OMEGA CUE CASE VS JB CUE CASE-

[chenjy9]

John's candid/frank way of talking and his obvious passion towards making quality cases is actually why I purchased a JB case. Now, I just got to convince myself that waiting 8-10 weeks is no big deal.

People love to preach "patriotism" when it comes to purchases and in my eyes, they are the biggest lot of hypocrites out there. Made in USA is hardly a testament of quality, just like Made in China does not mean cheap quality. Realistically, any company hoping to be able to effectively provide products to a large population base will need to move large parts of their manufacturing process out of the country. This will continue to be reality until the US offers positive benefits for keeping jobs within the US.

 

[SSDiver2112]

I do think it makes a difference. A 2x4 Acme case by itself has a decent amount of protection for two cues. This may not be the case for a 4x8 or something similar. The difference is the amount cue mass vs padding and case mass. More cues are going to bang around with less protection. My 2x4 Acme is pretty compact and hardly anything moves. I don't think I could say the same for a larger case.

But I think in any case, most would agree that a JB Case offers more protection and is worth it if you value your cues highly. If you're playing with cheap cues, having a case more expensive than your cues might not make sense.

Fair enough. I haven't seen the inside of the 2x4, but if it is made the same as the larger, I would have an issue with the cues being able to touch each other. I expect them to be protected everywhere not just the upper parts.

 

[JB Cases]

I just wish they(jb) had a darker green available, seems to just be the neon light green

We do. We have a Kelly green. I need to add some more colors to the designer.

 

[JB Cases]

Fair enough. I haven't seen the inside of the 2x4, but if it is made the same as the larger, I would have an issue with the cues being able to touch each other. I expect them to be protected everywhere not just the upper parts.

The inside of the 2*4 is the same. Not good for cues.

 

[JB Cases]

I do think it makes a difference. A 2x4 Acme case by itself has a decent amount of protection for two cues. This may not be the case for a 4x8 or something similar. The difference is the amount cue mass vs padding and case mass. More cues are going to bang around with less protection. My 2x4 Acme is pretty compact and hardly anything moves. I don't think I could say the same for a larger case.

But I think in any case, most would agree that a JB Case offers more protection and is worth it if you value your cues highly. If you're playing with cheap cues, having a case more expensive than your cues might not make sense.

I can assure you that the 2*4 acme has the same problems. I can send you detailed pix or show you in depth tomorrow if you want.

And not only that, they care so little about your money and your cues that they didn't bother to fix those issues in any of the past three years since I exposed them in public.

Regarding the price of the cues, the question is whether you want damaged cues or not. And if we agree that cheap cues are more likely to be badly constructed then protecting them from excess impact and vibration is even more important

 

[JB Cases]

John , I agree you have the best case going. May Ask you a question. Is a case with Satin Lined Divders a good choice or is the hard tubes better for protection. I see were you menion cues rattling back and fourth and I have seen some hard tube cases that lets them do that. The Satin Dividers would seem to keep the cue more stable. I do like the Sping loaded option on the hard tubes tho.

The main point for me is that the cues should never bang on anything hard when inside the case.

That includes the sidewalls of the tube (s) and the other cue parts.

In order to stop excess movement in all directions I have found that padding in the right places protects from damage caused by impact and vibration.

When I created instroke cue cases I lined the tubes with padding for this purpose.

There is nothing wrong with satin as a liner but it is the lack of adequate padding between parts that is a problem in my experience.

 

[chenjy9]

Well I recently tried to purchase a 3x6 Hybrid from the JB website and lets just say I wont be ordering another JB case.

I paid up front for the case knowing it was not in stock and would take up to two months to deliver. They told me the leather they use for this particular case was not in stock so it would be an additional $150. That would bring the total from $440 to $590. I agreed as long as I could pay the $150 upon completion and stated they could keep the $440 as a NON refundable deposit if I didnt pay. They declined and issued a prompt refund.

Lets just say im disappointed about the whole experience especially considering this would have been the third case I bought directly from John. My first case I spent $225 and my second case I spent $325. Oh well im sure im nothing in the grand scheme of things but definitely left a bad taste in my mouth!

I apologize, but I am a tad confused. Are you upset that you have to pay the $150 or that they wouldn't accept taking the $150 at the end and chose to refund you instead?

 

[nicksaint26]

I apologize, but I am a tad confused. Are you upset that you have to pay the $150 or that they wouldn't accept taking the $150 at the end and chose to refund you instead?

I took down my post right after posting but I do want to state that John reached out to me and really went above and beyond to resolve my issue. I look forward to receiving my 3rd JB case. Say what you want about JB but his work and work ethic speak for themselves. Thanks for turning a negative experience into a positive one John!

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

JBCase seems to work hard on trying to make customers happy.

I know in talking to people who bring their products from outside of USA. Many are facing challenges getting their products, or component parts.

Most are experiencing problems with carriers, air freight carriers, or shipping companies.

Then you got Customs Officers who must clear freight at Airport, or Seaport after it is unloaded. Coining live near Port of Los Angeles, he a boater. Many contsiner ship wait turn to dock.

