Custom cue makers comparison

C

Catalin

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Okay, so I've been toying with the idea to have a custom cue made by Schmelke, based on the many good reviews here. A lot of you say that they are underrated, and their blanks are known to be used by other cue makers. If the design was simple, with no fancy rings or inlays, how would it compare in build and playability with a plane jane or sneaky pete in the $400-600 range, made by a known custom cue maker? How about with an entry level Schon, which I'm also considering? In which ways could it be better or worse? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
 
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I’ve had Schmelke make me 6 different cues, so I have a lot of experience with them. I feel like you get a lot of cue for the money and they have quality components. However, their cues aren’t going to have the sharpest points and will have glue flaws in them. They do a nice job of building them but you won’t get the attention to detail that a true custom cue maker will provide. Their cues play great and look good but they aren’t what I would call custom cues. I would consider them production cues that you can customize.
 
Landlover said:
I’ve had Schmelke make me 6 different cues, so I have a lot of experience with them. I feel like you get a lot of cue for the money and they have quality components. However, their cues aren’t going to have the sharpest points and will have glue flaws in them. They do a nice job of building them but you won’t get the attention to detail that a true custom cue maker will provide. Their cues play great and look good but they aren’t what I would call custom cues. I would consider them production cues that you can customize.
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Thank you for your input. So aesthetics aside, if my focus is on how solidly it's put together and how well it plays, will it be as good as a custom?
 
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I will give you the same advice I give everybody looking for a cue. You are way ahead of the game if you buy a used cue that fits your needs at a reasonable price. It is like buying a new car/truck in many ways. You drive it off of the lot and the vehicle is worth less than you paid.

Saying that, if you can find a nice used Schon in the 500-600 range with two good shafts, your investment should be safe and if you had to get out from under the cue in a hurry, you should be able to recover most if not all of your money. These cues play as nice as anything out there and the quality is there.

The ideal is to not overpay for a cue and you can research the prices of whatever cue you are interested in here on AZB or Ebay. Learn the market value of what you want and make an educated buying decision.
 
Catalin said:
Thank you for your input. So aesthetics aside, if my focus is on how solidly it's put together and how well it plays, will it be as good as a custom?
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What plays well for one is a turd for another. who knows what you will like?

Will either of the choices you consider fall apart? Doubtful.
 
Catalin said:
Thank you for your input. So aesthetics aside, if my focus is on how solidly it's put together and how well it plays, will it be as good as a custom?
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The cues will still look aesthetically pleasing. They just won’t be as perfect as a custom maker will produce. As far as their cues playing as well as a custom, that is very subjective and some will say they do and some will say they won’t. They put cues together that are straight, have a good finish, and are extremely customizable for a production cue at their cost. If you know the type of hit you’re looking for and specs you like, they will make a cue that you will be happy with and it won’t depreciate in value much. I’ve sold two of my Schmelke’s for $50 more than I paid for them.
 
You could get 10 Schmelke's and 10 custom cues and paint all 'em the same color with the same tip/ferrule and let the worlds best players use them for a week & they won't know the difference or at best they would be guessing, it's as simple as that!
 
The final finish on my Schmelke shafts is one of the best I've ever felt. And their prices are undeniably some of the best in the business. Is it the best cue for YOU? .. Don't know - only you can answer that. It's not usually my /FIRST/ choice when I leave the house, but I wouldn't want to be without it either.
 
Johnny Rosato said:
You could get 10 Schmelke's and 10 custom cues and paint all 'em the same color with the same tip/ferrule and let the worlds best players use them for a week & they won't know the difference or at best they would be guessing, it's as simple as that!
Click to expand...

Whether or not anyone could tell the difference is not the question though. 100 people/ 10 cues and all 10 will be somebody's favorite.
 
Catalin said:
Okay, so I've been toying with the idea to have a custom cue made by Schmelke, based on the many good reviews here. A lot of you say that they are underrated, and their blanks are known to be used by other cue makers. If the design was simple, with no fancy rings or inlays, how would it compare in build and playability with a plane jane or sneaky pete in the $400-600 range, made by a known custom cue maker? How about with an entry level Schon, which I'm also considering? In which ways could it be better or worse? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Click to expand...

