JB Ultímate Rugged case: a testimonial

[SeniorTom]

Before this thread was started, one of the things I liked about the JB case I have is the soft padding that keeps my sticks safe without bouncing around. I really have a hard time believing these cases hurt the sticks, when it's probably just the owners carelessness.

 

[JB Cases]

They are very good cases and I love mine. It is the little nuances after after weeks of using it that I notice.

People at my pool hall that have rugged cases and myself are the last to unpack and get ready for our matches. We are also the last to pack up and move. If you're an owner then you know. The constant shuffling of shafts to make room becomes a routine.

I start to just shove my cues in there and not care anymore.

I will be buying an Action case for my higher end cue but this is good enough for the competition cues.

Wait till I take pictures of what it has done to my Mezz wrap. It's either a Mezz issue or the rubbing from the interior. The wrap is getting quite fuzzy.

It is what it is. Well built and looks good.

I would like to see that because I have many customers with full Mezz setups and to date none of them have reported an issue with the wrap that they attributed to the case.

As for the idea that it takes longer to unload and load a JB Case.........what are you talking about? For real this is literally not a thing. At best you might be talking about a few seconds longer IF you have a rubber-gripped cue but honestly it's really not an issue.

Thank you for the compliments throughout the thread but I kind of feel that there is some passive-agressiveness going on here. You have made claims about how the cases work that are simply not true and now claims of damage to your wrap from the case that neither myself nor any other person I know if in the past 17 years has made. The last thing I ever want is for our cases to harm a cue in any way. That's why I take it so seriously that I tell people if they send me a case that they claim is doing damage and I can duplicate that damage and then find that it's out fault then I will pay for the cue to be repaired.

I had a situation where a female pro was badmouthing our cases claiming that her shaft was being damaged. I told her sponsor to send the case in and let me inspeact it. When I tested it there was indeed damage to my shaft BUT when I took the case apart I found that a bobby pin had been lodged into the cavity. So, not our fault.

in another instance someone was standing outside our booth at a show loudly claiming that our case was causing damage to their cues. I said ok lets test it in front of the crowd. I tested the cases with our cues and with their cues, no damage at all. I tested other cases, same result. I then proceeded to take their case completely apart so that everyone could see how the interior was built. Everyone including the claimant admitted publicly that there was no way that the interior as shown could damage a cue in the manner they claimed. I did give them a new case for letting me dissect theirs in real-time.

The point is that while I understand that you feel that our case is harming your wrap IF it is then there must be an abnormal reason. The fact is that the cases are carefully engineered to NOT be harmful in any way. Granted we cannot account for every possible way that a cuemaker chooses to build their cues and so things like tacky wraps can certainly be an issue depending on the situation but in general they are not an issue and only require that one be mindful of how they are loading and unloading the case. And that mindfulness adds 0-2 seconds of extra time to the process IMO.

 

[JB Cases]

I already know what Mezz is going to say. How are you storing it? I store it in a JB case. Well, your case is damaging the cue. LOL

If that's what they say then I would dispute that. I am more than happy to test the claim though. Which model do you have exactly? I will buy one and test it on a live stream.

 

[JB Cases]

Yeah i've heard the mason are made much lighter. mine is a 4/8 tweed reg case so more weight to it. its fine carrying the way its meant to be. i just meant turning it upside down.

The Mason is typically made without a plastic tube. The tube adds 1-2lbs to the case. Also the lid is much lighter on the Mason. So without the tube the case is a semi-hard case and has less protection but the trade-off is less weight. My favorite is the Mason for looks and weight but not for practicality and protection. With the tube cases I literally throw mine into the car and don't care what lands on top of it. When I use the Mason I am more careful about how I stow it.

 

[trob]

The Mason is typically made without a plastic tube. The tube adds 1-2lbs to the case. Also the lid is much lighter on the Mason. So without the tube the case is a semi-hard case and has less protection but the trade-off is less weight. My favorite is the Mason for looks and weight but not for practicality and protection. With the tube cases I literally throw mine into the car and don't care what lands on top of it. When I use the Mason I am more careful about how I stow it.

