Help buying first cue

Double-Dave said:
This.

IMO nothing even comes close for the same price.
You really need to go to $500 ish and get a Mezz to get a significantly better cue then a Pure-X.
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Dave;

With respect, I can't stop thinking about the horsefkking we're all taking (the entire world) from China and so *any* opportunity to buy products made elsewhere is gonna be the way I go every time.

Schmelke, Pechauer, Cues Directly, all winners imo, and all made in USA. :thumbup:

best,
brian kc
 
The problem is that in 6 months to a year, you will no longer be satisfied with a $200 stick. Spend enough now to get you something in the $500 range, choose wisely after actually trying out other folk's cues, and you should wind up with a cue that you will be satisfied to shoot with for the rest of you life.
 
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Kickin' Chicken said:
Dave;

With respect, I can't stop thinking about the horsefkking we're all taking (the entire world) from China and so *any* opportunity to buy products made elsewhere is gonna be the way I go every time.

Schmelke, Pechauer, Cues Directly, all winners imo, and all made in USA. :thumbup:

best,
brian kc
Click to expand...

Mezz is Japan not China lol.
 
I would agree with a lot of people and say
Schmelke
Players
McDermott
Viking
 
Enigma86 said:
Hello everybody. First I'd like to say I'm sorry if this post is in the wrong spot. I looked around and couldn't find anything exactly related to noob questions about cues. I'm 33 and have been playing since I was a kid. Several tables in the family. I never played a league until now where a buddy of mine invited me to play in an APA league.

I haven't played in 5 years but I love the game. Went almost immediately to a 6 and got beat back down to a 5. None of my teammates have their own cue so we've been using house cues that you can't even draw with and tonight it finally cost me two games.

I want to get something that's quality, but I'm still new and not sure how serious I'll get. However, a good pool cue is something I know that I can take care of and use for a long time. Went and talked to a shop today and realized I'm in over my head.

What i think I'd like is a 19 or 19.5oz and leaning towards a 12.75mm tip. I think I'd also like something with a soft/soft medium tip which I know can be changed but it would be a plus if it came that way. I don't know brands what so ever though. Can somebody point me in some kind of direction where I can get quality but not spend a ton? Would like to stay well under 200, though i usually find myself the type to spend the extra 25-50 bucks if it means a pretty good feature or something I see as good value. One that I've wondered about is the players hxt15. Anybody know anything about it?

Thank you very much in advance.
Click to expand...
$150 to $250 is a tweener price range that is not going to get you any higher quality than possibly one of the higher end Player's line of cues, which sounds like about what you are looking at. Certainly not a high-tech low deflection shaft in that price range. However, that is likely a good price range to start at if that's all you can comfortably afford.

You'll be lucky if you can recoup 50% of that price when you eventually go to sell it to upgrade to a higher performance cue in the $400+ price range, if you decide to stay at it and if you can afford it.

After reading all the replies to this thread, as someone who has played with both Mezz and Pechauer cues for many years, if you can find an entry level Pechauer on clearance for $200-$250, that would be my recommendation. Great Wisconsin based company with a well earned reputation, that provides awesome customer service if you have any problem.
 
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Ok I'm going to apologize again as I wanted to use a bunch of quotes to respond to everybody since I've received such an overwhelming amount of help and support. So I'll answer some of the things generically since I can't figure that out (so much for a computer science degree huh? lol).

Yeah I know it's weird I don't have a stick yet or have never really gotten one. I guess I just never figured I needed it. I could get what I needed done with whatever cues we had gotten with our table and set. I rarely lost to anybody I ever played really. They were decent for house cues, much better than the crud I'm having to use right now. Probably 14mm tip and shaped like a silver dollar. I'm not entirely sold as to just how much I'll stay involved or push myself to get better. But I will say getting beat has kinda lit a fire under my ass. I've never had to stomach losses as much as I already have in just the last couple of weeks. lol.

Anyways, thank you so much, I'm in disbelief at how much help I've gotten on here. Thank you all for your replies.

Some things I will add here... Preferences I have at this point in my game is that I know that I do NOT like hard tips, though I don't know exactly how hard "hard" is. I'm sure medium is as firm as I want. One thing that I DID like about the pure-x was that it came with the Kamui soft tip on it which was nice since they say those are a little closer to a soft medium. I agree with sticking with pro taper and standard length. I know I don't like WIDE tips so I figured that 12.75 is a good starting point. I also do know that I like the Irish Linen wrap so I'm going to try to stick with that as well.

Can anybody maybe explain to me more about the quality increases from going from pure-x to going to a schmelke or Mcdermott or the Pechauer? Is it all in the designing or is it actually in the quality and feel of the stick? It seems like if I pop over the 200 dollar mark I can get a cue that isn't sticker and has real inlays I guess? I see maybe down the road if I wanted I could then instead just upgrade the shaft to a LD or something down the road instead of getting an entirely different stick? If that is the case that would be an argument I could get myself behind for paying more upfront because something with lower quality design I wouldn't necessarily be looking to go put a multi hundred dollar shaft on to, I'd want a whole new stick. Does that make sense?

