First Impression....Chuck Starkey Custom

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SPINDOKTOR

lool wtf??
Silver Member
Day 1
Just recent I am fortunate enough to try a Starkey custom cue, at first glance the cue is made with real craftmanship, and the finish is second to none. Needless to say I was pretty impressed, the ferrule and joint are made from buckhorn, whitch I thought would take some time getting use to, (Im customed to the standard white ferrules) This is not the case, once down on a ball the ferrule didnt distract me at all. the tip is laminated, Morri, most likely. I also believe its of the harder variety whitch as some of you may know Im not crazy about hard tips.


At the Hall

When I unsheathed the Starkey Imediately it drew attention, at least 10 people ask me about the cue, (Chuck may want to send me a couple more cards) In any case everyone liked the cue, from a distance, the ferrule looks dirty, one guy said, but up close he said the ferrule looked really neat..lol Id have to agree I like the ferrule, but from across the room the ferrule looks dark. The joint also drew alot of attention, to whitch I can say with the cue in hand, the shaft end of the joint does not look weak to me although the pin is BIG there is suprisingly enough material there to keep me confident in the cue.

Solid feel for sure.

Now lets hit some balls, the first couple shots the cue felt super stiff, albeit the joint and ferrule, whitch personaly I do not like, useualy to me these type cues are deflection prone and I do not enjoy playing with them, but as I shot more with the cue I couldnt help but notice how acurate the cue really is to hit as hard as it does, no need to force anything this cue hits like a CANNON. no buzz just a solid one peice cue feel, and the ACTION? I cant believe how easy it is to move the cue ball, in practice I never felt the need to force any shots, natural position seemed to be easier than ever. Im not going to jump on the bandwagon just yet, my first impression was very surprising indeed.

I'll have an update in a couple days once I had a chance to get confortable with the Starkey and have had a chance to try the cue in a tournament, where I will truely find any quirks or strengths in the Starkey Custom cue.

all the testing is preformed on a 9' Olhousen with simonis (SP?) 860 cloth and a red dot cue ball. If I get the chance I'll post some video on your tube while playing with the cue. Thanks


SPINDOKTOR
 
Hey thanks, and you know if all Starkey cues are built with the same quality and play simular, to me Id compare the playability to a SW, and that to me is pretty tall order.

I wont say much more just yet, not untill I get a chance to play some Straight pool and some one hole with it.


SPINDOKTOR
 
SPINDOKTOR said:
Day 1
Just recent I am fortunate enough to try a Starkey custom cue, at first glance the cue is made with real craftmanship, and the finish is second to none. Needless to say I was pretty impressed, the ferrule and joint are made from buckhorn, whitch I thought would take some time getting use to, (Im customed to the standard white ferrules) This is not the case, once down on a ball the ferrule didnt distract me at all. the tip is laminated, Morri, most likely. I also believe its of the harder variety whitch as some of you may know Im not crazy about hard tips.


At the Hall

When I unsheathed the Starkey Imediately it drew attention, at least 10 people ask me about the cue, (Chuck may want to send me a couple more cards) In any case everyone liked the cue, from a distance, the ferrule looks dirty, one guy said, but up close he said the ferrule looked really neat..lol Id have to agree I like the ferrule, but from across the room the ferrule looks dark. The joint also drew alot of attention, to whitch I can say with the cue in hand, the shaft end of the joint does not look weak to me although the pin is BIG there is suprisingly enough material there to keep me confident in the cue.

Solid feel for sure.

Now lets hit some balls, the first couple shots the cue felt super stiff, albeit the joint and ferrule, whitch personaly I do not like, useualy to me these type cues are deflection prone and I do not enjoy playing with them, but as I shot more with the cue I couldnt help but notice how acurate the cue really is to hit as hard as it does, no need to force anything this cue hits like a CANNON. no buzz just a solid one peice cue feel, and the ACTION? I cant believe how easy it is to move the cue ball, in practice I never felt the need to force any shots, natural position seemed to be easier than ever. Im not going to jump on the bandwagon just yet, my first impression was very surprising indeed.

