The Old Jaybird
Well-known member
I got the 3/8 x 10 joint too, as I have an extra McDermott shaft laying around.
My experience with Schmelke
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Sounds like a great plan. I don’t know how you even make a cue in the U.S. for 220 bucks today. These Schmelkes and Players cues are the perfect cues in my opinion to take out on the weekends. Ugly points and all they really fit the bill for just that purpose.
The Old Jaybird
Well-known member
they should make T shirts......"I got your Schmelke, right here!!!"
pucksnpool
Registered
I bought a Schmelke to use as a butt with a new CF shaft about three years ago, finding a splice option on Billiard Warehouse I liked.
Like OPs cue, my points were not 100% sharp, and it was a bit disappointing at first. But the cue has been great as a player and I have no complaints. At the $200 price point it's not a custom -- even though the options they do offer you don't typically get at that price point. But you still are buying a $200 cue.
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Like OPs cue, my points were not 100% sharp, and it was a bit disappointing at first. But the cue has been great as a player and I have no complaints. At the $200 price point it's not a custom -- even though the options they do offer you don't typically get at that price point. But you still are buying a $200 cue.
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Wraps are ugly? I have 2 with wraps and will compare them to any commercial cue out there. As solid as can be.
Shafts are no good? Nothing wrong with them... However I suggest upgrading the tip.
Schmelke makes a fine player. And will stand behind what they make. If you have a reasonable concern contact them ..they make good.
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I like that they'll color match the shaft. Partial to the browns, blues, and whites. Pft, I want the whole color collection.
I have the same joint on my Schmelke and ordered a shaft off of E Bay for it for $50 and it is a good shaft for the money,cheap fiber ferrule and all.
Just get a plain viking (hell even a valhalla) or joss and have it re balanced by removing material and adding weight. You want more weight forward have a steel collar added to the joint.
Schemlke was a decent cue 20 yrs ago. Seems like they are hit and miss. Just spend the monet elsewhere to get what u want.
I've seen rough Irish linen on expensive cues. You can wet sand it to desired smoothness and then repress and wax it
Schemlke was a decent cue 20 yrs ago. Seems like they are hit and miss. Just spend the monet elsewhere to get what u want.
I've seen rough Irish linen on expensive cues. You can wet sand it to desired smoothness and then repress and wax it
Have you contacted David at Schmelke? I have had many conversations with him, and always found him to be a pleasant individual.
j2
Howdy All;
Why is this thread still going?? The OP is a whiner and has nothing to say except how
disappointed he is about everything he posts about. TROLL ! Quit feeding his fantasies
that he needs to validate his existence. Most likely 45 or so and dwells in his folk's
basement.
hank
Why is this thread still going?? The OP is a whiner and has nothing to say except how
disappointed he is about everything he posts about. TROLL ! Quit feeding his fantasies
that he needs to validate his existence. Most likely 45 or so and dwells in his folk's
basement.
hank
Maybe. Then again maybe it was just his expectations were too high for the price paid.
He never did answer, question about the price.
I'm not the one going around insulting people. Maybe take a good hard look in the mirror and deal with your own frustrations, ei ?
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How much did you invest in each? We would like to know what the price range was. It would help us understand.
I generally stay out of the Schmelke threads but enter one once in awhile. The truth is that AZB is part of the reason people buy Schmelke cues with unrealistic expectations. They are often pretty when new and people praise them mightily.
It was before my shop was set up and I needed a cue, besides which, I was curious how someone could build a cue under $200 back then. The cue arrived, looked OK. I had ordered a 32" shaft out of idle curiosity. 12 or 13mm, I don't remember. The shaft was an absolute noodle, unplayable. I cut it down three or four inches, put a new tip and ferrule on it and it played just fine. I was curious how they made a shaft that long or even longer that was playable. I had my answer, they didn't. Still I got what I ordered, no beef coming.
A few months down the road my stick was screwed together, I barely brushed it against something and it broke "at the joint." When I got it home I saw the hole was drilled oversized for the insert. The insert threads barely scored the hole in the shaft, no threading of the shaft needed. Had they put a generous dollop of glue they would have probably gotten away with it but with their save a few cents everywhere policy I assume, there was only a tiny bit of glue, a spot of glue on one side that was just that, a spot, not even going down one side.
This was a bit more serious of a quality issue but I had a gross or two of shaft blanks, I made another shaft. While at it I changed the pin because I had noticed how limber the pin was in the Schmelke, it wasn't a pin which is stiffer in today's cues, just a piece of cheap threaded stock. It was also very short, few threads into the butt. Possibly adequate, but not what you would get from most shops.
I paid almost $200 for the Schmelke. I could have gotten as good or better cue off the shelf for under fifty bucks at the time. However, I did get to specify weight, tip out of a few choices, ferrule out of a few choices if I remember correctly, and wood. I didn't get a wrap.
If I remember correctly the longer shaft was a fifteen dollar option. Everything else was much the same as anyone might order, just a plain piece of bocate. That was on the skinny side too, when people are making their own blanks a few extra blanks out of a piece of wood add up.
Judging by that one cue, I think I got a $75-$100 cue for almost twice that. My Dunlop off the shelf seemed to be a better cue but no customizations. I bought it out of the sporting goods department of a department store near New Orleans about the same time. Better hit, seemingly a better cue in all respects, forty bucks plus tax for a full splice jointed cue. Of course this was on the spot buying, no choices other than what was on the shelf.
