Questions for you custom cue players

[slide13]

I'm pretty sure he got pick of the litter at least.

Or do you think he used his Seybert's Bucks to purchase it?

Haha...actually, I believe the one he's currently playing with is the one that a friend gave him that was purchased at retail. At least I'm pretty sure that is his current one. But yes, I'm sure when Cuetec gives him a new cue he gets to pick through and find one that feels just right to him. Wouldn't be surprised if he tries a bunch of shafts out to find the right one....but if you go to a big enough shop that carries a bunch of Cuetecs one could probably do the same.

And hand picking a cue from a bunch of production cues is a long way from playing something totally different that is disguised to look like a production model.

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

You're making some very broad statements.

"Do you think a guy that makes 50 cues per year has access to better wood than a place that throws out more than he could use in a year?"

Any cuemaker doing his/her job has access to the same quality woods. The small production cuemaker can very likely use better quality woods than the production shop.

"As Dan Janes said to me one time, if you were getting laser surgery for your eyes, do you want the guy who does 100 surgeries a year, and has been in the business for 5 years, or the guy that does 10,000 a year, and has been doing them since day 1?"

Large scale production does not necessarily mean better quality. That is like saying Fender produces a better guitar, simply because of the numbers produced, than Thorell, Benedetto, or Maton. Or conversely that is like arguing that Brent Hartman/BHQ, Richard Black, Jake Hulsey, Steve Klein, or Paul Drexler/PFD Studios can't/don't make as good a quality playing cue as Predator, OB, or Viking.

The argument is that custom makers make a better product than the production cue makers. The fact is, they don't. Dan Janes is still at Joss. He started the operation with Bill Stroud. Where did Tim Scruggs learn to make a cue? He was a master machinist before learning to build cues at Joss. Mike Sigel made custom cues - guess where he first made cues? Joss. Mike Irwin worked at Meucci. I will agree that there are some attention to details that can be made when it's a smaller operation. But sharpness of points and aesthetics have nothing to do with how a cue plays.

If I stick a Predator shaft on a Scruggs, a Meucci, or a broomstick, it's going to hit the exact same way. That can't be said for the guitars above. Now, while you're on guitars, I own a Yamaha FG730CS acoustic. Every time I take it in for any string changes or setups, the technician just marvels at the guitar. He said "if this thing was labelled Taylor, it'd sell for $1500". I bought it for $400. Good wood is good wood.

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

Don't bet on SVB playing a production Cuetec. Tiger woods played Nike golf clubs BEFORE Nike sold golf clubs.

Actually, Tiger was still using Titleist woods when he was playing with Nike clubs.

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

Production cues perform identically as a custom cue does in the sense that both cues stroke the cue ball. And a skilled player will shoot great with either type cue but ask that player if he has a preference?

Production cues just will not match up with the custom cues. Far too many production cue companies rely upon the weight bolt to ultimately deliver the customer the weight they want. A custom cue in production will sit for a longer period of time with its veneers glued and drying than it takes a production cue company to make/finish the entire cue. Why do you think it takes upwards of a year for custom cues? How many cues does Schon, Predator, Viking etc. knock out in a month or a quarter versus say Dennis Searing, Pete Tascarella, James White, Ed Prewitt, Bob Owen, Steve Klein, etc.? And you think these are comparable.....duh?

It's been my experience that the majority of naysayers about custom cues being over-rated are usually folks that are either very frugal minded, so talented it doesn't matter or else so bad they just don't know any better, or perhaps just envious. If you can afford to get a custom pool cue made exactly the way you want, then do it. A production cue is intended for the mass market of pool players/cue buyers while custom cues are targeted for a much more elite market of pool players that generally tend to be much more demanding & exact about their cues.

Let's face it. You always pay for the very best quality, both in the past and today.... cars, watches, jewelry, musical instruments etc. Well, guess what? Pool cues aren't any different.

Matt B.

One of the funniest posts I've ever read. Thank you

Some of us naysayers have owned a lot of custom cues, because we were convinced by the "elite" cue buyers that they somehow play better. I have owned more custom cues than I care to admit. No buyers envy here. There is no magic ability that resides in a cue stick. There...I said it. I used to get roasted by a guy that played with a Cuetec. Another with a Meucci. Meanwhile, my Thomas Wayne looked utterly smashing. I took some lessons from an instructor when I owned a Keith Josey. My game shot up due to the lessons and preshot routine. When I switched to a Predator, my shooting ability got better due to confidence in my game, not the brand of the cue.

