how much to spend on cue

Cues

I've definitely been in the same situation while I was in college, but I somehow managed to collect 12 custom one-off cues. You just have to find them and get them when people don't know what they have. You may also be able to get a cue and trade up without spending too much. You never know.

I will say that the dominiak cues for $99 is one heck of a deal. I bet that they are a nice stiff hit too. I may have to order one of them. I know you can find a nice sneaky pete out there somewhere or something that would be in your price range. Also, I will say that I haven't bought one of Brent's BHQ cues, but I've sure wanted to and they are great for the price.

John
 
thanks for all the help guys! i think i just might have to go with the dominiak, it seems like a very good deal and i hear nothing but good things. then if i have the money and feel the need i can buy the predator shaft. i was looking at the link for the cue brent made, and i cant see how much it was for, his whole price range. how much does his stuff cost. The rat cues looked nice as well but again are they "better" than the dominiak, because they are more. or is the domiak just a such great deal and should be selling for 200 really. either way i appreciate the help, and will most likely go with a dominiak
 
iamgoingto said:
and it was like 60-70 dollars 6 years ago. i think it is a 18 oz, but i usually pick out a 19 or 20 when i play without it. It is hard to think about my style im still developing my game. i play nine ball and i consider myself a decent player, i mean running the table on 9 ball does not come too often for me but it does come now and then. I shot with a lucasi once and it felt nice, a lot better than my cue. But once again i asked about lucasi and the people tell me they are japanese pieces of crap, so i dont know. i will just try out other peoples cues, and go from there
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i don' t think Lucasi cues are made in japan. every cue i've played with from japan played well. lucasis aren't bad cues for the money you spend, a friend of mine has one( the one with the radial pin) i think it looks good and it plays good
 
Rat cues

I haven't played with one of Ryan/Rat's cues, but I can tell you that he has plenty respect here on AZ, and everything I have heard has been good or above. So while I pushed the Dominiak, you might also consider a Rat cue. Either way you can't go wrong, and you will not be out of money either way. Just go with your gut, and try all the cues out that you can, even if you buy a dominiak or Rat cue. That way you make an informed decision when you start making the big bucks out of college and want to buy a high end cue. You will know what you like, and be able to get one in a higher level that best matches your game. All the posts here have been good advice, and any of them you follow will reward you, but now you are more informed. These are the posts that I enjoy. Sharing people's ideas and opinions is what a forum is created for. Plus selling and buying, and keeping the cue addiction alive.

Michael
 
poolplayer2093 said:
i don' t think Lucasi cues are made in japan. every cue i've played with from japan played well. lucasis aren't bad cues for the money you spend, a friend of mine has one( the one with the radial pin) i think it looks good and it plays good
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i believe they are either made in china or tawain...

chris
 
Taiwan

They are made in Taiwan at the Tai-can plant, if memory serves me right. You know, the place where they make really good Southwest copies for under $300. But I will once again restate what others have said here already. If you like it, and shoot well with it, who cares where it was made. It is in your hands, and that is all that matters. Better it from Timbuktu, and you never lose, than from Mottey's house, and you always seem to be putting it up while you rack again. Hey, to each his own. Trust your own judgement, and play with what makes you happy. And I mean pool cues - no gutter heads here.

Michael
 
I think you should look at used cues.

imaging said:
i have been playing pool for a while now and it is time to upgrade. I have a decent cue right now but i know i need a better cue. The people in the pool hall i go to tell me i need to buy a predator shaft, nothing else. I try to explain i can only drop about 200 on a cue i dint have much money right now I'm in college. I would even like to spend less. They tell me to just wait to get more money and it is not worth buying a 200 dollar cue, i need a predator. i can probably drop 250 but that is pushing it. Any other opinions? can i get a good cue for 200? what kind? or even better does anyone have a cue for sale that might be what I'm looking for? thanks
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Whether or not you need a Predator is debatable. Do they sell Predator shafts in your pool hall? :) Some people are really high on them, others less so. I never tried Predator or any of the other "High Tech" shafts, since I think the adjustment would be too much to "turn off" if I ever had to temporarily use an "old school" or house cue, for instance a house cue. (It happens.)

