Should i buy a better cue?

My first cue was a Birdseye PJ Viking. Got it when I was 14 or 15. I think it was $130 new. I put them cue away from 18-28, got back into the game and wanted to treat myself to a new cue. I sold my Viking to a buddy and 7 years and 40 or so cues later, I wish I had kept my Viking. Granted, I love the few cues I own, wanted nicer looking stuff, but looking back the Viking felt like part of my arm.
So, your back in the game, dropped some nice coin on a diamond, and thinking about another cue? Go for it, but keep your Viking. It can be a dark and perilous road, this strange addiction to wooden sticks where art and function live together harmoniously. If you have the time, do your diligen research, check your local pawn shops, try as many cues as possible, scour your local Craigslist and feel free to take pictures and post them up of potential cue purchases. The people here are more than happy to attemp an ID on a cue or offer up an value.
 
Those old Vikings are good cues, not like the ones made today. IF it's straight and hits solid, you're good to go. LD shaft aren;t going to make you shoot any better.
 
Absolutely

I was in a similar position and after trying a G-core and OB shaft when compared to my Pechauer stock maple shaft, there was no comparison. I was very surprised to see that I could get significantly more cue ball movement from the tech shafts than the standard maple shaft. It's also likely that the lower level production cues only offer moderately grade maple shafts rather than the higher grades you'd find on high end customs or production cues. I decided to keep my Pechauer and swap out the shaft for a G-core, and love the combination of a familiar cue with the power of a nice shaft. The same would probably be the case if you purchased a high end maple shaft from one of the top cue makers.
Good luck!
 
Decide now, not later

Contrary to some opinions, I think a new cue can help.... a mental thing.
Discarding the ancient Viking for a $400+ cue that you really like can symbolize your serious intentions to improve; to take it seriously. There is a big mental aspect to this sport/game.

Low deflection shafts are nice, and I think they are best. However, it's important to make your decision now, not later, both on getting a new cue and what type of shaft to use. What you should avoid is playing with one cue for 2 or 3 years and then making the switch.... if you do, much re-learning is involved.

Just my 2-cents. Good luck, and that Diamond is a good start.

RL
 
you over paid

you over paid if you spent more than $20 on a cue unless for investment?
Matt Tatum said:
hello there, this is my first post so i thought i would say hello....... i played pool alot as a teenager and into my early twenties, but havent played much since then, i recently decided i would start playing again at 43 and just bought a diamond table and am having lots of fun, and getting better with pracitce and games with family and friends........ was wondering if a better cue would help, i have an old $120 Viking cue i bought about 23 years ago, i know technology has changed and wanted some feed back, as well as recommendations

thanks in advance

-Matt
Click to expand...
 
Thers a learning curve when changing a cue. That learning period is amplified when going from a regular or high squirt shaft to a low squirt cue.

You don't have to spend a lot on a new cue. One thing I've noticed since crossing over from snooker to 9 ball is people go apesh*t over fancy cues and custom cues. It seems the name is as important to the way a cue plays. Plenty of fairly cheap plain janes made by lesser known cue makers or companies that play far better than some expensive cues I've played with that were riddled with fancy materials.

I'd go to the local cue store and try as many cues as possible. If one feels great, buy it. If none feel as nice as your current cue, put it back. Simples.
 
Cue

If the Viking doesn't feel comfortable to you, or it isn't doing what you want it to do, then get a new cue if you intend to spend at least 500 for one.
If you intend to get a production cue, I would only buy a Schon (semi-custom really), otherwise I would have a cuemaker make one with your specs.

If you are just going to spend 2-300 on one, I wouldn't bother. Usually, you have to spend about 700 on a cue by a cuemaker that will play like a more expensive cue, at least in my experience. One exception to that is a good custom made Sneaky Pete can play like a more expensive cue, and they are usually a bargain.
 
