I used to own a SW copy. I didn't intentionally go out to look for one, I just thought it looked neat. In hindsight, I'd never buy one again. First, the taper was not a SW copy, but rather the same, lame, pro taper that people seem to favour in the US. That also raises the problem of buying one used off the internet, even off a reputable dealer. You can bet the idiot who owned it first has retapered it and ruined the SW characteristics of it, making it, essentially, like any other, regular cue with a nice look and possibly better materials at a phenomenal markup. Some places in Asia they also ruin the shaft with rough scourpads or sandpaper, "peeling" they call it.
The shaftwood of my knockoff was inferior and the cue didn't play well even at its price-point. A humble McDermott would play circles around it. That, incidentally, is what I'd suggest you get instead of a cheap knockoff. They've got big pins, wood to wood joints and many have really nice quality shaftwood. They don't have the SW taper, but neither do most knockoffs...There are thousands upon thousands (maybe millions) of McDermott cues in circulation. You can try maybe 20 different ones, and find the perfect one for you. Sometimes, out of random chance, a cheap McDermott gets everything right and plays like a million dollars, and the regular ones play very well to start with. Bad ones are few and far between.
Second, while the SW look is ok, it's no longer something I'd want a copy of, because it's a unique look. It's like having one of those "kit-car" Ferraris. It looks quite like the real thing until you get in close. Then you see the cheap fibreglass, rubbish dashboard details etc. That is all assuming you're hard of hearing and can't hear whatever clunker of an engine they've stuck in there. Naturally the performance is just horseshit (rather than the actual horse). It's usually some kind of VW chassis with a low end Ford engine or something lame like that. I don't care much for brand prestige. If you have a Ford or a VW that has good performance, I'd think it is pretty great. What is not great is looking like someone who WOULD LIKE a Ferrari, would like people to BELIEVE he does have one, but doesn't ACTUALLY OWN one. Which IMO is not a good look.
