I buy and sell cues for over a decade now and must have gone through hundreds of playing cues myself from production to custom cues and high end custom cues. I've always search for that holy grail of cue and I think I've found 2 cues to date that have met my criteria and will try to pass them down to my sons (If they ever play pool).
As a pool player, we always seem to try to find any edge that will help improve our game but there's nothing more important than confident in our ability to execute. I believe finding the right cue can really help boost your confident and reinforce your skills during play. I've researched into the type of tips that played best for me and have been using it for over 5 years now although I'm always constantly trying new tips on the market to ensure that what I play with is still the best.
My holy grail of cue is a custom cue from Joel Weinstock, 2nd is a Pre-date SW/kersenbrock?? and literally a handful of other top cues that I've played with that are in my top ten list. (Schon, Bender, McDaniel, Pre-date SW, Mcworter, Gus - ivory joint, mike gulyassy 2006 - 1of1, Tascarella conversion, etc). Over the years, I realized there lots of great playing cues in the market and that the cue's playability is subjective to each players experience and playing style. What I believe is my holy grail of cue is probably not someone else cup of tea.
But, I can say with a certainty from my own experience that cue does make a big difference in your game. Funny enough, some cues would play better in one environment vs other.
When you find the right cue you'll know because when you play or gamble, you can literally feel the confident in each shot. If you have had a chance to play with different cues from production to custom you'll know what I mean. Not to say that only expensive cue plays good, I've ran across cheaper cue like "McDermott, Falcon, Schon,etc" that almost play as well as some of the big name cue but you'll have to be lucky and know what you're looking in the cue.
When I gamble or play in tournament, I would play with my Joel Weinstock cue (this cue have taken down a lot of great players include the best in world). The Pre-Date SW/Kersenbrock that I just pick up a few month ago would be used more for gambling....this cue has a long history of used in money game dating back to the early 80's in Chicago. Feel like the cue does have "mystical power" that it acquire over the many battles that it seen through it use and the battle scars on the cue definitely shows it.
Just a week ago at my Friday tournament, I was playing a local player for cheap. In the first 2 sets I lost and I was playing with one of my CM98 full splice sneeky. My sneeky full splice cue plays really good but it was new and I didn't play my speed with it. After losing the 2 sets, I when back home and grabbed my SW/Ker and ended up beating the guy 6 sets.
When I was playing with my SW, the shot just seem easier and my rhythm jelled with the cue, the cue got me in stroke in my first rack..literally. I guess my main point is that there is a always a better playing cue out there for you. If you want to find that edge and confident...find a better playing cue. If you find it, stick with it. I know a player who been playing with his old faithful for well over 30 years. Once you play that long with a cue....the other cues well probably won't matter much as you've decided on your holy grail of cue.
Regards,
Duc.
I really don't get you. Did I or anyone else try to dispute your points. I am all for practice but you are claiming that the cue makes no difference at all. In my first post in this tread I said the advantage to having your own cue is consistency.
Dig down farther and you find more though. Why don't snooker players use a pool cue? We have some very basic reasons and the same reasons can be applied to the game of pool and using your own cue vs the cue on the wall.
I get the feeling that you are trying to drive home the point that practice is the only way to improve. I agree with that. A player who has never played using a $1000 custom is not going to get any advantage. But give that same stick to a accomplished player and I promise you he will make more/better shots than he would with a old house cue.