My Rick Howard has a weight bolt. So does my Barnhart. So did my Josey. And my Richard Black. And my Jacoby. And my Schuler (washers, but still added weight). And my Jensen. And my Prather. And my ..........the list goes on.

Do you know why it takes upward of a year for a custom cue? Man hours. Has nothing to do with glue drying, and attention to detail. This morning, at Starbucks, there was a line up. My coffee took the exact same amount of time to make as if I was first in line. The difference was there were 10 people ahead of me in line today.

 

[TheAggressor]

If I stick a Predator shaft on a Scruggs, a Meucci, or a broomstick, it's going to hit the exact same way. That can't be said for the guitars above. Now, while you're on guitars, I own a Yamaha FG730CS acoustic. Every time I take it in for any string changes or setups, the technician just marvels at the guitar. He said "if this thing was labelled Taylor, it'd sell for $1500". I bought it for $400. Good wood is good wood.

Umm I can clearly tell a difference between my Joss with a Z2 and my Roadline with a Z2. As well as the Roadline and my friend's P3 both with a Z2. I agree the shaft is the money maker on a cue but I can tell a difference in butts and pins. If I couldn't I would just walk into walmart, grab something off the shelf and throw a Z2 or 314 on.

 

[Shooter08]

Just buy my Runde, lol. He started Schon left in 93 when they became what most call a production builder and went back to building customs a couple years later on his own.

 

[TheAggressor]

Just buy my Runde, lol. He started Schon left in 93 when they became what most call a production builder and went back to building customs a couple years later on his own.

Don't worry its on my radar lol. Only been researching for a week now. I'm not one to rush into anything.

 

[Baron]

I play with a nice custom cue because I like it when people ask me who made my cue and I can then perk up and say, "Why that would be Pete Tascarella, master cuebuilder. You know, he got all his equipment from the late George Balabushka." Then I strut around the table like a peacock drilling balls into the rail and playing air guitar and whipping my cue around like a bow staff. I learned that from Tom Cruise. On the snap, Vincent! Yeah!

But seriously, I like playing with custom cues because I know I can get at least some semblance of the original value out of the cue. I figure if the bottom ever falls out on me, since I've chosen carefully with my cues I should be able to flip them for actually more than I paid for them if I have to. And truly, I do like the fact that I own what I consider to be a piece of billiards history with my Tasc and it plays really great. But I will say - I've played just as well with a Schon, Lucasi, Joss, other customs, and of course house cues. But if you're going to go custom, just hang around here for a while to get a feel for cue values and aesthetics and if you're patient, you'll get a steal of a price on whatever brand you choose. Especially right now being that the market is in the toilet. For my money, I've never heard a single bad word about the playability of a Bluegrass cue and you'll be able to pick one up for less than a grand if you're patient. I sold one for 800 here a few months ago and it was an amazing player.

EDIT: Oh and I forgot - just like Shooter08 said - if you like Schons and want to go custom, Runde's probably the best option out there. Another guy I've never heard a bad word about.

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

Umm I can clearly tell a difference between my Joss with a Z2 and my Roadline with a Z2. As well as the Roadline and my friend's P3 both with a Z2. I agree the shaft is the money maker on a cue but I can tell a difference in butts and pins. If I couldn't I would just walk into walmart, grab something off the shelf and throw a Z2 or 314 on.

Same Z2 shaft? I think you highly overestimate your ability to be able to discern the hit from a certain cue based on the butt design and pin type.

 

[TheAggressor]

I play with a nice custom cue because I like it when people ask me who made my cue and I can then perk up and say, "Why that would be Pete Tascarella, master cuebuilder. You know, he got all his equipment from the late George Balabushka." Then I strut around the table like a peacock drilling balls into the rail and playing air guitar and whipping my cue around like a bow staff. I learned that from Tom Cruise. On the snap, Vincent! Yeah!

Sold me! haha jk

 

[mortuarymike-nv]

cue's

Looking to upgrade my equipment to something that will last a while. I have been looking at and testing production cues around the $650-$750 range. With this price range it got me thinking. If I just saved (or gambled) up a couple more hundred I could buy a lower-end or used custom. I have been doing some research but still have lots of questions. Replies from a few of you who do play with custom cues would be great.