I found I have to load my mason case in a certain way so everything fits properly but I do use one of the shaft spots for the butt of my air rush jump cue. I love the way my mason case looks but you are correct it’s not the most practical But how you designed the zipper opening and how the pockets open make them much more useable then other leather cases. Think I’m going to pick up one of your butterfly cases next.

 

[smiling_Hans]

I would like to see that because I have many customers with full Mezz setups and to date none of them have reported an issue with the wrap that they attributed to the case.

As for the idea that it takes longer to unload and load a JB Case.........what are you talking about? For real this is literally not a thing. At best you might be talking about a few seconds longer IF you have a rubber-gripped cue but honestly it's really not an issue.

Thank you for the compliments throughout the thread but I kind of feel that there is some passive-agressiveness going on here. You have made claims about how the cases work that are simply not true and now claims of damage to your wrap from the case that neither myself nor any other person I know if in the past 17 years has made. The last thing I ever want is for our cases to harm a cue in any way. That's why I take it so seriously that I tell people if they send me a case that they claim is doing damage and I can duplicate that damage and then find that it's out fault then I will pay for the cue to be repaired.

I had a situation where a female pro was badmouthing our cases claiming that her shaft was being damaged. I told her sponsor to send the case in and let me inspeact it. When I tested it there was indeed damage to my shaft BUT when I took the case apart I found that a bobby pin had been lodged into the cavity. So, not our fault.

in another instance someone was standing outside our booth at a show loudly claiming that our case was causing damage to their cues. I said ok lets test it in front of the crowd. I tested the cases with our cues and with their cues, no damage at all. I tested other cases, same result. I then proceeded to take their case completely apart so that everyone could see how the interior was built. Everyone including the claimant admitted publicly that there was no way that the interior as shown could damage a cue in the manner they claimed. I did give them a new case for letting me dissect theirs in real-time.

The point is that while I understand that you feel that our case is harming your wrap IF it is then there must be an abnormal reason. The fact is that the cases are carefully engineered to NOT be harmful in any way. Granted we cannot account for every possible way that a cuemaker chooses to build their cues and so things like tacky wraps can certainly be an issue depending on the situation but in general they are not an issue and only require that one be mindful of how they are loading and unloading the case. And that mindfulness adds 0-2 seconds of extra time to the process IMO.

I do like your cases but I have the point out things I don't like so your team can hopefully address this. I know your company has a majority of the market share and most companies are sourcing your interiors and that may be the cause for complacency.

Your designers are not working to improve the little things.

I am here to say.....

-Loosen up the interior just a bit. It's padded for crying out loud and a looser tolerance won't hurt the cues. I rather it rattle inside your padded interior than another, if I was worried about it.

-Your 3x6 interior sucks. 3 shafts - 3 butts - 3 shafts set up is too tight. I can't get my fingers in to pull the shafts out.

Perhaps introduce a 1-2-1-2-1-2 configuration for the 3x6 configuration? It makes sense and most likely save a bit of space.

 

[smiling_Hans]

The Mason is typically made without a plastic tube. The tube adds 1-2lbs to the case. Also the lid is much lighter on the Mason. So without the tube the case is a semi-hard case and has less protection but the trade-off is less weight. My favorite is the Mason for looks and weight but not for practicality and protection. With the tube cases I literally throw mine into the car and don't care what lands on top of it. When I use the Mason I am more careful about how I stow it.

A fully loaded leather case of mine comes in at 15.5 lbs

Have you consider carbon fiber tubes? It's fairly simple and I'm sure you can mold them yourselves.

 

[JB Cases]

I do like your cases but I have the point out things I don't like so your team can hopefully address this. I know your company has a majority of the market share and most companies are sourcing your interiors and that may be the cause for complacency.

Your designers are not working to improve the little things.

I am here to say.....

-Loosen up the interior just a bit. It's padded for crying out loud and a looser tolerance won't hurt the cues. I rather it rattle inside your padded interior than another, if I was worried about it.

