case protection
- Thread starter weiru
- Start date
saige45
Registered
I recently bought an Instroke Saddle Series 3x5. MSRP is $459 but I was luckily able to obtain it at cost (approximately $250 after taxes) from one of my local suppliers.
http://www.instroke.com/catalog_detail.asp?seq=13
-saige-
http://www.instroke.com/catalog_detail.asp?seq=13
-saige-
Cases
I agree, J Flowers cue case is best for your money. I just purchased one from Mr. vMax here on AZ. Just as John Barton stated in his video you can turn the case upside down and the cue sticks won't fall out. Got mine gave it a try and my cue sticks stayed in the case with the lid open. Great case and Mr. vMax is a great seller. Good luck in finding the case that fit your needs and budget. Joel
I agree, J Flowers cue case is best for your money. I just purchased one from Mr. vMax here on AZ. Just as John Barton stated in his video you can turn the case upside down and the cue sticks won't fall out. Got mine gave it a try and my cue sticks stayed in the case with the lid open. Great case and Mr. vMax is a great seller. Good luck in finding the case that fit your needs and budget. Joel
Last edited:
saige45
Registered
One of the reasons I had mentioned instroke...
Not to mention the fact that he originally founded instroke... 
-saige-
If light weight is what you are after then the Predator Black case is out of the running entirely. It is without a doubt the heaviest case on the market of it's type.
This case is essentially two shells over a foam core interior. All this is done as the advertisement suggests in the name of making an impression. In other words the case was way overbuilt just make the lid fit flush to the body. And if that were not heavy enough a huge hunk of heavy rubber was added to the bottom.
Which brings us to the first question of protection? Well, wrapping more layers of cardboard and vinyl around the weak foam core interior certainly gives it more support and resistance to impact and crushing force. The cues however are banging around against the sidewalls of the synthetic flocked hard foam cavities.
In reality the cues are not any more protected than with any standard foam core case. Most of those can be had these days from $50-$80.
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The next case on your list is the Mezz:
This is some sort of Instroke/Porper/Whitten frankenstein hybrid. I have no idea what the factory was going for here and normally Kaz Miki has way better taste than this. Must have been one of those days where he left the case choices up to a subordinate.
In any event it appears as if the interior is a fabric interior that is probably nearly identical to the "Pro-Lite" interiors that Jack Justis uses. Both the Justis interiors and the Mezz cases are built in the same factory as far as I know. This interior uses a thin padded fabric around the perimeter at the top, a double thick piece of fabric for the first five inches and then very thin nylon to separate the cues after the first five inches where you can't feel it.
So this case wins on the weight category hands down over the Predator Blak. For the protection category I think that it's a tie. Meaning that in my opinion they are are both equally bad. Both of them allow the cues to move excessively sliding up and down and banging side to side.
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I have seen the Predator Blak cases many times with latch failures. It has a single snap at the top which is sewn into the case. When the snap breaks it is nearly impossible to repair without major surgery on the case.
The Mezz case uses the purse clasp which is prone to breaking. These clasps were never intended to hold the weight of pool cues. They are made for uses which are not load bearing.
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Design: In appearance the Predator wins here easily. This case is all about how it looks and less about how it works.
http://www.predatorcues.com/predator_cues_case_blak_big_2x4.php
If you look at one of these cases in person and not just in pictures then it becomes apparent how many compromises were made just for the sake of appearance. This is what Richard Black would call an "arm's length" item meaning that it's better when it's appreciated at arm's length and not scrutinized.
At 6.35lbs according to Predator's website (and I think that this weight may actually be on the light side for this case), I think that this is a product where function follows form and which breaks just about every rule of good product design. Karim, I love you man but this case doesn't live up to the Predator ideal in my eyes. Call me next time and I will make your ideas into cases that do.
The Mezz design is awful on the outside to me. In my eyes it takes many elements of other cases and throws them all together and asks "will it blend?" The answer to me is no. But I can see where this case would be appealing to some people as it does have plenty of familiar elements to it, designs that have been around for 20 years now.
What I do like about the Mezz case is that they have added a few useful features like a little chalk box (copied from custom case makers), and little extra pouch inside the lid. I personally don't want a metal zipper head and pull dangling inside my case where it can interact with the cues but the idea of using the extra space for some storage is neat.