I agree and disagree with some of the posters here. I think most people are in each extreme of the spectrum, they either have 100% believe on X Y or Z technology or they think a good player can "break and run" no matter what they shoot with. And I think you are both wrong. For the original poster, how good are you? If you asked this question I doubt you are a run-out player, I actually doubt you might even be a good C player, you may use a bit of English here and there but that's about it. My advise, get lessons, understand mechanics and fundamentals and yes, get the new technology if you are learning, it will make your learning curve a bit easier. I have been playing the last couple of years with Z2 shaft and then OB classic pro shaft and I have not played a single game with any other cue in two years. Last week my shaft broke, had to send it over to OB so they could repair/replace my shaft, next day I had to play league. I took a house cue from the rack and I broke and ran the first rack of my 9-ball match, but that was it, it was an easy break and run, from then on it just felt uncomfortable, any shot that I had to use English I had to really think about where I had to hit it and stuff. Can I play with a crooked house cue and can I break and run? Absolutely, and pros can do it too, now the question is, how often are they gonna do it? I will certainly not play any expensive sets until I get my cue back, you have to have good equipment but more importantly equipment that you used to and you trust. If you are a B+ player and you have been playing 30 years with the same regular maple shafts, then there is no reason for you to change to the new LD shafts and what not, you are not gonna shoot better, you are actually going to shoot worse until you get used to it again, they just play different, like I play worse with any old maple shaft.
 
Diminishing returns are still returns. Even if spending ten times as much only makes you play twice as well, that's still a hell of a difference.
 
those old vikings were decent cues, if you want something different then get it. Probably won't help your game one way or another.
 
Buy whatever you play better with and are more in sync with the feel/feedback of. $5, $500, doesn't mean much to a table.
 
The cue will have little effect on your game. Tons of table time and practice will accomplish more than any cue. I, kind of like you, stopped playing for years, and came back at 45 years old. I bought a Joss cue and played with it for many years. After several years I decided I wanted a custom, just for grins, so I bought one. Most likely I will never buy another.

If you like the way your cue plays, the only reason to upgrade is if you want more eye candy. Cues are very personal. What I like, you may hate in the way of the hit. It's kind of like buying a new driver to stop slicing. If you are swinging outside in, that $500 driver isn't going to help much, except maybe you will slice the ball further off into the woods. It's not the arrow, it's the Indian in my view.

One thing about changing equipment a lot, you have to get used to it, so I just stick with the same gear, and keep real good care of what I've got.
 
It's nice to have a high end fancy cue, Just remember 1 thing.... Strickland won 5 US Opens & 6 world titles with a Kmart cue:cool:
 
Earls an exceptional player and has proved he can play with anything. On a more realistic level I've got a friend who plays with a £20 cue. 1.25 inch heavy titanium ferrule, idk what the shaft is made of but its really heavy and the butt must have steel rod running through it because it weighs A LOT! It came in at 27oz and he plays a solid game. Can't fault his game. An expensive cue in the hands of a poor player will still make them a poor player. A cheap cue in the hands of someone who knows how to play is just as effective as a predator.

Time and money is better spent playing the game IMO.
 
yes you should. get yourself a bcm aka bryan mordt, and never loom back. after you get dialed in you'll be set for life
 
I bought myself a new to me cue when I got back into playing after about a 10 year layoff. I wanted something that I could grow into as my game got better.
I would echo the comments of someone earlier and advise getting a lesson. If for no other reason than to make sure you aren't practicing bad habits.
 
i first must put a disclaimer
i havent read the replies here or in the ask the cuemaker section where you also posted the same thread
i would be interested (pm ok)in the comparison of replies in the 2 forums
all that being said
heres my 3 cents worth
you bought a diamond table not a gold crown
a modern standard vs the old school standard
buy yourself a new cue
it will give you enthusiasm(jmho) and will have modern cue making techniques(include low deflection shaft)
im ready to be fried for that
we are in 2012
use whats available
i do agree its the indian and not the arrow
 
Matt Tatum said:
hello there, this is my first post so i thought i would say hello....... i played pool alot as a teenager and into my early twenties, but havent played much since then, i recently decided i would start playing again at 43 and just bought a diamond table and am having lots of fun, and getting better with pracitce and games with family and friends........ was wondering if a better cue would help, i have an old $120 Viking cue i bought about 23 years ago, i know technology has changed and wanted some feed back, as well as recommendations

thanks in advance

-Matt
Click to expand...

Matt, I was once pretty much where you are right now at the time when you started this thread. I also bought myself a home table. Then, I bought myself a new cue.....and another.....and another.....and another......and another..... Holy sh*t, do you see where this is going?

Be careful when the "new cue" bug bites you. The result can be deadly and the symptoms last seemingly forever!!! :thumbup:

Maniac
 
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