Cue Review Of A Hot Rod Varney Hustler

manwon

manwon

"WARLOCK 1"
Silver Member
Hello AZ, I recently had the chance to check out a Kevin Varney Hustler Cue, and below are the findings of my review, along with photo's.

1. Length - The cue is 58" long from the tip to the Bumper.

2. Weight / Balance - The cues weight was approximately 19.2 oz, and the cues balance is about a half inch forward of it's A-joint. I liked it very much, even though it was .5 oz heaver than I use.

3. Shaft Taper / Shaft wood - The shaft taper is custom, it is close to a European taper and it has a straight taper not a pro-taper. The ferrule is just under 1 inch long, and at the tip, the shaft is about 12.75mm. The shaft wood is B quality, due to its grainy nature, however, the shaft is straight. I personally did not like the shaft taper, however, this is only because I use a extended pro-taper on all cues I play with.

4. Finish - The cues finish-is very well applied and polished, there are no signs of the finish not adhering to the surface of the wood. I think Kevin's finish work is good, presently I am uncertain of the type of finish Kevin uses.

5. Joint, the cues joint is different than I am use to seeing. The collar facings are rounded off which allows a gap to be present, I do not know why this is done to the facing, maybe to prevent chipping of the finish at this location. The joint collars are not flush either, but this may be due to rounding of the edges. I do like the pin used in this cue very much, it gives a very tight fit, which I like.

6. The over all machining of this cue was very good. In my opinion the necessary tolerances where maintained throughout except the above situation with the cues joint.

In all fairness, I think this was one of Kevin's earlier cues, because it is not dated or signed. However, for a Sneaky Pete or a plain conversion cue it would make a decent player. I have been told that Kevin's newer cues are monster hitters, however, I have not had the opportunity to test one YET!! It also has a custom fitted Predator Shaft that was fitted by Kevin for the current owner, which I did not have time to evaluate for fit.
Over all I think the cue is equal to most Sneaky Pete's in it's price range, which I would expect to be between $300 to $400, with the exception of the cues shaft wood which would be personally distracting to me for a player.


Cue.jpg

shaft.jpg

1shaft.jpg

Varney 2.jpg

Have a great day, good job Kevin!!!!!:)
 
Last edited:
manwon said:
4. Finish - The cues finish-is very well applied and polished, there are no signs of the finish not adhering to the surface of the wood. I think Kevin's finish work is good, presently I am uncertain of the type of finish Kevin uses.

5. Joint, the cues joint is different than I am use to seeing. The collar facings are rounded off which allows a gap to be present, I do not know why this is done to the facing, maybe to prevent chipping of the finish at this location. The joint collars are not flush either, but this may be due to rounding of the edges. I do like the pin used in this cue very much, it gives a very tight fit, which I like.
Click to expand...

I don't own one but had a chance to look at a j/b that a local kid owns. I'm in agreement with you about the joint. I thought the finish on the cue was ok but not great.

How are the points on this cue? The one I saw was not very sharp and varied in length a bit.

I don't know about the playability as I just inspected the cue.
 
Jazz said:
I don't own one but had a chance to look at a j/b that a local kid owns. I'm in agreement with you about the joint. I thought the finish on the cue was ok but not great.

How are the points on this cue? The one I saw was not very sharp and varied in length a bit.

I don't know about the playability as I just inspected the cue.
Click to expand...

The points were close to even, however, these cues are converted from house cues I think. But, Kevin insists that he makes the Blanks, but I am uncertain if this cue was made by Kevin. Maybe Kevin will let us know for certain.:)

Have a good night!!!!!!
 
qbilder said:
Really???? Hmmmm...... Never heard that before. Does he make ALL of his blanks?
Click to expand...

Below is A recent post that Kevin made, you tell me what it means, he states that this cue / his cues are not made from purchased blanks, which in my mind also would mean house cues.