Schmelke built the blank that many a custom cue is built off of. Hundreds, even thousands of people own a cue with a Schmelke blank and don't know it. Trim it out, put some finish on it, turn out a "custom" cue, some selling for well over a thousand dollars. Most of the blanks seem just fine. They look OK. Corners can be cut with blanks too though and I am left a little uncomfortable with what I learned from my Schmelke cue ownership. By the time I was done the only thing remaining from Schmelke was the piece of Bocate I could have picked up for $30-$40 at the time, full sized.
We have several major suppliers that let you choose many of the specifications of your cue. I think I would favor buying from one of them. Their production cues are considerably better quality than the Schmelke I bought. In all fairness, this was one cue. Worth noting that I didn't complain to Schmelke and see how they would have dealt with the quality issues I had either. By then I had a lathe or two running and dealt with things myself as they came up.
Schmelke has found a business model that works great for them. Strange to say about a cue this cheap but I think they are overpriced for what you get.
My opinion based on the one I bought and a dozen or so I have handled. The purchase was long ago but if anything quality may be down from then. Your mileage may vary, yada, yada, Have fun, play nice. If your cue suits you that is what matters.
Hu
It was before my shop was set up and I needed a cue, besides which, I was curious how someone could build a cue under $200 back then. The cue arrived, looked OK. I had ordered a 32" shaft out of idle curiosity. 12 or 13mm, I don't remember. The shaft was an absolute noodle, unplayable. I cut it down three or four inches, put a new tip and ferrule on it and it played just fine. I was curious how they made a shaft that long or even longer that was playable. I had my answer, they didn't. Still I got what I ordered, no beef coming.
A few months down the road my stick was screwed together, I barely brushed it against something and it broke "at the joint." When I got it home I saw the hole was drilled oversized for the insert. The insert threads barely scored the hole in the shaft, no threading of the shaft needed. Had they put a generous dollop of glue they would have probably gotten away with it but with their save a few cents everywhere policy I assume, there was only a tiny bit of glue, a spot of glue on one side that was just that, a spot, not even going down one side.
This was a bit more serious of a quality issue but I had a gross or two of shaft blanks, I made another shaft. While at it I changed the pin because I had noticed how limber the pin was in the Schmelke, it wasn't a pin which is stiffer in today's cues, just a piece of cheap threaded stock. It was also very short, few threads into the butt. Possibly adequate, but not what you would get from most shops.
I paid almost $200 for the Schmelke. I could have gotten as good or better cue off the shelf for under fifty bucks at the time. However, I did get to specify weight, tip out of a few choices, ferrule out of a few choices if I remember correctly, and wood. I didn't get a wrap.
If I remember correctly the longer shaft was a fifteen dollar option. Everything else was much the same as anyone might order, just a plain piece of bocate. That was on the skinny side too, when people are making their own blanks a few extra blanks out of a piece of wood add up.
Judging by that one cue, I think I got a $75-$100 cue for almost twice that. My Dunlop off the shelf seemed to be a better cue but no customizations. I bought it out of the sporting goods department of a department store near New Orleans about the same time. Better hit, seemingly a better cue in all respects, forty bucks plus tax for a full splice jointed cue. Of course this was on the spot buying, no choices other than what was on the shelf.
Schmelke built the blank that many a custom cue is built off of. Hundreds, even thousands of people own a cue with a Schmelke blank and don't know it. Trim it out, put some finish on it, turn out a "custom" cue, some selling for well over a thousand dollars. Most of the blanks seem just fine. They look OK. Corners can be cut with blanks too though and I am left a little uncomfortable with what I learned from my Schmelke cue ownership. By the time I was done the only thing remaining from Schmelke was the piece of Bocate I could have picked up for $30-$40 at the time, full sized.
We have several major suppliers that let you choose many of the specifications of your cue. I think I would favor buying from one of them. Their production cues are considerably better quality than the Schmelke I bought. In all fairness, this was one cue. Worth noting that I didn't complain to Schmelke and see how they would have dealt with the quality issues I had either. By then I had a lathe or two running and dealt with things myself as they came up.
Schmelke has found a business model that works great for them. Strange to say about a cue this cheap but I think they are overpriced for what you get.
My opinion based on the one I bought and a dozen or so I have handled. The purchase was long ago but if anything quality may be down from then. Your mileage may vary, yada, yada, Have fun, play nice. If your cue suits you that is what matters.
Hu
My Schmelke has been perfect so far after a year,much better then the mid '80's Meucci that fell apart after 6 months that was brand new at the time.
I started thinking about how Schmelke makes any profit.
You can buy one for $125 from Billiard Warehouse and assuming they put a mark up of $35 that means wholesale is around $90.
So it seems they can make a profit selling a cue from the factory for $90 and that would include shipping.
I started thinking about how Schmelke makes any profit.
You can buy one for $125 from Billiard Warehouse and assuming they put a mark up of $35 that means wholesale is around $90.
So it seems they can make a profit selling a cue from the factory for $90 and that would include shipping.
Nor mine about what custom maker HAS met his/her expectations. Not sure I care much though as I agree with most sentiments in post 51.
Dave
I enjoyed, reading post 56 of hu's experience with them. Atleast he was well aware, what he was getting. It's that old saying, you get what you pay for!
I have the ebony cue from Schmelke's M series (M081) with standard specs: 13mm, 19oz, 5/16x18. As far as playability is concerned, it would probably be a long time before the cue, rather than skill level, is the weaker link for most players. As for aesthetics, it's perfectly fine for a cue of its price. It's not going to win a close comparison with a custom cue's construction quality. But thinking of the respective cost and playability for a typical house cue (included with table time), my Schelke (~$160 at the time), and a custom ebony plain Jane ($800+), I'd say the value proposition is clearly with the Schelke.