Please help me choose between two cues

B

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
Please help me choose between two cues

A little about me: I'm a beginning player...kind of late to the game at 58. My back and neck don't want to play pool but they don't run the show. The most I've ever run is four balls, but missed a the fifth ball -- a 45-degree cut shot -- even though it was only a foot from the pocket. Trust me, I can miss the easiest of shots. Most of the rest of my runs are 2 or 3 balls. I'll draw and follow, but I'm not even thinking about English since my aim is weak enough even with a stun ball.

Anyway, I need help choosing a cue. I've narrowed my cue search down to either the Players HXTE10 http://www.budgetcues.com/players-pool-cue-hxte10.htm or the McDermott S16 http://www.ozonebilliards.com/star-cues-by-mcdermott-maple-diamond.html (I like pretty plain cues but also like to have a linen wrap).

At the level of my game, I suspect I should be most concerned about having a smooth, balanced feel in a cue and feeling a solid hit. The Players has a wood-to-wood joint while the McDermott is steel. The Players has a "low deflection" ferule and a Kamui Black Soft tip. The McDermott claims low deflection but doesn't really ever say anything about how it's achieved. It has a Triangle leather tip, unknown hardness. (deflection isn't an issue today since I'm not using much English...but it might be in the future).

Which cue do you think would suit me better?
 
The various technical differences between these cues are relatively minor IMHO. The quality of materials and construction are similar. If I had to give one the slight advantage it would be the Players cue because of the shaft. I say this not from personal experience but from what I have read. The shaft has been well liked and is a great value from what I gather.

As far as tips, they can be changed. Odds are your preference will evolve anyway.

The choice comes down to personal preference I think.
 
Both of these cues are made in China so the build quality is about the same. I'll go with the Doc and say get the Players cue.I think it's better looking also.
 
The Players cue with the Kamui soft tip looks like the better deal.
I played with a lower model Players ($85.00 retail) that hit pretty good.
The Players cue is better looking according to measureman, The Doc says Players, and those guys are both production cue geniuses.

I don't know how Players shapes a layered tip, but make sure it's properly shaped & burnished.
Watch for a little shrooming at first.
 
cuesblues said:
those guys are both production cue geniuses.
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:rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:



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Actually, it's a club. He's the waterboy and I'm the janitor. The club's budget is currently blown because measureman seems to prefer expensive water..... ;)


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I would not buy a McDermott Star or Lucky Cue...not when you can get a real McDermott for around the same price.


I would buy the Players if I had to pick between the two.
 
cuesblues said:
The Players cue with the Kamui soft tip looks like the better deal.
I played with a lower model Players ($85.00 retail) that hit pretty good.
The Players cue is better looking according to measureman, The Doc says Players, and those guys are both production cue geniuses.

I don't know how Players shapes a layered tip, but make sure it's properly shaped & burnished.
Watch for a little shrooming at first.
Click to expand...

I bought the players shaft and I'm impressed with it, the Kamui tip was shaped and burnished well, no mushrooming so far and great feel.
 
poolguy4u said:
I would not buy a McDermott Star or Lucky Cue...not when you can get a real McDermott for around the same price.
Click to expand...

There is a strong case to be made there.

To take it even further, I would be looking at used McDermotts, older ones. You can get a nice D series for a great price occasionally.

But....hard to argue with new...it's like new car smell... :D
 
I am going to go out on a limb here. I am older, bad back, eyes shot. I think rather than a cue I would invest in some CD's that would train you on making higher runs, english and position and practice some drills. My feelings are you are buying the cue to improve your game? That said, use the knowledge given on the CD's (also lots of good stuff on YouTube) and than you will be more certain of what you want for yourself in a cue.

I hope I am not out of line here. I know of many low running players that still just love the game and thats the true meaning no matter what level one plays at.
 
TomHay said:
I am going to go out on a limb here. I am older, bad back, eyes shot. I think rather than a cue I would invest in some CD's that would train you on making higher runs, english and position and practice some drills. My feelings are you are buying the cue to improve your game? That said, use the knowledge given on the CD's (also lots of good stuff on YouTube) and than you will be more certain of what you want for yourself in a cue.

I hope I am not out of line here. I know of many low running players that still just love the game and thats the true meaning no matter what level one plays at.
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actually i would advocate a few lessons from a qualified instructor to start off with good fundamentals and not have to unlearn bad habits
so as not to digress i agree with chopdoc
:thumbup:
 
WELCOME to the forum and the cue sports!

I'm not that knowledgeable regarding low end production cues except what I read on this board. The Player's sounds like the better value what with the LD shaft and premium tip, but of course if that means corners were cut elsewhere, then who knows. I tend to think that with low end cues the costs have to shaved somewhere.

There are two schools of thought regarding starting out with an LD shaft. One is that it makes the game easier to learn because any adjustments for deflection are smaller. The other is that if you learn to adjust for deflection at the beginning with old school technology you might be better off in the long run; it is easier to go to LD than from LD. Again, these are just some people's opinions. I tend to believe that at the beginning LD might not be so important since at this stage where you are still learning to pocket balls applying spin shouldn't be a big concern. But I have no idea how quickly you will progress.

