Sugartree cue info

TheThaiger said:
I'd be pretty disappointed to buy a cue for $500 and sell it a year later. I see so many custom cues that people rave about in For Sale section to have my doubts about how they ALL play. Put it this way, I'd never buy a cue for a lot of money that I hadn't given a serious test drive to - it's just not worth the risk.
Click to expand...

people always wanna upgrade cue and maybe get the woods they want,that is why there on the secondary market...while i love my cocosugar tree i would move it in a sec for the right other sugartree,a pointed one or one with the wood i really want...i love the wormy maple one and the koa cue.
 
I shot with two different predators, for about a year with each. I now shoot with a Black Boar RS-2, and a fancy Sugartree sneaky. In my experience, and my opinion, there is NO comparison at all. NONE. My two playing customs are much, much, much better players than either of my Predators were. But, everyone is not me. So, if someone thinks their Predator plays better than my Boar after that person played with both cues, then the statement is true. To each his own.

I do happen to agree with Craigs statements about quality control. If the custom cuemaker is all about playability, then their quality control will almost always be better than any production cue company. In my opinion.


Braden
 
I love my customs cues!
I have heard great things about Eric's cues!
How do I get in touch with him so I can order one?
I love wrapless with great wood, and it sounds like a Sugartree is the
way to go!

Todd
 
Comparing Predator and Sugartree cues is the same as comparing shit and Aston Martin.
Predator sucks.Wood is the cheapest wood and not seasoned at all.Oh,sorry,they don't use wood at all.
 
Comparing Predator and Sugartree cues is the same as comparing shit and Aston Martin.

Not very poetic (or nice perhaps) but I have to say that I laughed out loud on that comparison! My wife says that I exaggerate my examples, but that takes the cake.

Still LMAO
 
Equipment will still help to improve game, a better cue can give more spin or to withdraw ball .. yes stroke should be there yet equipment will help your game also to higher level.

Why NBA basketball players will wear a branded and expensive shoes rather than a simple rubbershoes? Why Federer use a better Tennis Racket? Why bowlers buy their own ball? DID YOU GET THE POINT? I hope so...

manwon said:
I don't know where over here is, but the greatest players whoever lived did not need a laminated shaft.

The reason many people do not have allot of great things to say about these shafts is because in reality they are an unneeded expense, just like all the other whiz bang products that come out.

Everybody is looking for something magic to improve their game. If some one shoots with a Predator cue and shaft and that works for them great. But, I guaranty I can do anything you can with a Predator shaft and I would be willing to bet on that statement. I have never used anything but a standard Maple Shaft, and that is because I have never found a single reason to change what I am using.

There are no short cuts in pool no single piece of equipment will improve you stroke only practice, equipment is only a tool and nothing more.

Craig
Click to expand...
 
or1pkt said:
I hear a lot of people saying that sugartrees move the ball better, I ve hit balls with a couple and I guess they are fine cues but I personally don't see how they move the ball better ...moving the ball better boils down to stroke and nothing else JMO
Click to expand...

I don't doubt that you don't see it. Much escapes thr understanding of we humans. What you describe is the limit of your awareness. I have used cues or shafts that seemed to make spinning the cue ball more effortless. My stroke hasn't changed much in the last decade. There *is* a difderence. I really don't know what that difference is. For example, I recently tried out the new "Pro" shaft from Meucci. I've never really been a Meucci fan, but damn that thing felt awesome. Specifically, I felt I could put more spin more effortlessly on the ball, and get more spin with less tip offset. Now, the physics doesn't really support what I'm saying, but *something* is going on there.
There is an extremely complex interaction between an individual person, the cue, shaft, tip, etc. Vastly more variables than anyone really has a clue about. It seems that if a particular cue "feels" like it is producing a particularly different result, chances are that result is going to happen, whether the cue caused it, my brain, my arm, who knows.

That being said, Sugartrees cues are damn nice from a build quality perspective. I would very much like to hit with one!!

KMRUNOUT
 
TheThaiger said:
I agree Predators are overpriced, but there's no doubting they're great cues. There's a very good reason they're used by virtually every player over here - they don't deflect (why make a hard game harder?) and you can draw the ball with consummate ease.

