My pool cue experiences

Mr M

Mr M

New member
The point of starting this thread:

As I perused AZB and began learning about the types of cues I might be interested in trying to buy, I found that there tended to be a gap in the type of reviews which covered information I was looking for. This is something I wanted to try and help fill in as best I can by starting this thread.

Overall I found the technical reviews which really tried to understand how a certain cue played mainly focused on newer cues and that the discussions of older cues tended to be more focused on the builders, timing, construction and identifying those cues as opposed to the playing experience when using those cues.

For me the older cues were actually the ones I wanted to use and so I want to share my experiences playing with the cues I now have.
 
What I want this thread to be:
  • Me going through what I think of the various pool cues I own
  • This will feature my initial experiences of the cues along with any changes that I find happen with my experience.
  • I expect my opinion and preferences may change over time as I (hopefully) continue improving as a player and as that happens I may start seeing some aspects of my cues in a new light.
 
How I want to judge my cues:

Emotional
  • Nostalgia - does it hit me with the feels?
  • Do I really like the look, textures/feeling, or overall vibe of the cue?

Playing
  • Inspiration - What types of shots do I feel like this cue tends to prefer or excel at?
    • Does it do well with applying spin?
    • How is it for long cross table shots?
    • Do you feel more or less consistent with shots?
    • Does it favor more or less powerful shots?
  • Is it forgiving or does it have a narrow window when cueing?
    • Does it rattle?
    • Does it have any warp?
    • Is it more difficult to use? Does the difficulty require me to focus on cuing better and do I find this more or less rewarding?
  • What is the grip like?
  • What is the taper like?
  • How does it feel when you make really solid contact?

Construction methods
  • Does it have a piloted shaft?
  • What type of joint does it have?
  • What type of grip?
  • Does it have a butt cap or bumper?
  • How wide is the grip?
  • How heavy is the cue?
  • What is the weight balance like?
  • Cue Dimensions: Tip diameter, length, joint diameter, grip diameter, butt cap diameter, ferrule length
 
Grains of Salt:
  • These are my experiences with my cues and they may not match your experiences even if you have the exact same model cue that I do.
  • I have bought old cues that I do not know the previous ownership experience or if they even are all original.
    • They could be a ship of theseus and have had parts changed (tips, grips, etc)
    • They could have been refinished
    • I could’ve accidentally bought a fake
  • I am writing these with the understanding that I am accepting these cues as they are (both good and bad), and also accepting that they are in part subject to my skill level as a pool player (both good and bad). I don’t claim these are the best or worst examples of these cues, or that I am some all knowing god of pool with the final word on what people should think when it comes to pool cues. I can only talk about the pool cues I have, my experiences with them, and try to do so within the lens of my ability (or at times lack thereof) to get the most out of them that I can.
 
What Type of Cue Do I Tend to Enjoy?

I typically prefer older, more traditional style pool cues with a 4 point splice or as a plain jane. In terms of vibe and color the most I go for probably only gets to the level of “quiet loud”.

I’ve tried to put my cue preferences and biases here to give you an idea of the kinds of cues I find interesting and might buy along with some of the questions which drove me to purchase the cues I did:

  • I really get a kick out of playing with a cue that is older than me and represents a connection to a time before I existed. I like the idea of knowing that I am sharing the same experience as a stranger from another time and place. So many things these days are throwaway experiences with no connection to the past. Being able to find those avenues are rare and usually not accessible. Pool cues has been a goldmine for me in that respect.
  • Design and aesthetics of many of the more traditional cues really appeals to me over many of the newer options: think of cues with 4 points with 4 veneers or a plain jane style cue.
  • Older wood and the idea of old growth wood vs more modern replanted / farmed trees is one that I find fascinating and wanted to see if I could perceive any differences firsthand.
  • The adventure, fact finding and discovery side of learning about a particular cue, construction methods and cuemaker’s history that I didn’t know about before is one that brings me great joy.
  • Different / varying approaches to designing and building a cue vs the more standardized modern production cues.
    • I find most cues built in relatively large quantities nowadays tend to have very similar overall approaches for how a cue should be made (ie pro taper style shaft profiles, thinner diameter butt thickness, steel or resin joints) and instead tend to more often try to differentiate themselves with inlays, materials and incorporating brand specific patented technology.
    • I should say on this point this is a massive generalization and by no means is this something I think applies to every cue maker, or that I am factually or provably right as I am basing this only on my experience.
    • A perfect example would be that I really like piloted shaft ends even though I know there likely is no benefit and even possibly a downside to having them that way over the now common flat faced joint.
    • Fully brass joints vs steel or a flat faced resin with a steel pin threaded directly into wood
    • Does having a rubber bumper really dampen the vibrations/feeling you get in the cue when you hit the cue ball and if so am I able to perceive it?
    • Am I able to perceive any difference in feeling vibration wise or hit wise between a cue with a more modern pro taper in the shaft vs a more traditionally tapered shaft profile?
  • Being able to buy a cue where I can reasonably assume it was made in a factory where the worker was being paid a fair wage.
  • I have really fond memories of growing up using my Dad’s Mali pool cue he’s had since 1979 and find that cues from the same era tend to often elicit really nice nostalgia feelings of my childhood for me. This means I tend to like cues with a wider grip diameter and a shaft taper that isn’t nearly the aggressive pro taper profile you find on more modern cues, though this isn’t an absolute rule by any stretch.
  • I like being surprised by how the cue plays. I find not knowing ahead of time is risky but also really rewarding. It also means that I have to really keep an open mind when trying to form an opinion of the cue.
 
