Schmelke vs. Schon/Mezz/Joss, etc.

SARDiver

SARDiver

JCC Chief
Silver Member
I've searched this forum for Schmelke and came up with about 3 pages of threads. Nearly all of them indicate that Schmelke is a good cue "for the money", or as a starter cue, or as a house cue.

What I didn't really see, and forgive me if I missed it, was a comparison of Schmelke cues against the better known $400-$700 cue, not aesthetically, but hit, workmanship, etc.

Is the difference in price for a let's say a cocobolo merry widow (EC7, I think it is) or a Schon STL1 well spent versus a "pricey" Schmelke?

Thanks.
 
Schmelke's are a great value .... However nowhere near Schon. Not an equal comparison. There is a difference.
 
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Okay, gotcha. I didn't know if it was due to aesthetics, etc.

I've been eying the Mezz I mentioned. I then saw the Schmelke. I was wondering if it was worth it.

I assume you guys have played them and know. There isn't a big enough pool scene around here for me to find a "trial cue".

I'm currently using an Adam (Japan) manufactured Bushka tribute, and it plays great, but it's tired, and needs another stallion in the corral.
 
You've already got a Buska tribute so go with a plain Schmelke,bocote,TRUE sneaky with pro taper !!!
 
SARDiver said:
Okay, gotcha. I didn't know if it was due to aesthetics, etc.

I've been eying the Mezz I mentioned. I then saw the Schmelke. I was wondering if it was worth it.

I assume you guys have played them and know. There isn't a big enough pool scene around here for me to find a "trial cue".

I'm currently using an Adam (Japan) manufactured Bushka tribute, and it plays great, but it's tired, and needs another stallion in the corral.
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The Mezz is worth it, IMO.
 
I ran a search on "Schmelke", which pulled up ever available thread in this forum that contained that word. While I didn't read every thread, the closest I saw to the numerous "comparison" threads you mentioned was a single post in a "Should I buy a Mezz, STL-1...etc) thread that had a poster suggest getting a Schmelke. I don't know if threads age out or not, but I saw threads as far back as 2008.

Didn't look like there was a chorus of support for him, so I thought I'd ask the question specifically. If you don't want to waste your time replying to me, don't. I won't be offended.

That said, thank you for your input. They do offer a mix of weights, balances, and joints, so there can be some variety of hit. I think what I need to do is go ahead and get a Mezz or Schon when able, but change my house cues over to Schmelkes as able.
 
SARDiver said:
I ran a search on "Schmelke", which pulled up ever available thread in this forum that contained that word. While I didn't read every thread, the closest I saw to the numerous "comparison" threads you mentioned was a single post in a "Should I buy a Mezz, STL-1...etc) thread that had a poster suggest getting a Schmelke. I don't know if threads age out or not, but I saw threads as far back as 2008.

Didn't look like there was a chorus of support for him, so I thought I'd ask the question specifically. If you don't want to waste your time replying to me, don't. I won't be offended.

That said, thank you for your input. They do offer a mix of weights, balances, and joints, so there can be some variety of hit. I think what I need to do is go ahead and get a Mezz or Schon when able, but change my house cues over to Schmelkes as able.
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Mezz "sneaky" all the way. :thumbup:
 
Slim Limpy said:
Now that we're on this subject, there are two cues that I've never hit with that I would like to try. One is a Mezz. I occasionally buy cues on my local Craigslist ( I live in used cue heaven here in Wisconsin because there aren't all that many collectors left or a really big pool scene anymore). But I've never even seen a Mezz. The other is a Cuetec 360. I may have seen someone with one but didn't know it. I probably would like Cuetecs for the simple reason that the AZ crowd rips into Cuetec so much. That alone would make me like them.

Also, here's a little known factoid of AZ life. You can see how many cues 2Pac has sold on AZ and I don't even come close (I sell my reconditioned one's on Ebay normally). But I have 1700 VCash points as compared to 2Pac's 500 VCash points. VCash points represent the moderators opinion of the members viewpoints and knowledge of pool subjects. So who you gonna listen to? Take that!!!
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Well I am glad that somebody explained the whole vcash mystery to me. ;) Feeling a little penis envy, are we? :grin-square: Get back to me after you've played with a Mezz...
 
Slim Limpy said:
I'm referring to the bi-monthly or monthly threads that new members always ask who don't seem to realize that there is a searchable archive on AZ:

What's your favorite/best value/highest quality custom/production/reasonably priced cue for me to buy now that I'm just getting into pool/need a better cue or finally have some cash to buy a better cue thread.

