How Many Cues Are Too Many To Own????

Bavafongoul

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here's a question that I wonder about every time I think about getting another pool cue........and let's face it, when it comes to pool cues, it's all about what you want and not what you need.

Having said that, ponder this....how many cues are too many to own......3, 6, 10, 20 etc. If you are purely, or essentially a collector of sorts, then the question takes on a different dimension than if you were just a pool aficionado or pool player. I think of myself as a wee bit of both and I'm probably just rationalizing to justify the price I paid for my pool cues but I'm really not a collector at heart. Maybe a bit of a pool snob when it comes to cues and that really isn't my intention.

At the moment, I own four (4) cues, not counting an inexpensive break cue. In a few months I'll be getting another cue that's being made right now. Okay, that brings me to five (5) cues and it's starting to seem like too many. But five (5) cues just doesn't seem like the right number.....4 cues does.....even 6 cues......but not 5 cues. So I'm thinking I'm going to cap off my small collection at six (6) pool cues and my last cue will have to be either a monster Richard Black, Ed Prewitt or Joel Hercek cue, at least a level 5 cue. But then I'm done.

Back to my original question........how many cues are too many to own? Or let me put it this way, how many cues would you like to own at the same time....2, 3, 6, 10 ?? Personally, I think the perfect number would be three (3) cues but I've already passed that and I think I've gone overboard with 5 cues and so the 6th cue for me is purely a self-indulgence that I can afford right now. Realistically, how many cues do I need to play with and obviously, there are going to be differences in the way the cues feel and play. So quite naturally, you'll have favorite cues to play from your collection.

So if one has favorite cues to play with, why own the others that will not see regular play? I never play any longer with my Schon Runde but I wouldn't part with it either. So owning more than a couple of cues seems more than adequate but yet I keep buying and my cue collection is small compared to some other AZers. So in your opinion, how many cues are too many to own.....from a practicality standpoint?
 
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I'm going to say one is too many but since I have one then I'm going to say 2 cues. I have never owned more than one cue in my lifetime of playing pool and I've went through 5 cues.

It's just too much because I actually play pool with my cues. Kind of like that Ferrari that becomes a garage queen. People always say it's shame it's not being driven and that's how I treat my cue. It gets played. A person can only play with so many cues.

I can see myself keeping a certain cue because the particular cue that I have right now has won me a great deal of tourneys or placed. My cue right now is essentially free. Even if I were to get another cue, it would be traded or sold but I'm starting to get attached to it.

My buddy gave me the first cue he's ever owned and I just put it away and still find myself as an one owner cue.

I do have my eye on a Nitti cue right now but I like to use my cues as a tool and it does get beat up. It would be sad to do that to a Nitti cue because of the price. That same friend has another cue that he hardly plays with and it has no soul. Everytime I use it, I feel like I have to be careful not to ding it up. Not my cup of tea. Give me a beater and I'm good.

As I get older I am starting to lean toward the collecting side. Just too many nice cues today. Makes a lot of the vintage cues look dated.

The cue I got my eye on? It's going to get nicked up if I get a hold of it.

Available_Cues_28_252733088.jpg
 
Owning 150+ cues is not too many in my opinion, at least you can play with them once in a while.
The problem is what to do with all of the cases.
 
Playing cue (extra shaft permitted), break, jump (or B/J), and that is all. Strictly no more.

As someone who can think of 25 cues lying around the place off the top of my head, I know.
 
Like dom_poppa........I play with all my cues. I carry a 4x8 case and one spot is occupied by my break cue with 1 shaft, my Mottey takes another spot and ironically, it has 3 shafts, and my Scruggs cue with 2 shafts takes up the 3rd cue spot in the case. The cue I'm having made has 2 shafts and it will occupy the 4th spot in the case. I play with both my Mottey and Scruggs cues, sometimes in the same evening....one cue seems to play better on long shots (8 ft away on the table) and the other has superior feel for 1/2 table position play. I swich back and forth during a match for particular shots and then go back to the cue I was playing with. I just figure it's like having 14 clubs in your golf bag so why not use the right club for a specific shot.

Anyway, when my custom arrives next year, my 4x8 case will be filled. I probably should sell some of my Instroke leather cue cases: one (1) 2x4 hard leather, two (2) 3x7 hard leather and one (1) 4x8 soft leather cases. I had Gil (Castillo Leathers) make me a Lizard 4x8 case that's just too gorgeous not to use all the time. I think pool cues can be like putters for a golfer. It seems like even with the best pros, when they can't make a put, they change equipment. They may return to the original putter again but not until they start regularly making putts. That's how it is with pool cues for me......switch cues and suddenly it much easier to refocus your approach, at least it is for me.
 
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Bavafongoul said:
Like dom_poppa........I play with all my cues. I carry a 4x8 case and one spot is occupied by my break cue with 1 shaft, my Mottey takes another spot and ironically, it has 3 shafts, and my Scruggs cue with 2 shafts takes up the 3rd cue spot in the case. The cue I'm having made has 2 shafts and it will occupy the 4th spot in the case. I play with both my Mottey and Scruggs cues, sometimes in the same evening....one cue seems to play better on long shots (8 ft away on the table) and the other has superior feel for 1/2 table position play. I swich back and forth during a match for particular shots and then go back to the cue I was playing with. I just figure it's like having 14 clubs in your golf bag so why not use the right club for a specific shot.

