First Quality Cue

Don't really like either option. I think Predator cues are overpriced and just not very attractive (except the Roadline sneaky, which is decent on both counts).

McDermott makes a fine cue, but i don't like any of their expensive designs, gaudy in most cases. Give me a simple one in the $250 range and then buy a Predator shaft and you'd have a great combo for under $500.

Customs are always nice but I can see the appeal of a production cue. I recently went the Schon w/LD shaft route and I'm very happy with that. When it comes to production cues the only ones I'd spend the kind of money you're talking about on are Schon, Mezz, and maybe OB...but that's just my personal preference.

I think the Mezz wavy joint is like a radial pin and I beleive they make great production cues with excellent shafts.
 
Theres an older predator sneaky for sale at around 300 - just buy that.

Forget about joints and what not and forget about dropping 650 on a McDermott!
 
Ron Swanson said:
Theres an older predator sneaky for sale at around 300 - just buy that.

Forget about joints and what not and forget about dropping 650 on a McDermott!
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Low risk, sound advice. I would stay away from wood to wood version, brutal hit.
 
rootbeer506 said:
McDurmott -
+Love the lifetime warranty. I've read nothing but great things about their customer service.
- I hate that I can only get the "McDurmott Quick Release" joint. To me putting a proprietary joint on a top of the line $800 pool cue is absolute BS. I'm hoping this can be changed out from the factory. If I ever want a new shaft in the future I'll be limited to McDurmott shafts only. Where other joints are supported pretty much across the board.
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Have you looked into getting a McDermott that's not in the I-shaft line? You can get a regular 3/8-10 McDermott in a whole range of aesthetics and just ask for the I-2 shaft with 3/8-10 joint. There might be an upcharge, but I believe you'd just be switching out a G-core for an I-2 shaft for like $100 upcharge.

Freddie <~~~ surely MCDERMOTT would do this
 
Good luck!

Ask 100 people, you'll get 100 different answers.

Take your time, find what you like.

Have fun!

You might want to look in the classifieds…every cue is DEAD STRAIGHT and HITS LIKE A MONSTER. You can't go wrong! ;-)
 
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Another option to consider is an OB cue. I've got an OB129 and love it. They have a 3/8 x 10 joint, and the build, balance & hit are custom quality. The OB+ LD shafts feel & play better than Predators, IMO, and you get a choice of four different styles. I'd recommend swapping out the stock Everest tip for a Kamui (I like the Black Soft).

If you do go with a Predator, find one without a Uniloc joint. The Uniloc just kills the feel, making for a lifeless hit.
 
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Well, you can get OB instead of a Predator. Great product, and the LD shaft that you want, and made right here in USA (Texas) and customer service is second to none.

Or, go with a Schmelke, with 3/8-10 pin, and you can always add a LD shaft later, or you can order it with the LD shaft that you want, OB, Predator, etc. Many custom cuemakers use Schmelke blanks, quality product with quality people for the last 40 years or so in Wisconsin.

You can spend $400 or less of the above, and will never need to buy another cue, you might just for fun, but you won't need to.
 
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Catamount said:
Another option to consider is an OB cue. I've got an OB129 and love it. They have a 3/8 x 10 joint, and the build, balance & hit are custom quality. You also get a choice of four different LD shafts. I'd recommend swapping out the stock Everest tip for a Kamui (I like the Black Soft).
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Funny like it was said, 100 different answers. ob1 is a good shaft but dead in sound, don't care for the rest. As for the tip, cannot stand Kamui, clicking noise on 2 different black's medium and hard. The Kamui brown wasn't any better.
 
Wolven said:
Funny like it was said, 100 different answers. ob1 is a good shaft but dead in sound, don't care for the rest. As for the tip, cannot stand Kamui, clicking noise on 2 different black's medium and hard. The Kamui brown wasn't any better.
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I don't listen for the sound, don't care what it sounds like. But yeah, my OB is nice and quiet, she lets the ball pocketing speak for her :p
 
It seems to me that you've skipped over the important features to consider in a cue. Looks and joint-type are pretty irrelevent.

