Cue advice

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Billiard_Junkie

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I need to invest in some decent, but inexpensive cues. I used the Cuetec Typhoon at a pool hall and liked it as did my wife. My wife and I are just beginning to enjoy our new table. The cues that came with it have an 8 ball in the handle. Some are dufferin as well (from 17 ounce to 21 ounce). I am guessing the dufferins are house cues. Any advice or pointers?
 
Cuetec r360 doesn't hit bad ld shaft so aiming system is easy and it's cost effecient for your main cue 100-200$
 
Thanks. I find it hard to determine what weight is optimal. I have been favoring the 20 ounce but sometimes, switching to the 18 is nice. Is there a recommended weight for beginners?
 
Put Elk Master tips on the Dufferins, and enjoy them. You can pay a lot of money for fancier cues, but better playing cues will be hard to find.

Rick
 
Everything about a cue (brand, weight, tip, ferrule, etc, etc, etc) is all subjective. I can tell you what kind of cue and tip and weight I like, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll like it. The best advice I can give you is try a bunch of different cues with different weights and different tips. You'll eventually find a cue that works for you.
 
I started by getting an entry level Viking cue at 19oz (sort of the midpoint in the weight range). Many years later, I still feel that was a great starting point. I'd look at an entry keen Viking, McDermott or similar. They are pretty solid, affordable options. I have nicer cues now, but my old Viking is still around and not a bad cue by comparison.
 
What not to do:
- "I gotta play with a 19 oz cue because so-and-so plays with a 19" or
- "Those fancy new Brand X tips must be the best because you-know-who uses them".

By all means, give a 19 oz cue and Brand X tip a try, but don't get hung up on the details. They might not be right for you.
 
Grab yourself a Schmelke cue. Made in Wisconsin. I've been playing for decades... and when I go to play in pool rooms, I can bring my nicer cues, when I play in bars, I bring my Schmelke, and I don't miss a beat. For $90 for the lowest price cue, I can't think you could find a better cue for the money (quality wise)... Built solid and to last...

It's not a collector cue, they are cues to play pool with, and you will not regret it :)
 
ChicagoRJ said:
Grab yourself a Schmelke cue. Made in Wisconsin.
Click to expand...

As are Viking, McDermott, Pechauer, Jacoby, and Schon! Seems we have more production cue makers here than anywhere else. No idea why. They all make a solid cue, too. Three things we do well here in Wisco.....cheese, beer, and cues.
 
My advise is to test hit as many cue as you can and pick out the one that shoots the best for you. If you have a local billiards supply place close by go in and ask the salesman if you can test hit a few different cues that are in your price range. Just about every one of them will let you hit a few balls to see if you like a cue or not.

My other tidbit of advise is don't get caught up on looks...Meaning fancier looking/more expensive doesn't always equate to a better hitting cue...It all boils down to personal preference. You can get into a good cue starting right around $80-100 and up...Also dont get caught in the "I'm a beginner so I need a beginner cue" mentality...If you find a cue you really like and can afford to get it then go for it!

There is nothing wrong with the Dufferin cue's. Like someone stated earlier just throw a tip you like on one and you'll have a good shooter until you pick out a cue later down the road.
 
slide13 said:
As are Viking, McDermott, Pechauer, Jacoby, and Schon! Seems we have more production cue makers here than anywhere else. No idea why. They all make a solid cue, too. Three things we do well here in Wisco.....cheese, beer, and cues.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:........
 
Bumpa said:
Put Elk Master tips on the Dufferins, and enjoy them. You can pay a lot of money for fancier cues, but better playing cues will be hard to find.

Rick
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+1 - Dufferins are great inexpensive cues.

Schmelke is an underrated cue as well. My old T-3 Jackson (made back in the 90s when they first started making cues, and also made in wisconsin) is still in my cue case and probably never going to give up. or let you down. or run around and desert you
 
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Billiard_Junkie...Save your money. Use the cues you have (have the tips replaced with new ones), and spend the money on some quality instruction (an instructor who used video analysis) for you and your wife! It will be money better spent. Then you'll learn that you don't need any kind of fancy stick ($300+), but will able to play with most anything. When you WANT a fancier cue, you can purchase one...but you won't ever NEED it! :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
 
Wow! What a great group of people here! So much advice in so little time :) I really like Scott Lee's advice about the instructor.

I also wasn't aware that Dufferin's were decent cues as I was given a set with my previous used 'chinese' table. I bought a new Canada Billiards 9 foot Black Crown with simonis 860 and wanted to have good cues. Sounds like the dufferins will do fine.

I kept the old balls (they aren't aramith or anything). Off topic question but I have heard they can leave the white friction marks off the break moreso than aramith or centennial. Any thoughts?
 
Billiard_Junkie said:
Wow! What a great group of people here! So much advice in so little time :) I really like Scott Lee's advice about the instructor.

I also wasn't aware that Dufferin's were decent cues as I was given a set with my previous used 'chinese' table. I bought a new Canada Billiards 9 foot Black Crown with simonis 860 and wanted to have good cues. Sounds like the dufferins will do fine.

I kept the old balls (they aren't aramith or anything). Off topic question but I have heard they can leave the white friction marks off the break moreso than aramith or centennial. Any thoughts?
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Yep...get used to the white marks! I hate them, but like darkness at night...our feelings about it are irrelevant!

While the dufferins do play just fine-assuming they are straight- I find the taper to be far less amenable to my paws than the one found on 2-PC cues. The dufferins just get too fat too quickly as the progress from tip to butt.

See, pool is easy! The mor we discuss, the clearer it becomes!

How about som pics of your home pool room? We have a great thread in the main forum: 'show us your home room'. All kinds of setups there, from dungeons to palaces. Yours belongs too.
 
I agree with Scott.
Unless you don't like the cue, no need to replace it.
Spend a few bucks and get some instruction so you can know what you are doing correctly early on.

I would recommend that you make your choice on just one cue to shoot with and just stick with it. It will be much harder for you to learn if you keep switching cues. You will need that to be consistent so you understand why the cue ball is reacting the way it is.
 
Billiard_Junkie said:
Wow! What a great group of people here! So much advice in so little time :) I really like Scott Lee's advice about the instructor.

I also wasn't aware that Dufferin's were decent cues as I was given a set with my previous used 'chinese' table. I bought a new Canada Billiards 9 foot Black Crown with simonis 860 and wanted to have good cues. Sounds like the dufferins will do fine.

I kept the old balls (they aren't aramith or anything). Off topic question but I have heard they can leave the white friction marks off the break moreso than aramith or centennial. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
If the cloth on your new table is in good condition, then I would strongly advise you to at least replace the cue ball in your cheap ball set with a good quality cue ball. Look for Saluc or Aramith branded balls. Those cheap cue balls are far more prone to burn marks (those white marks you see) than a good quality CB.

If your budget has room, you can pick up a used set of Aramith balls for not much money. You'll find them in the For Sale section here, or on eBay. Look for the Premier, Premium, or Super Pro models. These will have a good quality cue ball and the rest of the balls will play better than your cheap set.
 
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