I'd really like some advice on buying a cue

P

Peter_B

Registered
Hey everyone, I've never actually posted here, but I have enjoyed browsing the forums over the last couple months. You guys definitely have a cool community going here and there is clearly tons that has been taught and learned here.

Here's the deal. My mom broke up with her boyfriend, who owned a nice cue, and I've been playing with it for roughly 5 months. I'm not sure what it is, other than it's a Lucasi and it cost $280(maybe someone can identify it from that information). It's pretty kickass, and now he wants it back, but he said I can use it until I buy a new one. Unfortunately for me, I don't even know where to start. I hope that someone can point me in the right direction. I'd love to be able to buy a cue as nice as the one I'm currenty using. I don't know exactly if that's necessarily the best cue I can get for that amount of money. Maybe there is something of better value I can get for around that much. Anyway, I hope you guys can help me out here :)

If anyone has any questions at all, ask away.

Thanks a lot

-Peter
 
If you like the lucasi...maybe you might want to consider another lucasi?

They range in price and you can easily find one for less than a c-note. I wouldn't recommend spending much more than a hundred on your first cue. Go to the local pool room and check out what everyone else is playing with. Ask to hit a few balls with other people's cues and find one you like. Then buy a similar cue.
 
First, welcome to the forum!

I think you need to just to a local shop and test hit a few. Hopefully, there is a billiard shop around where you live.

I don't think anything anyone can tell you is gonna help you because it's such a personal preference.

I also think you'll be very happily surprised at what you can get for 300 bucks.
 
How much you want to spend??

Decide your price range and then go from there. Under $300 -- Predator, Viking, McDermott, and pretty much anything you can find at mueller's and you will get a pretty good cue. Your probably looking at production cues, so let your sense of style and pocketbook be your guide.

Check out the for sale section of the forums for some nicer upper end custom cues, but you might find a good deal for something that may be in your price range.

IMO - at $300 a predator cue/shaft combo would be your best buy.

FWIW
 
Did you ask if you can buy the cue from him? Maybe he'll sell it to you a little cheaper since it's used.
 
Hi Peter,

Welcome to the forum!

I would recommend hitting balls with a few different cues before you make a decision. Ask friends to let you try their cues. Find a retailer that will let you try out cues. Track down the people at your local poolroom that sell cues on the secondary market.

What did you like about the Lucasi you were using? Did you like the weight? Was the shaft the right diameter? Was the butt right for your hand? Was the tip soft or hard enough?

Production cues are just great for the occasional player, but if you plan to play seriously, I would think more along the lines of a simple custom cue versus a production cue for several reasons:

1. You can get exactly what you want in a custom cue from the weight to the taper. You can have a tip that you like matched up with a ferrule that gives you the best hit for your style and game. You have a choice of wraps, cue lengths, etc....

2. The workmanship is usually much nicer and sharper on custom cues.

3. The resale will generally be better with a known custom maker than it will be with a production cue.

4. You get to go on a "journey" with the cuemaker you choose, which will give you more of a knowledge about cues than you might currently have.

These are just a couple of reasons I would go with a custom cue. Initially, a sneaky pete or a merry widow are great cues to start with, as you get the hit of a fancy custom without a large initial investment. You can get a custom sneaky for around the same price as the Lucasi you were using, and I think you'll be surprised at the difference. Lucasi isn't a bad production cue, but it's still a production cue.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions I can help with!

Regards,

Steve
 
Peter_B said:
Hey everyone, I've never actually posted here, but I have enjoyed browsing the forums over the last couple months. You guys definitely have a cool community going here and there is clearly tons that has been taught and learned here.

Here's the deal. My mom broke up with her boyfriend, who owned a nice cue, and I've been playing with it for roughly 5 months. I'm not sure what it is, other than it's a Lucasi and it cost $280(maybe someone can identify it from that information). It's pretty kickass, and now he wants it back, but he said I can use it until I buy a new one. Unfortunately for me, I don't even know where to start. I hope that someone can point me in the right direction. I'd love to be able to buy a cue as nice as the one I'm currenty using. I don't know exactly if that's necessarily the best cue I can get for that amount of money. Maybe there is something of better value I can get for around that much. Anyway, I hope you guys can help me out here :)

If anyone has any questions at all, ask away.

Thanks a lot

-Peter
Click to expand...

post a picture of the cue. there's plenty of people here i'm sure someone's got one that they'll sell you or one of our az dealers can find you one at a good price
 
I personally think there is quite a bit in buying a cue that fits you...

first off, your price range than we can help determine what you could get best bang for the buck.