Playability? What does that even mean?
Line up 100 pool players and you will get as many opinions on what "playability" is.
I have had a Schmelke break cue and it was fine, I`ve seen a few players, they have been fine too. I have also bought fullsplice blanks, shafts and other stuff from Schmelke and it`s been good quality for money.
Your asking about build quality of a plain jane or sneaky, wich means that the cue most likely starts out as a blank from Schmelke, CueComponents, Chris Hightower etc.
If you use DBL, Juma, Elforyn, all come down to prefrances of the maker, one material isn`t really better than another, just shades of difference.
Go in the cue makers section and check out the discussions on glue, epoxy, joint diameter, joint pin, ferrule material, length, threaded vs non threaded, capped vs non-capped. I could go on and on...
Seeing that there are so many different cue makers out there and they all have their own philosphy and most cues play fine.
If your gonna go for a custom, it might be well worth to figure out what you feel a production cue can`t give you, and what cuemaker is close in terms of price and a philosophy in cue design/construction that resonates with you.
 
Haven't logged in for a few months but had to chime in regarding my support of this post. I got a great used cue that was worth 2k or so and it plays great. Support the used cue market and get a great deal unless you need to specify your exact details for a new cue.


{QUOTE=SC02GTP;6024721]I will give you the same advice I give everybody looking for a cue. You are way ahead of the game if you buy a used cue that fits your needs at a reasonable price. It is like buying a new car/truck in many ways. You drive it off of the lot and the vehicle is worth less than you paid.

Saying that, if you can find a nice used Schon in the 500-600 range with two good shafts, your investment should be safe and if you had to get out from under the cue in a hurry, you should be able to recover most if not all of your money. These cues play as nice as anything out there and the quality is there.

The ideal is to not overpay for a cue and you can research the prices of whatever cue you are interested in here on AZB or Ebay. Learn the market value of what you want and make an educated buying decision.[/QUOTE]
 
Custom Cue Makers Comparison

Lets start with the very best


Barry Szamboti and Lauri Franklin of South west Cues

Barry is about twice as big,tough as a cobb and a lot better basket ball player than you
would expect

Lauri is friendly ,out going and cute as a bug

Lauri is about 5 ft tall,Barry is over 6 feet tall


I hope this helps with your comparison

Dean
 
deanoc said:
Custom Cue Makers Comparison

Lets start with the very best


Barry Szamboti and Lauri Franklin of South west Cues

Barry is about twice as big,tough as a cobb and a lot better basket ball player than you
would expect

Lauri is friendly ,out going and cute as a bug

Lauri is about 5 ft tall,Barry is over 6 feet tall


I hope this helps with your comparison

Dean
Click to expand...

kramer-yeah.gif
 
HI chuck

I have been wanting one of your fancy cases

I know you are not selling any more
but with December 25 right around the corner,there are about 25 days for you to

make me one for the Holidays

please send it so I will have time to return a thank you card
before New Years Eve

Happy holidays to you
 
wow, I didn't know that

Schmelke, isn't that the guy that has those sandwich shops all over
Texas. They make there own bread, boy oh boy are they good. I
like that number one Traditional the best, but they are all delicious.
I hope him getting into cue making doesn't effect the quality of his
sandwiches. You can spread yourself to thin you know.
jack
 
Kim Bye said:
Playability? What does that even mean?
Line up 100 pool players and you will get as many opinions on what "playability" is.
I have had a Schmelke break cue and it was fine, I`ve seen a few players, they have been fine too. I have also bought fullsplice blanks, shafts and other stuff from Schmelke and it`s been good quality for money.
Your asking about build quality of a plain jane or sneaky, wich means that the cue most likely starts out as a blank from Schmelke, CueComponents, Chris Hightower etc.
If you use DBL, Juma, Elforyn, all come down to prefrances of the maker, one material isn`t really better than another, just shades of difference.
Go in the cue makers section and check out the discussions on glue, epoxy, joint diameter, joint pin, ferrule material, length, threaded vs non threaded, capped vs non-capped. I could go on and on...
Seeing that there are so many different cue makers out there and they all have their own philosphy and most cues play fine.
If your gonna go for a custom, it might be well worth to figure out what you feel a production cue can`t give you, and what cuemaker is close in terms of price and a philosophy in cue design/construction that resonates with you.
Click to expand...

Thank you, solid advice.
 
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