 Dragon Cue
2. Action ADV-60 Skulls Cue
3. Players G-3360 Cue
Here are some others I liked in no particular order
Players G-1001 Cue
Players G-1003 Cue
Players G-2300 Cue
Players G-2290 Cue
Action Rings RNG06 Black Cue
Action Rings RNG07 Zebra Cue
Players AC-4 Acid Burn Black Cue
 
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kmsniper said:
^^ thanks for clearing it up i won't be leaving my cue in a trunk though... $100 is a lot for a broke student so i'm gonna baby that thing..

I was browsing some cues on cuestore.ca and found some I liked based only on looks (cause I know nothing else) maybe you guys can help me narrow down my choices

Here are my top 3
1. Action IMP16 Dragon Cue
2. Action ADV-60 Skulls Cue
3. Players G-3360 Cue
Here are some others I liked in no particular order
Players G-1001 Cue
Players G-1003 Cue
Players G-2300 Cue
Players G-2290 Cue
Action Rings RNG06 Black Cue
Action Rings RNG07 Zebra Cue
Players AC-4 Acid Burn Black Cue
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Like myself and others told the other person, I would definitely look in the wanted/for sale section here. You will probably not get a better deal anywhere else, plus most of the people are very knowledgeable about cues. If you let people know you are a broke college kid and am just starting out, there are some great people on here who will hook you up with a nice cue for a great price.

I don't want to sway anyone's decision, but I think you might be better off getting a used cue for around $100. Players, Action, etc. are made in China. Not saying that they are not decent cues for the money, but you could probably pick up a cue that retailed for $250-$300 for around $100. It is a buyer's market right now.

Also, if someone has a used Players or Action cue that you liked, you should be able to get it for real cheap. I know I just sold two Action cues on Ebay, and I think I got $40 for the pair. They retailed for $100/each.
 
i typically avoid buying used on forums that i know the users are mostly american because most people wont want to deal with shipping across the boarder, but ill give it a try... dont think a sob story about me being a broke student will do anything though... thanks for all the advice so far guys
 
u dont need to spend too much on a beginning cue. just make sure its straight and preferably wood and has a good tip on it. really that's all u need.
 
Tangent to the current topic, but if cost isn't so much an issue...what would you suggest then? Say maybe a 1k limit on strictly a players cue.
 
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