Pool cue components or styles that you are not a fan of.

[skor]

Decals, overlays, fake leather, rubber grip, anything that is a fake, I rather have a Plain-Jane than a cue with stickers.
Don’t like too fancy cues with too much inlays on them either (there are exceptions but for the most part it just ugly)
I like the classic look, full/half splice with some nice ring work and not too crazy inlays. Or southwest style.

 

[ChrisSjoblom]

Any of the mural style artwork that appears airbrushed on a cue just screams banger to me. McDermott had a line of those type of cues quite a while back that were just hideous.

I used to like the gambler style cues featuring dice or cards, but anymore they just seem boring. Maybe my tastes changed or maybe there are just so may out there now that they seem rather cookie-cutter.

My absolute least favorite feature of a cue from an aesthetic position is a carbon fiber shaft. Regardless of how well they may or may not play, in my opinion they completely ruin what might otherwise be a very attractive cue.

All that being said, what do I know? I actually like a small bit of turquoise in a cue, and that seems to be universally disliked here. I used to have a good friend that was into hot rods and custom cars as much as I was. We did a lot of car shows together and when he'd run into a custom that he particularly disapproved of he would just say, "I guess it takes everybody to make a world."

 

[Bavafongoul]

Biggest pet peeve in cue building is anyone that doesn't have a mind creative enough to do anything for their own design.
Stop copying the SW cue design and calling it your cue.
They call it "a tribute"....I call it bullsh!t.
Work on getting a creative bone in your own body and stop copying other peoples specific ideas.



edit: PH is a great cue wood if used in the right places

It has been said, and written by others, that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
Few cue makers have created a design that another cue maker hasn’t used or inspired.

Designs aren’t under a trademark and even great cue makers emulated one another. Just look
thru the three Blue Book of Cues. Many thousands of cues & designs were made before 1982.

Cue makers might make a few dazzling cues for contest entry that are creatively different and
elaborate unique designs. However, their primary line of cues they sell all tend to copy designs.

Individuals ordering custom cues they personally designed may be the closest thing to a brand
new design but more often, all they’ve really done is pick & choose from other designs they like.

Anyway, that’s my take on cue designs and I’ve been looking & studying them for over 6 decades.
A cue isn’t like a canvas where an artist can render in paint anything or any theme they can envision.

 

[straightline]

Tell you what I'm least fond of. Perfectly fine used to be 30, 40 dollar cues are now into the low hundreds.

 

[mjantti]

I am not a fan of acrylic rings/inlays, decals or most of symbols like dice, cards, skulls & bones, swords etc. I don't like the look of dymondwood.

 

[60inchcueguy]

I greatly dislike seeing dice, cards, dragons or skulls on cues. I think it cheapens the look dramatically.

 

[Fatboy]

The right piece can be a beautiful thing. Paired with the wrong woods can make it a fugly thing!
It's an extremely nice playing wood in a cue. It's down side is there are very few colors that can be paired with it.

Edit: I guess I should have been a little clearer on the colors that Bocote will only pair well with.
Black
Yellow
Maple-natural
Silver
Brown-maybe, possibly
Even tho red, yellow and blue are primary colors and "some" say all work well together, I agree to disagree that red and blue do not go well with the color of Bocote.

I saw a Bocote cue once that was amazing.

In the right hands with the right piece of wood it is amazing

Best
Fatboy <——-appreciates good things

 

[jtompilot]

I was gonna say just that, sans the red coral coz I not seen that

Here's my cue. Plays so good I sad fuggit...urg.

Dang Walter, that cue is butt ugly

 

[Fatboy]

Gambler cues are kinda cool, I have a couple. However I’d never play with one. They are the only gimmick cue that I like.

Well, a good Budweiser decal cue that’s an under cover monster is cool. I’ve seen a few, never owned one.

Super fancy cues are nice art but not to play with.

 

[Black-Balled]

Butterfly points are in a tie with turquoise for ugly

Reported

 

[Black-Balled]

Dang Walter, that cue is butt ugly

Thanks, man.

Wtf was the intent of this? Offset intentionally? It isn't even seated for that .

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

It has been said, and written by others, that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
Few cue makers have created a design that another cue maker hasn’t used or inspired.

Designs aren’t under a trademark and even great cue makers emulated one another. Just look
thru the three Blue Book of Cues. Many thousands of cues & designs were made before 1982.

Cue makers might make a few dazzling cues for contest entry that are creatively different and
elaborate unique designs. However, their primary line of cues they sell all tend to copy designs.

Individuals ordering custom cues they personally designed may be the closest thing to a brand
new design but more often, all they’ve really done is pick & choose from other designs they like.

Anyway, that’s my take on cue designs and I’ve been looking & studying them for over 6 decades.
A cue isn’t like a canvas where an artist can render in paint anything or any theme they can envision.

Contradiction?
The "form of flattery" is simply because there is very little ethical integrity in this industry.
We're not talking about assembling simple 4pt 4ven with stitch ring cues with a luthiers diamond put in the pts.
Companies or individuals may have a certain aspect about their design that they have used on 99% of their cues.
For example a simple 6 point, 3 hi, 3 lower and the point matching short piece in the back sleeve. Care to guess what company this may be?
Everyone knows this by that simple one line description. It's not a dazzling cue for a contest entry but it is creatively different. Yet with the low esteem and unethical integrity you see in this industry it is copied over and over again.
Call Laurie and ask her how she feels about it. I never have and I certainly won't speak for her.
But I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express once.

 

[ChrisSjoblom]

Well, a good Budweiser decal cue that’s an under cover monster is cool. I’ve seen a few, never owned one.

I have an old Bucky Badger (UW) cue with a screw-on tip that, believe it or not, used to hit fairly well. Won a lot of $5-$20 8-ball games in the campus bars in Madison, WI with that thing in the 1980s.

 

[Cicerone88]

Contradiction?
The "form of flattery" is simply because there is very little ethical integrity in this industry.
We're not talking about assembling simple 4pt 4ven with stitch ring cues with a luthiers diamond put in the pts.
Companies or individuals may have a certain aspect about their design that they have used on 99% of their cues.
For example a simple 6 point, 3 hi, 3 lower and the point matching short piece in the back sleeve. Care to guess what company this may be?
Everyone knows this by that simple one line description. It's not a dazzling cue for a contest entry but it is creatively different. Yet with the low esteem and unethical integrity you see in this industry it is copied over and over again.
Call Laurie and ask her how she feels about it. I never have and I certainly won't speak for her.
But I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express once.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” - Oscar Wilde

 

[Scrunge19]

Meucci

 

[jalapus logan]

My cue has both turquoise & also purple heart. Abhorrent to others, but it captured my adoration.

 

[60inchcueguy]

My cue has both turquoise & also purple heart. Abhorrent to others, but it captured my adoration.

And that's all that matters! We all have our own tastes. Everyone should own what they like and not worry about other's opinions.
I just thought it would be interesting to see what other people's tastes were like. We are all right about them!

 

[lord_shar]

I wasn't a big fan of malachite in cue sticks. Then I saw the Schon CX-61 in my sig and could not hold off on pulling the trigger.

 

[jazznpool]

Limbsaver. Long ferrules. Thick handles. Back heavy cues. Extremely long cue wraps.