I'll have an update in a couple days once I had a chance to get confortable with the Starkey and have had a chance to try the cue in a tournament, where I will truely find any quirks or strengths in the Starkey Custom cue.

all the testing is preformed on a 9' Olhousen with simonis (SP?) 860 cloth and a red dot cue ball. If I get the chance I'll post some video on your tube while playing with the cue. Thanks


SPINDOKTOR
Click to expand...

I received my Starkey Cue about a week ago. Good looking cue with Koa and a birdseye grip with an ivory joint & ferule. Very solid hit and plays as good as any cue I have ever had, and I have played with many in 50+ years of playing pool. I'll post some pics in the future. John
 
I got mine about a week ago also. I love the finish and the hit. I need to talk to Chuck and see how he would feel about making the butt a little thinner. The butt is larger in diameter than I"m used to and I can't seem to get used to it. My fingers are not very long and I maybe need smaller butt. I'll have to take some measurements and see what Chuck thinks.. I sure don't want to screw up the hit.
 
JimS said:
I got mine about a week ago also. I love the finish and the hit. I need to talk to Chuck and see how he would feel about making the butt a little thinner. The butt is larger in diameter than I"m used to and I can't seem to get used to it. My fingers are not very long and I maybe need smaller butt. I'll have to take some measurements and see what Chuck thinks.. I sure don't want to screw up the hit.
Click to expand...

The shaft was too thick for me, so I had it taken down to 12.7mm, with a longer taper. The hit is the same, nothing has changed.
 
the European demo cue that I have is wonderful..
True the shaft is a bit thick, but other than that it is a great cue!!
I would changethe taper but this one is a demo, so when I order mine I will be sure to mention the diameter/ taper

BTW the cue is making a trip to Bagdad this week but will be back in my hands with in two weeks.. If you are in Europe or in the Millitary and you want to demo a Starkey then send me a PM!!
 
I have finished my evaluation of what a Starkey cue is and how the cue I recieved performed for me. considering I havent really had th time nessasary to fully appritiate the Starkey I am going to say I like it. Why? The cue is consistant, a nice firm hit with minimum squirt, time after time, at all locations on the cue ball. I even tried a few jump shots just for fun, the cue is very reliable, and thats why I would own one, I feel a custom Starkey would soon become like a best friend, with you till the end. My only real regret is sending the cue back, I will definately keep MR Starkey in mind when its time for a custom cue.

What I would change, the ferrule, Im really not sure but I think its made from Horn bone, and its like a darkish grey, same with the joint collar, I mean it looks great but the ferrule I would rather have an Ivory ferrule, but I will say the material Mr Starkey used is close to the hit of Ivory. If it just had the look.... Im also still not crazy about the tip, the tip I believe is a morri hard, not crazy about those tips, and in spite of the tip the cue played very well...

My high run with the Starkey was 84 playing straight pool, not real good, but not to shabby either, I wasnt playing all that well and it showed and I was constantly in trouble, I do feel the Starkey as consistant as it is may have helped me keep my cool, and focous. Given the year or so I feel it takes to truely know a new cue, under all situations I m going to say I know Id play better with key being consistant. The butt end is thicker, but for me thats a major plus, as I feel the butts on cues these days are to thin. and weighted to far forward. Its hard to explain the Starkey balance, its not really forward heavy, and not butt heavy, it feels more like my Schuler, whitch feels "Balanced". So yes I felt very confortable with the Starkey in my hand.

Id like to Thank Chuck for the oportunity to try one of his cues, Yes Id own one for sure..

Im sending the cue back tommorow if all possible, and I really hate to see it go, thanks again...

SPINDOKTOR
 
I'll say again, now that I've had the cue a couple weeks, that I've owned about 15 South West cues over the last 5 years and this Starkey cue plays every bit as good as the South Wests or any cue I've ever hit.

The finish is different that others I've felt too. It feels softer.. softer is the only word I can think of to describe it... more satin like than other clear coats I've felt.

The feel of the hit is just remarkable. Extremely solid. I hate to not play with my old favorite but this Starkey is quickly becoming my favorite.... even with the butt being larger than I prefer.

If I get it cut down or have one made to my specs and it doesn't affect the playability I'll really be in love.
 
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