Samsara Cues
Yep Cleancushion, the olive wood would have been my choice if I were to go with a Barcue. As it turns out, a couple of things have convinced me to go with a Samsara.
I was lucky enough to hit a Samsara (Original line) tonight and was very impressed with everything about it. It is probably the best finished cue I've ever played with...every detail was perfect and the wood (figured ebony w/ 6 points) was easily the best I've seen. Outside of pics I've never seen a Black or any of the other premier cues but I can't imagine any better wood or detail work than this Samsara had. But this next purchase will be about performance with great looks and finish being a real plus, if the price is right. My current cues are a Predator 4K3 which I slightly prefer as a player to my Schon STL9/OB1. They play similarly, accept for the slightly different shaft feel. They're accurate, but something always seemed to be "missing". And after playing with this Samsara I realized it was giving me much more in the way of feel, feedback or "hit". I obviously wasn't used to playing the Samsara but I can imagine getting used to it really quickly. By the end of the game (14.1 to 125) I was really convinced that my game will improve with my own Samsara. The feel/feedback and even the sound (deep/subtle resonance) was incredible compared to both the 4K3 and STL. Now it could have been that I wasn't playing with a stainless steel joint or a laminated shaft....but regardless, I was playing well (for me) by the end of the game, which I lost, but not after giving the opponent a scare by running 27 with the Samsara before missing a tough shot. Going to a radial pin and a solid maple shaft will be a welcome change for my tastes. As far as deflection goes, I really didn't notice any more or less deflection using the Samsara (estimated to be about an 8" modified taper). I do prefer a longer taper and they are available as I stated.
The "clincher" was a prompt return phone call from Jim at Samsara. I had a few questions and he was very informative and confident about the performance aspects...basically guaranteed satisfaction, including a shaft change if I didn't like his recommendations. They are extremely knowledgable about shaft finishing and have made 314's for Predator in the past and they really have a lot of faith in their ability to accurately reproduce their cues' performance and hit with this precision grinding of the shaft. As we concluded the converstion, I asked about the seemingly "bargain" pricing of the Barcues and he told me to give their "Limited" line a look before I order a Barcue. I did and was, once again, pleasantly surprised at the pricing for these cues, which feature everything the Originals do. I settled on one immediately and it happened to be one of their least expensive Limited models. Yet it features a forearm of gorgeous wavey bubinga with 8 sharp points of curly maple...kind of a reverse contrast from normal but striking, to say the least, with a very nice black leather wrap. The joint work is also upgraded from the Barcues and is exactly like the Samsara Original and Gallery lines. After discussing all types of things with a very patient Jim, I've decided to pull the trigger and order.
The model I've chosen is the C03 Limited. It will be a fairly standard order for them......19 oz./radial pin /12.75mm /10" modified taper with assurances that if, for some reason I want a different shaft configuration, it will be no problem. The 10" modified taper was chosen after a discussion on stroke comfort, performance and type of hit I prefer. So the 4K3 goes to a friend who's been after it forever and the Samsara will be orderd shortly. My predictability here is as ever. I was looking to upgrade to a better everyday player than either cue I own and I turned out getting something sifnificantly more....but still a great bargain if everything works out.
It's kind of analogous to the last set of irons bought. All I wanted was just a set to travel with....nothing special. Well, I ended up with a set of expensive Mizunos (MP57's), custom shafts/ lies/ lofts....go figure!