Two, there is length, weight, type of joint, hit of the cue, size of tip, the type of tip you have on it and whether or not you like a wrap or wrapless cue. It is all personal preference. If you have a general idea of what you want in those specs, it would help yourself decide what you like. Do you like a very fancy cue, or does it not matter if it is a plain jane. If you want an affordable cue that has great features for the price, I'd go contact poolfool about the sneakiest petes that he makes. Great cue for a very good price, not to mention they look awesome. It comes in a variety of different type of wood for the splice. Wood to wood joints, kamui tips, G-10 joint pins.

If you can, find a place where you can shop and test hit with the cue, I would definitely suggest that. Go to your local billiard store and pick out a few cues that you like that are your preference, and test hit them and see which one you like. After you find the model and brand of cue you like, don't purchase it at the store yet. I would check with one of the vendors here online, they might be able to get you a better price, not to mention, if you are going to spend money, mind as well spend it with a fellow forum member. (KOINKID or FAST_N_LOOSE great people to deal with) If you know what you like and the specs you want, you could also post a wanted ad in the FS/Wanted section and see what the rest of the community can bring to your plate.

I know for the price I pay, I love my schmelke, it was less than 100, and I'd prefer it over a few viking and mcdermotts that I hit that were 3 times the price. Good luck in your search for a cue that fits you well. Maybe even your mom's ex-b/f could point you in the right direction to where he purchased the cue (if you guys get a long).

Happy shooting! :)

Chino
 
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A new cue

poolplayer2093 said:
post a picture of the cue. there's plenty of people here i'm sure someone's got one that they'll sell you or one of our az dealers can find you one at a good price
Click to expand...

All the above comments are right on. Do not dish out big money on a cue unless you are sure that it is the One....
A 300 dollar cue will be a very good cue to start out with. A 300 dollar cue can beat those 2,000 dollar cues in the right hands. Remember that.
 
TX Poolnut said:
First, welcome to the forum!

I think you need to just to a local shop and test hit a few. Hopefully, there is a billiard shop around where you live.

I don't think anything anyone can tell you is gonna help you because it's such a personal preference.

I also think you'll be very happily surprised at what you can get for 300 bucks.
Click to expand...

I agree....and it's 300 OR LESS. Once you decide what brand you like, perhaps you could talk your mom into letting you cruise the area pawn shops. I recently picked up a $300 retail McDermott near here for $100, then spent some time steaming dings out of the shaft, having it retipped, etc. A good playing cue, with case...and I have less than 125 in the cue, the case, the new tip, and a few accessories.
 
Everybody had good advice and this will repeat some or all of the other post. First off what is your price range? You can get alot of good cues in the $250-$300 range. After that it`s all personal preference. I shot with a Meucci for years before i bought a custom cue. The Meucci was fine but i wanted a custom cue (which is a luxury item by the way). My suggestion would be to try to hit some balls with a variety of cues and see which one(s) you like and then look at what you want to spend and go from there.


CS
 
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Lucasi is a nice cue to use...try predator cues or schon cues...can't go wrong with both cues...base on your price range i would say you can't go wrong with those cues from the low end not the high end one...goodluck on your search :)...
 
How long have you played and how often do you play? Whether you are a casual player or want to become a serious player can make a difference in the amount of money you should/could spend on a cue. There are several decent production cues you can choose from. One word of advise, stay away from Predator, at least until you have played considerably longer than I think you probably have. They aren't for everybody, and if you start off with one it may be quite a bit harder to change to something else. Again, they aren't for everybody.
Good luck!
 
Welcome to the forum, Peter.

My first cue buy was for something like $60, or less. It was a production cue sold down at the local pool hall. I think the one thing I learned from that buy was to buy a cue that is the weight I am used to and comfortable with. As time goes by, that will change and you can adjust. But, the weight is probably the first thing I'd think of in buying my first cue, if I had it to do over, again. You can add or remove weights from a lot of cues, so you might check the cue before you buy it, if you think you might want to be able to adjust the weight.

Lots of great advice in this thread. I won't repeat it all. Just wanted to mention the weight. I have a bad wrist and anything over 16 ounces is too heavy for me, anymore.

By the way... the cue in the link you posted is beautiful.

Enjoy your new cue, when you buy it! And, enjoy the forum, too!
 
Best thing you can do is to ask people to hit a few balls with their cues. You should try to take a couple notes on each cue and how you felt about it. Aftewards buy a similar one and you won't have any buyers remorse. Only problem is youll find that lots of cues are great, then you end up with a collection and can't figure out how you got there.
 
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