-Your 3x6 interior sucks. 3 shafts - 3 butts - 3 shafts set up is too tight. I can't get my fingers in to pull the shafts out.

Perhaps introduce a 1-2-1-2-1-2 configuration for the 3x6 configuration? It makes sense and most likely save a bit of space.

Pointing out what you do not like isn't the same as pointing out things that are wrong.

As I told you several times we are custom makers so we can make the interior in any way you want. But if you reduce the padding beyond what I consider to be protective then there are two things that will not be provided with that interior, any responsibility for protecting your cue and no JB Cases UltraPad™ label will be attached because that interior will not represent the level of protection that I feel is necessary.

Regarding your claim that the 36 interior is too tight... If you watch my videos I clearly state that the interiors loosen up with use and are designed to be protective even after the break-in period. Also as I told you several times you can always contact me directly and we can help you with making the interior for your individual needs.

The issue is you are making blanket claims about my engineering that are not true. Perhaps you individually don't like the way we build our interiors but you are absolutely wrong about how they work in general and absolutely incorrect about how we go about improving our cases.

For the right price though you can purchase my company and show everyone how you want it done. Or for $65 I will make the interior with as little padding as you like and you can make a video about it and we can add the "less protective" version for those who share your perspective.

Lastly, my company does not have a majority of the market share. We are custom makers and the amount of cases we make in a year is less than some brands sell in a month. They bring in cases by the 40ft container load on a monthly basis.

Perhaps you mean that we are often the most recommended brand. I would agree with that and say that it is because we have earned those recommendations based on our protection and quality. So I have no incentive to change what I do and offer less protection based on your personal preference.

The only designer is me. Every inch of how the case is made is on me so it's me you have a problem with when you say my designers are being "complacent" (lazy). And to that I say you have zero idea what we are doing.

Your experience with JB Cases is with a few cases at most and mine is with over 40,000 cases in the past 17 years. And to be clear I take customer feedback seriously and we have indeed made improvements in some areas based on customer suggestions and customer requirements. In this case though I feel that you are coming at us with claims that are not being made as constructive criticism. Perhaps I am reading it wrong and if so my apologies.

Regarding the claim that "most companies are sourcing your interiors and that may be the cause for complacency.".... This is absolutely incorrect, if most companies were actually using our interiors then I would have millions in the bank for sure. The fact is that there are some custom makers who are using our interiors but the volume they put out is very very very far away from "most companies". Perhaps you mean that many brands have copied the appearance of our interiors and if so then I would agree that many, not most, have made knockoffs of our interiors but those knockoffs only appear to look like ours for the visible couple inches and they do not copy the actual construction or protection beyond the first couple inches. Again, this is something I make abundantly clear in my videos.

Speaking of videos, I will make a video for you in regards to 3*6 so that we can explore your claims. I will come back and add the link here

 

[smiling_Hans]

Pointing out what you do not like isn't the same as pointing out things that are wrong.

As I told you several times we are custom makers so we can make the interior in any way you want. But if you reduce the padding beyond what I consider to be protective then there are two things that will not be provided with that interior, any responsibility for protecting your cue and no JB Cases UltraPad™ label will be attached because that interior will not represent the level of protection that I feel is necessary.

Regarding your claim that the 36 interior is too tight... If you watch my videos I clearly state that the interiors loosen up with use and are designed to be protective even after the break-in period. Also as I told you several times you can always contact me directly and we can help you with making the interior for your individual needs.

The issue is you are making blanket claims about my engineering that are not true. Perhaps you individually don't like the way we build our interiors but you are absolutely wrong about how they work in general and absolutely incorrect about how we go about improving our cases.

For the right price though you can purchase my company and show everyone how you want it done. Or for $65 I will make the interior with as little padding as you like and you can make a video about it and we can add the "less protective" version for those who share your perspective.

Lastly, my company does not have a majority of the market share. We are custom makers and the amount of cases we make in a year is less than some brands sell in a month. They bring in cases by the 40ft container load on a monthly basis.

