McDermott-The Cheap, The Good and the Outrageous

Zud

Zud

Old Dog Trying to Learn
Silver Member
Leme start this off by stating I am a McDermott Fan. My first quality cue was a McD and I have several in my collection that I don't particularly want to part with.

I have allways heard their low dollar cues (around $125 and Down I guess) are often made with the lesser woods in their extensive stock. (Is this True?)

They have made and still make a lot of very nice cues in the $150-700 range. My experience has been these cues are very consistant.You can get some nice playable and collectable cues in this range also.

Now come the Prestige Cues and The Special edition cues that usually are in the $1000 to $3000 range. I can admit to no experience with these cues and here is where I would like some input.

What are the thoughts on these cues, Is the expense in inlay materials (precious stones metals) and do they hold any kind of value compared to the exceptional custom cues that could be purchased in the same price range.

I just cant comprehend going this direction when your ready to lay out $1000 plus on the equipment for playability or collectability.
 
I have always liked the hit of McD's. They just need to git rid of those damn ugly ass funny shaped bumpers! :rotflmao: Even if they are trademark. They are just hideous. Just my 2 cents which about what it's worth.
 
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$1000-3000 buys alot of cue from most custom makers and one from JMW or Mottey or SW and a few others are like money in the bank,a McD cue while great playing will never be worth a Mottey or Tasc,you have a Corvette -VS- Ferrari or Lambo scenario.
 
I have a buddy who within the past few months, visited the McDermott factory. He said the Star and Lucky lines are manufactured overseas. He said they don't play too bad, but I just thought it was funny that a company that always touted itself as "made in the USA" is now importing a few of their lines. Don't get me wrong, my first cue was a McD and I still have a few D-line models, which played very well. I just don't have any experience with their curent cues/lines.
 
My first decent cue was a EK3 it is a cue with chess pieces inlaid on it. I bought it from Mueller's pool and darts and it has deprecated ever since. Its in near perfect shape and I love it. Everyone who has ever shot with it loves the hit and asks if its for sell. My point is if you want a cue that appreciates you are probably better off buying a one of a kind from a well known or soon to be well known cue maker. I have never cared about the resale value of a cue because I rarely resale them:smile: The finish on McDermott's are remarkably durable and the ones I have played with hit very well. Some of the older McDermott's are very collectible and have gone way up in value but that takes time.
 
I've got several D's, some that hit very well, others that hit very soft. Too soft. I've had 314 shafts put on one. Will be doing same to others. I believe the best thing you can do to one is to have it refiinished. The old ones had quite a bit of finish, which may have contributed to the soft hit. I'm going to see if it works on my D-16.

tim
 
the elite series have loads of inlays in them, probably more than you could get a custom maker to put in a cue for the same amount of money. Thats just my guess why people buy them, i really have no idea. The cheaper ones are great though, but anything over a few hundred and youre better off going with a custom IMO
 
In my experience McDermotts have a somewhat soft/whippy hit. I have a light (~18oz) McD that I use when playing 9-ball on a slow-cloth table that helps me muscle the ball around. Other than that I prefer the hit of a schon/joss or something stiffer.
 
Zud said:
Leme start this off by stating I am a McDermott Fan. My first quality cue was a McD and I have several in my collection that I don't particularly want to part with.

I have allways heard their low dollar cues (around $125 and Down I guess) are often made with the lesser woods in their extensive stock. (Is this True?)

They have made and still make a lot of very nice cues in the $150-700 range. My experience has been these cues are very consistant.You can get some nice playable and collectable cues in this range also.

Now come the Prestige Cues and The Special edition cues that usually are in the $1000 to $3000 range. I can admit to no experience with these cues and here is where I would like some input.

What are the thoughts on these cues, Is the expense in inlay materials (precious stones metals) and do they hold any kind of value compared to the exceptional custom cues that could be purchased in the same price range.

I just cant comprehend going this direction when your ready to lay out $1000 plus on the equipment for playability or collectability.
Click to expand...

Your paying for the limited run, the amount of inlays, and the materials. To have a custom maker match some of those designs would run thousands too. The newer McD's play great IMO just like the older ones. Newer McD's tend to just hold their value or depreciate. In this market they are depreciating more than they are holding their value.

They all play jam up (high dollar McDs), just like cheaper McDs and all other cuemakers with custom or more production run cues, just comes down to who made it, how was it made, whats it made of, quality, and design and hit is totally subjective.

Yes the higher end McD's use better wood than the cheaper ones. In my expierence they tend to play better.

If you see a cue you really like, you really like the feel and hit, its the cue for you, doesn't matter whose name is on it.

-Kyle
 
And second, its hard not beat their warranty. They do back their product up! To me a Star cue or a Lucky cue is not a McDermott cue. They are not made by McDermott so I won't compare them to one. Its like chevy bringing in the metro to their lineup. They don't make it in their domestic high quality shop.

Here is what McD describes their cue series,

http://www.mcdermottcue.com/XFeaturesCompare.asp

-Kyle
 
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