That Pechauer JP-06 is beautiful. I really like that look.

Oh and one more thing. Also looking for a cheap break cue. I don't know much about it. I don't want to break with those garbage house cues and I don't want to break with whatever new stick (or used) stick I get. Whats the deal with weights on those? I know if I go too heavy I can actually hurt myself on speed. I'm a 6'00 190 lbs guy that works out daily and pitches in the 80 mph range so I typically have a solid break speed I would guess. I don't know at what weight my speed would be limited. Any input on that front would be more than appreciated as well. Though I'm definitely looking more to pay the money into the primary stick.
 
Do not overlook the "used" approach.

I think there is a step up in quality around the $400 to $500 level -- better materials, better workmanship or quality control. I have always been impressed with Predator's full splice sneaky petes. (Remember, an LD shaft is standard equipment.) I have not been clocking them, but I suspect you could get one used for $300 (new around $550).
 
I think the top choice out of the list is Schmelke. I haven't ever personally felt one but I know a lot of people recommend them over even high end customs at points.
 
Enigma86 said:
Hello everybody. First I'd like to say I'm sorry if this post is in the wrong spot. I looked around and couldn't find anything exactly related to noob questions about cues. I'm 33 and have been playing since I was a kid. Several tables in the family. I never played a league until now where a buddy of mine invited me to play in an APA league.

I haven't played in 5 years but I love the game. Went almost immediately to a 6 and got beat back down to a 5. None of my teammates have their own cue so we've been using house cues that you can't even draw with and tonight it finally cost me two games.

I want to get something that's quality, but I'm still new and not sure how serious I'll get. However, a good pool cue is something I know that I can take care of and use for a long time. Went and talked to a shop today and realized I'm in over my head.

What i think I'd like is a 19 or 19.5oz and leaning towards a 12.75mm tip. I think I'd also like something with a soft/soft medium tip which I know can be changed but it would be a plus if it came that way. I don't know brands what so ever though. Can somebody point me in some kind of direction where I can get quality but not spend a ton? Would like to stay well under 200, though i usually find myself the type to spend the extra 25-50 bucks if it means a pretty good feature or something I see as good value. One that I've wondered about is the players hxt15. Anybody know anything about it?

Thank you very much in advance.
Click to expand...

You've probably already got a ton of suggestions for cues, so I won't go there unless you ask me specifically. Plus, a lot f these guys have a better head for the new cues out there than i do.

My suggestion is don't go cheap on the tip. Not saying buy the most expensive tip, because I really don't think that's necessary. But don't buy the cheapest tip either. Buy something quality. I think the tip for most players is more important than the entire rest of the stick, because it's the only bit that actually comes in contact with the cue ball (or it should be).

For a less experienced player I might suggest something medium to medium-soft. Don't go full soft or super soft; that'll probably make things weirder than you want to deal with. And even though probably less trouble, I'd stay away from hard tips. Medium-hard at most.

I happen to be on a Kamui trip right now, but I used to play a lot of Triangles, Tigers and Mooris as well and always liked them just fine (here's where someone out there will have a problem with one of those or all of them, but whatever). My point is there's plenty of good decently priced tips out there to pick from. Pick one. Just don't spend good money on a stick and then go Wal-mart on a tip. That's all I'm saying.

Good hunting.
 
megatron69 said:
My suggestion is don't go cheap on the tip. Not saying buy the most expensive tip, because I really don't think that's necessary. But don't buy the cheapest tip either. Buy something quality.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the input! Yeah I definitely won't. I think no matter what I want to try to
The kamui soft just because I heard it wasn't really that soft but on the softer side of medium.
 
Enigma86 said:
Thanks for the input! Yeah I definitely won't. I think no matter what I want to try to
The kamui soft just because I heard it wasn't really that soft but on the softer side of medium.
Click to expand...
If you go with a Pechauer, I can tell you that their stock tip which they call a medium, is considerably softer than medium, in my opinion. Although I like softer tips, it was too soft for me and I replaced with a Zan medium. Soft tips have a great feel, but too much maintenance involved re-shaping the mushrooming multiple times before they get hard enough to stop mushrooming.

The other positive if you went with a Pechauer, if you ever decide to upgrade to a higher priced low deflection or carbon fiber shaft, you could stick with you Pechauer butt and just upgrade your shaft.
 
As far as break cues I think I've seen people mention a jj break cue for like $99. I saw a couple on the seyberts page for $75 but they were both 25oz with IMO is about 6oz too heavy.

That seyberts page I also see Players break cues ranging from $89-$115. You would also need a 2x2 case so if you really like the Pechauer cue, I'd go with seyberts and get all 3 items from them and free shipping.
 
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7stud said:
I saw those, and I was wondering who Michael Littman is?
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Michael Littman has a store (The Billiard Shop) here in the Portland OR area. He's also the proprietor of CheapCues.com and littmanlights.com. Those lights are *perfect*!
 
