Have any of you ever tried out a Generic cue that you felt was a great playing cue?

justinb386 said:
I did not know of that forum.
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I have not visited that forum in the last few months.....unless it has done a complete 180 you dont want to join that forum Justin....trust me.

Nothing wrong with that forum as far as I am concerned its not for people who easily get their feelings hurt.. There is no moderation there to speak of. Any thing goes more or less. The reason that website exists is because jimbo did not like the moderation here.


The comments people make here are tame compared to the comments you would receive there.
 
Bar cues

I've hit with a lot of older 70's -80's era Sneaky Pete style cues most are brand name mass produced cues. Every once in a while you come across one that's just got a little bit better feel, sound or weight that puts it right in your wheel house. And for some reason it's just right I especially like it if it's got a lot of battle scars. And if it has a little high pitched sound to it when held lightly and hit well, that's not caused by a loose ferrule or weight bolt! But with these older cues that hit really stiff then we get into the low deflection discussion, like the older McD D-1's they hit really well but deflect a lot. Would love for someone to make a movie about that sought after Red Violin of cues! But we first have to determine if it ever existed.
 
one stroke said:
I ran a rack once with a window shade , several racks with a broom stick not in a row , had one of those cheap 3 part weighted sticks won hundreds of dollars with that , much more with a bar cue with a plastic slip on tip , oh ya the old aluminum cues also ,,
You get my drift


1
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When I see any of the top players playing with a broomstick or an aluminum budweiser cue at a major tournament, I will give this viewpoint credence
 
sneaky pete

Buddy bought a Kenny Murrell for some ridiculous price . We did a blind test........$1600 Murrell, $50 dufferin sneaky pete, no collars.......while blindfiolded ,4 of 4 of the best players in the room picked the dufferin . Honestly, the Murrell was beautiful wood, but the hit and feel just were not there.
 
"Generic" cue you say? If by that you mean "off brand" then I don't really know that many. Some of the lower end of more known brands are surprisingly good. I don't know if I've ever tried a cue cheaper than 100 bucks that was really nice hitting. Those cheap cues usually vibrate too much and have bad, soft shaftwood. They will play ok, though. I have no trouble recommending Players HXT or Cuetec r360 for their playing qualities but to me they feel really cheap. If the feel matters to you, that should be taken into account.

I tried an Elite cue that had some kind of knockoff Radial joint that I thought hit ok. I belive it was just over 100 dollars, may just have been a golden example, though. A relatively inexpensive cue is the McDermott low end G-series. Some of those cues feel like expensive ones. All the cheap cues I've tried (and I've tried most of the common brands) hit like cheap hunks of sh..Once you've tried as many as I have you instantly recognize the cheapness, especially with metal jointed cues. Apparently they are harder to do properly? The only cues that sometimes surprise me a little are "sneaky" style cues. That would be the best bet, I think, for a cheap cue that hits like an expensive one. Doesn't have to be a custom "conversion" either. Just any full splice, wooden jointed cue or even just a wooden jointed cue.. The only factor that will make or break it is wood quality, and you can get lucky sometimes.

I tried the import McDermott cues. Bought a "Lucky" cue for myself. All the glue joints failed. The ferrule fell off, the joint collar fell off and the internal glueing failed so the cue got a nasty click...You get what you pay for, sometimes much less! That was 40 dollars wasted! The Star cue I tried hit like a 2 by 4. No feel what so ever, stiff but not in a good way. Couldn't run 3 balls with that cue if my life depended on it. I don't like Vikings Valhalla line either. Low end "regular" Vikings are ok, though.

Lucasi cues are quite expensive now, but when they used to be cheap they were pretty good value for money. Now they are as expensive as Mezz cues! No question which way you should go if those two are your choice.

I bought some cues from the Phillipines...They were not exactly laser straight but a couple of those cues were great hitting! It was hit-or-miss with those cues, though.
 
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I guess i dont understand what Justin means by "generic."

