Custom cues in the 500 or less range ?

Dale Perry cues are no good, never heard of AA cues. In that price range I would look at an entry level Schon or Joss. Cannot go wrong with either. I have also heard good things about Rat custom cues.
 
billinboston said:
Looking for any recommendations on decent
Playing cues and opinions of both AA Custom Cues
And Dale Perry Cues
Thanks
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There are many customs cues in that price range.

Dale Perry? That's a $100-$125 cue generally, why mention it in your price range?

AA? No idea. PI import? Ebay cue?

You say custom. What do you mean by that? You want to have it made to your specs, your design?

Give some ideas of what you want and perhaps it can be narrowed down. There really are many under $500.
 
x2 for daivd brainard, titleist conversion in your price range,
https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=486855


also chuck starkey makes an awesome playing cue for 400 or less, plain jane
does a kool wood thread connection too

i got him to make me a 1 piece butt birdseye maple cue with a wood thread, the thing juices the cue ball like nuthin i ever played with before

but my number 1 player is that brainard conversion
 
Buddy Baker in Oklahoma City is a guy who flies under the radar and makes nice stuff in that range. Brainerd and Mezz are probably your top choices in this range. Don't discount the import Lucasi also. Not a custom but plays better than some i've owned. Great cues for $$ spent.
 
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if you look for one of their plainer cues; a couple of true customs I would suggest would be from either Jeff Olney (with his 3/8 10 pin) or a Pat Diveney (with his G10 pin). Most would agree that you can get a whole lotta bang for the buck with these two makers but, again, in the $500 or less range from these guys it'll be a plainer one but will still hit just as good as ones in the thousands. :wink:

An even cheaper option would be a made in the USA Schmelke cue schmelkecue.com
For $200-$300 you can get a very good quality cue from them.

As for production cues, in all of the surveys I've seen here over many years, the 3 brands that consistently get the most votes in no particular order are Mezz, Pechauer and Schon. In my experience when occasionally helping pool friends find an inexpensive cue the Pechauers tended to be a bit more affordable - you can typically find a nice one on eBay for under $300. Any of these 3 production cue brands will not hold your game back whatsoever. :)

best,
brian kc
 
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Kickin' Chicken said:
if you look for one of their plainer cues; a couple of true customs I would suggest would be from either Jeff Olney (with his 3/8 10 pin) or a Pat Diveney (with his G10 pin). Most would agree that you can get a whole lotta bang for the buck with these two makers but, again, in the $500 or less range from these guys it'll be a plainer one but will still hit just as good as ones in the thousands. :wink:

An even cheaper option would be a made in the USA Schmelke cue schmelkecue.com
For $200-$300 you can get a very good quality cue from them.

As for production cues, in all of the surveys I've seen here over many years, the 3 brands that consistently get the most votes in no particular order are Mezz, Pechauer and Schon. In my experience when occasionally helping pool friends find an inexpensive cue the Pechauers tended to be a bit more affordable - you can typically find a nice one on eBay for under $300. Any of these 3 production cue brands will not hold your game back whatsoever. :)

best,
brian kc
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You can't get a new Diveney or Olney for 500 anymore. Maybe on the used market. Pat's sneaky's might be still around the $500 point.
 
garczar said:
You can't get a new Diveney or Olney for 500 anymore. Maybe on the used market. Pat's sneaky's might be still around the $500 point.
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non-pointed Olneys and Diveneys do come up on the secondary market in new or close to new cond for under $500. :yeah:

I've had a couple myself.
 
garczar said:
Buddy Baker in Oklahoma City is a guy who flies under the radar and makes nice stuff in that range. Brainerd and Mezz are probably your top choices in this range. Don't discount the import Lucasi also. Not a custom but plays better than some i've owned. Great cues for $$ spent.
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A very special Thanks to you as well as the others who mentioned me in here, I singled you out for a funny, very humorous comment, here goes.

I am a NARD not a NERD, as in Brainard, rhymes with Maynard which or course sounds like a NERD, that's what they stuck me with.

One thing people get with my cues is an awesome shaft. I have standards with a minimum of 15 grains per inch with the grain running straight from end to end. Ever compare the hit of a shaft with 8 grains per inch compared to 15?.

Guess what? I am doing my best to go to 20 grains per inch and increase my prices to cover it.

Many years ago I was taught a lot about grading wood, I was taught by a Sawyer and a Certified Grader. If some people knew these standards, it would radically change the way you view many cues.

Would anyone like to know these standards? Could make a great thread and we would all learn something, after all, in an ever changing world, the know it all is quickly left behind.

Thanks again, Dave.
 
CuesDirectly said:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


A very special Thanks to you as well as the others who mentioned me in here, I singled you out for a funny, very humorous comment, here goes.

I am a NARD not a NERD, as in Brainard, rhymes with Maynard which or course sounds like a NERD, that's what they stuck me with.

One thing people get with my cues is an awesome shaft. I have standards with a minimum of 15 grains per inch with the grain running straight from end to end. Ever compare the hit of a shaft with 8 grains per inch compared to 15?.

Guess what? I am doing my best to go to 20 grains per inch and increase my prices to cover it.

Many years ago I was taught a lot about grading wood, I was taught by a Sawyer and a Certified Grader. If some people knew these standards, it would radically change the way you view many cues.

Would anyone like to know these standards? Could make a great thread and we would all learn something, after all, in an ever changing world, the know it all is quickly left behind.

Thanks again, Dave.
Click to expand...
Sorry 'bout that "pard". ;)
 
i don't know if they are still active but jenor urate and his nephew steve urate made really nice hitting cues for around that money. but they are pinoy, so not murica made
 
garczar said:
It happens but rarely. You might wait a long time waiting on a sub-500 Olney to show up.
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I agree with you that it might take a while to see one come up but if I was in the market I wouldn't wait; I'd post that I'm looking for one in the Wanted Forum and I don't think it would take too long, but you never know. They are def out there.

Jeff charged $400 - $450 for his birdseye merry widows with linen wraps. Ordering one now is impractical because his wait is years long but he did make a good number of them as well as plain janes in other woods like bocote, alves and pau ferro which were approx $500 or just under, new.

I think the op has some good options in his price range.

best,
brian kc
 
Josey makes a great cue might be able to get a basic sneaky for around that price

Jacoby would probably have something in that budget range but it wouldn't be fancy
 
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