Have you seen a FAKE/counterfeit cue?

[pinoyincalgary]

Hi,
I was in california visiting my cousin and we played a bit of pool at the local pool hall. One of his friends was there and was nice enough to lend me a spare cue to play with. I checked it out and it said predator on the butt cap (same logo as the predator we all know) but the inlays are all decals. I asked my cousin about it and he said, "That is what I call a FAKEdator". He also said that he has seen other fake cues besides the predator.

Any of you guys seen a fake cue before? This was the first one for me.

 

[jay helfert]

Hi,
I was in california visiting my cousin and we played a bit of pool at the local pool hall. One of his friends was there and was nice enough to lend me a spare cue to play with. I checked it out and it said predator on the butt cap (same logo as the predator we all know) but the inlays are all decals. I asked my cousin about it and he said, "That is what I call a FAKEdator". He also said that he has seen other fake cues besides the predator.

Any of you guys seen a fake cue before? This was the first one for me.

Can you spell TAIWAN?

 

[TATE]

Hi,
I was in california visiting my cousin and we played a bit of pool at the local pool hall. One of his friends was there and was nice enough to lend me a spare cue to play with. I checked it out and it said predator on the butt cap (same logo as the predator we all know) but the inlays are all decals. I asked my cousin about it and he said, "That is what I call a FAKEdator". He also said that he has seen other fake cues besides the predator.

Any of you guys seen a fake cue before? This was the first one for me.

If you think there are a lot of fake cues in California, try to find a real boobie.

Chris

 

[6 Pocket Mike]

Hi,
I was in california visiting my cousin and we played a bit of pool at the local pool hall. One of his friends was there and was nice enough to lend me a spare cue to play with. I checked it out and it said predator on the butt cap (same logo as the predator we all know) but the inlays are all decals. I asked my cousin about it and he said, "That is what I call a FAKEdator". He also said that he has seen other fake cues besides the predator.

Any of you guys seen a fake cue before? This was the first one for me.

LOL well it would be pretty hard to fool anyone with knowlege of cues. It may fake out some local hack but who would by a balabushka from Big 5 sporting goods without wondering how did this happen.

 

[jay helfert]

If you think there are a lot of fake cues in California, try to find a real boobie.

Chris

Lord knows I've tried.

 

[JCIN]

Here is one I came across that made me chuckle. A friend calls and says "Come look at this TAD I just bought, if you like it, I'll give you a good deal on it." I asked him if it was a plain one and he says "No man, its a big cue, points and a ton of ivory" I was excited and went to look at it.

This is what I saw

 

[whitey2]

Oh yeh!

Oh Yeh! I saw a Meucci "Olympian" also known as "the Torch"
copy that had decals instead of inlays. No Meucci logo, but
from a distance it looked exactly like the real thing.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

if it doesn't shoot straight and has a crappy feel , it's a fake !

 

[Jimmy M.]

If you think there are a lot of fake cues in California, try to find a real boobie.

Chris

Now that's funny.

I saw a Balabushka once that I could just swear was a Helmstetter!

 

[Tokyo-dave]

When I was in the billiards supply business, the guy I worked for told me about a guy in Taiwan that could make me any cue I wanted. A Gina, SW, JW, Cog, you name it!! I actually saw and played with a few of his SW cues, and they're made pretty well, and play lights out. Clearly the guy has enough talent to make his own very nice line of cues. Too bad he wastes his talent making bogus cues.
dave

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

When I was in the billiards supply business, the guy I worked for told me about a guy in Taiwan that could make me any cue I wanted. A Gina, SW, JW, Cog, you name it!! I actually saw and played with a few of his SW cues, and they're made pretty well, and play lights out. Clearly the guy has enough talent to make his own very nice line of cues. Too bad he wastes his talent making bogus cues.
dave

maybe they should hire him for his talent !

 

[Tokyo-dave]

maybe they should hire him for his talent !

Actually....................some cue makers have hired him . I can't go any further than that because the my info is based on hearsay albeit from pretty reliable sources.
dave

 

[John Barton]

When I was in the billiards supply business, the guy I worked for told me about a guy in Taiwan that could make me any cue I wanted. A Gina, SW, JW, Cog, you name it!! I actually saw and played with a few of his SW cues, and they're made pretty well, and play lights out. Clearly the guy has enough talent to make his own very nice line of cues. Too bad he wastes his talent making bogus cues.
dave

Heresy! No one on earth has the talent and skill to build cues that play as good as American cues. Even if Bill Stroud moved to Taiwan and took all his equipment with him he would lose the ability to make JossWest cues.

You are a liar - you have never shot pool with any cue from outside the USA that ever hit anywhere close to an American cue.

I used to believe as you do. I was fooled into thinking that some cue makers outside the USA could build great cues. They put cues in my hands and let me hit with them. And I was impressed. But now I know that it was all an illusion. I was blinded by the thought that there might be someone else without a US birth certificate who could build cues.

LOL the preceding is in jest - there are cuemakers in Taiwan that do have the ability to duplicate the look and get close to the hit of major names. What they find though is that they must also replicate some of the processes and so the cost goes up as well. The ones I have seen that are in the upper echelon of hit also cost accordingly, $300-$900 and up.

I have never seen a fake Predator. I have seen plenty of design theft. Walk into any Taiwanese or Chinese poolroom and it looks as though there are $500,000 worth of cues being used as house cues. But I haven't yet seen cues that rip off the brand or use the same design with similar sounding names like Reepok instead of Reebok. I would expect a fake Predator to have a "Pledator" logo on it.

