Profound post. Sadly it will fall on blind eyes and deaf ears. I’ve always found this “subject” to be one of the most sad and simultaneously amusing things about this forum. This new jump cue, this new chalk, this new tip, this new glove, not to mention the carbon fiber shaft frenzy which not only have most bought into that hype, but many have purchased 2,3,4 different brands of them. What kind of “this or that” does SVB use, what kind of butt wrap does Fedor Gorst use?
It’s seemingly the driving force of this forum and it never ceases to amaze me how many think they can “buy a game” or that buying whatever the hot new gimmick the industry is peddling will somehow be the “magical thing” that miraculously transforms their game.
I get what you mean. I'm not the type to spend big dollars on the latest stuff. I do have a nice custom cue. I do have a rhino cf shaft, I do use V10 chalk, I've tried a silicon sleeve on the butt, I've own 2 styles of template rack, I own a delta 13 rack and 2 other styles of hard rack. I like experimenting. To me it's part of the fun of pool. I don't really spend much money on any other hobby so I like to try new things. Heck I've probably tried a dozen different chalks over the years.
I draw the line at jump cues over $150 or so (mine is a $60 Dufferin with an ash shaft and it's great) and I'd never spend over $200 on a break cue (mine is currently a 20 year old elite that cost $100 back then).
I don't think any of this will make me play better, but it's fun to try different stuff. I've liked to experiment since I was a kid. It's also handy for action matches as most people negotiate on silly things, like what type of rack to use, some like the plastic diamond racks, different templates etc. You can get someone to give you a ball spot or a game spot if they get to use their favorite rack or something. It's silly but who fully can understand people. The funny part is that our friend group uses these different things in rotation, plays different rules, like no jump cues, jump cues only on your first inning, all sorts of gaffs that you will find, so it's not really a disadvantage. It's also handy to practice the ruleset of an upcoming tournament.