Cuemaker Review

[Hit Man]

I thought it would be interesting to share some of the stories (New and Old) about experiences you've had with custom cuemakers. How you got to know them. What you've bought in the past. And why you would buy from them again. ect. I think this would point a lot of new members in the right direction when buying and selecting a custom cue. From "price no object", to "as plain as it gets". Everyone has a budget to deal with. Let's hear it!

 

[ridewiththewind]

I thought it would be interesting to share some of the stories (New and Old) about experiences you've had with custom cuemakers. How you got to know them. What you've bought in the past. And why you would buy from them again. ect. I think this would point a lot of new members in the right direction when buying and selecting a custom cue. From "price no object", to "as plain as it gets". Everyone has a budget to deal with. Let's hear it!

I think this thread is a great idea! With that said, I prefer NOT to disclose cue pricing direct from the maker, as some makers will do special 'favors' for some customers, they they may not do for others. Since it is ultimately up to the cuemaker how he wishes to price any given cue, I will usually only quote their basic pricing schedule.

As a rule, the cuemakers I have had direct dealings with have all been very easy to work with, and very much willing to please. All have treated me very well...with regards to delivering exactly what I had hoped for and/or pricing. All work was top-notch, and with top quality materials/woods. Those cuemakers would be: Paul Allers, Skip Weston, Keith Josey, and Murray Tucker.

Lisa

 

[JoeyInCali]

I think this thread is a great idea! With that said, I prefer NOT to disclose cue pricing direct from the maker, as some makers will do special 'favors' for some customers, they they may not do for others. Since it is ultimately up to the cuemaker how he wishes to price any given cue, I will usually only quote their basic pricing schedule.

As a rule, the cuemakers I have had direct dealings with have all been very easy to work with, and very much willing to please. All have treated me very well...with regards to delivering exactly what I had hoped for and/or pricing. All work was top-notch, and with top quality materials/woods. Those cuemakers would be: Paul Allers, Skip Weston, Keith Josey, and Murray Tucker.

Lisa

Send me those cues so I can review them.
I'll pay for shipping.
One way.

 

[cubswin]

The ones I've enjoyed buying from and working with are Joey Bautista, Mason Houghland, Chad Carter, Bob Dzuricky, Evan Clarke, and Tim Scruggs.

Mason and Joey I met here on AZ. Mason through buying and selling cues, and Joey from seeing pictures of his cues and thinking I needed one. Of course it took a year or better of asking before he took a order.

Mason asked me to buy one of his first five cues. He was willing to let me try it out without paying for it, but I went ahead and paid first. That first cue was without question the best playing cue I've owned. Sold it for some reason or another (was broke, needed cash, nothing else to sell) and now regret it. Have tried to buy it back, alas don't think its ever coming back.

Chad Carter, Bob Dzuricky, Evan Clarke, and Tim Scruggs were all a pleasure to work with. Would like to do more with each of them, as they all build a great cue.

 

[ridewiththewind]

Send me those cues so I can review them.
I'll pay for shipping.
One way.

LoL....since all I have now is the Tucker...the odds of this happening now are nil and none. :tongue:

 

[Rusty Melton]

Andy Gilbert used to come to the poolhalls with batches of cues before he was well known, he's a great guy. He even flipped a coin for a third of the price. I won and got a fantastic deal. Even if I had lost it would have been a great deal since he only was asking 300 for a 4 point 2 veener cue. Also Jeff Olney is a great guy as well. Very nice and ALWAYS answers the phone, that's more than can be said for some. I think he offers alot of bang for the buck.

 

[deep]

Great idea for a thread.

I'd like to give a mention to Jerry Powers of Jerico cues. When i snapped the shaft on my Stinger i contacted Jerry and asked how much a new shaft would be (i wasn't the original owner of the cue). Jerry told me to send the cue back to him and he'd see what he could do. Totally out of the blue Jerry sent me a brand new cue and wouldn't even let me pay for the shipping, which with me living in the UK would have been quite a few $$$. So not only does Jerry make a great product he stands behind it 100%.

 

[Rift]

Mike Cochran hands down is my favorite cuemaker. The hit for his cues is just perfect for me and he himself is probably one of the best guys I've had the pleasure of dealing with in this industry. Of course his work doesn't and shouldn't come cheap and I had to live on nickels and dimes for a while saving up but I couldn't imagine a better investment.

I'd also like to say Rick Howard is a guy maker to deal with. I called him up one occasion a while back and told him I'd like a j/b custom and needed it in two weeks and he came through. And of course it was the quality product it was supposed to be.

