Best hitting cue you ever played with.

Brookeland Bill said:
I remember a road player (mid 60’s when I was in college) telling me that I need to know two things about playing on the road.

1. You need to be able to take a house cue off the rack and gamble.

2. A good tip on a house cue is more important than anything else.
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Tap Tap. He knew! I bet that I played pool with a house cue more times than any custom cue I've ever owned. Walking in with a cue on your arm would kill all your action. Before I even tried to make a game I would walk around the poolroom checking out the house cues. When I found one I liked I would put it somewhere so it would be easy for me to find later. Once I had a game, I would grab that cue and do a quick massage on the tip if it was necessary. I might use a car key to rough up the tip and a a small piece of scotch-brite to smooth out the shaft. Later on I carried a tip tapper in my pocket or one of those brad scuffers. Those were my tools - a scuffer and a piece of scotch brite. Wouldn't leave home without them. And that was my job until I bought my first poolroom at the ripe old age of 27.

Oh, and my wardrobe consisted of a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Plus a pair of low cut tennis shoes. My little chest of drawers in my apartment probably had a couple of pairs of jeans and a half dozen t-shirts. The other two drawers were full of socks and underwear. What a life! But I loved it. I could get up when I felt like it and do what I wanted to do every day. I had no boss and no job to show up at either. I didn't really care much about politics, movies or anything else except where I could find the next game. And with over 300 poolrooms in a fifty mile radius of L.A. and a zillion bars to chose from, there was never a lack of places to play and people who were willing to bet a buck or two on a friendly game of pool. Warm weather every day, cheap gas and food. I was living life on my terms and it felt like total freedom.
 
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jay helfert said:
Tap Tap. He knew! I bet that I played pool with a house cue more times than any custom cue I've ever owned. Walking in with a cue on your arm would kill all your action. Before I even tried to make a game I would walk around the poolroom checking out the house cues. When I found one I liked I would put it somewhere so it would be easy for me to find later. Once I had a game, I would grab that cue and do a quick massage on the tip if it was necessary. I might use a car key to rough up the tip and a a small piece of scotch-brite to smooth out the shaft. Later on I carried a tip tapper in my pocket or one of those brad scuffers. Those were my tools - a scuffer and a piece of scotch brite. Wouldn't leave home without them. And that was my job until I bought my first poolroom at the ripe old age of 27.
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'Wally-bushkas' have made more $$ than all the custom cues combined. Totally agree here.
 
jay helfert said:
Tap Tap. He knew! I bet that I played pool with a house cue more times than any custom cue I've ever owned. Walking in with a cue on your arm would kill all your action. Before I even tried to make a game I would walk around the poolroom checking out the house cues. When I found one I liked I would put it somewhere so it would be easy for me to find later. Once I had a game, I would grab that cue and do a quick massage on the tip if it was necessary. I might use a car key to rough up the tip and a a small piece of scotch-brite to smooth out the shaft. Later on I carried a tip tapper in my pocket or one of those brad scuffers. Those were my tools - a scuffer and a piece of scotch brite. Wouldn't leave home without them. And that was my job until I bought my first poolroom at the ripe old age of 27.

Oh, and my wardrobe consisted of a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Plus a pair of low cut tennis shoes. My little chest of drawers in my apartment probably had a couple of pairs of jeans and a half dozen t-shirts. The other two drawers were full of socks and underwear. What a life! But I loved it. I could get up when I wanted and do what I wanted to do every day. I had no boss and no job to show up at either. I didn't really care much about politics, movies or anything else except where I could find the next game. And with over 300 poolrooms in a fifty mile radius of L.A. and a zillion bars to chose from, there was never a lack of places to play and people who were willing to bet a buck or two on a friendly game of pool. Warm weather every day, cheap gas and food. I was living life on my terms and it felt like total freedom.
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Oh yes. I would hide my favorite house cue when I left the pool hall. It has white tape around the bottom of the butt and didn’t have a bumper. I can still envision it now after 60 years. Never knew the weight. Didn’t care.
 
JB Cases said:
Ok, here are the rules. Hit is subjective, we all know that. But let's try anyway to compile a list of cues that we think are GREAT playing cues.

The only rule is one vote per person. So think about it and pick the one cue out of all the cues you have been able to shoot with that you would keep if you could only have one of them for the rest of your life.

Now of course you can put in a name of a cue you have never shot with just because you desire to own it and have heard it's a great playing cue but I hope that you will stick with cues that you actually had time to hit balls with for enough time to really get to know the cue.

