Folks,
I had the opportunity to hit with forum member, "Chin0's," Mawon Craig Rittel Full Splice Billiards Tulipwood House Cue Conversion.
The cue was tested with Chin0’s stock OB2 shaft with the stock Everest tip. I forgot to try & screw a Schick shaft on it. I will try that next time. The OB2 hits somewhere between a high end cue makers grade ‘A’ shaft wood and a Ray Schuler shaft. LOL Stiff! Amazing stiffness for 11.75mm as it feels as stiff as 13.2mm. There is no sacrifice in firmness of feel for the small shaft size which allows for greater position play. Note: I prefer a Kamui Brown Medium to the Everest. It would take 20 or 30 minutes, and I could play with the OB2 shaft all the time. (Maybe my straight pool runs would be like John Schmidt….hmmm) Feedback is slightly different as I am used to standard thin maple shafts with ivory ferrules.
The diameter of the cue was outstanding if you have small hands or like thin butt'ed cues. It was similar to a Sherm Adamson that I recently hit and loved only slightly thicker.
The balance was pretty standard. I would say it balances around 17" from the butt like my Schick when I have a sub 4 oz shaft on the Schick. The balance was most definitely moved forward from your standard Players Sneaky Pete or Meucci type production cue. Had I put a 13.1 or 13.2 mm shaft on the cue it would have balanced at least 2 inches more forward. So balance, from a serious players perspective, was fantastic!
I have no idea what Craig charges for a conversion like this; however, I've hit with just about everything from 25 dollar cues to 30 thousand dollar cues. IMO, taking the shaft out of the equation, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Craig’s conversion of a house cue and a 30,000 dollar Gina, 14,000 Gus, or a 10,000 Bill Schick in playability.
Whatever Craig uses to finish the cue is outstanding, feels durable, and has a fantastic high gloss shine. It is a Hall of Fame cue maker quality finish. I'm sure that we will continue to see Craig’s work become better and better. I particularly like his trademark ol’school link inlays which were flawless and make his cues very recognizable from others. He definitely makes a great players cue and is on the right track to perfecting his craft with inlays.
Overall, Craig definitely gets a thumbs up and an endorsement for purchase!
Joe
I had the opportunity to hit with forum member, "Chin0's," Mawon Craig Rittel Full Splice Billiards Tulipwood House Cue Conversion.
The cue was tested with Chin0’s stock OB2 shaft with the stock Everest tip. I forgot to try & screw a Schick shaft on it. I will try that next time. The OB2 hits somewhere between a high end cue makers grade ‘A’ shaft wood and a Ray Schuler shaft. LOL Stiff! Amazing stiffness for 11.75mm as it feels as stiff as 13.2mm. There is no sacrifice in firmness of feel for the small shaft size which allows for greater position play. Note: I prefer a Kamui Brown Medium to the Everest. It would take 20 or 30 minutes, and I could play with the OB2 shaft all the time. (Maybe my straight pool runs would be like John Schmidt….hmmm) Feedback is slightly different as I am used to standard thin maple shafts with ivory ferrules.
The diameter of the cue was outstanding if you have small hands or like thin butt'ed cues. It was similar to a Sherm Adamson that I recently hit and loved only slightly thicker.
The balance was pretty standard. I would say it balances around 17" from the butt like my Schick when I have a sub 4 oz shaft on the Schick. The balance was most definitely moved forward from your standard Players Sneaky Pete or Meucci type production cue. Had I put a 13.1 or 13.2 mm shaft on the cue it would have balanced at least 2 inches more forward. So balance, from a serious players perspective, was fantastic!
I have no idea what Craig charges for a conversion like this; however, I've hit with just about everything from 25 dollar cues to 30 thousand dollar cues. IMO, taking the shaft out of the equation, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Craig’s conversion of a house cue and a 30,000 dollar Gina, 14,000 Gus, or a 10,000 Bill Schick in playability.
Whatever Craig uses to finish the cue is outstanding, feels durable, and has a fantastic high gloss shine. It is a Hall of Fame cue maker quality finish. I'm sure that we will continue to see Craig’s work become better and better. I particularly like his trademark ol’school link inlays which were flawless and make his cues very recognizable from others. He definitely makes a great players cue and is on the right track to perfecting his craft with inlays.
Overall, Craig definitely gets a thumbs up and an endorsement for purchase!
Joe
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