Newb Questions: online purchase, cue storage, tip shaping

N

NervousNovice

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello.

Thanks for helping me out last time with choice of cue (see http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=50329, and I decided to get a McD C157). Here are a bunch of newbie questions that I hope experts out there can help answering, and hopefully benefit other beginners too.


Online Purchase
1. Where do you guys order cues and related products online? Which stores are larger, have good services, etc?
2. In particular, for those who live in Canada and buy from the online store in US, where do you go?


Cue Storage
1. Hard case or hard tube?
2. When you put your cue in a cue tube, do you lie it down or keep it upright during storage? And which ends of the butt and shaft do you stuck in first?
3. Is joint protector essential or highly recommended or just recommended?
4. Do you use special cloth to wipe and clean your cue? Which one (say, brand)? Is it much better than, say, paper towel?


Cue Tip
1. How often (say, hours of play, roughly) do you use tip shaper and Tip Pik to fix your cue tip?
2. Is there such thing as "chalk quality"? If yes, which brand makes better chalk? Does it matter? Does chalk color go with the table cloth color?


Thanks for the help again.
 
since no ones answered ya ill give it a shot


Online Purchase
1. Where do you guys order cues and related products online? Which stores are larger, have good services, etc?----ive bought from ozone, pooldawg, muellers, and various ebay sellers and theyve all done me well, no problems, fast shipping, i dont think you can wrong with any of the major stores

2. In particular, for those who live in Canada and buy from the online store in US, where do you go?----n/a



Cue Storage
1. Hard case or hard tube?---As long as the tubes are hard, i really like the action cases that are part soft part hard, theyre alot lighter and reasonably priced.
2. When you put your cue in a cue tube, do you lie it down or keep it upright during storage? And which ends of the butt and shaft do you stuck in first?--I usually have mine sitting up, i dont think it matters unless youre going to store a cue for a long period of time, then it may
3. Is joint protector essential or highly recommended or just recommended?--ive never bent a pin on a cue butt, but i can see as you take it out of a case you could possibly drop it, id say its recommended.
4. Do you use special cloth to wipe and clean your cue? Which one (say, brand)? Is it much better than, say, paper towel?--i keep one of those micro towels with my cue to wipe it down, to really clean it i like the magic eraser.


Cue Tip
1. How often (say, hours of play, roughly) do you use tip shaper and Tip Pik to fix your cue tip?---i will look at my tip and see how its holding up, i use snipers and mooris, once theyre shaped and broken in they seem to need little maintenance, maybe tip pic them every couple weeks
2. Is there such thing as "chalk quality"? If yes, which brand makes better chalk? Does it matter? Does chalk color go with the table cloth color?---some chalks are better than others i think but its not a huge deal, you chalk the tip, if it ends up on your tip its ok. Some chalks get hard and dont apply well, or you see a little cloud of dust every time you take a shot......i like masters. The colored chalks are for the different colored tables.
 
Online Purchase
1. Where do you guys order cues and related products online? Which stores are larger, have good services, etc?

I usually use pooldawg.com. They seem to be nice people. And if they screw up an order in the slightest way - they take care of you pronto. You should check out the AZ Store.

Cue Tip
1. How often (say, hours of play, roughly) do you use tip shaper and Tip Pik to fix your cue tip?

Usually, whenever I miscue. LOL

2. Is there such thing as "chalk quality"?

There's crappy chalk like you can get at WalMart, and there's Master Chalk.

Good luck with your McDermott. I just upgraded my bar playing cue from a Players to an Action Elite. Damned if it doesn't hit better than the Falcon SP I paid over $200 for.:eek: Such is life.:)
 
billiardwarehouse.com has excelent customer support and great prices. Bought a meucci from them years ago and i was happy.

Another great thing i like about there webiste is that if your looking to purchase a cue, they take individual pictures of each cue model so you get a "real" non-polished picture of the cue you're interested in.
 
seyberts.com is good. I ordered from them. look for rick.
platinumbilliards.com is also good place. look for shane.

EDIT: you can also order from ozonebilliards.com use coupon code: Jan07 to get an additional 10% off
 
Last edited:
You’ve got a bunch of questions here Nervous, but I’ll try to offer you whatever I can. After all, the sharing of information is what this venue is supposed to be all about.

Online Purchase:
1. I’ve only bought a bunch of used Dufferin 2 piece beaters and some under $100 used McDermotts on ebay. Can’t help you much on this one. I’m fortunate to have a McDermott / Joss / Pechauer / Viking dealer less than an hour from home. When it comes to spending $200 and up on a cue, I want to see, feel & touch it first, and talk to an expert face-to- face. I have bought tips, tools and accessories online. Some of the people I would recommend are Joerackem at Neilsen’s Billiards, Bob & Linda Moss at AmericanCowboyBilliards, and tdv56billiards (all ebay ID’s)
2. Being from the USA, I can’t relate to this one.

Cue Storage:
1. I currently use a McDermott case with one-way- only hard tubes. I wouldn’t care if it had soft tubes inside, since I’m more interested in the protection provided by the outer shell. Some people like to store their shafts tip up to keep from chalking the tubes when the shafts are taken in or out. I’d rather wipe the tip clean first (but not on your Hall’s carpet-that’s low-class)
2. I store my case vertically, but store my spare shafts and butts on a horizontal rack. I could be wrong, but I can’t see a butt or shaft warping under its own weight when the pegs on my rack are only two feet apart. If it gets full of moisture, a piece of wood’s gonna move how it wants to move regardless of how it’s pointed.
3. I consider JP’s essential, period. If you move the material around at the mating surfaces by a ding or bend, you no longer have the perfect fit the cue joint was built with. Ten to twenty bucks is darn cheap insurance.
4. I like microfiber cloths for their ability to suck up the garbage on your cue without scratching the finish. I happen to have some 3M brand in my case now, but my test of a good cloth is a nap that drags on your fingers when you run your hand over it. If it’s good enough to buff wax off the paint of my treasured Chevy El Camino without a scratch, it’s good enough for my treasured cues.

Cue Tip
1. There’s no one answer for all people here. Depends on how hard you hit, how often you chalk, how much English you use, do you use a break cue etc., etc. I check my tip for profile and finish before every night of play, and do what it needs. On the average, I probably use the pik and /or a light scuff every 4 hours, shaper about 8 hours, but I’m quite fussy about my equipment.
2. Master Blue is probably the “standard of the world” in chalk. Buy a box and carry your own, so you’re not using the same cube some idiot’s been drilling into all night. Then you can try other brands and make your own educated comparison. I personally prefer Balabushka because I think it penetrates the leather with less pressure, but that’s just one man’s opinion.

You’ve got about all I can offer you as far as answers. I hope it’s some good food for thought at least. Keep your head down. Yell if I can help.

Bill
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top