How much do I really need to spend on my first cue?

Z

Ziljibar

Registered
I originally posted this in the cue review forum and I'm reposting here at at another user's suggestion.

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Me and some of the guys from work have been grabbing some beers and shooting pool a few times per week recently; enough that I'm sick of playing with house cues. After a significant amount of googling and reading, I'm a bit lost. Most of the stuff I've read seems to suggest that a low end Viking or McDermott is essentially the cheapest "playable" cue. As some guy who likes to play pool and drink beer, will I even notice the difference between a $50 Player's cue and a ~$200 Viking or McDermott? $200 is within the budget but I don't want to spend it if the extra quality that money brings is essentially wasted on a person like me.

Drop a few opinions on me!
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I've decided that this is just coming down to whether or not I want to start out with an LD shaft or not. I get a lot of squirt playing with house cues, though I don't know if that's strictly down to the house cues or if a poor stroke is a significant factor.

Do I start out with a Schmelke and upgrade the shaft later on if I feel it is necessary or do I just start out with a cheaper McDermott or Viking that comes with an LD shaft? I wish I could try out some of these cues before buying but it's not really practical, especially when I want to get my hands on a cue pretty much ASAP.
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Also, can anybody confirm whether or not this ebay seller (link) is actually a legit McDermott dealer?
 
Joerackem/Nielsen's Billiards eBay store I'd highly recommend. They're a certified McDermott retailer and are fantastic. I've bought 5-6 cues from them.


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Get the players cue, it is a good cue for the money, then spend the rest of the budget on playing. If at some point later you take the game more serious and decide to change cues for whatever reason, you'll have a nice cue to break with. Expensive cues don't pocket balls any better than cheaper cues.
Don't know about the eBay link.
Chuck
 
So subjective...
2 trains of thought run thru my head..

1. Buy any cue and when you learn how to play better, you'll develop more preferences and upgrade at that point.

2. Spend the 200...and never wonder if a better cue would make you a better player...also, starting with an LD shaft will enable you to miss out on the fun part of trying to re-learn your stroke later. And the confidence of knowing that you have the best equipment also could help a little...

As for my advice...here it is. Start with a very soft cue like a meucci...it's whippy, and you'll be able to use English a little without miscueing even though your stroke maybe isn't great yet. Upgrade later, none of it really matters that much anyway til you get years more into it. Also, buy something that you like the look of. Something you'll be excited to use each time. There really is not a wrong choice for a first cue. For a starting player, a cue is more of an accessory than a tool.

Maybe the only wrong choice would be a really stiff cue with a hard tip. Cuz you'll be more apt to miscue a lot. While you are learning your stroke and English.
 
stefunny823 said:
Joerackem/Nielsen's Billiards eBay store I'd highly recommend. They're a certified McDermott retailer and are fantastic. I've bought 5-6 cues from them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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X2 on this, I've gotten almost everything under the sun from this seller. From my instroke to my ld shaft to tip tools and whatnot. Also check out michaeljscues dot com. Got my first higher(ish) cue from them
 
Others have given you sound advice but one more thing to think about is the likelihood of theft and damage from careless drunks in the bar. Only you know the answer to that one since you know what kind of places you frequent.

If a cheap cue walks or gets damaged is doesn't suck as bad.

Good luck.
 
The real question is, do you plan on getting good? If so, don't start with some cheap $200 production cue. Take the time to find a nice custom cue for $300 to $800. If you just want to become a 7 in APA league or something, a cheap cue will work.
 
Schmelke

For about $100 you can get a really nice Schmelke made of real bacote or rosewood. They are quality cues, made in the US, that I think are of greater value than a Players or similar cue. If you call Schmelke directly, they will make sure it is set to your desired weight before shipping. Great cues for the money.
 
I would offer this as my opinion. Buy a 100 dollar cue of the above mentioned cues, buy a LD shaft. I myself prefer Predator. But whatever you do get a pro taper on the shaft, it makes stroking the cue smoother. IMHO. Get a decent hard case and a good tip. Then practice, practice.--Smitty
 
Players

Man start with a Players. Best cheap cue money can buy. Then at Xmas, If you are still playing a lot move up into a nice Custom.

Chris
 
Stay away from Meucci.
You can get a nice players cue in the sub $100 range.
Only buy a viking if you find it less than $150, no need in buying something brand new at triple the used price.
McDermott is always a good choice for a beginner.
And FYI, there are customs out there that can be had for under $200 and even under $150.
 
I recommend a Balabushka or maybe a Gus Szamboti. :rolleyes:

If you spend anything less than $15K on either you are really cheating yourself.



(Really I recommend a used Andy Gilbert jump break cue, they are great utility cue and when you sell it you should pretty much get your money back)

And no, I dont have one for sale.....

Ken
 
I would buy a low end Viking like the V101k. I have several at home as house cues for my home table and while they sell for around $170, I've paid as little as $80 for new ones on Ebay. After a year or so you can upgrade to a nicer player when you know more about what shaft size and type you like. Then put a hard tip or even a break shaft on the viking and youll have a nice breaker.

The best production LD shafts out there top out at about $250 and the butt is just a handle. Unless you want it for show, spending $6-800 to bang balls around in a bar is crazy.
 
ScottK said:
Any Player's with their HXT LD shaft.

Oh, the answer to your question is $115.59. (http://www.seyberts.com/products/Pure_X_by_Players_HXT4_Pool_Cue-102576-10161.html)
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I second (or is that 4th? Several have said Players already) the HXT cues. My son owned this one for a year or so and it played great. I liked the shaft on it so much I bought one for my cue, and my son is on his second Players HXT shaft because he liked the thinner one.

http://www.seyberts.com/products/Pure_X_by_Players_HXTE10_Pool_Cue-102578-10161.html

That has a wood to wood joint which will have a different feel than the implex or metal in some of the other models.

The shaft alone sells for over $100 and comes with a $25 very high quality tip on it, so basically you buy a shaft and get the rest of the cue for almost free.
 
No lessons?

Chuck Fields said:
Get the players cue, it is a good cue for the money, then spend the rest of the budget on playing. If at some point later you take the game more serious and decide to change cues for whatever reason, you'll have a nice cue to break with. Expensive cues don't pocket balls any better than cheaper cues.
Don't know about the eBay link.
Chuck
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One might also consider spending a few of those bucks on lessons, or take years to learn by trial and error what a good instructor can teach you in an hour or two...
 
TheMadScientist said:
The real question is, do you plan on getting good? If so, don't start with some cheap $200 production cue. Take the time to find a nice custom cue for $300 to $800. If you just want to become a 7 in APA league or something, a cheap cue will work.
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Hmm SVB plays pretty sporty with a Cuetec. I guess by your assertion he wouldn't be better than an APA 7? Imagine how good he would be with a more expensive cue...
 
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