Gilbert vs. Varney

lsabado

lsabado

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In your opinion, which is the better jump break cue, Gilbert or the Varney? I've been hearing a lot about the Varney cues and how well they play lately. For those people who got the opportunity to try both cues which one would you recommend if you can only buy one cue?

Thanks in advance.:) :)
 
If you want to ever play with it then the Gilbert, hands down. My j/b is not designed as so you could play with it. But if you want to crush racks & jump balls from 1 inch away...Varney.
 
I've got to hand it to you Kevin. Not many cue makers I've ever heard from would just endorse another makers cue the way you just did. Over the years I've talked to many o cue makers and almost all have said how they make the best hitting cues out there. To me this says a hell of alot about you and the way you do buisness. I look forward to doing some buisness with you someday soon.

Oh and by the way I agree if you want a triple threat of a cue a Gilbert J/B is just plainly a freak of nature. I can't wait to own another one.
 
If you would like testimony of how well my j/b's work then feel free to pm forum members Quitecoolguy, FlyingSnail, Tonov12, Irish634, Bnall, Dave Fingers, No Illusions, River City, Worried Beef, Torqiet, Chenz, GA Dawg, Hierovision...just to name a few off the top of my head. Ask them their true feelings about how the Varney j/b performs. ;)
 
i agree with pimp kevin. nice to hear another cuemaker not knock another just to make a sale. I personally play with a gilbert j/b and break with another makers j/b LOL. The gilbert plays real good but i have been liking what i have been seeing with your cues as of late. my good buddy is from kannapolis (scott lewis) . im gonna start coming down to your neck of the woods soon and play some with scott at smokin cue and the green room, and hopefully i'll get an opportunity to hit some balls with one of your cues if someone has one. I would be interested in getting one if i like how they feel ( scott has never hit with one either) but as i said, i do like what i have been seeing on az.
 
Varney Cues said:
If you would like testimony of how well my j/b's work then feel free to pm forum members Quitecoolguy, FlyingSnail, Tonov12, Irish634, Bnall, Dave Fingers, No Illusions, River City, Worried Beef, Torqiet, Chenz, GA Dawg, Hierovision...just to name a few off the top of my head. Ask them their true feelings about how the Varney j/b performs. ;)
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Just pm me about my Varney J/b cue.:D
 
Varney Jump/Break cues

Let me say this, if you want a well constructed cue made with a great attention to detail.... Kevin Varney is the guy. His concepts of what make a break cue effective are pretty much right on, and his execution is VERY good. I used to be a machinist, and some of the work he does on his cues, are things most people wouldnt think of. Including several other "cuemakers" Ive seen in the past 10-15 years. First and foremost his cues are purpose built!
Here is a thread about a cue I had him do some work on.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=48765
Chuck
 
Varney Cues said:
If you want to ever play with it then the Gilbert, hands down. My j/b is not designed as so you could play with it. But if you want to crush racks & jump balls from 1 inch away...Varney.
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Just a couple of points of information. I have two shafts for my Gilbert. The one with the phenolic tip, anyone with any kind of idea of how to jump can jump as easy with this as almost anything else. I'll give the XBreaker and the Jacoby jump cue (in dart mode) a slight advantage, but the Gilbert is pretty sporty.

With the regular hard leather tip, jumping full balls is well within reason as well as being able to play with the cue. I've been able to jump one ball width away with the hard leather tip on good equipment, but it takes pretty good technique.

Fred
 
Varney Cues said:
If you want to ever play with it then the Gilbert, hands down. My j/b is not designed as so you could play with it. But if you want to crush racks & jump balls from 1 inch away...Varney.
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I've personally never played with a Varney...but I used to own a Gilbert J/B, and to be honest, of all the things that the Gilbert can do, I actually liked the playability the most and the breaking ability the least. Just didn't feel solid enough to me...

And the jumping was ok. But the playability was definitely the the best part...which is odd lol.

I'd say give Varney a try. I know I would. Heard nothin' but good things. :D
 
If you want to pm them cool but i aint got no problem talking about my Varney....Won me third place in a tournament last week..stuck my self behind the six ball.. about where you would put the cue ball to break from the center of the table..7 ball was about 4 balls over from the rack spot down the table...Break the Varney down..chalk up cue ball flies thru the air cuts the 7 in ..got kinda crapy shape on the 8 but shot a safety and finished out.. My break has gotten so deadly with my Varney that when i break now at the local tounrnament ....people always say "Fire in the whole" when i break. I love it...would not take anything for it...and the day a league says something to me about the Phenolic tip...i will be sending off a money order for a new shaft..cause i just gota break with a varney.
 
Nothing against Mr. Varney, however, my money is on Andy Gilbert. I also make conversion Jump Breaks and conversion cues, like MR. Varney, and my customers love them, just like Mr. Varneys. However, MR. Gilbert is one of the top cue makers in the country, and by comparison cue conversion and cue making are not on the same level of craftsmanship.;)

I suspect that the person who started this thread really doesn't understand much about cue construction / cue making:confused: However, this forum is designed to educate those seeking knowledge, so my advise would be to go into the AZ archive and research cue making and cue conversion, and then try this thread from a different angle, with the proper perspective.:)

Have a good night!!!
 
manwon said:
cue conversion and cue making are not on the same level of craftsmanship.
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Excuse me sir but I beg to differ. "Level of craftsmanship" can be seen, poor or excellent, in cue conversion, cuemaking, or even in simple cue repair.
And so as not to mislead anyone as your post seems to imply...yes I do conversions but I also am indeed a cuemaker. Maybe you'd like to check the for sale section to see my latest. Search Varney & you'll see multiple pics of non conversions. Thank you.
 