I agree with the people who think that you should wait and save some money up for when you really decide what you want. It sounds to me as if you were to buy a new $200 cue today, you might still want to step up a bit more in a short while. In the meantime, carry some money on you and keep your eyes open for equipment geeks with cash flow problems. Lots of good cue deals there. Don't look too enthusiastic when you're trying out the merchandise.

I'm on my third playing cue in about 10 years, and I could easily go back to #2 or even #1, since they all played nice. I think if I were in your position I would be on the lookout for an older, well-made, brand-name cue that had perhaps lost some of its "sell factor" due to a few knocks and scratches. If you put the word out to the players in your area you may be able to find something quite serviceable. You could tune the shaft up, maybe re-tip it, and be in business. You're talking about a possible replacement shaft anyway, so you need to concentrate on getting a good butt. Don't kid yourself, pride of ownership works mightily on your psyche, and I'd rather have a beater Schon, for instance, than a brand new anything imported. As far as serviceability, there's probably nothing wrong with your Player, it's just that you desire something else a little "nicer", and there's nothing wrong with that. Just save up while you test drive a lot of cues, figure out what you want, and wait for the right deal to come along. It's likely that you will be playing this game a long time, so to minimize cue up scaling, choose wisely.

Doesn't anyone here have an oldie-but-goo die that's just gathering dust in the back of a closet?

Ken
 
predator

there seems to always be predator s/p for sale in that price range. can't go wrong.
 
Well, all this talk and....

Well, all this talk about a cue under $200 had me calling Bill Dominiak and buying yet another one. This time a KandyCurly starburst wrapless. Had a nice conversation with Bill, he is a great guy, and he will be at Valley Forge to show off his creations. And he has a few more that are going to be in the product line, and first sight of them will be at VF. The "Electron" and the "exponential" are two new models/designs that he will be unveiling. Should hopefully be on his website later next week. Haven't been priced yet, but believe me when they sound like they will be well worth the money- especially with all the work and craftsmanship put in them. So I highly suggest that you check out Bill's website (dominiakcues.com), find a cue, buy it, and try out one of his cues. You will be pleasantly surprised, and this will give you an idea of what the man can do. Just let him know I sent ya.

Michael
 
Bamacues said:
Like Michael said, the inexpensive Dominiak for $99 delivered is a steal. It has a radial cored forearm and decent shaft wood. If you call him, you can choose the weight, and select the wrap of your choice. You said your budget is $200-250, so pick up one of those for $99, then come back on here and ask for a used Predator 3/8x10 in the price range of what you will have left, $100-150. You will certainly find one, and you will have a custom cue and a Predator shaft, both within your budget.
http://www.dominiakcues.com/gpage1.html
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This was exactly my thinking when I ordered the Dominiak.
 
Dominiak

Here's some more food for thought:
You can get the $99 plain jane Dominiak cue with one of his dominator (segmented predator-like) shafts for $174.
-Rob
 
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cuetrip said:
Here's some more food for thought:
You can get the $99 plain jane Dominiak cue with one of his dominator (segmented predator-like) shafts for $174.
-Rob
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The lowest price I could find for a cue on his site that included the Dominator shaft was $249 for the "Sweet 16"

http://www.dominiakcues.com/gpage.html

I didn't see anywhere to order the Dominator by itself.
 
