I like cheap cues. The ones I have hit good enough to win. They break like a ton o bricks, and I dont care who made them as long as it gets the job done. Sure I have a few decent customs, but I play with my secret asian specials more often than not. And for a few bucks, I dont have to be extra careful in some of those shadier venues we all like to frequent. (Quote)
I don't know if you're joking or not, but I'll assume you're serious, because I happen to agree with you. I don't like the really cheap balsa wood type cues, but I do favor a cue you can put to work without worrying about every little nick. My brother bought me a $150.00 cue for my birthday 12 years ago, which he shouldn't have done because I haven't played regular since 1978 and a bit in the mid 80s. I hocked the stick about 2 years ago during a stupid drinking binge. I liked the stick, but I really hated taking it out of the case, then unscrewing the safety plug on the shaft, then screwing it together, then going through the same ever-lasting procedure when it was time to pack it up. Back in the 80s I took two Dufferins off the pool-hall wall and took them to a guy in Orange County California and for a total of 40 dollars he made me two two-piece cues, both interchangeable. They were not sneaky petes. He put a nice joint in there. They were solid and no one can convince me there is a better stick, although I know longer have them, one stolen, the other smashed in fury following a loss. I knew a guy around that time who carried his old beat up stick in a towel bound with some kind of rope. I liked the way he just opened it up and put it together and was ready to go without all the hoopla. So, if you're serious about preferring a cheap stick, I tend to agree with you; there's something nice about a cheaper stick, where you can have a steady supply of them and can use them without treating them like something out of a museum that must be babied at every turn. Personally, the best sticks I've ever used were good house cues, one-piece cues, and in my early years when I was really enthused with playing every day, I would travel from one poolroom to another carrying the one-piece - on a city bus. I felt like an idiot sometimes, but really, what good is a two-piece stick other than providing portablility? I'm not saying I prefer an absolute piece of garbage stick, just one that's affordable and can be used, discarded, and replaced without feeling like I'm buying a new car or a house - two things I've also never had. But that's another story.
Tommy Joe