 

[kamdaswani]

all good so far

i have been really lucky and have gotten to know some great people..

barry S is definitely the king of the hill ... he is just a one of the nicest guys i have ever met ... not being from america or exposed to the pool culture, he spends hours sharing his anecdotes about things that used to go on during his dad's time and has made me a true fan of the sport of pool and given me a real appreciation of the skill of cue making.

tony sciannella ( black boar ) is undoubtedly a genius ... this man knows more about the mechanics of cue engineering that anyone else i have met .. add to that his artistic flare and effervescent personality... you gotta just love him!

ernie G - the first cue maker i got to know .. although i have not kept much in touch with him, i found him to be meticulous and communicative ... he was always willing to accommodate

lambros - he does keep busy with personal committments and high end projects but is always willing to spend time on the phone and share his valuable time with you..

joel hercek - a fine gentleman who makes every effort to keep you in the loop ... again, communicative and inspired ...

pete tascarella - always willing to talk on the phone and responsive to all questions ... helps out whenever possible... frank and honest.

dennis S - although we have not worked on a cue, we do share other common interests and i have enjoyed our interactions ... a perfectionist and fully engaged in his passions.

jack justis - i had the pleasure of showing him around hong kong - we had a great time and i look forward to our next meeting ... one of the good guys !

edwin reyes - i met him in manila a few months ago and he went well out of his way to be a great host ... his work is stunning and his love of the sport is evident ... given his status in the community, it was a privilege to meet him... a very fine gentleman indeed.

Showman - now here is a really fabulous family ... i think they are in a league all their own ... they inspire me to be a better person !

ed young - super communicative, goes way above and beyond and all round great guy ... i really enjoyed out project and our conversations ... plus i got to learn a lot more about dpk

travis N - great communication, on time delivery and willing to make his clients happy ...

there are several others that i am working with but unfortunately i have not had the good fortune of getting to know them better. .. though they have been exemplary in their work ethic... bryan mordt, leon sly and dave albrecht... all have been responsive and flexible providing regular updates and input.

my thanks and respect to them all ...
kam

 

[The King]

Cue Makers ...

Cue makers I have dealt with and would deal with again are as follows ...

Leon Sly , Leon Sly , leon sly ... Leon is excellent to deal with very friendly and funny and his prices are not to bad either, In fact rather inexpensive ... Especially for the quality of cue you recieve from him. I got a Coco Sneaky from him with a Coco joint and it is the best cue I have ever played with. I have not seen a cue with a shaft as smooth as his are. His work is high quality and well put together he uses all top of the line woods and products clear down to the glue ... These cues are built to last a lifetime if you just take proper care of them. And when you take them out of the shipping box your first impression is wow what a great cue ... These babies shine and look great and the hit is even better. I was so impressed with Leons work that I have three other cues ordered from him ... He is making an Exotic wrapless cue ... Also in the works is a quilted maple cue ... These will probably be ready in September ... I also have him making me a Ebony Sneaky that we have set a expected due date of November for ... Plus we are discussing plans for a high end cue for sometime around Christams ... That is how much I like his work and believe in him ... I feel that his cues and the prices on his cues are going to continue to climb and I am getting them before they climb much higher... Leon can build you any type of cue you want and as I said uses all top notch products. You can view his work and some of his woods in the Cue Gallery or here in the review section ... For Leon's work you may have to do a search once he posts a cue it usually sells right away ... There are usually people in line for his cues .. I know I thought I had locked in on two of his cues only to find out when I was ready to ship the money to him they were gone ... I got the Coco jointed Sneaky and now I just order my cues and have Leon make them for me ... I'm not fighting the line of AZ'ers that want his cues as they get posted and being disappointed that I don't get the cue ... It is not Leon's fault his cues are just that much in demand and people want them... They look very good when he posts pictures and they play twice as good as they look... If you have never played with a Sly you need to they are a awesome cue and the hit is tremendous .. absolutly the best hit out there in my book they also have a very reasonable price for the quality of cue you are getting and they are not going to get any cheaper the price is only going to go up... I have one for my player and have discussed plans with Leon to own a total of 5 Sly cues by years end... I stand behind what I am saying here about Leons cues his cue is the cue of choice for me ... PLAY WITH A SLY OR GO HUNGRY...

Jimmy Lee ... He is another cue builder much like Leon .. He is a super nice guy and great to talk to... You can see pictures of the cue he is building for me here in the review section and in the Cue Gallery along with other cues he is making for other AZ'ers ...Jimmy is making cues full time now and his work is great and his prices are very reasonable ... and very affordable ... He is in it to put a great cue in a players hands and at a great price/ savings to the player ... He is easy to get a hold of .. He keeps you updated on your cue better then any cue maker I have dealt with so far, him and Leon Sly are about the same when it comes to updates... The quality of his work is very very good ... Again a top notch cue maker that is not looking to get rich off his customers and cares about the people he is building cues for ... He can build any type of cue you want and has some high quality stock to put in your cue ... Uses only grade A material he is one you need to call or pm and talk to ... Him and Leon Sly are tops on this list for a reason ... I like the way they work , the quality of thier cues , Thier prices, Just the way they talk to you and treat and make you feel like your a huge part of the process in making your cue and what seperates these two from all the others is thier customer service it is the very best I have ever seen ... The other guys I have on this list are very good at what they do and will treat you good and do great work with the top equipment and grade A material and thier customer service is good also or I would not list them here in this post ... But Leon Sly and Jimmy Lee to me just stand out more and that makes these two my favorites to use time and time again. Of course I would not hesitate to use any of the guys on this list I'm about to post ... But to me Leon Sly and Jimmy Lee are the best of the best ...

