MR Wheat... Sorry this is very long!
WheatCues said:
you people just keep harping and missing the intended point !
I SAID THEY HIT LIKE SHIT TO ME ! i never said anything about the quality of thier work....
When are you people going to get off this status trip and realize it's all about the hit and playability... and as far as that jackass remark about giving people what the want even if its shit... well let me enlighten you : I handpick most of my wood from pete ohman "OMEN CUES" I use only the best and my work is high quality, just becasue you havent heard of me doesnt mean I'm a scam artist, I'm just being realistic and practical and some of you are offended because you think spending 2000+ on a cue makes you special... I'm here to tell you your foolish unless you are an art collector ! by all the pretty art pieces you want, but if you dont play any better or like the hit at the very least than you have wasted your money as a player !!!
I spent 15000.00 and a CNC Mill just to have incase some of you need to see 3D art in your cue to give confidence becasue I did not want to have to say I cannot do that......
So for what it's worth... yes those 2 cues hit like shit to me becasue I do not like hard hitting cues ! case and point !
But to take that simple statement and try to blanket it into the craftmanship is completely ludacris and yet you people keep doing it....
I didn't get on here to create controversy I joined the forum to offer some clarification to this overpriced industry and to assist the players in getting the equipment they have always wanted that all the other cuemakers aren't willing to give them....
- Eddie Wheat
Hello Eddie,
I have been reading this thread from the beginning, and have read every post. I think you may be an okay guy that said a few things that got a bit misunderstood and taken in the worst light. At least I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt on this. I do see some contradictions though.
You have to understand that making comments on a site like this trashing other cumakers work is going to get this response EVERY time. Especially if it is aimed at buska, szam, gina etc. I CAN understand that you may prefer a different hit then some of their cues that you have tried. You could have said that " while I respect their contributions to the art of cuemaking and the craftsmanship is great, I do not care much for the hit. I prefer a softer hit personally". See? This is essentially what you have said in my paraphrased version. While many people may still disagree with you, they will not be seriously offended. Let me tell you something, the WORST thing you can do to a potential customer is to insult their current favorite cue ( or cuemaker) and say it is sh@t! I know a current cuemaker ( who I won't name) who I met in person many years ago. I was legitimately curious about him and his cues. I was interested to find out more with the possibility of ordering a cue. We were in a pool room. One of the first thing he did was ask what cue I was playing with, then proceeded to bash that cuemaker and say how much better his cues were, etc. Well, think this through for a minute..... If I actually like many of the characteristics of how my cue plays, and he says it is crap...... and he does not do it that way.....why would I want him to build me a cue?
If you just point out the differences, and say "that cue is constructed in this way, I construct my cues in this way. I believe this is an advantage because.....blah, blah. You are not passing negetive judgement, you are merely stating that you feel you can offer me something of value that I most likely will love. By passing judgement ( negetively) about my choice that I have already made, you are esentially telling me I am an idiot and am ignorant of what I spend my money on. I either a) am not really sure if what you are saying is true, and do not have enough confidence on my opinions/knowledge to know better, but won't really rush to do business with someone who has just told me I don't know anything, or b) I DO have a lot of confidence in my opinions/knowledge of cues and the market, and think that you, being a cuemaker, should have at least a basic love and understanding of cues equal or greater to my own, and will NOT choose you from the many choices to buld me a cue. ( even if my opinions may be incorrect). EITHER WAY YOU HAVE LOST A CUSTOMER!!!
Not to mention, bashing and trashtalking the competition is just plain bad business and poor sales tactics. It is often taken as resentment towards a more successful business that is getting a lot of business that you are missing out on.
Take it for what it is worth. You will oinly be hurting yourself and your future as a cumeaker if you continue to make those kind of remarks. I do not know you, and I know nothing about the quality of your work and how it stacks up against anyone else's.
What I think is strange is that you jumped on a thread defending the quality and workmanship of a very well known and respected cuemaker. You were justfying what many thought were outrageous prices for a cue. Then you go on to imply that it is unecessary to spend $2000 for a cue. I understand that you are talking about the difference between buying for playability, or for art. So it seems that you do understand that what makes a cue many more times as valuable is the art factor. Two cues can be exactly the same in construction and playability, but one will be worth twice as much because of its collectibility value. When a very well respected cuemaker dies, his cues value increase. Why? Because of supply and demand. The cue didn't magically become a better playing cue, but the value went up.
So You have said that Searings work is perfect ( I agree) you have said that you do not love the way all his cues play, but you defended the market value of his cues as being worth it. Then you say that Bushkas, etc hit like Sh@t, and implied that maybe these and other cues are NOT worth what the market brings. These statements sound very contradictoery to me! Can you clarify this?