I want a cue that will move the ball nicely around the table and give me feedback. A real playing cue, not just a collector’s item. Will a mid-range custom cue out perform a high-end production?
Did you play with the cue before investing $1,200+ or did you just trust the brand name?
Where do you purchase custom cues? I can’t seem to find direct websites for a lot of the cue makers.
Staying in the $1,200 or under range what are some of my options? Used in good shape is fine by me.

Thanks for your time .

Edit: I guess my most basic question is; Is a custom cue worth the extra money if all you care about is playability?

Anything over 600.00 bucks and you are buying a name and looks.
Custom plain Jane cue hit just as good as any cue with allot of inlays, Ivory ferrules and joints might change the hit of a cue depending on how the cue is constructed.
And will cost more,

Personally I think Custom cues are made from better grades of wood with more figure and the wood has been cured or dried longer and the custom cue maker is not rushing the wood.
I also think custom cues have a better finish on them.

I have bought allot of exotic woods, most all of the wood I buy is not dry enough to turn yet.
How many production cue companies sit on there wood for 25 years before they feel the wood has stopped moving enough to start turning the wood into a cue.
IMO that is the main reason is most of the production cue companies started making laminated shafts is because you can cut Laminated wood into a shaft in one cutting where solid maple shafts are turned down little by little over a year or two.
Or at least that is the way I turn my shafts, and all my shaft wood has been drying for at least 15 years.


My main player is not anything but my favorite cue, it doesn't cost the most and its not the best looking cue that I have ever owned either.

I could suggest all kinds of cues that are very nice looking and costs allot of money.
But that would be pretty pointless because it all come down to your personal preference .

 

[Johnny Rosato]

What Renegade said !!!

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

Personally I think Custom cues are made from better grades of wood with more figure and the wood has been cured or dried longer and the custom cue maker is not rushing the wood. I also think custom cues have a better finish on them.

I have bought allot of exotic woods, most all of the wood I buy is not dry enough to turn yet. How many production cue companies sit on there wood for 25 years before they feel the wood has stopped moving enough to start turning the wood into a cue.

IMO that is the main reason is most of the production cue companies started making laminated shafts is because you can cut Laminated wood into a shaft in one cutting where solid maple shafts are turned down little by little over a year or two.
Or at least that is the way I turn my shafts, and all my shaft wood has been drying for at least 15 years.

I think production cue companies pay a lot more attention to the quality of their wood, than a cuemaker turning cues in his garage, or basement. Viking and McDermott have an area in their plants devoted to wood. Temperature and humidity controlled woods. Viking takes anywhere from 2-5 years to turn a shaft.

It's great that you've bought a lot of exotic wood. I somehow think Jerry Pechauer or Evan Clarke have probably purchased more of it than you have, over a longer period of time, for many more cues than you've made. Every custom cuemaker will think they make a superior product than the "production" maker. Gordon Hart started Viking Cues in the 70s. Paul Huebler as well. Dan Janes at Joss started in 1969. Jim McDermott started in the late 70s or early 80s. They didn't start out making 10000 cues per year. They started small. And demand for their cues grew. They developed a following based on repeatability, attention to detail, and playability. Now they have operations that employ many people.

It'd be different if we were talking about skilled craftsmen that were using chisels and hand tools, and working meticulously over their cues. May the best machine win. Most, if not all, of the high end custom makers have 4 axis CNC machines and lathes. The production houses have CNC lathes as well.

And, "most" production cue companies are making laminated shafts? Interesting. I only know of one using laminated stock due to inferior wood supply. Otherwise, OB just switched to premium maple in their laminated shafts. The shafts made by Jacoby are much more labour intensive than a standard one piece maple shaft. Kent Davis, a custom maker, uses exotic wood laminated butts. Are you saying he's doing this so that he can use inferior woods versus other cuemakers that don't?

Burton Spain figured that you could tell if wood was bad or good within a year of cutting. If the wood was still moving after a year, it would always move. If it was stable after cutting for the year, it was stable. There are so many theories on cuemaking, and most of them contradict each other.

There's no enchanted forest of magical maple trees that only the custom makers have access to. The guys who have made 10000 cues have probably seen everything that can happen to wood that can happen.

And, as I mentioned earlier, I have yet to see a post on this forum titled "paid Viking, but didn't get my cue", or "ripped off by OB cues", or "can someone give me the number for Joss? I haven't heard from them in a year'. They've been around for awhile, and don't seem to be going anywhere.