Is Dufferin or a Huebler sneaky pete "generic"? Or is he talking about a no logo cue from Walmart?

My Mcdermott-designed Nitro cue from China in all its decal glory still has its $40 price sticker on it. Great hitting cue. Is that "generic"?
 
I'm also not sure about what qualifies as "generic", but I think I get the gist. I have a $40 Rage SP that is one of my favorite cues to shoot with. It's not my Joss; but I'd take it over my Schon, Meucci or McDermott cues 6 days and 23 hours a week.
edit: Also really like my Dufferin a lot.
 
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Cornerman said:
I guess i dont understand what Justin means by "generic."

Is Dufferin or a Huebler sneaky pete "generic"? Or is he talking about a no logo cue from Walmart?

My Mcdermott-designed Nitro cue from China in all its decal glory still has its $40 price sticker on it. Great hitting cue. Is that "generic"?
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Old school. Ive won more sets with a (house) dufferin and master chalk
 
Mr. Bond said:
Old school. Ive won more sets with a (house) dufferin and master chalk
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Used to find that perfect house cue and get the tip just right. Just put a little mark on the butt so you could find it in the rack easier.

Then one day it would either be gone or some knucklehead had either broken it or messed up the tip, then the search started over.
 
I have an Excaliber (branded on the side) House Cue, that plays great. I use it as a practice cue on my home tables.
 
lorider said:
I have not visited that forum in the last few months.....unless it has done a complete 180 you dont want to join that forum Justin....trust me.

Nothing wrong with that forum as far as I am concerned its not for people who easily get their feelings hurt.. There is no moderation there to speak of. Any thing goes more or less. The reason that website exists is because jimbo did not like the moderation here.


The comments people make here are tame compared to the comments you would receive there.
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This place has very little and uncaring moderation also. I do not see how that forum could be much worse. Plus, they would not know me on there, unless they were members here and recognized my style of writing.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
"Generic" cue you say? If by that you mean "off brand" then I don't really know that many. Some of the lower end of more known brands are surprisingly good. I don't know if I've ever tried a cue cheaper than 100 bucks that was really nice hitting. Those cheap cues usually vibrate too much and have bad, soft shaftwood. They will play ok, though. I have no trouble recommending Players HXT or Cuetec r360 for their playing qualities but to me they feel really cheap. If the feel matters to you, that should be taken into account.

I tried an Elite cue that had some kind of knockoff Radial joint that I thought hit ok. I belive it was just over 100 dollars, may just have been a golden example, though. A relatively inexpensive cue is the McDermott low end G-series. Some of those cues feel like expensive ones. All the cheap cues I've tried (and I've tried most of the common brands) hit like cheap hunks of sh..Once you've tried as many as I have you instantly recognize the cheapness, especially with metal jointed cues. Apparently they are harder to do properly? The only cues that sometimes surprise me a little are "sneaky" style cues. That would be the best bet, I think, for a cheap cue that hits like an expensive one. Doesn't have to be a custom "conversion" either. Just any full splice, wooden jointed cue or even just a wooden jointed cue.. The only factor that will make or break it is wood quality, and you can get lucky sometimes.

I tried the import McDermott cues. Bought a "Lucky" cue for myself. All the glue joints failed. The ferrule fell off, the joint collar fell off and the internal glueing failed so the cue got a nasty click...You get what you pay for, sometimes much less! That was 40 dollars wasted! The Star cue I tried hit like a 2 by 4. No feel what so ever, stiff but not in a good way. Couldn't run 3 balls with that cue if my life depended on it. I don't like Vikings Valhalla line either. Low end "regular" Vikings are ok, though.

Lucasi cues are quite expensive now, but when they used to be cheap they were pretty good value for money. Now they are as expensive as Mezz cues! No question which way you should go if those two are your choice.