I will start, and this is a very tough decision for me because I have owned so many great cues. Keep in mind that just because a brand is someone's #1 choice the number 2 might be real close.

But the object here is to see what sort of list we can come up with if you can only have one. I will update this post with a running list and vote count if it gets any traction. Sometime in the future I will tally the votes by brand even though there may be different "eras" and butt/shaft combinations.

My #1 pick is Jensen.
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The List - Brand - Votes

George Balabushka - 1 (real Buska, not Adams)
Joey Bautista - 1
Al Bautista - 1
Mike Bender - 1
Black Boar - 2
Leonard Bludworth - 2
Mike Capone -1
Cognoscenti - 2
Coker - 2
Dufferin House Cue 19oz - 1 (assuming original Canadian made Dufferin)
Pat Diveny - 1
Billy Gibbs - 1
Mike Gulyassy -1
Greg Hearn - 1
Mason Houghland - 1
Huebler -3
Bobby Hunter - 2
Jimmy Ingram -1
Jacoby -1
Jensen - 2
Josey -1
Joss gold letter - 2
Steve Lomax - 1
MEZZ TA3, with the Hybrid Pro shaft. -1
Paul Mottey - 2
Kenny Murrell - 1
Chris Nitti - 1
Jim Odom - 1
Jeff Olney - 1
John Parris - 1 (snooker cue)
PFD - 1
Jim Pierce - 2
Phillippi - 2
Jerry Powers - 1
Judd - 1
Kersenbrock -1
Kikel - 1
Hermann Rambow - 1
Edwin Reyes - 1
Bob Runde - 1
Samsara #1978, 314-2 shaft - 1
Dennis Searing -1
Schon (Runde Era) - 2
Schon - 3
Schuler -1
Schuler with pro taper shaft (not Schuler Pro) - 1
Chuck Starkey - 1
Sugartree - 3
Gus Szamboti - 3
TAD steel joint - 2
Tascarella - 1
Jerry Terbrock - 1
Varney - 2
Larry Vigus w/OB Shaft - 1
Larry Vigus - 1
Thomas Wayne - 1 (one vote invalidated)
Mike Webb - 1
Skip Weston - 1
SouthWest - 1
Woodworth - 1

If I missed any let me know.
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Josh Treadway
 
Honestly I've hit balls with more than one C and D series 80s mcdermotts that felt sweeter than anything I've played. Origional shafts too.
Second would be old steel joint Schon. (Mostly a balance thing I believe. I've hit balls with a few expensive customs....never enuff to say that they were better players or any sweeter feeling. And certainly can't justify the price tags
 
Alex Brick cue, full splice butt made by John Davis, OB Classic shaft by Royce Brunell. All 3 died within months of getting the finished cue. No one will make a cue for me now.
 
JB Cases said:
Ok, here are the rules. Hit is subjective, we all know that. But let's try anyway to compile a list of cues that we think are GREAT playing cues.

The only rule is one vote per person. So think about it and pick the one cue out of all the cues you have been able to shoot with that you would keep if you could only have one of them for the rest of your life.

Now of course you can put in a name of a cue you have never shot with just because you desire to own it and have heard it's a great playing cue but I hope that you will stick with cues that you actually had time to hit balls with for enough time to really get to know the cue.

I will start, and this is a very tough decision for me because I have owned so many great cues. Keep in mind that just because a brand is someone's #1 choice the number 2 might be real close.

But the object here is to see what sort of list we can come up with if you can only have one. I will update this post with a running list and vote count if it gets any traction. Sometime in the future I will tally the votes by brand even though there may be different "eras" and butt/shaft combinations.