In order of importance (other posters please feel free to add to this list):

1. soft hit vs. stiff hit
2. wrap vs. wrapless
3. LD or regular shaft
4. balance point

I owned a couple of cues before I discovered my preferences. For me it's an OB121 (sneaky wrapless) with an OB2 shaft (soft hit). The nice thing about OBCues is that they offer four shafts with uniquely different features while all being very low deflection.

(the biggest mistake I made was assuming that a cue with a wrap had to be better than one without a wrap..."with" is always better than "without", right? Wrong. I learned that I prefer the feel of a wrapless cue)
 
ChicagoRJ said:
I don't listen for the sound, don't care what it sounds like. But yeah, my OB is nice and quiet, she lets the ball pocketing speak for her :p
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I got no problem with Ob1, my favorite shaft for long time, ferrule broke and I got Varney to modify it, didn't like it after as much. Could not find another like it.
 
bdorman said:
It seems to me that you've skipped over the important features to consider in a cue. Looks and joint-type are pretty irrelevent.

In order of importance (other posters please feel free to add to this list):

1. soft hit vs. stiff hit
2. wrap vs. wrapless
3. LD or regular shaft
4. balance point

I owned a couple of cues before I discovered my preferences. For me it's an OB121 (sneaky wrapless) with an OB2 shaft (soft hit). The nice thing about OBCues is that they offer four shafts with uniquely different features while all being very low deflection.

(the biggest mistake I made was assuming that a cue with a wrap had to be better than one without a wrap..."with" is always better than "without", right? Wrong. I learned that I prefer the feel of a wrapless cue)
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I feel like a pretty big noob now. So with that in mind here's my importance.

LD Shaft (Only reason I'm getting a new cue at this point, my GW Collection Que is a pretty quality stick and is still hitting pretty good)
Soft Hit - I like to get some feedback. I wish I remembered the tip I put on my current one, but it's one of the layered tips. I like the feel that gives me.
Wrap - Just used to a wrap
Balance point --- No clue, haven't played with enough quality cues to provide a great answer.
 
Buy a OB sneaky, try a couple of their shafts, choose one and start playing. New OBClassic+ is awesome imo.
 
I also want to say I really appreciate everyone responses and opinions. . . That's what I'm looking for here! I'm looking at OB now too.


Here's what I've decided: I want to stay away from a custom cue at this point. 3 reasons:

Don't have enough experience to know measurements for a custom cue
Don't want to wait to have it built
Debatable I'm sure; but I personally feel a production cue will have a broader market when/if time comes to sell. I prefer to deal F2F and it's more likely someone will find value in a Predator than a cue by a custom cue maker with a fancy web page.


Keep the suggestions coming guys! If we want to talk about shafts I want a LD with a pro taper. So that leaves me with an i2 or 314^2 . . . is the OB-1+ similar to that? Does anyone have reviews on the new Predator Vantage shaft?
 
rootbeer506 said:
I feel like a pretty big noob now. So with that in mind here's my importance.

LD Shaft (Only reason I'm getting a new cue at this point, my GW Collection Que is a pretty quality stick and is still hitting pretty good)
Soft Hit - I like to get some feedback. I wish I remembered the tip I put on my current one, but it's one of the layered tips. I like the feel that gives me.
Wrap - Just used to a wrap
Balance point --- No clue, haven't played with enough quality cues to provide a great answer.
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Soft hit doesn't mean feedback. Tiger medium is a nice tip, more like soft.

5. Taper Pro vs Euro

I see you added to your post. Yes, ob1 plus is just like it in taper, but has wooden ferrule.
 
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If you think you might be looking to sell ever you have to think about going custom. There are beautiful customs for sale from reputable makers in the price range your looking for, and they are not bogeys just because they are for sale. There are a lot of people on this board who enjoy buying and selling cues, doesn't mean the cue is crap just means the person is looking for something else.

If you don't want to go custom, then look for a higher end used production. You can get a lot of cue used for that type of money. Since you are going to be using the same shaft no matter which cue you buy, I would argue that your probability of not liking the hit on a reputable maker is low. If buying from this site you can talk to a seller and set stipulations on completion of a sale, like not liking the hit or actual condition or whatever else concerns you. If the seller wants the sale they may be accommodating, they may not but it is worth a try.

