Quick question. Do buyers really care if a Cue's been "test hit"

dsoriano

dsoriano

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I read all the time in "For Sale posts" that sellers post only been test hit or never been test hit. Is this a form of letting people know that the cue has little use or are Buyers really finicky about these things? How much ware can you put on a cue if you play it a few hours. Scuff the chalk right off and no one will ever tell its been shot with. This statement is not ment to decieve but to state the obvious.

I just got my new -R- cue last month and have been deciding whether to sell my Jacoby which was my daily player for about three years and has hundreds of hours played (500ish). It's still in prestine condition as the day I bought it. If and when I decide to post it, I plan to state the use. Will this really hurt the sell?
 

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To me it doesn't unless someone is telling me its a new cue and when it shows up the tip is at half life..... don't really care if someone played a game or two w/ it. Heck maybe the guy rubbed some good luck on there for me.... never know.
 
I guess if the cue is considered a collectable, it's more valuable in unplayed condition. But if it's intended to be a player, I can't see why anyone would be concerned.
 
In your case, used wouldn't make a difference to me anyway. That looks like new off the rack.
 
In the collector car world a part is only NOS (new old stock) until it's used. I really wouldn't care if a cue has been "tested" or not Give me a few days and it would probably have a ding it anyhow. :)
 
dsoriano said:
I read all the time in "For Sale posts" that sellers post only been test hit or never been test hit. Is this a form of letting people know that the cue has little use or are Buyers really finicky about these things? How much ware can you put on a cue if you play it a few hours. Scuff the chalk right off and no one will ever tell its been shot with. This statement is not ment to decieve but to state the obvious.

I just got my new -R- cue last month and have been deciding whether to sell my Jacoby which was my daily player for about three years and has hundreds of hours played (500ish). It's still in prestine condition as the day I bought it. If and when I decide to post it, I plan to state the use. Will this really hurt the sell?
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Yes it will hurt the value. A used Jacoby cue will sell for less than a new Jacoby cue. Test hit basically means it is new. 500 hours played means it was used a lot.
 
I would want it unchaked and not test hit. New is new. Unless the price was in proportion. However I'm not saying I wouldn't buy a Test Hit cue. I'm more concerned about the butt being in 100% condition.

Why are cues test hit. A custom maker knows his goods and what is going out the door.
 
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Yes. Some people want a "new" cue. Its much easier to sell new unplayed. However sometimes "unhit" after a restoration is also as good, especially on the older cues. But believe it or not, its very important.

JV
 
GoldCrown said:
I would want it unchaked and not test hit. New is new. Unless the price was in proportion. However I'm not saying I wouldn't buy a Test Hit cue. I'm more concerned about the butt being in 100% condition.

Why are cues test hit. A custom maker knows his goods and what is going out the door.
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I test hit every cue i make. I might play an hour or so with it if im having trouble deciding if i like it or not. Ive made 5 or 6 cues that never left the shop because i didnt like the hit. They make pretty good house cues in my man cave though.

Joe
 
some do

many big collectors don't care

i am keeping my barry unhit in original box
i feel like a nerd
 
I don't hit with every cue I make but those that the time allows I certainly like to hit balls for an hour or so. Especially if I am making something for a customer that is out of the normal or new to me. I also like to hit some of the shafts I make, those with smaller ferrule diameters than the 12.75mm I play with or softer tips that I use myself. Never had a buyer complain when I told them I was going to hit a ball with their new cue/shaft and never had a buyer request that I not hit a ball.
 
dnixon said:
a cue should be test hit.how would the cue maker know if it plays good or not
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I think they're talking about cues they intend never to play with. I think any decent cue repairman can make a shaft that's been used for a couple of days look exactly like new, so I'm not sure how anyone can really tell.

Of course if you are planning to play with a cue, you need to try it out first to see if it fits your game, or you have to be prepared to sell it right away. It is usually a mistake to try to play with a cue that doesn't suit you. The result is that if you are looking for a cue to play with, you should not be concerned about it having been test driven by others.
 
If you ever see one of my cues listed as never hit then it is a lie. I play a few racks with each cue before it ever leaves.

A cue maker not test hitting a cue would be like a chef not tasting their food before they serve it.
 
Test Hit

Let me say that the cue you have posted looks to be well taken care of. If you used this cue as your daily player for 3 years, that tells me that it must play pretty well for you. When I see a post with a cue that states test hit only, my thought is there must be something wrong with it. I agree that every cue builder should test hit a new cue but I think some sellers use this term to loosely.
 
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Wow, I have a new perspective on the term now and how it's viewed.
And thanks to all you Guy's, I'm now a wiser Man!:smile:
 
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