Often the $3,000 cue was made in a garage out back
pool cues
- Thread starter sciarco
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Often the $3,000 cue was made in a garage out back
I had a $30 sneaky from a pawn shop play better than a $5k Richard Black. Right now I don't have a cue that I've paid more than $162 for besides my Runde. Everything plays great. Granted I have some great playing cues, IMHO, that I've picked up for cheap. If $400 is your budget, I'd suggest a plain jane Schon, a C or D McDermott or a Canadian Falcon as far as production cues go. There are plenty of custom sneakies or PJ's that one can pick up around $400 or less on the secondary market.
not true...the butt plays a big roll on how the overall cue "plays". Different materials and construction methods affect the way a cue plays... The entire cue determines how a cue plays and then the player "controls" the balls....
Buy what you like within your budget...
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Absolutely, I've said this many times. In fact I've always said, put yourself in the shoes of the companies that sell raw materials to cue makers.
Consider your thoughts generically throughout any and all manufacturing companies for any product. If you were the company selling raw materials, and the quality of those material varied, who would you be sure got the very best materials to build their product? The company that manufactured 100 products or less a year or the company that manufactured thousands?
Sure as a salesman you would tell all your customers that the materials are the best you have, but you know damned well you don't want even one batch of sub standard material to go to your biggest accounts.
For those who haven't seen this, (click here), here is an example of a buyer that you might be interested in giving the best available product to and keeping lesser quality to the micro companies. Now I'm no lover specifically to these particular cues, but the point is ... this is a volume buyer.
Any seller with a half of a brain wouldn't want to lose this company account to a guy who makes a dozen cues a year in his garage.
A custom high dollar pool cue is a work of art, a labor of love, and is collectable for those who are interested in "one off design" custom cues. Playability, and collect ability are two entirely different things.
Some people enjoy both collecting cues and playing pool. These high end cues are great for them if they can afford it. But ... besides playability being a subjective issue, I still think the very best quality material is sold to the most important clients. You know ... money talks and bull$h!t walks.
I agree that price and playability do not usually correlate. I have played with and currently own cues that are not worth $400 on the current market that play great. But it is also my experience that some cuemakers whose waiting lists are ridiculously long and whose cues command a great deal on the used market make extraordinary playing cues. Their attention to detail in the looks of the cue may be a cut above the rest. But for some of those cuemakers, it is my opinion that level of attention started with building cues that play the best. I prefer cues that are simple looking. But I buy cues that feel the best in play. I have owned cues at very different price ranges.
Given that 90%-95% of how the cue plays is in the first 6-8 inches of the shaft (tip, tenon, ferule, 6 inches of the shaft), the real difference between a $400 cue and a $3000 cue has nothing to do with playability and everything to do with cosmetics and paying the person who put the cosmetics on.
That being said I still marvel at the skill and knowledge it takes to take different woods and metals like silver and cold not to mention ivory and still make a cue that is balanced and plays as good as it looks. I've seen a lot of beautiful ornate cues that just don't play.
Well you don't need to be in $10K range for all the above you mentioned. Basically, if you buy a $400 production cue, there not much you can tweak the cue to however you want but if you buy a custom cue regardless of price range, you get to choose material, balance point, weight.....etc..... You get the idea.
No such thing as a $100 Wal Mart purse
But I get your point.
Truthfully John, I wouldn't know if they have $100 Wal Mart purse Lolz.... Never looked before, I only been to Wal-mart once or twice in my life Lolz. Think I should go check it out sometimes when I get a chance. :grin-square: