About 6 weeks ago, I purchased a cue from Doug Patrick of Patrick Cues. Thought I would leave a review of my impressions of this cue.
The cue I purchased was the first re-cut cue that Doug had done. It is a tulipwood forearm, re-cut with holly and cocobola points, with a tulipwood butt sleeve, accented with cocobola inlays. Both the cocobola points and butt sleeve inlays have ivory diamond accents. The cue also has an ivory joint sleeve and butt cap. The shaft’s tip was 12.5mm and I have asked Doug to make a second shaft at 12.75mm. The joint is a radial pin.
I am not a professional player but have played pool and billiards for a long time. Of the many cues I’ve had, I have kept an older McDermott, a Predator 5K2, a Whistler full-splice, and a ’97 Scruggs four point. All had stainless joints, which seemed to always remain my preference.
Since receiving the Patrick cue from Doug about a month and a half ago, I have shot pool with little else. The feel, balance, and feedback from the cue are exceptional. Of my other cues, most of you know how a Predator cue or shaft hits. The full splice Whistler I have hits incredibly well but the balance point in it seems a little too much to the rear of the cue for me. Being a full splice, with no pins, screws, or separate sections, it would be difficult to move the balance point forward. My Scruggs has always been the best balanced, best hitting, and easiest cue to shoot with and consistently get the desired results. The Patrick cue I purchased comes very close to being on a level with the Scruggs. For me, at least, the balance is perfect, little adjustment was needed with the radial pin joint, and spin, draw, or follow put on the cue ball is effortless. It is a slightly softer hit than a stainless steel joint. The cue is a formidable tool to have at the pool table.
In fairness for a review, I think that pluses and minuses should be noted. The pluses of Doug’s cue are the balance, performance, overall craftsmanship, finish, aesthetics of the cue, and again “Performance”. The minuses are minor but would be noticed by a collector of cues. The points on this cue are not ‘exactly’ even but very close and you would have to hold and inspect the cue to notice it. This is Doug’s first re-cut cue and as he does more of them, I think this small discrepancy will disappear. The wrap is brown lizard and whereas you can barely discern the seam, the ends, where they meet the forearm and butt-sleeve do not flow into the wood as smoothly as they do on my Scruggs, but again, is barely noticeable. The black kamui tip that is on the cue does not seem to hold chalk as well as the Moori mediums I have used for several years, but that is purely a personal preference.
I would highly recommend a Doug Patrick cue to anyone who wants a truly formidable tool to use in this game we play. I personally am extremely pleased with the cue I purchased and look forward to many more years of continued success with it. One word of caution, if you take it to the pool room, don’t leave it unattended. The craftsmanship and uniqueness of a Patrick cue draw attention, and if someone picks it up and hits more than two balls with it, you may never see the cue again.
The cue I purchased was the first re-cut cue that Doug had done. It is a tulipwood forearm, re-cut with holly and cocobola points, with a tulipwood butt sleeve, accented with cocobola inlays. Both the cocobola points and butt sleeve inlays have ivory diamond accents. The cue also has an ivory joint sleeve and butt cap. The shaft’s tip was 12.5mm and I have asked Doug to make a second shaft at 12.75mm. The joint is a radial pin.
I am not a professional player but have played pool and billiards for a long time. Of the many cues I’ve had, I have kept an older McDermott, a Predator 5K2, a Whistler full-splice, and a ’97 Scruggs four point. All had stainless joints, which seemed to always remain my preference.
Since receiving the Patrick cue from Doug about a month and a half ago, I have shot pool with little else. The feel, balance, and feedback from the cue are exceptional. Of my other cues, most of you know how a Predator cue or shaft hits. The full splice Whistler I have hits incredibly well but the balance point in it seems a little too much to the rear of the cue for me. Being a full splice, with no pins, screws, or separate sections, it would be difficult to move the balance point forward. My Scruggs has always been the best balanced, best hitting, and easiest cue to shoot with and consistently get the desired results. The Patrick cue I purchased comes very close to being on a level with the Scruggs. For me, at least, the balance is perfect, little adjustment was needed with the radial pin joint, and spin, draw, or follow put on the cue ball is effortless. It is a slightly softer hit than a stainless steel joint. The cue is a formidable tool to have at the pool table.
In fairness for a review, I think that pluses and minuses should be noted. The pluses of Doug’s cue are the balance, performance, overall craftsmanship, finish, aesthetics of the cue, and again “Performance”. The minuses are minor but would be noticed by a collector of cues. The points on this cue are not ‘exactly’ even but very close and you would have to hold and inspect the cue to notice it. This is Doug’s first re-cut cue and as he does more of them, I think this small discrepancy will disappear. The wrap is brown lizard and whereas you can barely discern the seam, the ends, where they meet the forearm and butt-sleeve do not flow into the wood as smoothly as they do on my Scruggs, but again, is barely noticeable. The black kamui tip that is on the cue does not seem to hold chalk as well as the Moori mediums I have used for several years, but that is purely a personal preference.
I would highly recommend a Doug Patrick cue to anyone who wants a truly formidable tool to use in this game we play. I personally am extremely pleased with the cue I purchased and look forward to many more years of continued success with it. One word of caution, if you take it to the pool room, don’t leave it unattended. The craftsmanship and uniqueness of a Patrick cue draw attention, and if someone picks it up and hits more than two balls with it, you may never see the cue again.
.
