Cases that hold butts joint down?
- Thread starter travis13
- Start date
My first cue case was some cheap 2 butt 4 shaft case that forced you to store the the butts joint down. In little time my joints had torn through the crappy foam packing and the pleather covering till the point my joints would be hitting the ground whenever i set the case down this combined with the fact that my Cue butts were then getting stuck in their tubes because they were resting farther down has made me forevermore swear off any case that would store the butts joint down.
Think about a cheap set of these,
Think about a cheap set of these,
I had some thats the thing it still tore threw i said it was a cheap case didnt I.
My instroke 2x4 case seems like it's made for joint-down storage, but I prefer (and do) get the bumper side down in it. It's a tight fit, I just wonder if there's any danger of rubbing through the finish on the butt of the cue?
Pins up...I will never by another pins down only case..
Exactly. You don't have to juggle the cue butt, shaft and the case. I like to pull out my cue shaft, screw it on the butt and pull the butt from the case all in one motion then put the case away. It is also more very cool when done right.
Yep, I have cases with joint down only ...
and I use them because they are smaller and lighter (for what they carry) compared to the one case I have that will hold the cues butt down (it just seems overly big and clunky).
When using the joint down cases I always use joint protectors and put the cues in the case horizontally and gently. Versus not using joint protectors and dropping the butts in vertically so they slam into the bottom of the case with a naked pin (which IMHO is the problem).
and I use them because they are smaller and lighter (for what they carry) compared to the one case I have that will hold the cues butt down (it just seems overly big and clunky).
When using the joint down cases I always use joint protectors and put the cues in the case horizontally and gently. Versus not using joint protectors and dropping the butts in vertically so they slam into the bottom of the case with a naked pin (which IMHO is the problem).
I use an Instroke now, love it. I used a Porper case for years, and the pins poked through the bottom. Even bent the pin on my favorite player at the time (ever so slightly, but there it was). Plus the hard black foam stained my buttcaps and was hard to clean off. Once I started using joint protectors, it was better, but I prefer the Instroke butt-down style of cases, even if they are heavier. They're also better constructed as a rule and protect your cues better. My brother has a McDermott Felini style case that would take a butt down that I covet, but he's hiding it from me
Well, besides the coolness factor of assembling the cue in this way, the GREATER benefit is that you slide the cue, butt-down, into the case fully assembled. Why would you want to do this? Easy -- when you're in a tournament and you're moving from match to match, do you really want to a.) break down your cues, only to reassemble them a few moments later(?); or b.) walk around trying to drag your cue case, jacket, your drink, and two fully-assembled cues from table to table?
With a cue case that allows you to insert the cue buttcap-down first into it, you merely sling the case onto your shoulder -- with the fully-assembled cues inserted -- and simply move to the other table. Yeah, you look kinda like a Middle Ages longbow archer with a giant quiver of arrows slung on your back, but the convenience and time saved is well worth it. Just don't try to walk through any doorways like that.
Plus, all the previously-described points about the pin poking through the bottom of the case (even with joint protectors installed) are completely obviated. And finally, doesn't it make pure sense to have your cues with their most sensitive end -- the joint -- facing up in the case?
Hope this helps,
-Sean
azbluemach1
Member
Ditto - My porper is trash, and they won't reply to my emails asking them to stand behind their trash. If I knew where their office was I would throw the damn thing through their window, along with an invoice to replace the cue that warped in it.
lmao!! to be fair, joe porper makes a lot of good products and i use a bunch of them, but the cases really suck.
I had a Joe Porper years ago 2 x 4 and you could be up or down with PINS. I am a Pins UP kind of GUY.
I believe a porper case is made from extruded styrofoam, which is why its molded like that.
Karen Barton
Banned
The first cases made by Porper were done with a tapered cavity. The interiors are made of compressed foam, similar to what insulates a house or what is used for packaging. This foam can be deformed through pressure. Basically the foam is injected into a steel mold and it forms around steel bars and hardens. The material separating the cue from the raw foam is paper which has been flocked with synthetic fibers. Flocking is the process of using electrostatic to make the fibers adhere to a surface.
Three things are dangerous to a cue in a tapered cavity made from expanding foam. One is that the cavity can be misformed and have hollow spots which have brittle edges and those edges crumble with use and form small loose hard bits inside the cavity. Two is that the foam can seep through the seam of the paper liner and form a line of small hard beads. And three is that the flocking can wear off or even have hard spots on it where the plastic fibers have coalesced into knots.
Also flocked liners do not wick moisture away from the interior of the cavity. Any moisture present stays on the surface until it evaporates. So if your cue is not properly sealed then the latent moisture can go into your cue as it evaporates.
Eventually Porper went to a straight walled cavity and the parts can be inserted in either direction. This eliminates the problem with the cavity expanding due to pressure from the cue. The problems with the liner and the beading remain however with all types of these foam core style cases.
Tapered cavity cases are rare today as most manufacturers have gone to the straight walled no-taper style. We use padding to give the user the snug fit that a tapered cavity provides and we cover that with a soft cloth that will not ever harm the finish of the cue.
As has been mentioned any case which does not provide adequate protection can result in the pin being adversely affected. We think it's still rare for a pin to be bent when in a tube case but we put generous amounts of EVA closed cell foam rubber in the case to insure that the user can literally throw their cue into it pin first if they wish and have no fear that the cue will be harmed.
Here is a blog post of ours which further explains our position on how a cue should be protected http://forums.azbilliards.com/blog.php?b=255
In short, a foam core tapered cavity case is not great for your cue. A snug fitting padded interior that is properly made is great for your cue. Any case you purchase should allow the cues to go in either direction as you please and should properly protect them in either direction.
Three things are dangerous to a cue in a tapered cavity made from expanding foam. One is that the cavity can be misformed and have hollow spots which have brittle edges and those edges crumble with use and form small loose hard bits inside the cavity. Two is that the foam can seep through the seam of the paper liner and form a line of small hard beads. And three is that the flocking can wear off or even have hard spots on it where the plastic fibers have coalesced into knots.
Also flocked liners do not wick moisture away from the interior of the cavity. Any moisture present stays on the surface until it evaporates. So if your cue is not properly sealed then the latent moisture can go into your cue as it evaporates.
Eventually Porper went to a straight walled cavity and the parts can be inserted in either direction. This eliminates the problem with the cavity expanding due to pressure from the cue. The problems with the liner and the beading remain however with all types of these foam core style cases.
Tapered cavity cases are rare today as most manufacturers have gone to the straight walled no-taper style. We use padding to give the user the snug fit that a tapered cavity provides and we cover that with a soft cloth that will not ever harm the finish of the cue.
As has been mentioned any case which does not provide adequate protection can result in the pin being adversely affected. We think it's still rare for a pin to be bent when in a tube case but we put generous amounts of EVA closed cell foam rubber in the case to insure that the user can literally throw their cue into it pin first if they wish and have no fear that the cue will be harmed.
Here is a blog post of ours which further explains our position on how a cue should be protected http://forums.azbilliards.com/blog.php?b=255
In short, a foam core tapered cavity case is not great for your cue. A snug fitting padded interior that is properly made is great for your cue. Any case you purchase should allow the cues to go in either direction as you please and should properly protect them in either direction.
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