After looking into the Barcues that Samsara offers (see my post re: Input on Barcues) , I finally got to hit a Samsara. And after a discussion with Jim Stadum of Samsara and some of their unique approaches to cue making, most notably their shaft production, I have decided to pull the trigger on Samsara cue # C03 in their Limited line. There's a great picture of it on the Samsara website.
The Samsara I finally played with is a Samsara Original from '05 bought used, but in excellent condition. As one would expect, the wood, fit and finish were as first rate as I have seen from any cuemaker. I have never been around a Hercek or a Black, but I have seen and played with a few of the top brands (Southwest / Josswest / Judd / Scruggs, etc.) and Samsara takes a back seat to none, as far as I can see...especially considering the asking prices of some cues in the Limited lineup. It was a beautiful figured ebony with 6 sharp points, leather wrap and the joint was so smoothe that it was tough to tell where the butt stopped and the shaft began....just superb workmanship and materials in general.
But this cue will be my main everyday player and performance is what I was really interested in. The cue had a radial pin and a shaft with about an 8" taper from what I could estimate. I have been playing a Predator 4K3 and a Schon STL9 with an OB-1. They are both good accurate cues....no complaints, but something was "missing". Playing the Samsara put this all into perspective. I'm not sure if it had to do with the radial vs. stainless steel joints or the fact that the shaft was a conventional hard rock maple, but I immediately felt a much different type of feedback....more sensitivity as far as feedback on the hit and a deeper resonance than either the Schon or the Predator...it felt great. The transition will be seamless. By the end of the first game (14.1 to 125) I was already starting to "get to know" the Samsara. The first benefit of the more precise feedback was better cue ball speed control. I didn't notice any difference in deflection compaired to my cues...expecting that I'd notice more with a conventional shaft. Maybe the great deflection stories are more than a little hype or maybe it's a Samsara thing...not sure. At any rate, I fell in love with this cue accept for the shaft taper.
The specs will be: 19.5 oz., radial pin, 12.75mm Moori medium, with a 10" Samsara modified pro taper (exact specs on the taper are supplied by a poster in Barcue thread), recommended to me after a discussion with Jim Stadum. I'm relieving myself of the Predator and ordering shortly. It comes with a leather wrap and really nice matching joint protectors. Even though the "everydayer" has turned into a significantly upgraded cue the price about than half of what other custum shops are asking. Give C03 a look and tell me what you think. I cannot wait to put it in play.
The Samsara I finally played with is a Samsara Original from '05 bought used, but in excellent condition. As one would expect, the wood, fit and finish were as first rate as I have seen from any cuemaker. I have never been around a Hercek or a Black, but I have seen and played with a few of the top brands (Southwest / Josswest / Judd / Scruggs, etc.) and Samsara takes a back seat to none, as far as I can see...especially considering the asking prices of some cues in the Limited lineup. It was a beautiful figured ebony with 6 sharp points, leather wrap and the joint was so smoothe that it was tough to tell where the butt stopped and the shaft began....just superb workmanship and materials in general.
But this cue will be my main everyday player and performance is what I was really interested in. The cue had a radial pin and a shaft with about an 8" taper from what I could estimate. I have been playing a Predator 4K3 and a Schon STL9 with an OB-1. They are both good accurate cues....no complaints, but something was "missing". Playing the Samsara put this all into perspective. I'm not sure if it had to do with the radial vs. stainless steel joints or the fact that the shaft was a conventional hard rock maple, but I immediately felt a much different type of feedback....more sensitivity as far as feedback on the hit and a deeper resonance than either the Schon or the Predator...it felt great. The transition will be seamless. By the end of the first game (14.1 to 125) I was already starting to "get to know" the Samsara. The first benefit of the more precise feedback was better cue ball speed control. I didn't notice any difference in deflection compaired to my cues...expecting that I'd notice more with a conventional shaft. Maybe the great deflection stories are more than a little hype or maybe it's a Samsara thing...not sure. At any rate, I fell in love with this cue accept for the shaft taper.
The specs will be: 19.5 oz., radial pin, 12.75mm Moori medium, with a 10" Samsara modified pro taper (exact specs on the taper are supplied by a poster in Barcue thread), recommended to me after a discussion with Jim Stadum. I'm relieving myself of the Predator and ordering shortly. It comes with a leather wrap and really nice matching joint protectors. Even though the "everydayer" has turned into a significantly upgraded cue the price about than half of what other custum shops are asking. Give C03 a look and tell me what you think. I cannot wait to put it in play.
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