pre-cue purchase routine???

  • Thread starter Thread starter King Kong
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King Kong

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I was at the expo and loved it. The oppertunity to hold and closely examine cues for pontential purchase before hand was well worth it. I can not understand how people buy sight un seen???

You have to at least hold the butt of the cue to see if it's too fat or thin, too heavy or too light! or balanced properly. Buying at the show was much better then even custom ordering for me. You never really know what you are going to get! Hell, what you dreamed up might feel and play horrible because of the woods selected, weight issues & etc.

I scanned the place picking up every thing I could get my hands on and made a real nice purchase. Even after all the scrutiny I gave the butt. I never noticed the ferrulles. They are plastic based not linen based melamine (LBM) like I thought and like! any easy $30 fix at the cue repair man shop.

I see a ton of people buying off of pictures & descriptions, only to see them on Ebay a week or month later! The number one suggestion to any one looking for a cue is to attend the expo or Derby City with tons of vendors and hunt out what feels good in your hand. You would be surpised at how many people select on looks and never pick the thing up!!!

Just some more hot air and venting. I thought I checked everything before buying and took it for granted the ferrulles were melamine since they were not ivory according to the vendor.

Below is my check list pre-purchase. Whats yours look like???

1. weight check
2. lenght check
3. butt diameter
4. balance point
5. is it cored?
6. is it straight?
7. is it 3/4 inch ferrulle
8. is it melamine ferrulle
9. proper taper?
 
will it make every ball I shoot at!....first requisite:D


they always say yes!
Gerry
 
King Kong said:
Below is my check list pre-purchase. Whats yours look like???

1. weight check
2. lenght check
3. butt diameter
4. balance point
5. is it cored?
6. is it straight?
7. is it 3/4 inch ferrulle
8. is it melamine ferrulle
9. proper taper?
Click to expand...

Can you explain why it matters if it's cored? From my understanding this is a way for a cuemaker to control the weight of a cue. What is the advantage/disadvantage of having a cored cue? Does it affect your decision of whether to buy the cue or not or are you just interested in finding out what the cue is made of?

One other thing I check is the tip it comes with. If it's something that I'm going to want to replace then I have to figure that into the price I'm gonna pay to get it to play the way I want. Another thing I'd be sure to check is the joint material/type/pin.
 
King Kong said:
...Below is my check list pre-purchase. Whats yours look like???
Click to expand...

Wow, I can't believe you'd ever consider using this list, you've missed ALL the most important factors. Here's a REAL list:

1. Make sure it has a real nylon wrap. DO NOT accept any cheap-ass non-nylon substitutes like linen or leather.
2. Make sure it has a screw-in tip. Many cue dealers try to get away with those glued-on tips to save money, but have you ever tried changing one of those in the middle of a game? Can you buy those fancy tips at Walmart? I think not.
3. Make sure the rings can be removed, which requires at least 3 joints in the butt, and that it comes with a set of different rings to change the color and/or weight - This is the *real* definition of "custom" cue and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
4. Make sure to get a free soft case with the cue, how else are you going to carry it to the bar and back?
5. Cues with beer brands or the name of a famous sports star on them will naturally cost more for the licensing rights, so be prepared to include that in your budget.
6. If you must buy a cue that’s not a Cuetec buy a Meucci
7. If you *really* can’t find a Meucci that you like and have to buy “another” brand of cue make sure the cue maker has been dead for at least 3 years. If not make sure to tell all your friends he is dead, they won't know the difference as no-one has spoken to Mr. Predator for years anyhow.
8. Make sure to pay full retail Blue Book values plus 20% to ensure the cue dealer does not feel insulted and refuse to deal with you.
9. Pool cues with nude women airbrushed on them are no longer considered acceptable and are degrading UNLESS the woman is riding on a large wolf.
 
Last edited:
Runtboy said:
Can you explain why it matters if it's cored? From my understanding this is a way for a cuemaker to control the weight of a cue. What is the advantage/disadvantage of having a cored cue? Does it affect your decision of whether to buy the cue or not or are you just interested in finding out what the cue is made of?
Click to expand...

Yeesh, I guess I'll have to actually get serious here for a second. Note that this question may be best asked over in the Ask the CueMaker forum, but my understanding is cuemakers core cues for consistency of hit independant of the design. I have a plain-jane Capone cue that I love, and I understand if I buy one of his fancy cues in the future it should hit the same way due to the coring. However of course the downside is the cuemaker cannot specifically tailor the feel of the cue by changing around the woods used in the forearm and handle. How much of these material differences beyond simply the balance point and the overall weight can actually be felt by the player is an open discussion.

Note also some people feel coring makes a cue inherantly weaker and is to be avoided at all costs. There is also an argument that if you pay for the cachet of an really nice exotic piece of wood you want it to be solid and not a mere laminated surface.
 
hey,

First Aunt Dan is hilarious!!

Second, coring in my opinion is much better!!! especially with flat faced joints and big pins. The shaft is made of maple and when the cue is cored in maple the vibration travels better and i like to feel every trimmer of the cue. it helps in my control and touch. hell, on a good day I can play by feel. To help me feel the vibration better and let my sensory functions aid my game I got rid of the metal joints and other disruptions in the flow of the vibration from tip to hand. so, my ted harris has wood all the way thru. melamine ferrulle to maple shaft to the cored butt maple cored to the butt handle also maple. The use of the same wood ALL the way thru does wonders for the feel. I have a rose wood break cue NOT cored and rosewood is one of the best hard woods for feel and there is no comparing the two hits. one is dead and the other is aive and kicking. Plus, 90 percent of all cue makers make the butt handle out of maple and NOTHING else when you look under the wrap of most customs! the wood carrys vibration better. i hope this explains why cored!!

king kong
 
It was my understanding that a cored cue is also much less likely to warp down the road....
 
King Kong said:
...
Below is my check list pre-purchase. Whats yours look like???

1. weight check
2. lenght check
3. butt diameter
4. balance point
5. is it cored?
6. is it straight?
7. is it 3/4 inch ferrulle
8. is it melamine ferrulle
9. proper taper?
Click to expand...
Like Aunty Dan, I feel you left out the most important item, but I'm serious.

How does the cue hit the ball?

If the seller is not willing to let you hit balls with spin, you're buying a pig in a poke.

Depending on how you want the stick to hit the ball, a 3/4-inch ferrule is too long.
 
Second, coring in my opinion is much better!!! especially with flat faced joints and big pins. The shaft is made of maple and when the cue is cored in maple the vibration travels better and i like to feel every trimmer of the cue.

I hope SW, Searing, Tad, DPK, Szambotti, Hercek, Zylr, Bill Hagan, Rick Howard, Bill Schick and Tascarella don't find this out.:eek:
 
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