Craig Fales said:
I believe that John Barton can give you the contact info you need, he is up to date with those in the industry.
Lisa
F/S Cuemaster Cue case Made in Taiwan
- Thread starter jor23_lin
- Start date
I believe that John Barton can give you the contact info you need, he is up to date with those in the industry.
Lisa
Thanks for the info.
Lets try this.....
Here are a few pics of my Justis Case 2x4. Its a tube style, not a Pro-Lite. The white is Italian leather, the diamond inlay on the upper pocket is real snakeskin, I ordered the additional tooling on the back, the shoulder pad and the front as well as my name on the big pocket. What would a Cuemaster Case cost me just like this one?
Here are a few pics of my Justis Case 2x4. Its a tube style, not a Pro-Lite. The white is Italian leather, the diamond inlay on the upper pocket is real snakeskin, I ordered the additional tooling on the back, the shoulder pad and the front as well as my name on the big pocket. What would a Cuemaster Case cost me just like this one?
JB Cases said:
I agree with you that his cases look really nice and very well made. Everyone is making a big deal about the price of them so I'm wondering what he would charge compared to what Jack charged me for mine. If he's cheaper thats great for him. If he's more then things could be tough. I'm very curious and I'd bet other people are too.
Dave
Thanks for the compliments on the case.
DiamondDave said:
I don't think everyone is making a big deal about the price. I think some people feel that the level of work for the price is much lower than what Jack charges.
To be honest I don't know when Jack Justis became the gold standard for what cases "ought" to cost.
I mean the guy builds a beauty of a case, the workmanship is grade A and his personal reputation is top shelf but there are plenty of other people who deliver as much or more case for the money. Murnak, Whitten, On Q Case, Nittany Leather (Brian Bonner), to name a few. They don't get compared to Justis on a price/value scale so why should Cuemaster or anyone else for that matter? I can see it being of relevance if it's a true Justis copy where the copy is being sold for the same price as the original. But in this situation the case being offered for sale is not a Justis copy, or knockoff, or even a tribute. It's a completely different look and has it's own place in the field.
It's obvious that Jack's cases have a "name" now and that the name adds value to the product. I guess my issue is why do people have to frame the value of this brand in relation to Justis?
If the Cuemaster people answer you and say that they will make a duplicate of your case for exactly what Jack charges does that mean that their case is any less of a case? Would it be any less of an artistic work? (copying issues aside) In fact, the only thing that would be different is that Jack made one and someone else made the other one and if you didn't tell people then they wouldn't know (or care) which was which and you would get the same amount of admiration for having a pretty case.
Granted, on the resale market a "Justis" will bring more than a copy of a Justis. That's clear and Jack's cases have earned that position due to their scarcity and the reputation that Jack has built. The man can only make so many cases per year in his laundry room. So only a hundred and a half or so people will get a Justis case in 2009 unless Jill steps up to take over. That's not much.
But on a personal enjoyment level if you pay $700 for a Justis and $700 for an exact duplicate (your challenge) from Cuemaster or any other case maker, you will gotten every penny and more's worth if you really love the case and it's well made. In that sense both brands provide equal value.
Chas Clements used to charge $1000 and up for plain cases. Why did people pay him that much money for his cases? Very simple, they were getting a case made with the utmost care by a true master leather worker who didn't do very many of them per year. They were buying something that very few on the planet Earth could obtain. And Chas' workmanship and attention to detail were unsurpassed.
I haven't seen a Cuemaster case in person. I can't attest to the workmanship but I know that a few knowledgeable people who are pretty anal about their equipment have purchased the cases and given them a passing grade. Therefore I think that we should not be too concerned with comparing them to Justis and just let them be.
I think it's really unfair to ask them to quote you a price on a copy of your case on a public forum. I understand your point but don't really see any benefit to getting an answer. If they answer that the price is much cheaper then you are causing Jack to lose business. If they answer that the price is the same or higher then you or others will take that to mean that they are overcharging because they don't have Jack's reputation.
Wow, another diatribe about cases.........who would have thought it? Now Grumpy and Celtic will have something to gossip about
Anyway................
I understand where you're coming from and its not that I'm trying to compare to Justis so I can criticize him. I think, based on the pictures, his workmanship is just as good. What I'm curious about is what he upcharges for and how much that costs. At the time I bought my case, Jack's base 2x4 was $350-400 or something like that. Most of the things on my case were an upcharge but I got exactly what I wanted and I love it more now that when I got it. In the event that I get another case I may look at what he can do instead of just going back to Jack. I'm not trying to put the 2 against each other, I'm just comparing them as a potential customer. I mean no disrespect to either case makers.
I just saw one of these cases today at the pool hall where I usually go. I can't compare it to a Justis since I haven't see one until now (pictures don't do justice to any case IMO). Anyways, the work is great ! The leather is really smooth but personally, I wouldn't pay $700 for this or $500 for a Justis
Interesting thread
I have been watching this thread for some time and figured that I would give my opinion since I am an expert in absolutely nothing. A lot of comparing, knock-off, and copying talk. I can say from my novice eyes I would not even consider these Justis like. My reason for such a statement is given the initial pictures the obvious Asian influences in the cases. The flower etching around the sides reminds me of kimonos. The dragon I have seen in tattoos, coy fish definitely Asian, and of course the Chinese writing. When I see those cases it immediately takes me to a completely different place than when I look at a Justis case.
When I do have the money to purchase a case I will definitely consider one of these as a lover of Asian culture and movies they fit me better than a Justis case as far as my personality. This does not mean that if someone puts up a Justis case for crazy cheap I would not jump on it. I am just saying that each and every person is different and certain things are going to appeal to each and every one of us. Look at the case in this picture I copied it from the beginning of this post. I have not seen another case anywhere that looks like this the colors are so appealing to me that it makes me sick, I would dump the writing but the color scheme for me is far and away better than any Justis case I have ever seen.
Just like I hate non-wrapped cues there will be many who love them. As for the copies there are only 3 shapes you can make cue cases oval, square, and circular. I am making allowances for the variations for each and every permutation of those shapes. That said when a case maker looks at the shapes they have to decide what appeals to them. Cuemaster probably said well hell I like this oval shape. Then there are the pockets they can be squared or circular so the decision making process starts over. You don't decide not to make a case because the design you like looks like someone other manufacturers case. If you like Hoppe rings in your cue well damnit you put a Hoppe ring in it Brunswick or whoever be damned, you like it.
Do you play with a custom cue? Lets say you play with (random's) X cue. You like the hit of an ebony forearm with whatever pin and whatever specs and weight. Why buy a cue with points? Why have a hoppe ring? Why veneers? Why inlays of any kind? Makes it pretty right? Cue looks freakin' awesome or whatever. Well thats art baby and while Ginacue and Szamboti both make 58in long toothpicks maybe you like Szam's points etc. Well my friend you are an art connoisseur and found your favorite artist or at least one of them.
Anyhow, the overall shape and view looks like Justis or other case makers. Last time I looked sports cars such as Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Louts. They did not step back and say we can't have 4 wheels cause Ford's have 4 wheels. But when you take in the full measure of the case you can see that first impressions are misleading because it becomes apparent quickly that you are looking at another artists canvas.
And, damn it I like this artist!
I have been watching this thread for some time and figured that I would give my opinion since I am an expert in absolutely nothing. A lot of comparing, knock-off, and copying talk. I can say from my novice eyes I would not even consider these Justis like. My reason for such a statement is given the initial pictures the obvious Asian influences in the cases. The flower etching around the sides reminds me of kimonos. The dragon I have seen in tattoos, coy fish definitely Asian, and of course the Chinese writing. When I see those cases it immediately takes me to a completely different place than when I look at a Justis case.
When I do have the money to purchase a case I will definitely consider one of these as a lover of Asian culture and movies they fit me better than a Justis case as far as my personality. This does not mean that if someone puts up a Justis case for crazy cheap I would not jump on it. I am just saying that each and every person is different and certain things are going to appeal to each and every one of us. Look at the case in this picture I copied it from the beginning of this post. I have not seen another case anywhere that looks like this the colors are so appealing to me that it makes me sick, I would dump the writing but the color scheme for me is far and away better than any Justis case I have ever seen.
Just like I hate non-wrapped cues there will be many who love them. As for the copies there are only 3 shapes you can make cue cases oval, square, and circular. I am making allowances for the variations for each and every permutation of those shapes. That said when a case maker looks at the shapes they have to decide what appeals to them. Cuemaster probably said well hell I like this oval shape. Then there are the pockets they can be squared or circular so the decision making process starts over. You don't decide not to make a case because the design you like looks like someone other manufacturers case. If you like Hoppe rings in your cue well damnit you put a Hoppe ring in it Brunswick or whoever be damned, you like it.
Do you play with a custom cue? Lets say you play with (random's) X cue. You like the hit of an ebony forearm with whatever pin and whatever specs and weight. Why buy a cue with points? Why have a hoppe ring? Why veneers? Why inlays of any kind? Makes it pretty right? Cue looks freakin' awesome or whatever. Well thats art baby and while Ginacue and Szamboti both make 58in long toothpicks maybe you like Szam's points etc. Well my friend you are an art connoisseur and found your favorite artist or at least one of them.
Anyhow, the overall shape and view looks like Justis or other case makers. Last time I looked sports cars such as Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Louts. They did not step back and say we can't have 4 wheels cause Ford's have 4 wheels. But when you take in the full measure of the case you can see that first impressions are misleading because it becomes apparent quickly that you are looking at another artists canvas.
And, damn it I like this artist!
well i think the justis lookalike comments stopped a while ago...but just in case, here's my cuemaster case compared to my justis case:
cuemaster:
justis case:
my pics of the justis arent very good but u get the idea. the rivets on the back arent a jack justis exclusive as its associated with the cowboy style as opposed to a justis case. many other cases have them so i dont think the ones on my case are copying anything in particular. and for those who say that the pockets are similar, note that the smaller pocket on all of these cases are completely different from the smaller pocket on all justis cases. anyone who has one of these cases knows exactly what i mean and how different they are. as for the bottom pocket, they are also different as they incorporate a jump cue compartment.
also, cuemaster cases are tubed.
cuemaster:
justis case:
my pics of the justis arent very good but u get the idea. the rivets on the back arent a jack justis exclusive as its associated with the cowboy style as opposed to a justis case. many other cases have them so i dont think the ones on my case are copying anything in particular. and for those who say that the pockets are similar, note that the smaller pocket on all of these cases are completely different from the smaller pocket on all justis cases. anyone who has one of these cases knows exactly what i mean and how different they are. as for the bottom pocket, they are also different as they incorporate a jump cue compartment.
also, cuemaster cases are tubed.
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also everyone needs to check out his leather wraps which are absolutely awesome.
http://cues.tw/english/index.php?page=profile_02
http://cues.tw/english/index.php?page=profile_02