They sell by the bucket load, have millions of happy customers, yet AZ acts as if they're trodden in something smelly whenever they're mentioned.
Click to expand...

A softer ferule makes it easier to draw the ball but It absorbs energy and the object balls don't move as far with the same stroke. The front of the predator shaft is hollow and feels mushy to me.

Low deflection shafts don't throw the balls off cushions the same way. That's one of the reason a lot of the great one pocket players don't use LD shafts. I am talking about the guys that play one pocket mostly.

With an LD shaft its much harder to massee.
 
I've owned two sugar trees, and both of them felt and played outstanding. Stiff hit, good looking cues. Supply of them is limited, as Eric makes cues as he feels like it, for who feels like making them for.

Cost on the secondary market is all about supply and demand.
 
I am a big fan of Eric's cues, despite never having owned one. I'm a fan of the woods he uses, they're almost always interesting. His ring work seems to be quite good, also. That being said, I'm confident that I could have a cue built with boring straight grain maple that's not very pretty, but with a good tip and ferrule, would hit as good as any cue that's ever been built. I'm constantly amused by the phrases "hits a ton, moves the cue ball effortlessly", etc...
 
TheThaiger said:
:D

Sorry, buddy, but there's a world of difference between my cue and his. The largest cosmetic difference is the two large cracks in the butt, inflicted when DA threw it at a wall after missing a shot.

But there's no comparison in terms of how they play.
Click to expand...

I wish I could have seen that.
:grin-square:
 
IDK...BECAUSE they're being bought for what the Seller's ask an it seems the Buyer's are very pleased with the product they've received. Just Guessing

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk
 
Personal preference.

Regarding custom cues vs. Predator or any other production cues, I think it all boils down to preference and personal style (and budget). Pretty much all of the cues I use are custom affairs, and they all hit differently, but well, IMO.
My Anton is pretty as hell, with all the purple heart in it, and hits incredibly soft, yet solid. It's got that soft touch to it, makes you just want to finesse everything in and get that sweet, slow rolling shape....
My Samsara is a low key dazzler, the tiger stripe maple just scintillates and shimmers from across the room, and when you get closer? The snakewood just pops right out at ya. Thinner (12.5mm) shaft with a long taper and ivory topped with a kamui black medium. And it plays like a jackhammer. Lively, generates a ton of action, and hits like rebar. It just begs you to drive most shots in with authority.
My Mike Stacey? Effin' gorgeous, ebony on ebony 8 pointer with ivory highlights everywhere. If I play with the maple and ivory shaft, it's the best of both worlds to me. Soft touch, but with that feeling of power behind it, and it just let's you load up on English when you want to. But, Mike also made and matched up an OB shaft for it, including the matching ringwork. With that one, the cue is a scalpel. Drills in those long straight shots, and banks like a monster. I'm still getting used to it, as LD shafts are a new thing for me, but I like it.
Long story short (too late.....), it's what you like. And I like pretty, hard to find, well made stuff. I can play just fine with a McDermott, or a Schön, or a Predator, but I don't want to, and I don't have to. Do I play better with my customs? Hell yes I do! Because I want to play better when I shoot with them. 90% of the game is mental, right?
When finances allow, a Sugartree is definitely on my list, if for no other reason than my love of exotic hardwoods, and showcasing their natural beauty. And regardless of how they "hit", no one (that I've seen) can knock the craftsmanship of Eric's cues. Which matters to me. I can learn to love most cue's unique hitting style, I have a hard time loving one that looks and feels like Humpty Dumpty after all the King's men gave it their best shot. Maybe it's the cold medicine, or entire pot of coffee I just drank while chain smoking and listening to some blues and waxing these beauties, but that's my $0.02 on it. I guess I like my cues like I like my women: classy, all natural beauties instead of fake, glued together bimbos who are only fun until you meet a real one (or maybe one with a little aftermarket augmentation, in the case of LD shafts.... >.<).

Cues ARE like women, I guess (or men, no sexism here...), when you love them, everything feels right. The way they respond to your touch, the way they seem to melt into your hands, the way they move......
I think I need a cold shower.
Later!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top