I bought some cues from the Phillipines...They were not exactly laser straight but a couple of those cues were great hitting! It was hit-or-miss with those cues, though.
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Thanks for all of that info. I seem to think that anything with a Radial Pin joint is going to hit really nice, and in my experience, the Radial Pin cues I have tried I really liked. Diveney was the best hitting cue I ever hit with..Amazing feel, and really great hit, and great feedback. If I can ever save the money, I will get a Diveney..Never owned one. One got to hit a few balls with one, one time. Really loved it. Too expensive for me though.

I thought a lot about buying this Radial Pin Hercules cue, but I could not find any reviews on it.

http://www.shootersbilliards.com/Hercules-Pool-Cue-H303.html

I thought it might be a nice hitting cue.
 
Cornerman said:
I guess i dont understand what Justin means by "generic."

Is Dufferin or a Huebler sneaky pete "generic"? Or is he talking about a no logo cue from Walmart?

My Mcdermott-designed Nitro cue from China in all its decal glory still has its $40 price sticker on it. Great hitting cue. Is that "generic"?
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by generic, I mean either no logo production cues (not anything with a name brand on it), or copycat cues, from Chinese cue makers who try to copy other cues (possibly as best as they can).
 
justinb386 said:
by generic, I mean either no logo production cues (not anything with a name brand on it), or copycat cues, from Chinese cue makers who try to copy other cues (possibly as best as they can).
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Justin I.know you want a pretty nice cue that plays good. What I mean by nice is a certain look with certain woods and most of the ones you prefer are out of your price range. Nothing wrong with wanting something you can't afford .....people window shop all the time . Many people on here have given you good advice on here the last couple of years....including me. I am not going to give you advice now because I have done it before. I am just going to give you food for thought..

I currently have several cues that I switch up playing with every now and then. Each cue is different but it never takes me more than a rack to get in stroke with each one.

The highest priced cue i now own cost 500.00. I sold my custom for 2,500.00 and bought a used meucci gambler for 200.00 and play well enough with it to get raised from a 5 to a 6 after I started shooting with it..

You continually talk about wanting a good playing cue.. Now I know not every one is going to agree with me on what I am about to say and I do agree there are exceptions. Play and hit go hand in hand. If you dont like how a cue hits you are not going to play good with it. I play pretty much the same with all my cues except one.

It is nothing like the rest of my cues which are ....meucci...adams/ helmstetter....mcdermott...and a couple of players. They all have whatever tips that come from the factory except the meucci that has a kamui clear soft.

My best playing cue believe it or not is a 21 oz imperial sneaky Pete that I bought brand new for 20.00 4 years ago. I am dead serious when I say that is my bed playing cue . I only use it for higher level tournaments in apa. It is 4 years old ...just as straight as the day I bought it and the finish is just as good as when i bought it also..

How good does it play ? Remember I only hit a couple of racks with it before I went to apa.nationals. In mu first ever match at nationals with a cue I had only hit a couple of racks with I skunked another 5 ...20-0.. I won 38-4 in a 38-38 race. That cue is not worth the cost of shipping to most people but I will never part with it..

Just food for thought during your quest for your perfect cue.
 
trophycue said:
Buddy bought a Kenny Murrell for some ridiculous price . We did a blind test........$1600 Murrell, $50 dufferin sneaky pete, no collars.......while blindfiolded ,4 of 4 of the best players in the room picked the dufferin . Honestly, the Murrell was beautiful wood, but the hit and feel just were not there.
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The the really horrible taper in the Dufferin sneaky did not make a difference? I never liked any that I ever tried, as a kid, back in the 90's.
 
Ched said:
I'm also not sure about what qualifies as "generic", but I think I get the gist. I have a $40 Rage SP that is one of my favorite cues to shoot with. It's not my Joss; but I'd take it over my Schon, Meucci or McDermott cues 6 days and 23 hours a week.
edit: Also really like my Dufferin a lot.
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Unbelievable.
 
lorider said:
Justin I.know you want a pretty nice cue that plays good. What I mean by nice is a certain look with certain woods and most of the ones you prefer are out of your price range. Nothing wrong with wanting something you can't afford .....people window shop all the time . Many people on here have given you good advice on here the last couple of years....including me. I am not going to give you advice now because I have done it before. I am just going to give you food for thought..