Perhaps you mean that we are often the most recommended brand. I would agree with that and say that it is because we have earned those recommendations based on our protection and quality. So I have no incentive to change what I do and offer less protection based on your personal preference.

The only designer is me. Every inch of how the case is made is on me so it's me you have a problem with when you say my designers are being "complacent" (lazy). And to that I say you have zero idea what we are doing.

Your experience with JB Cases is with a few cases at most and mine is with over 40,000 cases in the past 17 years. And to be clear I take customer feedback seriously and we have indeed made improvements in some areas based on customer suggestions and customer requirements. In this case though I feel that you are coming at us with claims that are not being made as constructive criticism. Perhaps I am reading it wrong and if so my apologies.

Regarding the claim that "most companies are sourcing your interiors and that may be the cause for complacency.".... This is absolutely incorrect, if most companies were actually using our interiors then I would have millions in the bank for sure. The fact is that there are some custom makers who are using our interiors but the volume they put out is very very very far away from "most companies". Perhaps you mean that many brands have copied the appearance of our interiors and if so then I would agree that many, not most, have made knockoffs of our interiors but those knockoffs only appear to look like ours for the visible couple inches and they do not copy the actual construction or protection beyond the first couple inches. Again, this is something I make abundantly clear in my videos.

Speaking of videos, I will make a video for you in regards to 3*6 so that we can explore your claims. I will come back and add the link here

No need to make a video. The last thing I need is for you to think I’m bad mouthing your cases when I’m actually using one.

Here is something to make you feel better. I think your construction is top notch and rivals many big luggage makers. I bought a beautiful used case and the leather aged beautifully. I took it to a custom shoemaker for advice and he said don’t touch it except to moisturize it or re-dye worn areas. He also complimented the case construction and asked who made it.

Your leather case are the best in my opinion and looks great new and worn.

 

[JB Cases]

A fully loaded leather case of mine comes in at 15.5 lbs

Have you consider carbon fiber tubes? It's fairly simple and I'm sure you can mold them yourselves.

Yes I have considered cf tubes. They are not easy to make in the volume that we need in a cost effective manner. To date I have not seen a need for CF tubes that outweighs the significant increase in cost.

Our 3x6 leather cases come in at around 11.2lbs full. They are 7.2lbs empty. The only possible way I can see a JB leather case coming in at 15.5lbs is if we used the heaviest oil tan leather and there was some heavy items in the pockets.

No need to make a video. The last thing I need is for you to think I’m bad mouthing your cases when I’m actually using one.

Well, the claims and comments you made certainly feel like you are bad-mouthing them. You have stated that our interiors are harming the wrap, that they take too long to load and unload and that you have to shuffle shafts around constantly just to load it and that this causes you frustration, that our 3x6 interior "sucks", that our level of protection is not necessary,

Here is something to make you feel better. I think your construction is top notch and rivals many big luggage makers. I bought a beautiful used case and the leather aged beautifully. I took it to a custom shoemaker for advice and he said don’t touch it except to moisturize it or re-dye worn areas. He also complimented the case construction and asked who made it.

Your leather case are the best in my opinion and looks great new and worn.

Thank you and you have mentioned this many times but it is not understandable to me why you are making claims that are not true and claiming that our case is harming your cue. Complimenting the exterior build quality while trashing the interior feels like telling me I am handsome but am a shit person on the inside.

And not once to my knowledge have you contacted me about the claims you have made.

So, I did make a video and I have sent you the link. No one else gets to see it. I will however make a new one that addresses your claims without mentioning you because these claims cannot be allowed to stand without an accurate rebuttal.

 

[bbb]

JB cases are .......... GREATTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[smiling_Hans]

Seems like a mezz issue since I’ve asked elsewhere and seen pics of the same thing. That fuzz.

I have another cue that I also store in the case and nothing is wrong with that wrap. I just examined both.

I just want to clarify and I was quick to assume it was the case.

Also I’m didn’t know they can customize an interior. So there is that option. Seems like they can accommodate any issues.

The proof is in the OP. Good case.

 

[JB Cases]

Roll the shafts periodically and make sure they are not bent..