I'm not really a fan of sneaky petes. I like having a wrap andjoint collars. I'm sure they'd play just as well, but I guess I want a little style also.
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Help buying a beginner cue?
- Thread starter bjones72751
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I'm not really a fan of sneaky petes. I like having a wrap andjoint collars. I'm sure they'd play just as well, but I guess I want a little style also.
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Here's another couple I've been looking at. Any feedback on either of these?
http://m.ozonebilliards.com/star-cues-by-mcdermott-honey-stain.html#reviews?disableMobile=true
http://www.ozonebilliards.com/ducunawoovpo.html?disableMobile=true
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http://m.ozonebilliards.com/star-cues-by-mcdermott-honey-stain.html#reviews?disableMobile=true
http://www.ozonebilliards.com/ducunawoovpo.html?disableMobile=true
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these are decal cues.
Yeah I assumed that, but would either be a decent player?
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Anything you buy in the $100 range will play about the same. I think you have had enough attention so just buy something.
Really, is it necessary to turn into a jerk because I apparently asked too many questions? Is there really a limit? I thank you for your advice, but there are a lot of choices and I'd like to make the most educated decision I can make.
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How important is the butt of a cue? Does it really do anything more than designate most of the weight? Or is the playability mainly determined by the shaft? Just wondering if I could upgrade the shafylt later to make a substantial difference.
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Barring any major defects in the cue, the most important thing for playability is the tip. The importance decreases the further you get from the tip; i.e., the shaft is more important than the butt.
You've said you don't want a sneaky pete and that you're concerned about ebay. Considering that, I would order something new from one of the big online retailers, like BilliardWarehouse, Seyberts, or Ozone. They will all stand behind their products. For the price you can't do better than the Schmelkes that Measureman recommended. I'd also consider Viking, McDermott, and Fury.
Personally I would stay away from the new Dufferins. The old house cues were made in Canada and played great; the new ones are churned out in China and don't play as well.
At the $100 price range your options are going to be hit or miss. Whatever you get, spring for a high-quality layered tip and make sure you get a common joint pin so you can swap out the shaft in the future. Among the Schmelke joint options, I'd go with #4 (3/8x10). That's the most common of their joints.
I like a couple of schmelke cues alright, but was kind of overloaded on the options available. The thing that drew me to the dufferin was a uni-loc joint and tiger Everest tip. I haven't checked out seyberts yet, so I'll take a look there. There's absolutely nowhere to buy locally for me, so online is my only option.
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You really do not even need a butt on a cue. Just get an extra long shaft!!
Lol, Now there's an idea! I was just wondering if I got a good shaft on cue that I only pay $100 for would it be an ok thing to do. Just wasn't sure if a $500 cue's butt would play similar to a $100 cue's...
I really hate sounding like an idiot, but I've never bought my own cue so I think I should know my options.
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Sorry to be the one who disagrees, but...
The butt end of the cue adds more than just "looks". A more solid and well built butt will feel much better than one which is cheaply made. The tip is not the single point of failure. The tip is just that: the top of a culmination of parts that add up to the "feel" of a cue.
This is all probably way more info than you need at this point, being a beginner and all. But I just thought I would throw that out there.
The McDermott "Star" cues are just cheap versions of McDermott player cues. And the ones I've held have felt cheap as well.
Schmelke cues are nice, but again, you may be overloaded with options. PM me if you want further help. Maybe I can help with a phone call or something.
McDermott and Viking cues are well made, but possibly out of your price range.
Another option would be Lucasi. You can find their Sneaky Pete on eBay for around a $100 bucks. I have one as a Break/Bar cue and it is very nice. Other designs are out of your range, though.
Again, I would stick with a Player Cue. Just my opinion for a beginner.
Josh
The butt end of the cue adds more than just "looks". A more solid and well built butt will feel much better than one which is cheaply made. The tip is not the single point of failure. The tip is just that: the top of a culmination of parts that add up to the "feel" of a cue.
This is all probably way more info than you need at this point, being a beginner and all. But I just thought I would throw that out there.
The McDermott "Star" cues are just cheap versions of McDermott player cues. And the ones I've held have felt cheap as well.
Schmelke cues are nice, but again, you may be overloaded with options. PM me if you want further help. Maybe I can help with a phone call or something.
McDermott and Viking cues are well made, but possibly out of your price range.
Another option would be Lucasi. You can find their Sneaky Pete on eBay for around a $100 bucks. I have one as a Break/Bar cue and it is very nice. Other designs are out of your range, though.
Again, I would stick with a Player Cue. Just my opinion for a beginner.
Josh
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In reality the price you pay for a cue does not always equal what you get. All cues may feel different to any number of people that use them. Combine that with what is generally described as the feel / hit of a cue. Every single pool player will have their own opinion of how they like or dislike a cues feel/hit. The best thing to do is to actually hit some balls with as many different cues as you can to see if you can feel any difference in them. I have made this suggestion many times in the past so here goes. If you have access to a pool hall that has leagues go there early introduce yourself and ask if you can hit some balls with someones cue. You can explain to them why and I am fairly sure you will get some helpful feed back. Set up a shot straight into a corner pocket and hit it really soft, and then gradually harder. The feedback the cue gives you should when you contact the cueball should give you some idea how it feels to you. Remember the looks/cost really do not matter, just how it feels to you.. My first custom cue was a dog to look at but I liked the way it felt and still have it today. IMO a new player is better off buying a cue that you have actually tried as opposed to buying one off the internet without test hitting it..
Hope this helps, Good Luck!
I'd love to do that, but I have nowhere to go to test cues. I have 1 actual pool hall that I could try, but other than that my only option is to buy online. That's a big reason as to why I can't decide what I want.
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Next Best Option.
Then you might consider this:
http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/try_a_cue_guarantee.htm
Billiard Warehouse is a great place to do business. Plus they have the option I have linked above..
This is my last effort so I wish you luck either way you decide to go..
Then you might consider this:
http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/try_a_cue_guarantee.htm
Billiard Warehouse is a great place to do business. Plus they have the option I have linked above..
This is my last effort so I wish you luck either way you decide to go..
duff
find an old canadian dufferin. either a sneaky or an aluminum joint . make sure its straight andin good shape.id get an 18 oz or 19 oz full splice rosewood into maple. you should be able to find a good one at your price point and perhaps alot less. some on ebay now i think. even the unspliced ones are great .great wood. hard to beat the hit esp for the money. u can prob sell it for what u payed too.just my opinion.
find an old canadian dufferin. either a sneaky or an aluminum joint . make sure its straight andin good shape.id get an 18 oz or 19 oz full splice rosewood into maple. you should be able to find a good one at your price point and perhaps alot less. some on ebay now i think. even the unspliced ones are great .great wood. hard to beat the hit esp for the money. u can prob sell it for what u payed too.just my opinion.
I'll look for those. Do they have a common joint?
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nope
nope the joint is unique but dont worry, you dont need a fancy LD bs shaft. you need a nice,stiff solid maple shaft and practice with it for a few years and embrace its characteristics. duff shafts are very good maple. duffs hit great as a rule. some are incredible hitters. hard to find better maple. find a good one and if its not good enuf for you and you bought it right ill take it off your hands.
nope the joint is unique but dont worry, you dont need a fancy LD bs shaft. you need a nice,stiff solid maple shaft and practice with it for a few years and embrace its characteristics. duff shafts are very good maple. duffs hit great as a rule. some are incredible hitters. hard to find better maple. find a good one and if its not good enuf for you and you bought it right ill take it off your hands.