Players cues and predators, same factory?
- Thread starter PDX
- Start date
But understand that Same Factory doesn't mean Same Quality.
In contract manufacturing the buyer specifies every detail with excrutiating detail: every material like wood to be used, every process like turned how many times with how much time between turnings, and how many quality control checks like check every cue or every tenth cue.
A good contract manufacturer can/will build it any way you want it. It all depends on how much you want to spend. They'll build Lucasi an $800 cue or NoName a $30 house cue. Just give them your specs and they'll quote you price.
In contract manufacturing the buyer specifies every detail with excrutiating detail: every material like wood to be used, every process like turned how many times with how much time between turnings, and how many quality control checks like check every cue or every tenth cue.
A good contract manufacturer can/will build it any way you want it. It all depends on how much you want to spend. They'll build Lucasi an $800 cue or NoName a $30 house cue. Just give them your specs and they'll quote you price.
I know Poison and Predator are same or similar, Players is owned by a different company though. Players is in the same group as Lucasi, which I think is under Cue and Case corp.
Cue and Case is a wholesale distributor. They claim to be a manufacturer as well, but I'd bet they don't manufacture anything but fluff for their website. I would not be surprised if Lucasi, Predator, Players, Dufferin, Star, Lucky, and any other Chinese made cue, were made in the same factory.
Yes they don't make the cues, but I am pretty sure they own the brand "Players", and Lucasi and Players share the same business side, at least when I contacted Players for something, I had a Lucasi sales VP contact me. I think I was looking for a 30" HXT shaft.
BTW, if you want a 30" HXT shaft they don't make them finished ( at least not yet ), but if you get their blank, a cue maker can finish it with a thread / collar and have it end up 30". That's what I contacted them for. He was going to send me a few things for my son also once I started talking to him about why I was looking for the shaft, but have not seen anything yet LOL And he contacted me on facebook recently also to say he just remembered he forgot. But seems forgot again
Last edited:
Players Cues used to be serious Wal Mart junk.
Then, some nice stuff, yet still very affordable.
I have 3 Players HXT Shafts and have zero problem with using them.
Then, some nice stuff, yet still very affordable.
I have 3 Players HXT Shafts and have zero problem with using them.
Steve Martin years ago did a routine about McDonalds stuff all being the same. They had this big vat of goo and they would just say Hamburger, and push the button, and... *GLOP*, Cheese Burger, *GLOP*, French Fries, *GLOP*, Chocolate Shake, *GLOP*, "Here's your change" *GLOP*....
I think production cues, since most have moved to China, have sorta become that same thing. Only they all come out of the Jian Ying Billiard company factory facility. Look at their web site some time, the cues you see, all kinds of cues, you will see in a few months in the Predator, Player, Poison, Lucasi, Fury, of one of several other cue lines.
I think they have this giant lathe and a paper shredder and several kinds of trees at their disposal in their factory. Every so often they cut down a tree and and they throw some wood into a feeder and you hear the machines start, and then they push the button and it goes, "Predator" BZZZZZZZZZ, "Lucasi" BZZZZZZZZ, "Player" BZZZZZZZZZ. and out comes the cue. It's too bad, Predator used to make a really nice cue.
I think production cues, since most have moved to China, have sorta become that same thing. Only they all come out of the Jian Ying Billiard company factory facility. Look at their web site some time, the cues you see, all kinds of cues, you will see in a few months in the Predator, Player, Poison, Lucasi, Fury, of one of several other cue lines.
I think they have this giant lathe and a paper shredder and several kinds of trees at their disposal in their factory. Every so often they cut down a tree and and they throw some wood into a feeder and you hear the machines start, and then they push the button and it goes, "Predator" BZZZZZZZZZ, "Lucasi" BZZZZZZZZ, "Player" BZZZZZZZZZ. and out comes the cue. It's too bad, Predator used to make a really nice cue.