Let me set the record straight...at least on the Varney. Its NOT a sneaky made from a bought fullsplice blank. Its indeed a short splice 4pt non veneered forearm with a wood handle made to look similar to a fullsplice sneaky blank. All its missing is a buttsleeve then you'd see the cue differently. Imagine the cue if I had put a curly handle on it instead of the boco then added a boco buttsleeve. Then it'd be a 4pt no veneer boco into BEM with a curly handle & boco buttsleeve. A full blown 4pt cue with nothing hustler or sneaky about it. I built it the way that I did so it doesn't draw as much attention as if you pulled out a fancy custom. Kind of along the thought lines of....it looks like $200 but plays like $2000. Cues built in this manner are more expensive than a typical fancy sneaky since a fullsplice blank was not used. Many cuemakers charge their base 4pt no veneer price for these fancier short splice cues. Building the cue the way I did just allows for a few more race tricks to be applied...for example now the forearm can be cored and the balance can be made however I'd prefer....instead of the traditionally butt heavy fullsplice. Hope I've made this a bit clearer for everyone.
Happy Easter!!!!
__________________
Play with a VARNEY or get beat by one!!!
.45acp...when you care enough to send the very best!!!
Cash ain't heavy...carry some!!!

Here is the thread this came from:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=1112919#post1112919
 
Last edited:
That's pretty cut & dry. This cue has a short spliced forearm, a blank he made on his own just like any four point forearm. I don't see where he says he does make his own full splice sneaky blanks. From what I can gather in that post he actually leaves that part open, meaning to me that his sneakies are indeed made from blanks he buys, or in his case I assume from house cues that he cuts into blanks. But this particular cue is not one of them. This particular cue is made just like any four pointer with a separate handle.
 
qbilder said:
That's pretty cut & dry. This cue has a short spliced forearm, a blank he made on his own just like any four point forearm. I don't see where he says he does make his own full splice sneaky blanks. From what I can gather in that post he actually leaves that part open, meaning to me that his sneakies are indeed made from blanks he buys, or in his case I assume from house cues that he cuts into blanks. But this particular cue is not one of them. This particular cue is made just like any four pointer with a separate handle.
Click to expand...
I thought he didn't like Schmelke blanks and liked Prather blanks b/c they have a wider gap between the points.
 
House cue??

manwon said:
The points were close to even, however, these cues are converted from house cues I think. But, Kevin insists that he makes the Blanks, but I am uncertain if this cue was made by Kevin. Maybe Kevin will let us know for certain.:)

Have a good night!!!!!!
Click to expand...

If you think that is a house cue, then you aren't as knowledgeable as you want everyone to believe.

Kevin does make house cue conversions. I know because I have one. But one can plainly see that this cue does not fit into that category. When is the last time you saw a 4-point bocote/BEM house cue? You might very well see a Valley with bocote, but it'll most likely have straight grained maple instead of birdseye. Also, I don't think the points would be as long or as sharp as these. It's pretty obvious that it's a traditional short splice non-veneered forearm with a separate bocote butt section. To be honest, it kind of reminds me of a Gilbert J/B.

I thought I remembered seeing this cue last year, so it's not as old as you may think.

As far as whether he makes his own blanks, I agree with Eric and can say with a degree of certainty that he does NOT make his own full splice blanks. In fact I think he has posted this fact several times. I do think he makes many (or all) of the short splices himself though (I may be wrong there). As to where he buys his full splice blanks, I do not know the answer to that.

When I first received my jump/break, I too noticed the joint and the bevel. I thought it was a little unorthodox, so I asked Kevin about it and he told me that this is done to prevent the clear coat from chipping. So you are correct in your assumption on that.

I spoke to Kevin a few days ago and his pc is down, but I am sure he'll be back on shortly to answer the other questions.

Very nice initial review though. It is well written and in my opinion quite informative. Have a nice night.
 
qbilder said:
That's pretty cut & dry. This cue has a short spliced forearm, a blank he made on his own just like any four point forearm. I don't see where he says he does make his own full splice sneaky blanks. From what I can gather in that post he actually leaves that part open, meaning to me that his sneakies are indeed made from blanks he buys, or in his case I assume from house cues that he cuts into blanks. But this particular cue is not one of them. This particular cue is made just like any four pointer with a separate handle.
Click to expand...