How about an old McDermott on ebay from someone who has a very high reputation? A quick search revealed that there are even some reasonably priced new ones listed.

I've been playing at home with an old McDermott (from the late 80s or early 90s) during the pandemic because I cannot figure out how to get a new tip on my custom JossWest cue.
 
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Enigma86 said:
Ok I'm going to apologize again as I wanted to use a bunch of quotes to respond to everybody since I've received such an overwhelming amount of help and support. So I'll answer some of the things generically since I can't figure that out (so much for a computer science degree huh? lol).

Yeah I know it's weird I don't have a stick yet or have never really gotten one. I guess I just never figured I needed it. I could get what I needed done with whatever cues we had gotten with our table and set. I rarely lost to anybody I ever played really. They were decent for house cues, much better than the crud I'm having to use right now. Probably 14mm tip and shaped like a silver dollar. I'm not entirely sold as to just how much I'll stay involved or push myself to get better. But I will say getting beat has kinda lit a fire under my ass. I've never had to stomach losses as much as I already have in just the last couple of weeks. lol.

Anyways, thank you so much, I'm in disbelief at how much help I've gotten on here. Thank you all for your replies.

Some things I will add here... Preferences I have at this point in my game is that I know that I do NOT like hard tips, though I don't know exactly how hard "hard" is. I'm sure medium is as firm as I want. One thing that I DID like about the pure-x was that it came with the Kamui soft tip on it which was nice since they say those are a little closer to a soft medium. I agree with sticking with pro taper and standard length. I know I don't like WIDE tips so I figured that 12.75 is a good starting point. I also do know that I like the Irish Linen wrap so I'm going to try to stick with that as well.

Can anybody maybe explain to me more about the quality increases from going from pure-x to going to a schmelke or Mcdermott or the Pechauer? Is it all in the designing or is it actually in the quality and feel of the stick? It seems like if I pop over the 200 dollar mark I can get a cue that isn't sticker and has real inlays I guess? I see maybe down the road if I wanted I could then instead just upgrade the shaft to a LD or something down the road instead of getting an entirely different stick? If that is the case that would be an argument I could get myself behind for paying more upfront because something with lower quality design I wouldn't necessarily be looking to go put a multi hundred dollar shaft on to, I'd want a whole new stick. Does that make sense?

That Pechauer JP-06 is beautiful. I really like that look.

Oh and one more thing. Also looking for a cheap break cue. I don't know much about it. I don't want to break with those garbage house cues and I don't want to break with whatever new stick (or used) stick I get. Whats the deal with weights on those? I know if I go too heavy I can actually hurt myself on speed. I'm a 6'00 190 lbs guy that works out daily and pitches in the 80 mph range so I typically have a solid break speed I would guess. I don't know at what weight my speed would be limited. Any input on that front would be more than appreciated as well. Though I'm definitely looking more to pay the money into the primary stick.
Click to expand...

If you don't have to worry about your break speed...don't. Contact the cue-ball and whatever "head-pin" you're aiming at, with precision. Now, if you're looking for a cheap break cue, I would recommend a J&J. I have one, that was less than $100.00 bucks, and it is more than adequate. :cool: The difference in certain cues IMO, is their ability to stay straight, given proper care, over time. Quality control, manufacturing techniques, material quality, and wood quality/seasoning, will eventually show it's true colors.
Good luck in your search.
j2
 
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Enigma86 said:
Thanks for the input! Yeah I definitely won't. I think no matter what I want to try to
The kamui soft just because I heard it wasn't really that soft but on the softer side of medium.
Click to expand...

Lepro is a med tip that is both quality and
about $1.
Elkmaster( soft)
Triangle(hard)

All very cheap and will play great
 
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couldnthinkof01 said:
Lepro is a med tip that is both quality and
about $1.
Elkmaster( soft)
Triangle(hard)

All very cheap and will play great
Click to expand...

He can do a search and find probably a hundred threads with people's opinions on tips (and all the misinformation he can handle) so I won't spend a lot of time on it but I see the above quite a bit differently. A good LePro and a Triangle are actually pretty close in how they feel and play. The biggest difference is that Triangles are pretty consistent from one to the next and all play good. LePro's are wildly inconsistent and range from real mushy and almost fall apart during tip maintenance to hard as a rock and won't hold chalk and only about one third of them are any good, but the third that are good are good (ie they are a lot like Triangles).

A LePro and Triangle user is generally the same guy. One of them has just never tried Triangles before and so he has every two out of his three LePro tips cut off and replaced right away until he finds one of the good ones, and the other guy has switched to Triangles and they all play good so he doesn't have that hassle.

I have heard a couple of people on here over the years say they think Triangles are inconsistent but I haven't seen that at all, whereas it seems like every box of LePro's is almost like a grab bag mix of every tip type ever made and it is a lottery on what you are going to get with each tip in the box.

Elkmaster is indeed a great choice for those who like a tip on the softer side.
 
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