Schmelke's usually are included in the best bang for your buck category.
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Got that, but as cues like Schon have a reputation for having a very similar hit up and down their cue line, I was unsure if the price difference was predominantly due to aesthetics, or if workmanship and general quality were the drivers, which is why I asked the question in the way I did. I was sorta hoping that people who have played with both would weigh in.

And frankly, I don't really care what your vcash rating is.
 
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I don't know what vcash even is, but I recently picked up an ec7 with an ex pro shaft, dark stained curly maple. I wish the maple had more figure but the cue is very nice. Well executed linen wrap, snug joint. Truthfully, I was only interested in the shaft but worried about the shaft not fitting on my 5/16-14 cues (a sly and two Schon). The shaft is awesome and fits fine on everything.

If you are planning on using an LD shaft, you will be complete for the least cash if you go with the Mezz.

The big question is your preferred stiffness. You get it with Mezz and Schon. My wood-to-wood joint cues are softer and on my sell list someday.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
This is a quick reply. I have had a Mezz AXI 606 with both their pro hybrid LD and the W700 shafts. I saw online that there was an exact design copy of a Carmeli on here for $3000 but it had real ivory.

The Mezz had a soft hit but in view of already having a Schon SP, and Jacoby custom (both using a Jacoby edge hybrid LD shaft), and adding a Pechauer pro P-11 from 2010 (and then buying the pechauer pro+ lite LD shaft, all three hit similar that I got on ebay (the older pechauer pros are sold on ebay for about 500$; the Mezz started to look plastic to me as compared with what appears to be more use of "woods" shafts and less plastics/urathane.

So I sold it. I can tell you to stay away from the more flashy or wild patterned Mezz cues, as they do not have as great a following.... also I can tell you the Mezz resale market is not as strong as Schon for sure. So if you plan to flip a mezz later you may lose money. I got lucky and sold mine for a profit but it was a 1000 cue w 2 shafts I bought used for $750 with a custom 200$ wrap so he took a hit.

Schon was the first cue investment I made and they hold value. As one with passion for the game you need to factor that in when comparing the cost. I have never lost money on a cue. And it is a buyer's market now, so there are some great deals if you know what you are doing. (I bought a 2 yr online subscription to the Blue book of cues for 9$/yr and it is good to have.)

The hit of my cues are dictated by the LD shafts that I shoot with.. except for my Scruggs which hits great with original shafts.

So you can find deals on LD shafts as well that come up used from time to time.

Most players on my league use Mcdermott cues w gcore shafts..as they are great entry level if you can buy at $230 w case.

IF you buy at that price you are good for any future sale. However, some of them look plastic, as do the Meucci's in my opinion (Don't hate... just saying that some cues use more plastics and foils, than top woods INHO)

If I could not get a Schon, for my 1st cue, I would get a pro series used Pechauer off E bay. There are some great looking Peach cues with great craftsmanship just sitting on ebay now, and worth making an offer on (the pro series is the preferred as compared to the JP series).

For a 1st cue, get a strong brand (I think that Scmelkes can look great and a value, but they do not have the resale that Schon, Mcdermott, Jacoby etc. I am not sure how much of your investment in your cue you will get back with Schmelke), buy right, and look at being able to selling it later, and move up to more expensive brands....
 
Long story short, a couple weeks back I drove 7 hrs to a cue shop and spent 2 hrs hitting with everything on the wall from $400- $2000 and came away empty handed, Schons to Pechauer to Jacoby and all the Ld shafts I could find and none made me want to play.
So I took a chance and had Schmelke make me a custom cue to my own spec which was essentially a replica of my old cue, ebony full splice butt, maple pro taper shaft 12mm diameter short 10mm ferrule.
This freeking cue hits unbelievable full stop and the fit and finish is very good.
Don't get sucked in by the big name big dollar nonsense, a good playing cue does not have to cost a ton.
 
Slasher said:
Long story short, a couple weeks back I drove 7 hrs to a cue shop and spent 2 hrs hitting with everything on the wall from $400- $2000 and came away empty handed, Schons to Pechauer to Jacoby and all the Ld shafts I could find and none made me want to play.
So I took a chance and had Schmelke make me a custom cue to my own spec which was essentially a replica of my old cue, ebony full splice butt, maple pro taper shaft 12mm diameter short 10mm ferrule.
This freeking cue hits unbelievable full stop and the fit and finish is very good.
Don't get sucked in by the big name big dollar nonsense, a good playing cue does not have to cost a ton.
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Which pin did you have them use?
 
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