I notice I said that they were favorably compared by many pros and amateurs - not ALL, not a majority, not a minority, just many.
One of the PROFESSIONAL POOL PLAYERS who compared the Bunjee favorably with the Sledgehammer at the US OPEN 2002 is Babyface Mike Gulayassy(sp) the creator of the Sledgehammer, after a week of goodnatured comparison and testing. Maybe HIS opinion doesn't mean anything.
I am sure that I could find SOMEONE who would say "I wouldn't trade three Sledgehammers for a Bunjee" and this would HAVE absolutely NO bearing on how "good" either cue is.
There is no real way to compare them scientifically as long as humans are involved because of the variations of stroke, ball placement and so on. I could tell you that I was jumping at the Sledgehammer booth with a Sledgehammer and could not make the shot and when I brought a Bunjee over I made the shot effortlessly. What does this mean? Does it mean that the Bunjee is "better" or that I am "better" with the Bunjee? You decide - I'll tell you my answer later

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The Sledgehammer is a fantastic Break/Jump cue. It is well crafted by a fantastic player/cuemaker. It will NEVER need a tip replaced. The Bunjee is a well crafted cue as well but not "quite" as nicely done as the Sledgehammer on average. If the Bunjee were $350 then I would make sure that it was every bit as nice or better in the fit and finish as the Sledgehammer. As it is, the Bunjee only costs slightly more than most good shafts.
So Mike and I agreed at the US Open 2002 that the Bunjee and the Sledgehammer performed equally as well and that his cue represented the high end of the jump/break cue market and ours covered the mid-low end. Now, maybe Mike says differently in private but this is what he said to me publicly after we both played with both cues for a week.
And that is the answer to the original question in this this thread.
John