My #1 pick is Jensen.
______________________________________

The List - Brand - Votes

George Balabushka - 1 (real Buska, not Adams)
Joey Bautista - 1
Al Bautista - 1
Mike Bender - 1
Black Boar - 2
Leonard Bludworth - 2
Mike Capone -1
Cognoscenti - 2
Coker - 2
Dufferin House Cue 19oz - 1 (assuming original Canadian made Dufferin)
Pat Diveny - 1
Billy Gibbs - 1
Mike Gulyassy -1
Greg Hearn - 1
Mason Houghland - 1
Huebler -3
Bobby Hunter - 2
Jimmy Ingram -1
Jacoby -1
Jensen - 2
Josey -1
Joss gold letter - 2
Steve Lomax - 1
MEZZ TA3, with the Hybrid Pro shaft. -1
Paul Mottey - 2
Kenny Murrell - 1
Chris Nitti - 1
Jim Odom - 1
Jeff Olney - 1
John Parris - 1 (snooker cue)
PFD - 1
Jim Pierce - 2
Phillippi - 2
Jerry Powers - 1
Judd - 1
Kersenbrock -1
Kikel - 1
Hermann Rambow - 1
Edwin Reyes - 1
Bob Runde - 1
Samsara #1978, 314-2 shaft - 1
Dennis Searing -1
Schon (Runde Era) - 2
Schon - 3
Schuler -1
Schuler with pro taper shaft (not Schuler Pro) - 1
Chuck Starkey - 1
Sugartree - 3
Gus Szamboti - 3
TAD steel joint - 2
Tascarella - 1
Jerry Terbrock - 1
Varney - 2
Larry Vigus w/OB Shaft - 1
Larry Vigus - 1
Thomas Wayne - 1 (one vote invalidated)
Mike Webb - 1
Skip Weston - 1
SouthWest - 1
Woodworth - 1

If I missed any let me know.
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Dieckman of course
Terbrock -- Honerable Mention .. I grabbed a Terbrock cue from a friend who was playing a tournament just to see what he was playing with. I turned heads with the shots I made. My head turned 360
Hadn't tried to pocket a ball in at least 5 years.

Josh Treadway... I really haven't done much but swing one into a CB a few dozen times. OMG
If I was a pool player and younger, I'd commission a cue from Josh. Great Kid and Perfectionist to a fault.
Jim Buss told me about 3-5 years before he retired, that Josh had surpassed his ability.
I am on his waiting list in case someone cancels an order for any reason.
Hoping for a Merry Widow, Otherwise I'll have to be creative explaining this to my wife.
 
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i've had the pleasure of playing with two "XXXX" cues in the last 6 months and they are in my all time top 5

the attention to detail is as good as it gets
 
My favorite is a Mottey Cue I bought from Mark Kulungian at Classic Cues must have been 15/18 years ago with 12.6 mm shafts absolutely beautiful it plays/played so well. I was lucky enough to get Paul to put an ivory joint on it before he retired and after that I had build me “1of1” of his cues, which is really special. So I go with Paul Mottey.
 
I don't know if I'm on this thread but thunking about the question, I draw a blank. I know I'll use a personal joiner over a wall cue but beyond that, it's what I'm liking at the time.
I think.
 
Have not played every cue made, but I have played many. With out any doubt Becue is the best hitting and playing cue I have ever used and it's not even close.
 
FunChamp said:
what do you like about it?
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I like the way the shaft goes through the ball, rock solid and never any vibration. Doesn't matter how far off center axis you go it's rock solid, every hit feels the same as dead center. I am thrilled with the low deflection, if there ever was a point and shoot cue this is it. The front end technology of Becue is beyond my understanding, but I think this is where the magic takes place. I like the carbon fiber butt, feels great and I think it's part of the reason for the hit and playability of this cue. If you like to use some spinach from time to time this cue will make you smile, and yes, I like to smile too. The first time I played a Becue was several years ago and I have not had any thoughts of playing anything else. Today I actually own three Becues, they came out with a pearl color and I had to have it, and then I had to get a red rebel too .. lol .. So if you want to buy one and get a deal I would sell you my Natural Born Naked with a Prime shaft and butt extension for $600.00 - That's about half the price of the same cue new. Good rolls.
 
I’m just gonna keep it simple. So much goes into the equation…
Piloted SS joint Tascarella.
 
I've probably owned 50 different cues over the years,2 really stand out. About 25 years ago I bought a Carmelli from a friend that needed money. That was the best playing cue I had ever had in my hands.
A few years later my money was tight so I sold it back to my friend with the agreement that I had first option to buy it back if he sold it. He died shortly after and I never saw that cue again.
The 2nd was ,believe it or not a $115.00 Viking wood to wood, big pin 12.5 shaft. Viking doesn't make them like that anymore, it hit so good everyone that ever hit a ball with it offered to buy it. The guy I sold it too over 20 years ago won't sell it back even though I made him a offer of more than I paid for it new. Playing with a Carmelli for the past few years,tried a revo shaft for a year but went back to the original wood shaft,to me it feels better.
 
I can't believe I'm writing this. A dozen nice cues locked in a cabinet and I am seriously liking this Mcdermott HD-42. Yeah that's right, a Harley Davidson model. G Core shaft too. I'm playing the best ever. Being locked in the basement with a GC IV and Covid might have had something to do with it. Healthy now, it's a modern Sneaky Pete. Almost as good as a Budweiser cue.
 
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