Thank you. I had the advantages of being local, being an early customer, and having Tim, Bob, and Mike make the cues exactly how I wanted them.
Best Playing Cue Builder
- Thread starter Shooter08
- Start date
Flakeandrun
Well-known member
There's quite a few in China 95' - 2005'
Listed between 6000rmb and 15000+ rmb
I am curious too, as there's one around 7000rmb that ticks a few boxes
I just listed a beautiful Gilbert, I think it’s under priced. Shooter08
He still builds. Another maker only goes thru dealer. like more & more makers i cant get cue direct i am duno with custom makers. they have no real value. sad become to that.
smiling_Hans
Well-known member
Probably dealer direct.
Mcworter seems to send his stuff to Japan. Some don’t even deal domestically when they are rockstars overseas.
I’m looking for a California builder and there are tons of great builders here. With the ban, I’m hoping to get work done in-state.
Some Gilbert’s have caught my eye though.
Got a quote from Tasc and contemplating buying one or wait 18 months. Which I don’t know if I’m playing pool by then. I’m on and off depending on how motivated I am. Lol
Out of curiosity how is a in state Cali builder going to help w the ban?
smiling_Hans
Well-known member
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
He's talking about ivory and the problems shipping in/out of Cali. Ginacue was made into a cautionary tale.
Am I mistaken, you can transport your cues across state lines you just can't sell them I thought. Maybe, I misunderstood. The expert on this is Bavafongoul, I'm sure he can clarify the law.
how does a revo fit on it?
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
Or a simple google search is pretty easy.
This law is pretty comprehensive. Basically, all cues with ivory are illegal to sell in California. A cuemaker doing work on a cue with ivory could easily be penalized. Their ultimate goal is to destroy all non-musical instruments under 100yrs old containing ivory.
The ivory ban as related to billiards is really interesting. Commercial plastics basically all derive from Brunswick's efforts to find a replacement for ivory a hundred years ago. It worked, but yet so many billiards players believe there is something magical about a pachyderm tooth that they kept (keep?) on using it.
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
The problem with the conical joint is that it is over constrained. Either there is a gap at the collar, or the conical part isn't actually doing anything, unless there is a compliant or compressible element somewhere. I've never seen one in person, so I'm not sure how he addresses that.
The other issue is that with a taper, there can be large radial forces induced when tightening the cue, it is pretty much driving a wedge into the joint.
In California, since July 1, 2016, the commercialization of ivory and rhinoceros horn has been illegal.
Possession of ivory, from complete elephant tusks to pool cues containing any, is legal as long as the
Item, or ivory, was acquired by legal means prior to enactment of AB 96 adopted on October 4, 1995.
Several other states have followed suit. California was the 3rd state to enact a ban on the sale of ivory.
New York and New Jersey preceded CA but the sale & use of ivory is still legal in the majority of states.
The ownership, or mere possession, of pool cues containing ivory is legal unless the ivory was illegally
acquired. There’s a copious supply of pre-ban (1978) ivory in the USA. Nonetheless, ivory is controversial.
Anytime you cross a International border, even into Canada, if your pool cue contains ivory, it can & likely
would get challenged unless accompanied by a CITES certificate authorizing transportation & possession.
How do you get a CITES certificate as a pool cue owner? Well, the simplest answer is after you kill a Unicorn
and bring its horn to the Dept. of Interior that handles national Fish & Wildlife management, they might issue
you one. In other words, it is impossible to obtain and I quit trying 3 years ago. So that’s a synopsis on ivory.
Possession of ivory, from complete elephant tusks to pool cues containing any, is legal as long as the
Item, or ivory, was acquired by legal means prior to enactment of AB 96 adopted on October 4, 1995.
Several other states have followed suit. California was the 3rd state to enact a ban on the sale of ivory.
New York and New Jersey preceded CA but the sale & use of ivory is still legal in the majority of states.
The ownership, or mere possession, of pool cues containing ivory is legal unless the ivory was illegally
acquired. There’s a copious supply of pre-ban (1978) ivory in the USA. Nonetheless, ivory is controversial.
Anytime you cross a International border, even into Canada, if your pool cue contains ivory, it can & likely
would get challenged unless accompanied by a CITES certificate authorizing transportation & possession.
How do you get a CITES certificate as a pool cue owner? Well, the simplest answer is after you kill a Unicorn
and bring its horn to the Dept. of Interior that handles national Fish & Wildlife management, they might issue
you one. In other words, it is impossible to obtain and I quit trying 3 years ago. So that’s a synopsis on ivory.
I wouldn't say substandard, but definitely over-priced due to incredible marketing and paying pros to use them.
I like the way you phrased your post, I agree. I guess I have some dislike for predator equipment because of a couple cases I bought from them where the shoulder strap is tearing off too soon.
Just because Predator's vision is branding does not mean their products are sub-standard. Especially the Revo.
This isn't an opinion. It is a fact.
I have been to their factory in Massachusetts a few times. World class operation.
Well I wish their cases would have been made better. I have both the metro and the Urbain and the shoulder strap that is sewn on the bag has almost torn off on both of them after a few months of use. The sport bag is poorly designed as well, with the carry handle located 3/4 of the way up the bag causing it to be carried at about a 30° angle. This pinches the hand and is very uncomfortable to carry, and was so uncomfortable, I had to send it back. This is just unacceptable to have a product out with inherent flaws such as this. Check out where the handle is located in the sport case, and also check out the shoulder strap which is pretty much useless as I could not even get it on my shoulder as it would not fit:
Predator Sport Series Pool Cue Cases | Official USA Site
Shop Predator Sport Series pool cue cases and set the tone before you ever open your case. Free Shipping & Returns on all USA orders over $100
www.predatorcues.com
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You have to think about what they are capable of making themselves and what they are branding. They clearly don't own or have history with upholstery, fabric and sewing operations, so those products must be outsourced (clothing, bags, cloth, etc). If they brand balls then they are coming from Aramith, which has their own standards that have no risk. Chalk is always subjective no matter which company makes it, since it is essentially colored dirt. Pool tables are a significant effort and are very exposed, so the reviews for those won't be obscured. Anything outsourced needs feedback from customers to improve because there is no internal process for quality assurance. I think a lot of people expect both high quality customer service and quality assurance like there was back when each company was incharge of everything they manufactured, because they did it themselves. These times are long gone with a global economy. Not only did we lose manufacturing in this country, but other countries like China and Vietnam are even better now at manufacturing than we ever were. We also lost the knowledge.Well I wish their cases would have been made better. I have both the metro and the Urbain and the shoulder strap that is sewn on the bag has almost torn off on both of them after a few months of use. The sport bag is poorly designed as well, with the carry handle located 3/4 of the way up the bag causing it to be carried at about a 30° angle. This pinches the hand and is very uncomfortable to carry, and was so uncomfortable, I had to send it back. This is just unacceptable to have a product out with inherent flaws such as this. Check out where the handle is located in the sport case:
Predator Sport Series Pool Cue Cases | Official USA Site
Shop Predator Sport Series pool cue cases and set the tone before you ever open your case. Free Shipping & Returns on all USA orders over $100
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
Do you really believe all that?
Any company outsourcing anything is still responsible for the product they sell. This is properly done by internal or third party qc and by writing the specifications for the product.
The sad fact is that China is fully capable of producing anything a customer requests. If they request garbage, they get garbage.