 

[Bavafongoul]

Reading Comprehension Skills of Some Are Poor.....

I never said that the mere inclusion of a weight bolt in the construction of a cue is bad.......but production cue-makers aren't going to take the time to build the cue the way the customer wants it. Earlier I probably used too broad of a brushstroke and should have written "the majority of" production cos. instead of assuming every firm is the same.

If you want a cue with a butt weight of 14.3 ounces, shafts that weigh 4.0 -4.2 ozs., flat ivory big pin joint, ivory ferrules, and a nice design with rings and some inlays, it's a challenge for production cue firms based upon my experience with attempting such an order on a tribute cue. They can make you a cue that weighs in the low 19 oz. range and trim the bolt or make the cue lighter and just use a heavier bolt. However, building the cue with the specs I wanted wasn't of any interest based upon my prior experience with ordering just such a cue.

If you're a good pool player, the cue doesn't matter whether it's a $400 cue or a $4,000 cue since you'll undoubtedly play well with either cue ......but which pool cue felt better in terms of hit and feel? That's my point.....you can tell the difference in top quality cues, even though those cues can be made with a weight bolt or without one......it's really the rest of the cue construction that differentiates these cues from production cues......that's just been my experience with cues over almost 54 years of pool playing.

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

I never said that the mere inclusion of a weight bolt in the construction of a cue is bad.......but production cue-makers aren't going to take the time to build the cue the way the customer wants it. Earlier I probably used too broad of a brushstroke and should have written "the majority of" production cos. instead of assuming every firm is the same.

If you want a cue with a butt weight of 14.3 ounces, shafts that weigh 4.0 -4.2 ozs., flat ivory big pin joint, ivory ferrules, and a nice design with rings and some inlays, it's a challenge for production cue firms based upon my experience with attempting such an order on a tribute cue. They can make you a cue that weighs in the low 19 oz. range and trim the bolt or make the cue lighter and just use a heavier bolt. However, building the cue with the specs I wanted wasn't of any interest based upon my prior experience with ordering just such a cue.

If you're a good pool player, the cue doesn't matter whether it's a $400 cue or a $4,000 cue since you'll undoubtedly play well with either cue ......but which pool cue felt better in terms of hit and feel? That's my point.....you can tell the difference in top quality cues, even though those cues can be made with a weight bolt or without one......it's really the rest of the cue construction that differentiates these cues from production cues......that's just been my experience with cues over almost 54 years of pool playing.

Please tell me the cue construction techniques that are being used by the custom cuemakers that makes them hit better. And the materials that they're using to attain these superior playing characteristics. Hit and feel come from tip and ferrule materials. Could you enlighten me as to what special custom techniques are being used that aren't by the production makers?

 

[mortuarymike-nv]

cues

I think production cue companies pay a lot more attention to the quality of their wood, than a cuemaker turning cues in his garage, or basement. Viking and McDermott have an area in their plants devoted to wood. Temperature and humidity controlled woods. Viking takes anywhere from 2-5 years to turn a shaft.

It's great that you've bought a lot of exotic wood. I somehow think Jerry Pechauer or Evan Clarke have probably purchased more of it than you have, over a longer period of time, for many more cues than you've made. Every custom cuemaker will think they make a superior product than the "production" maker. Gordon Hart started Viking Cues in the 70s. Paul Huebler as well. Dan Janes at Joss started in 1969. Jim McDermott started in the late 70s or early 80s. They didn't start out making 10000 cues per year. They started small. And demand for their cues grew. They developed a following based on repeatability, attention to detail, and playability. Now they have operations that employ many people.

It'd be different if we were talking about skilled craftsmen that were using chisels and hand tools, and working meticulously over their cues. May the best machine win. Most, if not all, of the high end custom makers have 4 axis CNC machines and lathes. The production houses have CNC lathes as well.

And, "most" production cue companies are making laminated shafts? Interesting. I only know of one using laminated stock due to inferior wood supply. Otherwise, OB just switched to premium maple in their laminated shafts. The shafts made by Jacoby are much more labour intensive than a standard one piece maple shaft. Kent Davis, a custom maker, uses exotic wood laminated butts. Are you saying he's doing this so that he can use inferior woods versus other cuemakers that don't?

