Cue buying advice for under $100?

Alex Kanapilly

Alex Kanapilly

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi all, I haven't paid much attention to the cue market in a while and am hoping to draw on the AZB community for some advice.

I have a friend looking to buy her husband a cue for no more than $100. When I was in the market for my first real cue, I looked at McDermott and Meucci, maybe Hubler. What is a good no nonsense cue I can recommend?

They both enjoy playing pool but are not hard core by any means. Just recreational players.

Thanks in advance.
 
Buy any $50 sneaky pete with a maple shaft, spend $20 to upgrade the tip, and $20 for a case.
 
I've been very happy with my Players HXTE10. It ran about $120 but Players has less expensive models.
 
McDermott and Viking make good cues. It may be a challenge to find them in the sub-$100 range though. Players is a solid brand for a beginner that will run a little cheaper. Edit: Schmelke is a nice choice too as Measureman said.

IMO, do not get them a sneaky pete. Good players value playability and can appreciate a well-made sneaky pete. Recreational players will be disappointed that their cue isn't as fancy as the others at the pool room. As their pool-playing friend, your job is to get them a cue in their price range that will look sufficiently fancy (so that they will be proud to use it) and that will play solidly.

I know because I've been there. When I first started playing as a high school kid, I bought an Excalibur brand cue from China, complete with points, veneers, inlays, and, as one of the local players put it, an audible "tink" every time I hit a ball. I loved that cue. It was only once I'd been playing for a while that a friend gave me a sneaky pete and I really appreciated the difference.
 
Last edited:
TSW said:
McDermott and Viking make good cues. It may be a challenge to find them in the sub-$100 range though. Players is a solid brand for a beginner that will run a little cheaper. Edit: Schmelke is a nice choice too as Measureman said.

IMO, do not get them a sneaky pete. Good players value playability and can appreciate a well-made sneaky pete. Recreational players will be disappointed that their cue isn't as fancy as the others at the pool room. As their pool-playing friend, your job is to get them a cue in their price range that will look sufficiently fancy (so that they will be proud to use it) and that will play solidly.

I know because I've been there. When I first started playing as a high school kid, I bought an Excalibur brand cue from China, complete with points, veneers, inlays, and, as one of the local players put it, an audible "tink" every time I hit a ball. I loved that cue. It was only once I'd been playing for a while that a friend gave me a sneaky pete and I really appreciated the difference.
Click to expand...

hold onto it till you got another hundred. then hold on to that too. 2,3,4 hundos can do you some real good purchasing a cue. look second hand from someone in person,. forget on line or buying from a store, it gives you a good opportunity really shoot around with something before pulling the trigger, and if ya catch the person at the right time, deals are to be had.
 
May want to take a look at Fury cues. Sexy berets, ozone billiards, pool dawn, any of the online retailers. They make a number of cues sub $100. Hit solid. Stainless steel joints.
 
I can vouch for the Action cue. I have one I used for a few weeks until I found some used cues. I use it for a break cue and a loaner cue now. My really good friend and pool player came out to shoot with me and didn't have enough time to run home to grab his pricey Schon. He used the Action cue I had with me and had did a few double takes. He said if the weight was adjusted just a little lighter he would have been sold on it.
I picked up mine, a hard 1x1 tube case, chalk and joint protectors for under $90. It's a great cue. I just weighted it down for breaks, left the tip stock for now. I like it.
 
desertshark said:
I can vouch for the Action cue. I have one I used for a few weeks until I found some used cues. I use it for a break cue and a loaner cue now. My really good friend and pool player came out to shoot with me and didn't have enough time to run home to grab his pricey Schon. He used the Action cue I had with me and had did a few double takes. He said if the weight was adjusted just a little lighter he would have been sold on it.
I picked up mine, a hard 1x1 tube case, chalk and joint protectors for under $90. It's a great cue. I just weighted it down for breaks, left the tip stock for now. I like it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. We sell a handful of cues at the pool room i work at and the majority of what we carry is Action. We really never have people looking for the high end cues so we like to stay in the quality starter cue area and everyone who buys one loves them.

Action cues normally range between 60 to 120 and is a very fair price for the quality. Same with Players. Both companies make quality starter cues for a good price. I'm sure if you steer them toward either company they will find something they will be really happy with.
 
You can get a Players HXT for close to $100. They even come with a Kamui soft tip and play very good.
 
There was a similiar thread a few weeks ago. I would suggest a gift certificate, maybe with a picture. He may want to chip in some money to get what he might really wants.
 
In that price range (I hate to say this) you might want to look at some of the Chinese produced cues. The 'new' Palmers or Jian Ying. You can find both on ebay. I've bought a few and admittedly, I wouldn't use some for fire wood they were so bad, most have been really pretty good. Just a note - the bad ones came straight from the factory. Ths dealers had the best stock and with a couple.of them I haven't had a bad experience yet. These are actually some pretty good inexpensive cues
 
I bought a Stroker merry widow cue from Mueller's a while back so I could have a 2-piece cue to offer when guests come from out of town. I don't want anyone to play with my good cues. I tried out the Stroker one night, just to see how bad it was. To my surprise, it plays pretty good. I liked it so much that I bought another when they were on sale. Even the list price is great. You can choose a number of specific dimensions and can select the tip, ferrule, etc. No idea if they will warp with time. But after a year, no problem.

http://www.muellers.com/Stroker-Pool-Cues.html

I do not have experience with the other suggestions, which are probably also good. This is just an additional possibility. The Stroker is a real pool cue and not the junk that you get at a discount department store.
 
Last edited:
One of the Players HXT cues without a doubt. Best cues in the price range IMO.

It was my first cue after I started playing 9 ball and they play great, and to this day is still in great shape. They come with a great tip, they are well made and play as good as cues that are 2 or 3 times as expensive.

But in all honesty if she wants a cue for $100 and doesn't want to buy a used cue, Players HXT is the way forward.
 
This is your lucky day.
For this week, only, Steamer Cue Sports Ltd., is offering the Miracle and Wonder cues for the amazing low Christmas special price of $69.95.
Hell, we'll even throw in a gift wrap. :smile:

Note: This offer is void in Samoa, the Virgin Islands, Upper and Lower Mongolia, and Nebraska.
 
My wife has a Ricco handmade cue, and still shoots with her $70 action cue about as often as the Ricco.

The players do look nice as well. Also, if you scour ebay you can from time to time find decent real McDermott cues (not star or lucky) for $100, whether new or used. I picked up a new never chalked 2008 cue of the month with leather wrap for $100 just a couple weeks ago, from an authorized dealer so the lifetime warranty is still good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top