I've never had the chance to use a Samsara cue. From the pictures I've seen of their cues and the reviews/comments I've seen, they do good solid work. They have a very distinctive style and construction technique when it comes to their complex inlay patterns. I've yet to read a comment on how they play though. Maybe that is for a reason. I noticed that usually when I read a comment about a cuemaker's cue, if the cue plays exceptionally well, that would be the biggest compliment. If the cue has exceptional aethestic designs, but not so much a great player, the reviews tend to focus on the aethetics, not on the play. This is just something I've noticed. When someone gives an opinion about Southwest, Coker, Capone, Cognoscenti, Zyler, and other great playing cues, I always see excited complements about the way they play. When I see reviews on cues from cue makers that are known for all-look no-play, I tend not to see any comments on the play.
One other great indicator of how well the cue plays is the resale value of the cue. For example, a SW you just picked up for 1800 can be resold for at least the same amount, if not more. An used Coker/Capone/the likes can be resold at almost the same amount you paid (depending on the specs of the cue). A cue that was picked up brand new for $2000, but can only fetch $800 on Ebay (or any other resale venues) is usually an indicator of the kind play you can expect from the cue. Of course, there are always exceptions.