Burton Spain figured that you could tell if wood was bad or good within a year of cutting. If the wood was still moving after a year, it would always move. If it was stable after cutting for the year, it was stable. There are so many theories on cuemaking, and most of them contradict each other.

There's no enchanted forest of magical maple trees that only the custom makers have access to. The guys who have made 10000 cues have probably seen everything that can happen to wood that can happen.

And, as I mentioned earlier, I have yet to see a post on this forum titled "paid Viking, but didn't get my cue", or "ripped off by OB cues", or "can someone give me the number for Joss? I haven't heard from them in a year'. They've been around for awhile, and don't seem to be going anywhere.

You have every right to think as you please, but what we think or what our opinions are doesn't make it the truth all the time.
I am not looking for a argument, and I would like to be sensible about this topic.

Lets be reasonable .
The best looking woods are separated at the production cue factories.
Just like the wood is separated at a gun factory, and those woods are used in there custom made products, or the special orders.
The best woods are not used in the everyday production or even custom cues or guns or guitars or furniture .
The difference is the custom cue makers wood that is used in there normal every day cues is hand picked, more exotic figure. and much more pickier about the wood there are going to use.
The best woods are set aside because they can get more money for them and they are rare or unusual.
There is no choice if you offer a product that has different levels of workmanship and materials....................................... you set aside the best materials because you know you will get the most money for it and it helps when the maker sits down to design the product.

I say this because I made guns, and because I also make allot of custom made wood products.

The custom cue maker picks each piece of wood himself, and always hand picks the best and pays the highest prices.
If the wood isn't something that doesn't catch his eye or if the wood doesn't produce the right harmonics then the wood is not used in a cue.....

He starts and finishes the job himself, he has his name on each cue.
The custom cue maker has to make the cue as perfect as possible because he depends on return customers and not selling cues by the hundreds.
Quality comes before quantity.
The custom cue maker has no choice but to make a better cue then 95 percent of all the production cue maker...........
Only problem is some Custom cue makers employ several employees, so how ever you guys decide who is production and who is a custom cue maker is another debate.

A very fare question.
Who do you think is going to make the best cue, the factory worker who is there for a pay check and doesn't know shit about wood or cues..
Most factory worker are considered un skilled labor.

Or the custom cue maker who has invested a fair share of his life learning wood and how to make a cue that will last a few generations and has put every nickel he has in designing and making the best cue possible.
And his skill rating to do these tasks, one would need to be highly skilled.
At least every machinist or mill right that I know is considered extremely skilled labor.
I do not know one person who has worked for a production cue manufacturer factory who is pulling down 40 bucks a hr like most machinists or any highly skilled laborer.

 

[Tony_in_MD]

The custom cue makers I have worked with glue and screw components in the cue. This cannot be said for all production cues or for that matter all custom cue makers.

My first cue was a meucci from about the 1990 era.The build quality of that cue was nowhere near the first Scruggs I had done.

Those I worked with allowed me to choose all aspects of the cue from final weight, to butt diameter to taper, ferrule type, joint and screw type.

The end product becomes more than just a sum of their parts.

Will a production cue company allow you to have those options?

The key to all of this is to find the right cue maker.

Please tell me the cue construction techniques that are being used by the custom cuemakers that makes them hit better. And the materials that they're using to attain these superior playing characteristics. Hit and feel come from tip and ferrule materials. Could you enlighten me as to what special custom techniques are being used that aren't by the production makers?

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

You have every right to think as you please, but what we think or what our opinions are doesn't make it the truth all the time.
I am not looking for a argument, and I would like to be sensible about this topic.

Lets be reasonable .
The best looking woods are separated at the production cue factories.
Just like the wood is separated at a gun factory, and those woods are used in there custom made products, or the special orders.
The best woods are not used in the everyday production or even custom cues or guns or guitars or furniture .
The difference is the custom cue makers wood that is used in there normal every day cues is hand picked, more exotic figure. and much more pickier about the wood there are going to use.
The best woods are set aside because they can get more money for them and they are rare or unusual.
There is no choice if you offer a product that has different levels of workmanship and materials....................................... you set aside the best materials because you know you will get the most money for it and it helps when the maker sits down to design the product.

I say this because I made guns, and because I also make allot of custom made wood products.

The custom cue maker picks each piece of wood himself, and always hand picks the best and pays the highest prices.
If the wood isn't something that doesn't catch his eye or if the wood doesn't produce the right harmonics then the wood is not used in a cue.....