Cigars, Cigar Cutters, Pool Case Cases, most of consumer items, parts are moving slower then normal. America Trucking Companies got lot of driving jobs if you have CDL.

Thank Covid - 19 for the slow down in what we need, want in most items.

 

[chenjy9]

John's passion to making a better case, transparency on why his cases are better, and the countless actual examples of excellent service is why I decided to purchase a case from him myself despite only recently buying an Instroke Premier. You can learn to pretend how to be enthusiastic, empathetic, and professional at face value. They have expensive classes and seminars for that. Hell, I even had folks attend them before. What you cannot ever fake however, is passion and the accumulated body of work and service. That's why in a few weeks (or months lol) I will be a proud owner of my own JB Ultimate Rugged case. I am paying for a product that John has poured his heart and soul into to make sure my cues are as safe as possible. I am not paying for him to have a smile (fake or not) plastered on his face while whispering sweet nothings.

 

[JB Cases]

John's passion to making a better case, transparency on why his cases are better, and the countless actual examples of excellent service is why I decided to purchase a case from him myself despite only recently buying an Instroke Premier. You can learn to pretend how to be enthusiastic, empathetic, and professional at face value. They have expensive classes and seminars for that. Hell, I even had folks attend them before. What you cannot ever fake however, is passion and the accumulated body of work and service. That's why in a few weeks (or months lol) I will be a proud owner of my own JB Ultimate Rugged case. I am paying for a product that John has poured his heart and soul into to make sure my cues are as safe as possible. I am not paying for him to have a smile (fake or not) plastered on his face while whispering sweet nothings.

Thank you. As my former friend and arguably one of the foremost artistic cuemakers of all time, Thomas Wayne, once said, "passion is a hard thing to conceal".

 

[NevadaP]

I was faced with a similar choice several months ago. Based mainly on postings and comments on this site I decided to spend the extra $ and endure the wait for my first JB case.
It's been a few months but Karen sent photos of the case today. It looks beautiful and I can't wait to get it. I'm sure I'll be pleased with the quality.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

I was faced with a similar choice several months ago. Based mainly on postings and comments on this site I decided to spend the extra $ and endure the wait for my first JB case.
It's been a few months but Karen sent photos of the case today. It looks beautiful and I can't wait to get it. I'm sure I'll be pleased with the quality.

Share photos please. Assume you will have soon.

 

[Bobkitty]

JB is best, hands down! Plus Lifetime warranty.

Better than Joe Porper's original case that he built 200? I'm wondering if this is true.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Better than Joe Porper's original case that he built 200? I'm wondering if this is true.

I had a Porper I got about 1998ish, synthetic leather aka vinyl, nothing was special about the Porper.

Was sold off, and new owner was happy with.

 

[chenjy9]

Better than Joe Porper's original case that he built 200? I'm wondering if this is true.

Considering JB is always innovating his designs and chasing better cue protection, I would say that is most likely the case.

 

[Bobkitty]

I had a Porper I got about 1998ish, synthetic leather aka vinyl, nothing was special about the Porper.

Was sold off, and new owner was happy with.

I'm writing about his 200 cases of around 2000. All leather and tooled. But, I'm not an expert but wondering about value.

 

[JB Cases]

Better than Joe Porper's original case that he built 200? I'm wondering if this is true.

Yes, our cases are better than anything Porper ever built, in every aspect, protection, durability, custom, design, tooling, comfort. Porper was my inspiration to start Instroke cases. I wanted to emulate the protection that I thought Porper provided based on my personal Porper case at the time, namely the cue retention that was present when Porper cases had tapered cavities. So that's why I created tubes with padding inside the tubes for Instroke cases. Now, with JB Cases I have created a padded cloth interior that works better than the old Porper interior and better than the Instroke interior. It is flexible to accomodate cues and parts of various widths and lengths, can be custom built to the customer's desires as needed regarding number of and type of parts and placement. For example, at the customer's requests we have built 3x4 into a 4x8 tube, we have put 2x4 into a 3x6 tube, we have done a 3x8 in a 3x6 tube, we have done a 5x10 inside a 4x8 tube, we have built a case with a space inside the tube for a long plastic slip on extension, we have built a case with wine-cork style plug to provide an extra seal at the customer's request. We routinely build longer cases on request and have no-tools-needed spacers that allow users to easily adjust the sitting height of the parts for whatever is comfortable for them.

I'm writing about his 200 cases of around 2000. All leather and tooled. But, I'm not an expert but wondering about value.

The tooled cases that Porper did were done with low quality tooling and low quality leather. Likely done in Mexico in the "tourist-class" type of leather work that one finds in the markets in the tourist destinations. I don't find that many of them have survived and so I couldn't give you a "value" for them other than my own personal opinion that I would need to have a very good reason to add one to my collection for more than 150 IF it were in good condition. I have one in my shop that was given to me to see what I do with it and honestly I doubt that the owner wants to invest what it would take to TRY and repair it because the leather is rotted and brittle.