Varney Cues said:
Excuse me sir but I beg to differ. "Level of craftsmanship" can be seen, poor or excellent, in cue conversion, cuemaking, or even in simple cue repair.
And so as not to mislead anyone as your post seems to imply...yes I do conversions but I also am indeed a cuemaker. Maybe you'd like to check the for sale section to see my latest. Search Varney & you'll see multiple pics of non conversions. Thank you.
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As I stated above there is no offense intended toward you or what you are doing. However, in my opinion your abilities are not on the same the level as Mr. Gilbert's, with time I am certain that you will be there.

I am not in any way trying to down what you doing, however, the individual who started this thread obviously has little knowledge on this subject, or they would not have grouped your abilities with MR. Gilbert's. I am also certain that you understand this yourself.
 
Varney Cues said:
Excuse me sir but I beg to differ. "Level of craftsmanship" can be seen, poor or excellent, in cue conversion, cuemaking, or even in simple cue repair.
And so as not to mislead anyone as your post seems to imply...yes I do conversions but I also am indeed a cuemaker. Maybe you'd like to check the for sale section to see my latest. Search Varney & you'll see multiple pics of non conversions. Thank you.
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hay i saw that last cue you sold in the sale section and it was sharp. i had a cocobolo guilbert. looked great and played great broke great but to tell you the trouth i had a really hard time jumping with it. haven't tried a varney yet but i really want to. if the casino'd quit takin my money i'd have one by now. i think i sent some kid in barona to college
 
While we are discussing the quality I would like to know the cost of each product. I have never seen the cost comparison of either builders j/b cues. Several weeks ago I asked Mr Varney for the price of a j/b and never received a reply. This is no knock on Kevin at all, the PM could have been deleted accidentally or just got lost in the wondeful world of cyberspace.
Dan
 
I have owned and used gilbert j/bs over the years and liked everyone of them. Gilbert makes a very well made and playing j/b cue. If you are looking for a one do it all cue the gilbert is the best cue. I know alot of people that stop using 1500 dollar cues and just use a gilbert j/b cue.I think that alone says alot of gilberts J/B cues. I wouldnt hesitate to buy one.
 
Manwon,

I've never played with a Gilbert or a Varney, however, just because one person has been building cues longer doesn't automatically grant them the award for most skillful. Sometimes the best talents are the unheard of talents. You are entitled to your opinion, but please don't try and fog the other viewers minds that one cuemaker is better because of time in business.

My neighbor has been a machinist mfgr medical supplies and parts for 30 years. He's never built a cue before, but when he does Im sure his experience will guide him into making a wonderful cue.

My point is, Mr. Varney could have prevoius experience in the machining industry and is applying his knowledge into cuemaking...this certaintly gives him an advantage over any other average joe. Now, Im not saying Andy isn't a great cuemaker, he is. Im saying that you shouldn't judge Kevin because of his time in service.

Regards,

Phillip
 
As Mr. Varney said but did not elaborate on, the Gilbert Jump Break is better suited for playing the game while the Varney is engineered especially for the jumping and breaking aspects of the game.

Mr Varney's cues are in the category of "modern" jump-break cues that use super-hard tips and various other construction methods that make them feel and react differently than a "normal" pool cue. Cues of this sort are the X-Breaker, the Sledgehammer, The Bunjee Breaker, The Fury JB, The Stinger and so on. All of these named cues are very close in performance including Mr. Varney's although he may have a differing opinion.

The Gilbert on the other hand is a playing cue that has a second joint to allow the cue to be broken down and used as a jump cue. I think that the only difference to Andy's other cues may be a taper difference but I am not sure on that. This cue has earned a reputation as a super solid and comfortable break cue. It also allows the player to jump balls pretty consistently where the cueball is about 8-12 inches away from the blocking ball provided the player has a good technique to go with it. For whatever reason, the Gilbert jump break play freakingly awesome. It is truly hard to describe how good these cues feel and play. The hit is so solid and quiet and the cue is totally responsive.

If you are looking for a cue that plays fantastic as an all-around cue then the Gilbert is the choice. You will sacrifice some jumpability in comparison to the cues specifically engineered for that purpose. The break is subjective. I am sure that you will find Gilbert owners who will swear that the Gilbert breaks better than a Varney does and you will find Varney owners who swear the opposite.

If you are just looking for a good BJ made for that purpose then get a Varney or one of the other brands I mentioned above. If you are looking for a fantastic playing cue then treat yourself to a Gilbert from one ot the USA greatest living cuemakers. Buy a seperate jump cue for the one inch jump shots.
 
I would concur with a previous post...it is subjective..I love my varney...dear god i do..it has gotten me out of some sticky stuff either by jumping or breaking..but it is my opinion..I loved the feel of the cue, the craftsmanship, and the wonderful attitude and personality of the cue maker..kevin is a great guy. However i will say make your own opinion...I was amazed to see Kevin saying the Gilbert was a better choice for playing than his own...that was a stand up thing to say..that alone should tell you all you need to know about Kevin. I dont mind giving input for the Varney Cue i have because it works for me.. you make not like it (I said three hail marrys after i typed that..hehehe) You will have to make the best choice for you..BUT MAKE MINE A VARNEY...take care
 
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