Doug Patrick... Doug was my first choice when it came to making me a Custom I was new to AZ I talked to several and at the time and did my homework as well as I could for newbie I had talked to Leon Sly but he was to busy at the time he politly turned me away (little did we know what we know today that Leon and I would hit it off like we do and he would indeed make me a cue and we would become friends and he would be my cue maker of choice we have plans for 5 cues in the works by years end...He just called me up one day out of the blue and we got to talking and we have not stopped talking to each other ever since ... lol...) I had not heard of Jimmy Lee at the time but found out about him soon after giving this cue to Doug ... Me and Jimmy talked for a couple hours on the phone the first night and he got my second cue ... But back to Doug , Doug and I talked and he sold me on the fact that he could build what I wanted and I would like it and he promised me pictures and updates along the way he convinced me over some good cue makers so I went with him. I still feel I made a good choice for my first cue ... He is making me a cue I designed myself ... I have not recieved pictures of it yet but he has promised them to me very soon ... He is easy to get a hold of and we have talked several times about the cue and he tells me how it is coming along ... Doug also has a pro or two playing with his cues ... When I have told people that Doug is making me a cue people seem to be very impressed with it and the fact Doug Patrick is making my cue ... Pricing, his prices are not out of line he is a little higher then Jimmy Lee maybe more in line with Leon Sly ... But I also know there are several cue makers out there that charge alot more then Doug does for the same quality of work... Doug's work seems to be top notch from what I have seen so far from cues he has made but as I said I have not seen pics of my cue yet or felt as if I have been much in the building stages of the cue since we designed it together and I sent him the deposit... His required deposit is very reasonable mine was 200.00 and I will probably have 5 times that amount or close to it in the finished cue ... As I said he is easy to get a hold of and answers all pm's and emails pretty quick ... He knows what he is doing he must to have pro's using his cues. There is not a long wait on his cues as of yet but I could see that coming for both him and Leon ....Doug told me about 4 months on the cue and he seems to be right online with that ... I ordered about three months ago and he recently told me it should be done in about a month. Leon Sly , Jimmy Lee and Doug Patrick are cue makers I would order from again ... Doug is a good guy that seems a little on the quiet side to me ... Though he sayd his wife would not agree with him being on the quiet side...

Joe Baker - I like Joe and he built a very nice cue that I bought off of him ... I think it may be one of his best but I have not seen all of his work this is just how I feel about the one I got from him. Joe is a family man and takes his work very seriously , He is easy to talk to and excited about his cues he talks to you with a passion for cue building ... His prices are very reasonable I felt they were really very cheap for the cue you get and the quality of the cue ...

Eddie Wheat ... I have not got a cue from Eddie but plan to order one from him at some point and time ... I had talked to him about building me one but then got side tracked with Leon Sly and fell in love with Leon's cues. Eddie's prices are very reasonable starting at 350.00 and working up from there ... He has some cues on his site he shows and they are very very pretty cues ... I talked to him for a hour or more he carried the conversation he just got so excited about talking about cues and building them. He is very passionate , knowledgable and cares about what he does and how he does it ... He is one of the only ones that builds the cue to each customer .. He actually makes you measure your wing span .... and your hieght just to build you a cue that will fit you personaly ... it is nothing for Eddie to build a 60 inch cue for a taller person with a big wing span as he feels you will play better if the cue is better suited to you ... Talk to him sometime pick up the phone and call him you will come away impressed ... I know Blackjack went to visit his shop not knowing what to expect and came away impressed he did a review of that visit and it is here in the cue review section if you want to read it..

Brent Hartman (BHQ) - I heard about Brent from a friend ... I emailed him because I heard he makes a great J/B and that is what he is making me ...
Brent is honest and sincere and also very funny ... He has a little bit of a waiting list but nothing to bad ... His prices are very reasonable again for the quality of work he does they are very cheap prices, you are getting a great deal and value in one of his cues. I also hear he makes a great player and I have seen some of his butterfly work ... Butterflys are his love and he does a great job on them you can view some of his work in the gallery and here in the review section...

I feel I have forgotten some and I aplogize now in advance ... But these are all guys I would recommend and feel are great bargains out there that are putting out great quality at very affordable prices ... Heck cheap prices for the work and quality you get .... If you get a chance call them or pm them and talk to them ... If you don't you will be the one losing out because these guys are going to get work they are that good ... And I also feel that thier prices are as low as they are going to get because thier cues are going to rise in value ... And some of them are going to get big in the future and possibly make that jump to elite cue maker ... All of them here have that potential ... But Leon Sly and probably Doug Patrick and Jimmy Lee stand the best chance in my book... But then I would not count any of these guys out of that catagory ... They all certainly have the tools , are gaining the experience , Use the best products available and have the potential and desire to go as far as they wish to go ... The only question being is how far do THEY want to take it ... I'm fairly confident it is up to them ...