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My personal suggestion, and of course I am totally biased here, is to check out the Wave cases by Sterling. Those feature my Organic Rebound interior which is padded, soft and secure. The pockets are sleek in appearance yet have plenty of room for your stuff. The case comes with two backpack-style straps which are ergonomically designed to stay on your shoulder and distribute the load.
The case is light weight coming in at under 3lbs for the 4x8. And the 4x8 is about the same size as the competition's 3x5/3x6 cases.
http://www.cuesight.com/pool-cue-cases-wave-cases.html
Here it is in all black:
This is a 3x4 for $135. The 4x8 is $150.
I think that the protection and function you get with this case easily beats the other two you asked about. And I think that this case wins the beauty contest as well between all three.
Of course I am pretty biased since I make them.
This case is essentially two shells over a foam core interior. All this is done as the advertisement suggests in the name of making an impression. In other words the case was way overbuilt just make the lid fit flush to the body. And if that were not heavy enough a huge hunk of heavy rubber was added to the bottom.
Which brings us to the first question of protection? Well, wrapping more layers of cardboard and vinyl around the weak foam core interior certainly gives it more support and resistance to impact and crushing force. The cues however are banging around against the sidewalls of the synthetic flocked hard foam cavities.
In reality the cues are not any more protected than with any standard foam core case. Most of those can be had these days from $50-$80.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The next case on your list is the Mezz:
This is some sort of Instroke/Porper/Whitten frankenstein hybrid. I have no idea what the factory was going for here and normally Kaz Miki has way better taste than this. Must have been one of those days where he left the case choices up to a subordinate.
In any event it appears as if the interior is a fabric interior that is probably nearly identical to the "Pro-Lite" interiors that Jack Justis uses. Both the Justis interiors and the Mezz cases are built in the same factory as far as I know. This interior uses a thin padded fabric around the perimeter at the top, a double thick piece of fabric for the first five inches and then very thin nylon to separate the cues after the first five inches where you can't feel it.
So this case wins on the weight category hands down over the Predator Blak. For the protection category I think that it's a tie. Meaning that in my opinion they are are both equally bad. Both of them allow the cues to move excessively sliding up and down and banging side to side.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have seen the Predator Blak cases many times with latch failures. It has a single snap at the top which is sewn into the case. When the snap breaks it is nearly impossible to repair without major surgery on the case.
The Mezz case uses the purse clasp which is prone to breaking. These clasps were never intended to hold the weight of pool cues. They are made for uses which are not load bearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Design: In appearance the Predator wins here easily. This case is all about how it looks and less about how it works.
http://www.predatorcues.com/predator_cues_case_blak_big_2x4.php
If you look at one of these cases in person and not just in pictures then it becomes apparent how many compromises were made just for the sake of appearance. This is what Richard Black would call an "arm's length" item meaning that it's better when it's appreciated at arm's length and not scrutinized.
At 6.35lbs according to Predator's website (and I think that this weight may actually be on the light side for this case), I think that this is a product where function follows form and which breaks just about every rule of good product design. Karim, I love you man but this case doesn't live up to the Predator ideal in my eyes. Call me next time and I will make your ideas into cases that do.
The Mezz design is awful on the outside to me. In my eyes it takes many elements of other cases and throws them all together and asks "will it blend?" The answer to me is no. But I can see where this case would be appealing to some people as it does have plenty of familiar elements to it, designs that have been around for 20 years now.
What I do like about the Mezz case is that they have added a few useful features like a little chalk box (copied from custom case makers), and little extra pouch inside the lid. I personally don't want a metal zipper head and pull dangling inside my case where it can interact with the cues but the idea of using the extra space for some storage is neat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My personal suggestion, and of course I am totally biased here, is to check out the Wave cases by Sterling. Those feature my Organic Rebound interior which is padded, soft and secure. The pockets are sleek in appearance yet have plenty of room for your stuff. The case comes with two backpack-style straps which are ergonomically designed to stay on your shoulder and distribute the load.
The case is light weight coming in at under 3lbs for the 4x8. And the 4x8 is about the same size as the competition's 3x5/3x6 cases.
http://www.cuesight.com/pool-cue-cases-wave-cases.html
Here it is in all black:
This is a 3x4 for $135. The 4x8 is $150.
I think that the protection and function you get with this case easily beats the other two you asked about. And I think that this case wins the beauty contest as well between all three.
Of course I am pretty biased since I make them.
I like the photos you posted of the NEW WAVE CASE.