Just to set the record straight, I did not say that he made Full Splice Blanks, only that he made his own blanks.

To make it clear I was talking about Short Spliced Blanks. Is everybody clear on that subject.:)
 
manwon said:
Just to set the record straight, I did not say that he made Full Splice Blanks, only that he made his own blanks.

To make it clear I was talking about Short Spliced Blanks. Is everybody clear on that subject.:)
Click to expand...


Just wondering..... how was the hit on the cue?
 
poolplayer2093 said:
did the racing up of this cue help the hit?
Click to expand...

Hit is too subjective to comment on, I do not believe in making blatant statements about a cues hit. However, the hit is equal to most cues built to this style.

Oh and by the way, I do not know what racing up a cue means!!!!!!!;)
 
Irish634 said:
If you think that is a house cue, then you aren't as knowledgeable as you want everyone to believe.

Kevin does make house cue conversions. I know because I have one. But one can plainly see that this cue does not fit into that category. When is the last time you saw a 4-point bocote/BEM house cue? You might very well see a Valley with bocote, but it'll most likely have straight grained maple instead of birdseye. Also, I don't think the points would be as long or as sharp as these. It's pretty obvious that it's a traditional short splice non-veneered forearm with a separate bocote butt section. To be honest, it kind of reminds me of a Gilbert J/B.

I thought I remembered seeing this cue last year, so it's not as old as you may think.

As far as whether he makes his own blanks, I agree with Eric and can say with a degree of certainty that he does NOT make his own full splice blanks. In fact I think he has posted this fact several times. I do think he makes many (or all) of the short splices himself though (I may be wrong there). As to where he buys his full splice blanks, I do not know the answer to that.

When I first received my jump/break, I too noticed the joint and the bevel. I thought it was a little unorthodox, so I asked Kevin about it and he told me that this is done to prevent the clear coat from chipping. So you are correct in your assumption on that.

I spoke to Kevin a few days ago and his pc is down, but I am sure he'll be back on shortly to answer the other questions.

Very nice initial review though. It is well written and in my opinion quite informative. Have a nice night.
Click to expand...

If you think that is a house cue, then you aren't as knowledgeable as you want everyone to believe.

I would suspect that while I do not know everything(I am Learning) I have more knowledge on the subject than you.:)

Now, who believes what I say or doesn't is not really important here. I am not a Nut Hugger, and I am also not out to deceive anyone or to offer opinions unfairly. I have only stated what I believe (my opinion) and what I know to be true for a fact.

This thread has been nothing more than a cue review, not an attempt to discredit or take away from anyones popularity or status on this board. My intent has been to give a clear factual view, and nothing more.

No offense intended, and have a good night!!!!!!!!!!
 
i'm surprised this thread isn't 4 or 5 pages by now. usually one word suggesting mr varney isn't the next coming (of cue making) the sayer gets hounded by everyone
 
poolplayer2093 said:
i'm surprised this thread isn't 4 or 5 pages by now. usually one word suggesting mr varney isn't the next coming (of cue making) the sayer gets hounded by everyone
Click to expand...

I have not intended this to be Black spot on the Mr. Varney reputation as a up and coming Cue Maker in any way. I only have given my opinion, no where have I tried to throw Mr. Varney under the Bus, so to speak. I have not even given the cue a bad review, however, like I said above I truly believe that my assessment is fair and factual.

Now I understand at times some people get carried away in the heat of the moment, and give opinions based upon their level of knowledge, without a true understanding of what they are saying. This is not what this thread is about, I have tried to paint a picture based on my experience as a player, and as an aspiring cue builder. I certainly do have all the answers, and for this reason I asked questions.

I hope this clears things up, oh and by the way if some one finds one of my cues floating around and reviews it, I can only ask that they are also be honest. This way, I can learn something that will hopefully help me build a better cue in the future.

Have a nice night!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top