I currently have several cues that I switch up playing with every now and then. Each cue is different but it never takes me more than a rack to get in stroke with each one.

The highest priced cue i now own cost 500.00. I sold my custom for 2,500.00 and bought a used meucci gambler for 200.00 and play well enough with it to get raised from a 5 to a 6 after I started shooting with it..

You continually talk about wanting a good playing cue.. Now I know not every one is going to agree with me on what I am about to say and I do agree there are exceptions. Play and hit go hand in hand. If you dont like how a cue hits you are not going to play good with it. I play pretty much the same with all my cues except one.

It is nothing like the rest of my cues which are ....meucci...adams/ helmstetter....mcdermott...and a couple of players. They all have whatever tips that come from the factory except the meucci that has a kamui clear soft.

My best playing cue believe it or not is a 21 oz imperial sneaky Pete that I bought brand new for 20.00 4 years ago. I am dead serious when I say that is my bed playing cue . I only use it for higher level tournaments in apa. It is 4 years old ...just as straight as the day I bought it and the finish is just as good as when i bought it also..

How good does it play ? Remember I only hit a couple of racks with it before I went to apa.nationals. In mu first ever match at nationals with a cue I had only hit a couple of racks with I skunked another 5 ...20-0.. I won 38-4 in a 38-38 race. That cue is not worth the cost of shipping to most people but I will never part with it..

Just food for thought during your quest for your perfect cue.
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That is very interesting. The only thing I really hate about most super cheap cues (in the less then $100 price range), is the really horrible taper, and the poor quality of the shaft. I once hit with a $50 cue (production cue from the Philippines), that I thought hit amazing, and had a really great long taper in the shaft (similar to Meucci), and I really loved it. I was not for sale though, and only got to shoot a few games with it.
 
justinb386 said:
That is very interesting. The only thing I really hate about most super cheap cues (in the less then $100 price range), is the really horrible taper, and the poor quality of the shaft. I once hit with a $50 cue (production cue from the Philippines), that I thought hit amazing, and had a really great long taper in the shaft (similar to Meucci), and I really loved it. I was not for sale though, and only got to shoot a few games with it.
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I don't really know what you are looking for? An inexpensive cue to shoot with, that is also great? What happens when someone offers you 300 dollars for it? You sell it, and then what? The search starts all over again. Then you buy some disappointing cue, you sell it at a loss and you are right back where you started, maybe even worse off!

I think you should buy that cue you linked. Play with it until it's like an extension of your arm. Then never sell it.

I've bought and sold tons of cues for myself. I have owned 7-8 cues that were good enough to keep for the rest of my life, yet I stupidly sold them. It's completely pointless waste of money. One of my friends has had the same cue for 10+ years, a McDermott. The cue is great and the level of his play is stellar. He has probably saved 2-3k dollars, maybe more from just keeping that cue rather than buying and selling at a loss. No matter how expensive a cue is, it will never be as expensive as spending years buying and selling cheap cues that you are forced to sell at a loss or at best even.

If you are after something really specific, I suggest you go to Billiards warehouse and check out Schmelke cues. Find the one you like the looks off and customize the joint/grip and everything else to your liking. They offer Radial compatible joint pins, you know. Add a predator shaft or OB shaft or whatever if you want, or get a custom diameter shaft from Schmelke. Get the length you like, the weight you like. If you go completely nuts with it, it might cost you 400-500 dollars, or a lot less if you are smart about it. Still you'll save thousands if you keep that cue rather than trading constantly, bleeding money like a poker fish.

Personally, I really like this one:
http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/cues/schmelke/schmelke_veneer-hoppe-2.htm
I'd get it with the Radial style joint pin, in 60 inches, 18.5 ounces with a 12.5 mm shaft, then I'd be all set for my tastes. Might add a leather grip, but I'm not sure, the linen is nice too. All of that customizing and the total prize is 320 dollars(ish), 385 with leather!
 
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