Anyway, when my custom arrives next year, my 4x8 case will be filled. I probably should sell some of my 3x7 Instroke hard leather cases and my 4x8 Instroke soft leather case since I had Gil Castillo make me a Lizard 4x8 case that's just too gorgeous not to carry all the time. I think pool cues can be like putters for a golfer. It seems like even with the best pros, when they can't make a put, they change equipment. They may return to the original putter again but not until they start making outs again. That's how it is with pool cues for me......switch cues and suddenly it much easier to refocus your approach, at least it is for me.
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I like how you explained everything. I am not fortunate enough to have these options. Perhaps that's why I'm stuck with one. I do see another cue coming for myself in the next coming year.

Those cases you are going to sell are going to force you to get another cue. You can get a pretty penny with them and you know what that means....that's right...another cue in the making. :thumbup:
 
Buying cues never gets old for me. If I had room for the Diamond 10ftr I would have more room for my cues.:rolleyes:
 

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Easy question ... one more than you can afford to own. No? Logically that would be too many. :shrug:
 
I'm not a collector, hell I'm not even a decent pool player. What I am or was, is a combat pistol instructor who worked at a pretty high level.

There's a saying in the gun world, advertised by Ruger right now that goes; Beware the man with one rifle, (gun) he probably knows how to use it.
 
Some of the collections are insane! I bought my first American style cue 6 years ago when I started playing it. In the first 18 months I probably bought (and eventually sold) about 13 cues until I found the one. Been playing with my current cue for 4 and a half years now. So my collection consists of my playing cue plus a spare shaft, break cue plus a spare shaft and my jump cue that very rarely sees the light of day. I tend to find a cue I like and stick with it as I'm not really into nice looking cues or collectables. Been using my snooker cue for the past 16 years and have no intention of getting a new one :)
 
Depends! If you are a cue builder. Owning more than three can be a problem. If you are a cue fliper. Owning more than five makes you a collector. If you are a collector. Then you should own a few more than will cause a divorce and keep a few hidden.

Larry
 
Two

I think owning two cues is too many. Two cues from the same builder that is! I just want one cue from everybody. :D
 
Hmm

My ultimate goal is a breaker, jumper, and shooter. My shooter has 5 shafts. I think that is enough flexibility to play however I want.

More than that is just excess, to me, but I don't collect cues at all. I like other things in the billiards collectibles.
 
Thanks for the comments and the subtle humor......some funny remarks.

Sometimes I feel like I'm a show-off when I'm playing at a new pool hall or out of town tournament, On my home court, I just place my case on the table and lay it wide open and pick my cues. In my town, most of the players know what I carry in my case and aren't the least bit curious.

At a new location, I try to be a lot more discreet opening the case and selecting the cues I want to use that night knowing I'll pull out more than one sooner or later, if not at the outset. But if I lay my case open like I do where I mostly play (The Break Room- Fresno, CA) at a brand new joint, invariably it brings questions like "What'ya got there?" or "Hey Bill, come take a look at this guy's Scruggs....it's a honey.". I mean it when I say that shit gets old and kinda embarrassing after awhile, especially when they guess what the cue is worth or even worse, "What'ya pay for that?". Honestly, sometimes it just gets odd with how some people behave when they see some cues in person.

Personally, when I see a cue from a cue-maker I admire, I approach it lovingly and respectfully......I'll ask the owner about his cue and ask if I can hold it.........I look for the cue-maker's artistry and immaculate assembly of the cue. I have 17 cue-makers on my wish list and I'll never own 17 cues. Many of these cue-makers have since passed or retired and the active ones have a wait list that might see me reach room temperature before I'd ever receive a newly ordered cue from them. So when I see one of those cues, I just inspect it ever so closely not to find any fault whatsoever......only so that I can better appreciate the majesty of the cue creation. I once held and examined a level 6 Ed Prewitt pool cue and couldn't take my eyes off the butt sleeve veneers, inlays and just "incredible" collar workmanship.

Perhaps down deep, maybe I'm just a little more modest and shy about what I carry in my case than I imagined.
 
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Just my opinion, but I am not a cue collector. That said, I feel like if you have a "playing" cue or cues in a case and not being used, and more than likely may never be used again, well, those cues are not needed and probably need to be dealt away. I mean....what's the point of keeping it in a case for its whole lifetime? That's akin to keeping a bird in a cage all its life.

That said....I have too many cues :o!!!

Maniac
 
Well stated Maniac........it's the difference between genuine "wants" and "needs" and when it comes to pool cues, jeez, there are more self-indulgent folks out there than I imagined and I'm certainly one of them......albeit a small fish compared to some others. But everyone chiming in that 1-2 cues is sufficient is right when you break it down to wants and needs........I mean you can at least rationalize that you're just carrying a back-up in case anything were to happen to numero uno cue.......beyond that, it becomes a lot of pork.
 
If you're asking playing cues then I guess one?

I've seen collections into the high hundreds, maybe even thousands.
 
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