He starts and finishes the job himself, he has his name on each cue.
The custom cue maker has to make the cue as perfect as possible because he depends on return customers and not selling cues by the hundreds.
Quality comes before quantity.
The custom cue maker has no choice but to make a better cue then 95 percent of all the production cue maker...........
Only problem is some Custom cue makers employ several employees, so how ever you guys decide who is production and who is a custom cue maker is another debate.

A very fare question.
Who do you think is going to make the best cue, the factory worker who is there for a pay check and doesn't know shit about wood or cues..
Most factory worker are considered un skilled labor.

Or the custom cue maker who has invested a fair share of his life learning wood and how to make a cue that will last a few generations and has put every nickel he has in designing and making the best cue possible.
And his skill rating to do these tasks, one would need to be highly skilled.
At least every machinist or mill right that I know is considered extremely skilled labor.
I do not know one person who has worked for a production cue manufacturer factory who is pulling down 40 bucks a hr like most machinists or any highly skilled laborer.

Everything you've mentioned has to do with aesthetics, and has nothing to do with the actual playability of the cue. Figured wood doesn't hit any better than non figured wood. George Balabushka only used straight grained maple, and used Titleist blanks for his cues. Most cuemakers buy Chris Hightower's book, get a lathe, and think they're going to become the next latest and greatest. The fact is the production cue houses know more about cues than the high end custom makers. The high end makers put money into their own pockets. Groups like Joss, McDermott and Viking have sponsored entire tours in the past. They also put high quality cues into people's hands for about a paycheck. Who does more for pool and the players? Think about it.

I also love your impression of people that work assembly lines, factory workers, and unskilled labour. If this is the stance of the custom cuemaker, to shit on the guy that works for an honest dollar to make a reasonable cue, then I'm glad I play production cues. Thanks for the lesson, Mike.

As I said, custom makers make very pretty cues. If you're looking at putting balls into pockets, and want something pretty, there isn't one custom maker that can touch Schon (custom, but considered "production" due to volume sales) on the planet. I have a $500 Viking that would cost $2k if it was done by a custom maker. And I doubt that many but the best custom makers could do it, as it required a 4 axis CNC inlay machine. Oh, and the shaft is straighter than anything I've played with - even the custom guy that hugs his wood before gently turning it every month

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

The custom cue makers I have worked with glue and screw components in the cue. This cannot be said for all production cues or for that matter all custom cue makers.

My first cue was a meucci from about the 1990 era.The build quality of that cue was nowhere near the first Scruggs I had done.

Those I worked with allowed me to choose all aspects of the cue from final weight, to butt diameter to taper, ferrule type, joint and screw type.

The end product becomes more than just a sum of their parts.

Will a production cue company allow you to have those options?

The key to all of this is to find the right cue maker.

Finally, a good post that discusses construction characteristics

Glued and screwed is used by Schon, McDermott, Joss, Pechauer, and Mezz. Joss goes so far as to use an expanding polyurethane glue in their screwed on ferrules to eliminate the air gap between the wood tenon and the top cap of the ferrule.

Any production house will accept custom orders. Just don't expect Joss to make a Southwest knockoff. Most self respecting cuemakers will stick with designs that reflect their own style they're known for. If you're just ripping off other people's designs, you aren't a custom cuemaker. Joss has their own distinct style. So does Viking. So do McDermott. They could all make Szamboti knockoffs, but they remain true to their own style.

Most custom makers exist because someone wants a Szam, but can't afford one, so they buy a Szam replica from Side Alley Bob's custom cues. At least the production houses come up with their own designs, instead of knocking off other people's cues for a living.

 

[Shooter08]

Playing Cue

If I had 100 cues to try and didn't know what each were I would pick the one that has the best feel to me personally, if it was a turned down broomstick that was one piece I'd haul it around. As long as a "production company"uses high quality build materials and cares about their product I think they have more resources and ability to do additional r&d to build a consistent product than a small builder with less resources. Some custom builders have hit the jackpot because they have figured out works for them and they enjoy working at their own pace and with who or how they chose to. I give respect to both and own both. 2 guys started Schon in a back room, Gordy started Viking in his basement, isn't that the American dream, but if your dream is to build 10 cues a year and it can support you, that is just as great. Sometimes I shoot with my 17oz dufferin that was cut in half and had a pin installed by a repair guy, it seems to work just fine because "I" like the way it feels.