Custom Recommendations

[hurricane145]

You CAN GO WRONG with ANY cue made by ANY maker if you DIDN'T try the cue before you bought it.

No cue maker makes a cue that everyone likes. Even if you like one cue from a particular maker, another identical cue from the same maker may feel completely different. I KNOW. I have witnessed this when I've bought cues from HOF makers.

If you find a cue that you like, stay with that cue, or have something made that MOST replicates the one you like. Don't go changing weight, tapers, woods, etc., unless you have the money to "experiment" and then pay to change what you don't like.

If you can find a pro shop that has cues in stock that will let you try them, I'd do that before I spent a ton of money.

Amen to that! I wouldn't spend much at all on a cue I have never hit a ball with.
I have a Rich Chudy cue with two shafts the same size. One shaft has a hit that is just amazing to me, The other is nothing special. I have no idea why there is such a difference between them.
I would also suggest just changing shafts and see how it goes. Much less expensive and much less disheartening than spending a ton of money on a new cue to find you don't really like it all that much.
I have owned a lot of cues through the years but only three were what I consider to be amazing in terms of hit. I think they all had more to do with the shaft than anything else.

 

[THam]

Unfortunately my favorite cue I ever played with that a friend of mine had was sold. It was a solid maple cue from butt to tip with wood to wood no inlays or points.

 

[Runnintable]

custom cue

if you can go to an industry EXPO like the one in King of Prussia, PA coming up in March/April and try the cues out , get a feel of what you like.

 

[HawaiianEye]

Unfortunately my favorite cue I ever played with that a friend of mine had was sold. It was a solid maple cue from butt to tip with wood to wood no inlays or points.

You can get that built by Schmelke for no more than $200.

I'd have them build me one before I spent a ton of money on a big-name cue.

I have three Schmelke shafts that play damn good and they are super smooth and solid.

They will even build to whatever specs you like.

 

[HawaiianEye]

I own the THE McDermott cue that C.J. Wiley used to win the "Million Dollar Challenge" tournament with back in 1996. The tournament where Earl Strickland ran 11 racks in a row to win a million dollars.

I'll sell if for less than a million.

It may not improve your game, but you can say, "it won The Million."

 

[3kushn]

Unfortunately my favorite cue I ever played with that a friend of mine had was sold. It was a solid maple cue from butt to tip with wood to wood no inlays or points.

I love solid maple cues, not only how they play but how they look.

The builder I used was Dennis Dieckman RIP. I asked him a similar question. What do you think is the best combination of woods. He said maple and purple heart.
That's the Dieckman I play with and already owned.

During that long conversation "on the porch" I told him I'd like to see a cue made with something like curly and birdseye. He asks, you mean nothing but a glue line?
YEP. I also talked about how I really like butterfly splices. Conversation went on for a couple of hours. Had to know Diek to understand. He tells me about being required to build a 4 point cue in order to be accepted into one of the cue builder associations that BTW he was one of the founders of, and he refused to submit a cue. I don't build 4 point cues.

When I first saw the cue, it was not only a butterfly splice but had 4 of the sharpest point I've ever examined. Made from his 20yr old stock squares and wood off an old wood airplane propeller.

Just to drive home the earlier point. He made 2 identically designed cues and sent both to me to DECIDE which one I wanted. They played similar but not exactly. There was enough difference to notice.

Bought the one I liked better and year later he sent the other to my son. He has no idea yet what he has.

 

[asbani]

I own the THE McDermott cue that C.J. Wiley used to win the "Million Dollar Challenge" tournament with back in 1996. The tournament where Earl Strickland ran 11 racks in a row to win a million dollars.

I'll sell if for less than a million.

It may not improve your game, but you can say, "it won The Million."

Can you post a picture of it, with the shaft....I mean your cue, not an online similar photo of the model.

 

[Maniac]

You can get that built by Schmelke for no more than $200.

I'd have them build me one before I spent a ton of money on a big-name cue.

I have three Schmelke shafts that play damn good and they are super smooth and solid.

They will even build to whatever specs you like.

This is good advice and a money-saving tip also.

Maniac

 

[HawaiianEye]

Can you post a picture of it, with the shaft....I mean your cue, not an online similar photo of the model.

This the THE cue that he used for the tournament. It was the TV cue that was made for him by McDermott, one of the sponsors, and it was used only for this tournament and he won the tournament with it. McDermott was making C.J. a line of cues, but they weren't made before this tournament was held in 1996.

It is a RS-11 model. A picture of it is in this thread: https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=420501&highlight=adam+mcdermott+pancerny

You can see the cue on the TV youtube link below, where Jay Helfert was introducing Earl and C.J. for the final match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFYhtmTdza4

And here, where C.J. is playing with it in the semi-final.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BnTHfZ-tMk

 

[asbani]

Thanks, I wish I can see this whole match the finals cj vs strickland.

Also nice thing that when he made the 9ball combo in the semi's, he went to that other guy and showed off his cue, looks like a normal cue, but maybe it hits like magic, I don't know.

 

[HawaiianEye]

Thanks, I wish I can see this whole match the finals cj vs strickland.

Also nice thing that when he made the 9ball combo in the semi's, he went to that other guy and showed off his cue, looks like a normal cue, but maybe it hits like magic, I don't know.

Come to Hawaii and I'll let you play with it.

It may be "magic" to you. It still has the same tip on it from that tournament.

 

[Johnny Rosato]

Funny as hell what folks will do for money. Just buy a cue and play with it. SMH