Adding to it.
First, what feels right to you now, may not be the same 10 years from now.
Player's feel changes somewhat over time as their game progresses. In 10 years you might be shooting shots you do not shot ever now, and the feedback from those future shots can change your feelings about a cue.
Lets not be naive, some brands of cues are nortorius for little things, like the cut butt being too big (I believe that is Vikings), others for being butt heavy, others for joints that break down, others for cheap ferrules on them, etc., just the same as brands of cars. This feedback is what allows the cuemakers or manufacturers to change over time to make their products better.
The 30 year old Joss's had one of the best hits out, but I don't like the newer ones at all, especially the low end ones ($300-400 range). Why buy a cue with a 13.25mm shaft on it if you are planning to have it turned down? And especially a 3-400 dollar one. That's throwing good money out for bad.
No $150 cue is going to hit like a $1,500 one, but they might have part of the hit of it, and that is what draws the players into getting a better one later on. The only cue that I know of that can draw you like that, or the best at it, is a well made Sneaky Pete. They are bargains for the hit you get with them. A reasonable good Sneaky Pete for $200-250 sometimes will give you the hit of a 800-$1,000 cue. But, you have to hunt for them, as some cuemakers are awfully proud of their Sneakies nowdays, and the ones priced above $500, I think, are too much.
I shot with a Huebler Sneaky Pete for 19 years before it got stolen, and the plastic insert in the shaft portion did not break down, although I worried about it doing so all the time.
A cue is like anything else, if you take care of it the proper way, you will get the most product life out of it, if not, you will be buying cues more often. But, you should think about how a cue is going to hold up over time, and, for the most part, it is still true today that you get what you pay for, but you have to make a well informed decision.
And lastly, it is well known, that $200-250 range cue is usually better quality and hit than any cue under $200. It just allows the makiers to put a little better quality into their raw materials.
First, what feels right to you now, may not be the same 10 years from now.
Player's feel changes somewhat over time as their game progresses. In 10 years you might be shooting shots you do not shot ever now, and the feedback from those future shots can change your feelings about a cue.
Lets not be naive, some brands of cues are nortorius for little things, like the cut butt being too big (I believe that is Vikings), others for being butt heavy, others for joints that break down, others for cheap ferrules on them, etc., just the same as brands of cars. This feedback is what allows the cuemakers or manufacturers to change over time to make their products better.
The 30 year old Joss's had one of the best hits out, but I don't like the newer ones at all, especially the low end ones ($300-400 range). Why buy a cue with a 13.25mm shaft on it if you are planning to have it turned down? And especially a 3-400 dollar one. That's throwing good money out for bad.
No $150 cue is going to hit like a $1,500 one, but they might have part of the hit of it, and that is what draws the players into getting a better one later on. The only cue that I know of that can draw you like that, or the best at it, is a well made Sneaky Pete. They are bargains for the hit you get with them. A reasonable good Sneaky Pete for $200-250 sometimes will give you the hit of a 800-$1,000 cue. But, you have to hunt for them, as some cuemakers are awfully proud of their Sneakies nowdays, and the ones priced above $500, I think, are too much.
I shot with a Huebler Sneaky Pete for 19 years before it got stolen, and the plastic insert in the shaft portion did not break down, although I worried about it doing so all the time.
A cue is like anything else, if you take care of it the proper way, you will get the most product life out of it, if not, you will be buying cues more often. But, you should think about how a cue is going to hold up over time, and, for the most part, it is still true today that you get what you pay for, but you have to make a well informed decision.
And lastly, it is well known, that $200-250 range cue is usually better quality and hit than any cue under $200. It just allows the makiers to put a little better quality into their raw materials.
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