So What Cues do I have?
  • My Childhood Mali - My first cue my Dad bought me when I was 12ish was a then new Mali around 2000-2001 and would have been made in the last few years before Mali’s cues started being made outside the US. I haven’t been able to find the model number for it so until then I’ll call it my childhood Mali as there are other Mali cues on the list.
  • McDermott GS09 - This is the pool cue I bought when I got back into playing pool after a 5-6 year break from it. This is a pool cue I bought new in December 2024.
  • Mali Trophy Series T6 - This was my first foray into buying an older cue based off of what I could make out in the listing photos. My guide in this was a combination of my first hand experience using my Dad’s Mali from 1979 and the information from everyone in this forum.
  • Palmer Model A (Second Catalog) - This cue was me taking a bigger risk on a cue from a company I didn’t know because I wanted a cue with a splice and gave me vibes like the Doc Frye cues I’d seen photos of. Without the info AZB and Tate’s Palmer Collector website I would never have had the confidence to take this chance and buy this cue.
  • Brunswick Willie Hoppe Professional (1960’s Decal) - This cue is one I would’ve originally dismissed as a style of cue that was not for me before I began reading posts on them. Seeing how smaller cuemakers of the time would use Titlist blanks to make their cues or how converting a Titlist cue then became a rite of passage for many newer cuemakers gave me a new appreciation that got me interested. Learning about veneers in points got me wanting to own a cue I knew was a full splice and it became something I wanted to experience and not just read about. The Willie Hoppe Professional was the perfect gateway into this for me. Without AZB and Pal Mineart’s breakdown of Brunswick Cue Decals on their website Vintage Cues For You I would never have been able to wrap my head around the variety and find one that worked for me.
  • Mali (Early 1980’s? Model unsure?) - This is my most recent cue purchase and combined my desire to get a Mali with dimensions like my Dad’s and wanting a 4 point/4 veneer Mali.
 
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What comes next?

I’ll go through writing reviews of each of the cues according to my experiences and the criteria I’ve outlined above. As I do this I’ll also include photos for each of the cues. I also plan to go out and buy a tool to properly measure the diameters of my cues in the next few days.

Pace-wise my goal is to get through writing roughly one cue review per week. My hope with doing all of this is that some might find it useful or if nothing else an interesting change of pace type read.

Cheers,
Mr M
 
Mr M said:
What comes next?

I’ll go through writing reviews of each of the cues according to my experiences and the criteria I’ve outlined above. As I do this I’ll also include photos for each of the cues. I also plan to go out and buy a tool to properly measure the diameters of my cues in the next few days.

Pace-wise my goal is to get through writing roughly one cue review per week. My hope with doing all of this is that some might find it useful or if nothing else an interesting change of pace type read.

Cheers,
Mr M
Click to expand...
Cues are more than cues. They are a collection. They are artwork as well as a tool. Myself... I have my players but the closet queens are for the rack... to look at and admire. The beauty. The workmanship. Does not have to be expensive or fancy. I have a love for bumperless cues. I could buy/own everyone I see. They do something for me.
Have fun with your thread.... will be interesting in what you have to say👍
 
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Mr M said:
So What Cues do I have?

  • Palmer Model A (Second Catalog) - This cue was me taking a bigger risk on a cue from a company I didn’t know because I wanted a cue with a splice and gave me vibes like the Doc Frye cues I’d seen photos of.
Click to expand...
Love hearing Doc's name.
 
Mr M said:
What comes next?

I’ll go through writing reviews of each of the cues according to my experiences and the criteria I’ve outlined above. As I do this I’ll also include photos for each of the cues. I also plan to go out and buy a tool to properly measure the diameters of my cues in the next few days.

Pace-wise my goal is to get through writing roughly one cue review per week. My hope with doing all of this is that some might find it useful or if nothing else an interesting change of pace type read.

Cheers,
Mr M
Click to expand...
WTF?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? You got waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on your hands. I got thru about 1/36th of this diatribe before i bailed.
 
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