You can and should take the look of the cue into consideration, and at this price point you can get a beauty. If the cue is visually appealing to you then you may never want to part with it. You will end up liking the hit of any cue if you really like the cue, all you have to do is get used to it. I bought myself a beautiful Schon 15 years ago and have never thought about buying another cue. I absolutely love the look of this cue, I have learned all the ins and outs of it and can make it do anything I need. Someone else may pick up this cue and hate it because it is not what they are used to, but to me it is perfect.

It is the Indian, but an Indian who doesn't know what his arrow can do will never hit his mark. I am against the mentality that you need to find the "best" equipment in order to shoot your best game. You need to find equipment you enjoy playing with and then learn how to use it to it's best advantage. Good luck with your search, I hope you find the perfect cue for you.

Eric
 
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King T said:
McDurmott has never made a bad cue and the pay great attention to detail with the shafts, its a quality product.

You could do well by going to a tournament that has a cue vender set up so that you could try a few cues before you buy.
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I agree with this 100%, but it's not always possible to test hit if you're looking or something specific, especially if you live in an area where there's not a lot going on pool-wise.

In your case, I'd try to locally hunt down a good shape retired model McD in the $150-$250 price range with a standard silver or gold ring in the joint. Something you can maybe test hit before deciding you want to buy... Then you can buy a new i2 shaft to match. You'll end up with a very nice setup for under $500 with two shafts. If at some point you want a different 3/8 x 10 joint cue instead, you can sell the cue with it's original shaft and keep the i2 for the next stick.

Personally, non-matching joint rings irritate me and are constant eye-sore..., but if that doesn't bother you, then options are virtually endless. You can readily find i2 shafts on ebay with standard 3/8 x 10 solid black joint rings or black with thin gold or thin silver ring for just over $200. And the way that i2 shafts are made, with the graphite core inside, one of the benefits is that the hit doesn't vary from shaft to shaft and they are very consistent. So, if you know you like and want one of those, the odds are you've already hit with one of those.

Did you try G-core shaft as well? I wouldn't overlook the G-Core McDermott. I have one and the hit really is impressive. So good, in fact, that it makes me question how much added value the i2 brings to the table considering it's price.

Do you know what weight you prefer? And what tip diameter?
 
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I have several McDermotts and a custom. I play with an older McDermott M7-03 that I put a black bison wrap on with a black collar and gold ring and a 3/8x10 stainless pin and a matching 314-2 that I got from Seyberts. It is my favorite combination so far. After playing with that, and the service and availability of McDermott support, I don't think I'll ever change, put this all together for about $500 total. I should add, I've been playing with a 3/8x10 balance rite extension as well, and I notice very little change in the hit- I did overrun position for about the first day I played with it.
 
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rootbeer506 said:
Soft Hit - I like to get some feedback. I wish I remembered the tip I put on my current one, but it's one of the layered tips. I like the feel that gives me.
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Soft-hit or Stiff-hit are related to "Feedback", but not in the sense that one has feedback and the other doesn't. It's more a matter of "what kind of feedback do you like to get?"

For me (maybe not for you) a soft-hitting cue gives me detailed feedback. A stiff hit gives so much feedback that it's overwhelming. But some people feel nothing from a soft-hitting cue and love the feedback of a stiff hit. I think it has a lot to do with what kind of cue you first learned on.

If you know that you prefer a soft-hit, I'd recommend an OB1+. Get it with the factory-standard Evererst tip because that's a quality medium tip. After some experience with it you'll know if you want a softer or harder tip.

The balance point of my OB121 is 18" from the butt-end with an OB2 29" shaft and 18-1/2" with an OB2 30" shaft. Without a shaft the balance point is 13". I prefer a foward-weighted cue because otherwise I feel like I have to work to keep the tip from rising skyward on follow-through.

If you like the balance of your current cue, check for it's balance point and use that as a reference guide.
 
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