The thing I am discovering however is that there are many many small cue makers in China who don't deal through the mainstream billiards industry. They can copy with impunity because they don't have the same industry tie-ins that the large cue makers do. And these cues come into the USA through many other channels, piggybacking in containers filled with a variety of other goods.

Anyway - it kinda sucks if we get to the point where the brand names are stolen as well in the billiard industry.

 

[John Barton]

Here is one I came across that made me chuckle. A friend calls and says "Come look at this TAD I just bought, if you like it, I'll give you a good deal on it." I asked him if it was a plain one and he says "No man, its a big cue, points and a ton of ivory" I was excited and went to look at it.

This is what I saw


View attachment 45372


View attachment 45371


View attachment 45373

Yeah when I was in Taiwan in 2000 I saw a booth at a small tournament where they had similar cues using a logo that was very similar to the TS on Scruggs cues. Inlaid cues, delrin buttcaps, the whole deal. It was quite interesting and disturbing at the same time.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

I don't know what you're trying to say John, but it is just a matter of time before non-American cuemakers can build the same type of american cues or even better. with the kind of technology we have nowadays, it is becoming easier to make the same product of the same materials used, at a lower cost. I don't totally agree that creating the same U.S. made cue will make the cue's retail price high. remember that labor in Asia is way much cheaper than in the U.S. and the availability of raw materials is not that hard to find in Asian countries. and the legal issues concerning exotic woods aren't much scrutinized either. besides, why would Intel put up a production line in Asia, if their products would become sub-standard?

 

[6 Pocket Mike]

I don't know what you're trying to say John, but it is just a matter of time before non-American cuemakers can build the same type of american cues or even better. with the kind of technology we have nowadays, it is becoming easier to make the same product of the same materials used, at a lower cost. I don't totally agree that creating the same U.S. made cue will make the cue's retail price high. remember that labor in Asia is way much cheaper than in the U.S. and the availability of raw materials is not that hard to find in Asian countries. and the legal issues concerning exotic woods aren't much scrutinized either. besides, why would Intel put up a production line in Asia, if their products would become sub-standard?

I agree, i know the Japanese are coming out with a cue next year with a built in plasma TV! Once the figure out the balance issue I'll buy one

 

[John Barton]

I don't know what you're trying to say John, but it is just a matter of time before non-American cuemakers can build the same type of american cues or even better. with the kind of technology we have nowadays, it is becoming easier to make the same product of the same materials used, at a lower cost. I don't totally agree that creating the same U.S. made cue will make the cue's retail price high. remember that labor in Asia is way much cheaper than in the U.S. and the availability of raw materials is not that hard to find in Asian countries. and the legal issues concerning exotic woods aren't much scrutinized either. besides, why would Intel put up a production line in Asia, if their products would become sub-standard?

You don't know what I DID say because you didn't COMPREHEND it. If you think labor is all there is to building a good cue then you have a lot to learn my friend.

Try re-reading my earlier comments and get back to me after you really think about it. Then IF there are any parts you still don't understand feel free to quote them and I will let you know exactly what I meant.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

I was referring to this John, as a reply to tokyo-dave

I used to believe as you do. I was fooled into thinking that some cue makers outside the USA could build great cues. They put cues in my hands and let me hit with them. And I was impressed. But now I know that it was all an illusion. I was blinded by the thought that there might be someone else without a US birth certificate who could build cues.

The ones I have seen that are in the upper echelon of hit also cost accordingly, $300-$900 and up.

here is what I'm trying to say. I don't undermine the capability of non-american cuemakers of improving their products nor do I refuse to acknowledge the greatness of some american cues. honestly speaking, I do like the hit of american cues. but I also keep some non-american cues, for both preferences. but to say that non-american cues could never equal their american versions is quite unrealistic. there is time for improvement and time for learning. the world wasn't made in one day.

about the price tags you stated, it is quite right, but $900 is already a rip off price for a non-american cue. have a local buy you one and he can get a $900 dollar cue for only half of that price. it's the same cue and I know so, Mr. Barton ! being an alien to another country is an opportunity for the locals to rip you off. that's just it.

 

[bandido]

I was referring to this John, as a reply to tokyo-dave

here is what I'm trying to say. I don't undermine the capability of non-american cuemakers of improving their products nor do I refuse to acknowledge the greatness of some american cues. honestly speaking, I do like the hit of american cues. but I also keep some non-american cues, for both preferences. but to say that non-american cues could never equal their american versions is quite unrealistic. there is time for improvement and time for learning. the world wasn't made in one day.

about the price tags you stated, it is quite right, but $900 is already a rip off price for a non-american cue. have a local buy you one and he can get a $900 dollar cue for only half of that price. it's the same cue and I know so, Mr. Barton ! being an alien to another country is an opportunity for the locals to rip you off. that's just it.

You missed John's next paragraph and below is how he started that paragraph.

LOL the preceding is in jest - there are cuemakers in Taiwan that do have the ability to duplicate the look and get close to the hit of major names. ...

Both you and John actually share the opinion.

 

[bandido]

Actually....................some cue makers have hired him . I can't go any further than that because the my info is based on hearsay albeit from pretty reliable sources.
dave

I can believe that 'coz I've made a few for a couple and one's even considered in the upper eschelon. Their own brands though and not somebody else's. Kinda why I chuckle to myself whenever "cuemaker pedigrees" are discussed.

BTW, that Fakedator comes from a guy with initials LTG here in the Philippines.