Imageek2 said:
The lowest price I could find for a cue on his site that included the Dominator shaft was $249 for the "Sweet 16"

http://www.dominiakcues.com/gpage.html

I didn't see anywhere to order the Dominator by itself.
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Yeah, it's not listed on the site. I sent Bill an email asking if it were possible to order the WD1020 with the dominator shaft and he replied that it was available at a $75 upcharge =$174.
By the way, from his reply you can tell that he's a super nice guy. I mentioned to him that he'd been getting some good exposure on AZ lately. He said he's very excited about getting back into cuebuilding.
-Rob
 
Dominiak

Rob,
Yeah, you're right. Bill is a super nice guy. I talked to him tonight, and felt bad that I spent so much time on the phone with him, because he is working very hard to get everything ready for Valley Forge. And he has some new designs, that I talked about above in an earlier post, that i just can tell will be great. IMHO, most cuemakers (the great ones) do their craft for the love of the game, the love of the craft, the love of the art. they are not millionaires, but do a job they love and the reward is having a great piece of work that is completed in their eyes and will move others to talk about it. Bill is one of the good guys, and I look forward to seeing more of his artistic abilities and craft come forward in his new designs. keep checking his website. He is running everything himself, and that shows his dedication to his craft. And it allows for us players to get a really great cue.

Michael
 
GoTulane said:
Rob,
Yeah, you're right. Bill is a super nice guy. I talked to him tonight, and felt bad that I spent so much time on the phone with him, because he is working very hard to get everything ready for Valley Forge. And he has some new designs, that I talked about above in an earlier post, that i just can tell will be great. IMHO, most cuemakers (the great ones) do their craft for the love of the game, the love of the craft, the love of the art. they are not millionaires, but do a job they love and the reward is having a great piece of work that is completed in their eyes and will move others to talk about it. Bill is one of the good guys, and I look forward to seeing more of his artistic abilities and craft come forward in his new designs. keep checking his website. He is running everything himself, and that shows his dedication to his craft. And it allows for us players to get a really great cue.

Michael
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Michael,
How are you liking that kandycurly? Did that come with a Dominator?
-Rob
 
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These threads come up so often and nobody ever mentions the pawn shop. I found a viking at a pawn shop for 40 bucks. The girl behind the counter looked a whole of 25 yrs old and had popped out a couple kids. The pricetag said 60 and I was able to bargain it down. I sold my cracked shafted very very very very used FREE Players at a pawn shop for 50 bucks. It still rolled straight. Found a 5280 for 20 bucks once. Bought that one and sold it the next day for 80. There's also usually a nice pile of cues in the back of your local room. We've got everything from mcdermotts to guiseppe cases in ours. Seriously, talk to the owner, if nobody claims that stuff in a few months, offer to buy it. To this day, the most I've ever spent on a cue is 100 bucks on a Mali which I traded for my I1 shaft. I just bought a Viking last week for 50 bucks and sold it in 3 seconds for 85. I probably should have kept that one because I know I could have gotten more. Look around, you don't need to buy a brand new cue. I promise the used ones play just as well, provided they're in decent shape. A cue from a pawn shop will run you 100 max. Get a new good tip put on for 20 bucks. And now you've got yourself a very decent playing cue.
 
Drew said:
These threads come up so often and nobody ever mentions the pawn shop. I found a viking at a pawn shop for 40 bucks. The girl behind the counter looked a whole of 25 yrs old and had popped out a couple kids. The pricetag said 60 and I was able to bargain it down. I sold my cracked shafted very very very very used FREE Players at a pawn shop for 50 bucks. It still rolled straight. Found a 5280 for 20 bucks once. Bought that one and sold it the next day for 80. There's also usually a nice pile of cues in the back of your local room. We've got everything from mcdermotts to guiseppe cases in ours. Seriously, talk to the owner, if nobody claims that stuff in a few months, offer to buy it. To this day, the most I've ever spent on a cue is 100 bucks on a Mali which I traded for my I1 shaft. I just bought a Viking last week for 50 bucks and sold it in 3 seconds for 85. I probably should have kept that one because I know I could have gotten more. Look around, you don't need to buy a brand new cue. I promise the used ones play just as well, provided they're in decent shape. A cue from a pawn shop will run you 100 max. Get a new good tip put on for 20 bucks. And now you've got yourself a very decent playing cue.
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It's interesting that you mention pawn shops. Because I have read here that people were able to find good deals sometimes at pawn shops I checked out a dozen or so in the L.A. area...not one had cues of any kind. Maybe people here just don't pawn cues, or they sell them too fast, I don't know but I found it strange.
 
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