Josey vs Shuler (1st custom cue)

LifeAt35mm

LifeAt35mm

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Good Evening,

I am looking to get a cue within the next calender year. I current play with a Viking P-8 and was considering moving to a custom cue. I have been really looking at 2 cue makers Josey Custom Cues and Schuler SLC. I am looking for any feedback on the difference b/w the cues. I have read a lot of post about people that seem to love both.

I tried a Josey Cue last week after an APA league match for a few racks, it shot pretty good.

I haven't tried the Schuler SLC yet but there is a vendor in the Metro-Atlanta area that will let you try some of his existing cues before you buy a new one.

My Questions:

How do the 2 Cue makes compare to each other playability and feel?

How is the build consistency throughout each brand?
- Will the $300-500 play like the $1500+ cues?

Is there anything to watch out for in these brands?

Thanks for your feedback
 
I have a pretty Josey. It plays very very nicely. Keith is a good bloke. I can't compare SLC as I have no experience with one.
 
I have owned many Schuler cues and 2 Josey Cues. If your intention is to play 3 cushion billiards, the European taper Schuler is the way to go. For all other applications I strongly favor the Josey.

Schuler cues have a "perfection joint" that is both piloted and flat faced in design. The positive of this design is excellent consistency...any schuler shaft will fit well. The drawback, in my opinion, is that the cue lacks feel and to me is somewhat lifeless with standard pocket billiard balls. I have also needed repair of the Schuler joint twice. The pin is thin and in my experience subject to bending if not handled carefully. Schuler has a tool to true the pin but after having owned literally hundreds of cues, the Schuler product is the only one I have ever needed to repair in this way. And It has happened to me twice.

Josey cues, on the other hand, have, in my experience, among the best backing and highest manufacturing integrity available. Keith and Sherri Josey are kind people who have always gone the extra mile to ensure my satisfaction. My current Josey is a simple maple player with ivory joint and butt cap. Keith just recently restored the cue for me and added a smooth kangaroo wrap. I'm very pleased with the performance of the cue. It has a lively hit with feedback that lets me know exactly how well I'm hitting the ball. I feel like I got a strong value from my Josey cue.

I prefer the play, reliability, aesthetics and service of Josey Cues. Keith has been the master cuemaker in that shop for many years. He can offer you a fairly wide choice of designs and custom services. Schuler, as I understand it, has gone through more than one change in manufacturer. Their quality has been good in my opinion, but at one point, shafts were hard to come by. To me, their cues tend to have a more distinctly CNC appearance with radiused points and inlays. Their designs are cataloged and are fairly standard. With a Josey cue, there is as much variation in the work as Keith chooses to add.

As you are probably aware, SLC is a posthumous designation to denote a Schuler Legacy Cue, rather than one that was made when Ray was alive.

The last thing I want to say is both products are superb. I strongly favor one for pool and the other for billiards but I respect both...and typically when I walk into a room and see someone playing with either cue, I know I'll have my hands full in a match.

Champion players who come to mind are Jose Parica and Jeremy Jones for Schuler and Shawn Putnam for Josey Cues. These guys may use different cues today...sponsorship changes and Shawn builds his own cues, but I have seen each perform unbelievable play with the cues you're considering. Good luck
 
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Thanks Drawman623. I really appreciate the feedback. I am looking at following now:

Schuler SLC - Hoping to hit with one next week
RAT Custom Cue
Josey Custom Cue
 
Josey All the way I have too of them.and yes Keith is a great guy.his cues are beautiful and they have a nice solid hit.
 
Can't go wrong with a Josey.
Ordering a Josey was the best experience I've had with a cuemaker. Sherry and Keith will take good care of you and you can have it built to your specifications. Woods, shafts, construction are all top-notch, and the customer service is even better!
 
Josey hands down because the wood to woods provides more feedback IMO.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 
Bob Danielson ( BD cues ) makes one of the best hiting cues out there .
I know you didn't mention him but i played for 2 years with a JOSEY and it played fantastic , then i bought myself a BD cue and this cue played even better than fantastic .

You can't go wrong with a JOSEY , don't misunderstand me but you should try out a BD cue as well . You will be surprised .
 
I have played with Schuler cues for 20 years. I have played with others but have never found any cue that played any more lifelessly than the next. Some hit softer than others. Some are stiffer than others. All were dead wood, especially when compared to the oak tree in my front yard. Speaking objectively now: currently, there are three different cue makers using Ray Schuler's joint. Jacoby, Schuler SLC, and Noel Mendoza. I have never bent any cue's pin. Considering the design of the joint, I don't see how the pin could be bent without dropping the butt on the pin. Unlike almost every other joint, when assembled, the pin should be isolated from all nontension loads by the pilot on the shaft. I have 4 Schuler cues. All hit quite firmly with Moori M tips. If you put a hard tip on them, they hit like hammers. Schuler cues do provide a lot of wood to wood contact. You may love them or not. If SLC is using the same equipment that was in Ray's shop, they can make anything you want. I have seen examples of Mendoza's work and he makes some very pretty stuff. Jacoby should be able to make anything also. What constitutes a 'good hit' varies as much as what constitutes a 'good wife' or 'good president'. What you look for in the 'hit' may be completely different from what someone else looks for. One person's definition of 'liveliness' may be completely different than the next person's. One notable strength to Schuler's cues are the different stock shaft tapers. At his passing, there were TEN different standard tapers. Some were for billiards. Some were for pool. Some were in between.
 
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