Philippines cues, Question

pooljunkie4ever

pooljunkie4ever

Grab Life by the BALL!
Silver Member
What is everyone's opinion on these cues. I saw some this weekend and they looked great. I didn't get a chance to hit with one, so I was wondering
how they hit.

Who is the best cue maker out there?
 
Best maker out there is undoubtedly Edwin Reyes.
Other good one is Linds.
The rest I dunno.
 
pooljunkie4ever said:
What is everyone's opinion on these cues. I saw some this weekend and they looked great. I didn't get a chance to hit with one, so I was wondering
how they hit.

Who is the best cue maker out there?
Click to expand...

Just remeber one thing, you get what you pay for!!;) If you pay $50 or $100 then that is what you have in cue value. It is no different that buying something made here in the states, good quality is not cheap and if it looks to good to be true it most likely is.
 
Alex and Ronnie use them

I bought one in olathe this summer , the prettyiest amboyna burl I have seen, handmade, ivory points, 2 shafts ivory ferrules, made for bar tables. Where did you go to see the cues it is probilly the same guy. I also got the jumper as well. All shaft wood was 85 yrs. old bowling alley boards. Jim Buss aka cuemaker bought a jumper as well. 100.$ Only time will tell how it will stand up over time. It was very affordable. I made a trade and money. They also come with a BK-H tip. in the states its a brake tip there it is a playing hard tip. Ronnie Alcano was using something similiar. and I saw Alex P. at the derby his was similiar. mark
 
My player cue is a Miranda, beautiful cue, it hits ok. I got it on ebay and it looks like a 1200 dollar cue. The funny thing was, when I got it, it was covered in a latex paint...all black. I didnt know it at the time I scratched it and I could see the inlays underneath. It took me an hour to get that crap off. When I contacted the guy regarding it, he said since the ivory was illegal he covers his cues in that stuff to get it past customs! Crazy stuff. Anyway my cue hits pretty good and it was a good price i think around 350 bucks. It came with two shafts. Although right now I am saving up for a good american cue, if you want a cue that hits ok, and looks like you paid 1000 more bucks than you did for it, see if you can pick one up. Other than that, I would recommend buying an american cue, they hit better.
 
the two that I have tried were an Audrick(sp) and a Vhante ....
The Vhante was just ok but the Audrick is pretty nice. It belongs to friend of mine and she really likes it. Her other cue is a Kinder with a Burton Spain blank. anyway. I think the Audrick had a steel joint 5/16 14 I believe. The tip was a little soft for me but overall it was a very nice cue no matter what the country of origin. The build quality is nicer than some domestic's that I've seen. Clean inlays, nice finish(could not feel the inlays or veneers under the finish) She bought it because she liked the way it looked (a dangerous way to buy a player) She lucked out though IMO cause her's play's really nice
 
I own two Vhante Cues ...

I should back up a little, since Vhante #2 is enroute via DHL and will arrive while I am at the U.S. Bar Table Events in Reno this week ...

Cue #1 was purchased off eBay 3 months ago at a great price and is still perfectly straight, assembled or apart ... The workmanship is Top Drawer all the way and I expect Cue #2 will be the same ...

I play as often as possible with Cue #1 and must say that it plays as good as any of the really High-End Cues I own and is quickly becoming my favorite player ...

Cue #2 is extra fancy and I hope to make it my everyday Cue, with #1 as my back-up ...

Jenor Urate and Steve Urate both make fine cues ...
 
never owned one...but someone I know well owns a Viattore that she absolutely loved...but it broke...supposedly from hitting the butt on the floor. She plays 7 days a week for really long stretches so maybe the extra use did something. But she loved the cue.
 
pooljunkie4ever said:
What is everyone's opinion on these cues. I saw some this weekend and they looked great. I didn't get a chance to hit with one, so I was wondering
how they hit.

Who is the best cue maker out there?
Click to expand...

TOP 4 (in no particular order):

Viattorre Custom Cues (retired in 2007)
Edwin Reyes
Linds
Que Perfect (QP)
:)
 
A few years ago I took a chance and bought a beautiful Phillipino Q. Curly maple forearm, very long ebony points and butt sleeve. Both the points and butt sleeve have ivory inlays. The handle is spalted with beautiful designs (wood unknown, maple?) Signed Gracie Cortes. 2 shafts. Plays great and to this day is perectly straight.

About the same time I bought an unsigned Phillipino Q, loaded with ivory from top to bottom, ferrules, joint, butt cap, ring work, and many inlays. Birdseye maple forearm with rosewood points and butt sleeve. To this day it is also still straight. It has the best finish of any Q I own which includes some expensive Qs from US makers. The finish is very deep and looks wet.

I have heard many bad stories of P Qs warping, but from the 2 I own, there is nothing wrong with them. Look at all the great pool players coming out of the P. The makers there must b doing something right. I'm sure there are good and bad P Qs, but the ones I have are great.

Charlie
 
I also owned a vhante that turned into a pretzel after 1 year.

Str8PoolPlayer said:
I should back up a little, since Vhante #2 is enroute via DHL and will arrive while I am at the U.S. Bar Table Events in Reno this week ...

Cue #1 was purchased off eBay 3 months ago at a great price and is still perfectly straight, assembled or apart ... The workmanship is Top Drawer all the way and I expect Cue #2 will be the same ...

I play as often as possible with Cue #1 and must say that it plays as good as any of the really High-End Cues I own and is quickly becoming my favorite player ...

Cue #2 is extra fancy and I hope to make it my everyday Cue, with #1 as my back-up ...

Jenor Urate and Steve Urate both make fine cues ...
Click to expand...

Here is the feedback from my eBay purchase :
Valued Customer!!!! Looking Forward Next Deal!! Thanks A ++++++++++ Seller: vhante888 ( 94) Oct-10-05 23:07
-- (#7186495183)


I was one of the first to own a VHANTE amboyna, ivory with ivory joint and leather wrap. I loved the way it hit and looked, but it turned in one year to be the most warped cue I have ever held in my hands. The shafts actually twisted in a spiral and were unusable, not just bowed. All of the ringwork in the butt started protruding so badly it was visibly noticeable. I will grant that this cue was not cored like they are doing today but it was an example of how bad it can get in an arrid climate opposite of the climate it was produced in in only a matter of weeks without being dried and properly re-cut through stages. Send your Vhantes to a dry climate for one year like Colorado if you aren't in one now, and then report back to see how well the coring fixes or does not fix the problem I encountered. I would bet $ after one year in Denver, the amboyna cracks or splits from drying around the maple core. EZ bet.

If the person I gave it to in Denver still has it, I will see if I can't have an AZer friend in Denver go check it out and confirm my claims if you do not believe me. Why else would I give away a cue that cost me nearly $300 even before having new shafts made? I had it less than a year and was sickened to see how badly it had changed, so I got rid of it. Good luck with yours.

ps. I also owned an Audrick cue. I had no problems with that cue in 18 months of owning it. I would consider buying another Audrick but never another Vhante.
 
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Chevys and Fords ..... Everyone has a different story ..... Mine is good, yours is bad ..... Life goes on .....
 
I ordered 2 of them a couple weeks ago, and they should be here shortly. I have a friend of mine who has had about 5 or 6 Gordon cues, and he said he had to send one or two shafts back due to a knot in the wood of the shaft, but otherwise has had no problems with them. Mine I ordered from TGL Inlaid Cues, so we will see what I get and how they stand up to our climate in S.D.
 
Definitely can't lump them all together. Some will be cheap, others will be made better and cost more. You get what you pay for, as they say.

I really like my Viattorre. I had the ferrules replaced when I got it because the originals were that crappy Ivorine stuff. One of the shafts was showing a slight warp so I had a 314-2 made using that ringwork. The other original shaft was straight the last I looked. The butt hasn't shown any issues, though I can feel a seam where the ivory joint meets the wood on the forearm. Don't know if the ivory expanded or if that's the way it was. Anyway, no major issues so far and its a beautiful cue. Will be my main player for the foreseeable future.
 
One of the players on a team that I play on has a Van Duel (Dual) cue that was made in the Philippines. It is a nice cue with a lot of inlays and a snake skin wrap. He bought it off of EBay for around $350.
 
Schwinn said:
Definitely can't lump them all together. Some will be cheap, others will be made better and cost more. You get what you pay for, as they say.
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums up my opinion the matter as well .. tap, tap
 
pooljunkie4ever said:
What is everyone's opinion on these cues. I saw some this weekend and they looked great. I didn't get a chance to hit with one, so I was wondering
how they hit.

Who is the best cue maker out there?
Click to expand...


A man to ask would be a frequent AZ'r named ARM9BALLER aka: Arnold Morales he has a viattorre' or however the hell you spell it !!!

He received one of the last before the cuemaker retired and it's quite impressive... ivory inlays and all... I built 2 extra replacement shafts with perfect grain and a brilliant white hue with matching weights to compliment the gorgeous work the cuemaker exuded !

Arnold got a great deal on that cue in my opinion, and he absolutley loves it... he collects cues and has quite an arsenal....

by all means please PM him and ask about it he's a very close friend of mine and a really nice guy and I'm sure he'll show some picks of this talented cuemakers exquisit work !


- Eddie Wheat
 
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My Vhante cue is still straight going on 2 years. It hits great too, and I'm not the only one who says that. I had him custom build it with an ivory joint,a 3/8x10 pin, 18.7ounces and 60 inches. It was cored and the shafts were treated with Nelsonite. I don't know if I just got lucky, but I'm very pleased with the cue. Here are some pics:
P1010387.jpg

P1010385.jpg

P1010384.jpg

P1010380.jpg

P1010379.jpg
 
pooljunkie4ever said:
What is everyone's opinion on these cues. I saw some this weekend and they looked great. I didn't get a chance to hit with one, so I was wondering
how they hit.

Who is the best cue maker out there?
Click to expand...
IMO, Edwin Reyes by far. In fact, the two cues I shot with of his were two of the best I've ever had the pleasure of trying. And the workmanship and artistry is world class.

Fred
 
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