Quality of Schmelke cues noticeably decreased lately?

S

sbrownn

Registered
I received my R series in cocobolo (Aug 2023) and there were a couple of issues with it:
  1. nicks in shaft
  2. shaft was not to 12.5mm custom ordered spec
  3. tip needed more trimming so it did not overlap ferrule
1 and 2 above I would not consider minor issues but nothing major. 3 was very minor and after talking with Dave at Schmelke he said send it back and he would address everything, which he did.

My friend soon after saw my R series cue and wanted to order one in bacote, which he did. When he got it, the clear coat finish was almost "milky", nothing as vibrant as the finish on mine. He asked Schmelke about this and they said they had to change their finish as they could not get the original formula. This surprises me because I don't think other cue makers are having this problem. And last night the same friend said his ferrule was cracked and there is some issues with the butt (cracking / separating) after a few months of playing and he was sending back the cue (not sure for replacement or repair).

Has anyone else experienced issues like these or others with Schmelke lately. I don't think I will continue to recommend Schmelke cues if their quality is diminishing.
 
I have a Schmelke cue and there is nothing wrong with it.
It does not have the same clear a mile deep finish as a high end custom but it's still ok.
Don't expect a high end looking cue at Schmelke prices.
They are a terrific value for what they cost.
 
Schmelke quality has always been questionable in my opinion. My shop wasn't set up and I was curious how Schmelke built cues so cheaply so I bought one some years ago now. I ordered an extra long shaft out of curiosity. It was so limber as to be unplayable. Cut down to thirty inches and my tip and ferrule installed and the shaft played OK. Kinda figured that was my doing, no biggie.

About six months after I bought it I bumped something with the tip area, a light bump. The cue broke half in two! The insert in the shaft had been screwed into an oversized hole, no threads tapped in the shaft! They put a stingy dollop of glue to hold the insert in, had they not been so stingy with the glue that cut corner would have probably worked, still a major corner cut.

The pin was just cheap threaded stock cut to length, not as stiff and not as clean of threads as a pin designed to go with a cue. I swapped it out with a decent g-10 pin while I was making changes. Eventually all I had of the original cue was the butt which was one piece bocate, ,no splices, no ringwork, no inlays, no fancy work at all. I could have bought that piece of bocate for about thirty-five dollars at the time.

I might have gotten a cue worth half the $165 I think I paid for it at best. Haven't bought one in many years but a Dufferin jointed cue at a local store that stocked a bunch was a better deal.

I have to wonder if Schmelke farms some of their work out? Do they have fairly green helpers assembling cues? A few things have to be mentioned in all fairness. One, I never went back to Schmelke with my issues. Two, a lot of custom builders use Schmelke blanks and they have an excellent reputation. Still, I would specify a Davis blank and pay any extra cost. From what I have seen I would not want a multi-thousand dollar cue built on a Schmelke blank.

A very small sample although I ran into a few more Schmelkes with issues. Opinions come cheap but I think a production cue with plenty of selection is a better deal than a Schmelke. Everyone's mileage may vary of course. My experience was my usual when I have bought cheap regardless of what I was buying. I feel like I got even less than what I paid for. My opinion, no excuse for an insert half-assed glued in with no threads in the shaft. Might have been just one employee or sub cutting corners, I don't know.

Hu
 
The chinese-made $80 sneaky at J&J is a better made cue. i got a Sckmelk in '16 and both shafts warped in a lil over a year. i MIGHT buy a butt to use with a cf shaft but its doubtful i'd ever order a whole cue from them again.
 
sbrownn said:
I received my R series in cocobolo (Aug 2023) and there were a couple of issues with it:
  1. nicks in shaft
  2. shaft was not to 12.5mm custom ordered spec
  3. tip needed more trimming so it did not overlap ferrule
1 and 2 above I would not consider minor issues but nothing major. 3 was very minor and after talking with Dave at Schmelke he said send it back and he would address everything, which he did.

My friend soon after saw my R series cue and wanted to order one in bacote, which he did. When he got it, the clear coat finish was almost "milky", nothing as vibrant as the finish on mine. He asked Schmelke about this and they said they had to change their finish as they could not get the original formula. This surprises me because I don't think other cue makers are having this problem. And last night the same friend said his ferrule was cracked and there is some issues with the butt (cracking / separating) after a few months of playing and he was sending back the cue (not sure for replacement or repair).

Has anyone else experienced issues like these or others with Schmelke lately. I don't think I will continue to recommend Schmelke cues if their quality is diminishing.
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Call and send it back. The customer service is usually excellent. No excuse for that. Let them make good or refund your money. Please call them...let them know they came recommended and you are disappointed. You not accepting it.

Always call as soon as receiving a cue if not satisfied. Immediately inspect and report any issues.


garczar said:
i got a Sckmelk in '16 and both shafts warped in a lil over a year. i MIGHT buy a butt to use with a cf shaft but its doubtful i'd ever order a whole cue from them again.
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My 3 Schmelkes are excellent. I use a Revo or 314-2 with the butts.
 
GoldCrown said:
Call and send it back. The customer service is usually excellent. No excuse for that. Let them make good or refund your money. Please call them...let them know they came recommended and you are disappointed. You not accepting it.

Always call as soon as receiving a cue if not satisfied. Immediately inspect and report any issues.



My 3 Schmelkes are excellent. I use a Revo or 314-2 with the butts.
Click to expand...
They aren't consistent in their quality. For a co. in biz this long sending out inferior product is not good especially considering how basic their cues are. Its not like they're making veneer'd/inlaid customs. Making a mw/sneaky that doesn't warp/break should be pretty basic shit.
 
Overall for the price schmelkes are decent. I use the butts cause their cheap & I can lighten them worry free.
I dont use their shafts ,but do use various Ld shafts with the butts.
My biggest gripe with their butts ,is their clear coat is kinda trash ,its been my experience that the clear coat always chips at the collar where the shaft meets up .
 
I just bought a Rosewood Schmelke Sneaky from Billiard Warehouse in December. I used BW because they had an option for a longer pro taper than Schmelke's online order form. It arrived quickly in perfect shape. It has a nice semi-gloss finish I find very attractive. I haven't measured the tip, I ordered 12mm. Very nice cue worth every bit of the less than $150 cost. The only thing I would have changed is the Schmelke label on the shaft. Kind of takes away the sneakiness, LOL. I did change the tip to a Precision Medium.
 
xX-Wizard-Xx said:
I just bought a schmelke sneaky a couple weeks ago ... Still waiting.
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Hope it works out. Mine turned out great for the price I paid. I've owned 4 of them since 1990. This is the cocobolo R to my spec I ordered.

sneaky.jpg
 
EDRJR said:
I just bought a Rosewood Schmelke Sneaky from Billiard Warehouse in December. I used BW because they had an option for a longer pro taper than Schmelke's online order form. It arrived quickly in perfect shape. It has a nice semi-gloss finish I find very attractive. I haven't measured the tip, I ordered 12mm. Very nice cue worth every bit of the less than $150 cost. The only thing I would have changed is the Schmelke label on the shaft. Kind of takes away the sneakiness, LOL. I did change the tip to a Precision Medium.
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This might have been form their old stock not using the new "milky finish" that I really do not like...
 
My O1 has a chip in the finish on a shaft joint ring and it costs a lot more than a Schmelke does. I’m not mad. Just saying a few flaws can happen even on a pricey custom. Sending it in for joint protectors and another shaft soon. Am I going to ask Bob about the chip-nope.
 
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