Another option is to just buy a really inexpensive cue like an Action or something for under $50. Since you are new to the game the big benefit of your first cue is simply that you will have the same one to play with each time and the feel of your equipment will be the same every time you play, sort of like having your own bowling ball instead of foraging for a different house ball each time.

If you stick with the game almost for sure you'll want to upgrade soon, so why be in the first cue for any kind of money? Throw a break tip on it and convert it to a break cue. Perhaps a standard rather than an LD shaft would be better for this. If worse comes to worse, for under $50 the cue is more or less disposable.

BTW, the Triangle is a hard tip.
 
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To the OP, you may want to look at the Fury cues. Stainless joints and hit real solid for an inexpensive price on the lower end cues.

I have on and do like it. Also play with a 25 year old McDermott D series as Doc suggested. Wood to wood joint. Nice hit and feel.
 
Many thanks for all the ideas and advice.

I was leaning toward the Players so it’s nice to know that the production cue geniuses approve. :smile:

Thanks for the advice on the tip, CBlues and LuckedOut. Any recommendations for a good tip tool, short of the $40 Gator Grip by Kamui? I won’t be breaking with the Players so hopefully I won’t mushroom it soon, if ever. I’ve been shooting with nearly tipless house cues for about six months so I’m hoping this will be an interesting experience.

I’m restricting myself to new cues because I’ll probably have this cue for quite a while and I like the idea of a guarantee (it’s why I passed on getting a Dale Perry ebay custom; if the DP shaft warps next year I’m up a creek with a warped paddle. The chances are small but I don’t want to take the risk of having to spend $150 twice. A used cue is pretty much the same problem).

Tom, you’re not out of line at all – in fact you’re without-a-doubt correct. That doesn’t mean I’m going to take your advice, of course. It’s kind of like when you were a teenager…would you have rather read books about lovemaking…or be in the back seat of a ’57 Chevy with the girl who sat across from you in math class? Sorry bud, the cue wins. :grin-devilish:Maybe I’ll get some DVDs or lessons after I’ve picked up enough bad habits to make it worthwhile.

DPP – Agreed about the compromises that have to be made in a production cue. In mass production everything has to be built to a price point. More money spent on one part/process has to mean less spent on another. That’s why I’m so glad to have the production cue geniuses on my side. I read about the LD vs non-LD starter cue debate in another thread and it makes a lot of sense. I’m leaning toward the LD because I have very limited time to practice; so when I do get around to learning English I want to keep the frustration level down. I’m making the assumption that the smaller aiming change needed with an LD shaft will translate into less frustration. Maybe not a valid assumption, but there it is. (BTW, I can assure you my progress will be slow). I don’t plan on replacing the cue for quite a while. I really enjoy playing pool but it’s a 2-hour a week max hobby for the forseeable future.

RobMan, thanks for the lead on Fury cues. I really wanted the like the Fury cues…and probably would, but at my price level none of the Fury cues shows the wood grain. I used to build guitars and I just can’t trust any wood in which I can’t see the grain. It’s just a habit with me. I could have confidence in their upper cue lines (for no other reason than because I can see the wood grain) but they’re out of my price range.

Thanks again.
 
Good luck with a cue with a guarantee. Just because a company has a guarantee, doesn't mean they'll replace everything for free, plus the cost to ship the cue to somewhere...and who knows how long it will take before you get something back. :mad:

McDermott is one of the only cue companies with a good guarantee and even then it will cost at least $20 for anything you'll need.:frown:

Guarantees on pool cues are overrated. With a cheap cue, it would be better just replacing it with another new cheap cue.:smile:
 
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warranty

im sending in a lucky for warranty . hope fully it will not be a waist of money.

a old beat up 100.00. mcdermott is better then either one of those cues

Clean up the shaft retip it one of the smatest buys for a beginer.

in my opinion. Doc is a tiger on the table and is old school pool cue player. and cruises e bay offen might want to have him look for you a good cue for min price.
cues made in china shipped all the way here I wounder what they are worth in china.

these are well made in the USA cues http://schmelkecue.com/billiard-cues/specialty-cues.html
hands down better then you choices in my opinion.
MMike
 
bbb- thanks for the tip about the tip tool. I ordered one today.
4u - Yeah, I hear you about the guarantee. A million ways for a company to weasel out of it.
MMike - Let us know how your warranty claim goes. Best of luck!

I ended up ordering the Players HXTE10 and can't wait until it arrives. I also ordered some inexpensive tips to put on the house cues at the community pool room. Yesterday I found one of cues that had a decent amount of tip left -- and miracle of miracles: I found a tip "cube" in the junk box! So I shaped the tip and it immediately played a whole lot better.

Thanks everyone.
 
bdorman said:
bbb- thanks for the tip about the tip tool. I ordered one today.
4u - Yeah, I hear you about the guarantee. A million ways for a company to weasel out of it.
MMike - Let us know how your warranty claim goes. Best of luck!

I ended up ordering the Players HXTE10 and can't wait until it arrives. I also ordered some inexpensive tips to put on the house cues at the community pool room. Yesterday I found one of cues that had a decent amount of tip left -- and miracle of miracles: I found a tip "cube" in the junk box! So I shaped the tip and it immediately played a whole lot better.

Thanks everyone.
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We see so many threads like this where some one finaly decides on a cue and we never here how they like it.
Please post back and give us a review. This will help the next person who asks for advice on what cue to buy.
 
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