"Better" is subjective.....
The sugartree has a very nice feel and hit, but it is a bit heavy for me and the balance is a bit to the rear (usually the case with SP) so I have to grip it at it's end for it to be comfortable...
The Zinzola has a very thin butt and with the heavy shaft it is balanced a bit too forward... But I can get used to it and it has a great hit!!! the conolial (euro) taper give the cue a lot of action, like there is a turbo charger under the wrap.... I can get so much spin with this cue... I actually have to tone down my stroke when playing with it and I can shoot with it very softly and get enough cue ball action, this is a great feature because it makes me much more accurate then when I have to use more power.
The Hills is balanced more to my liking it has a harder hit then I though it'll have because of the wood/ivory joint. I could be because of the tip, when putting a 314 shaft on it, the hit was softer (even with a Kamui hard tip).
I was actually using it in a league night and it played very good for me (after I removed the 314 shaft and went back to the original shaft.... I guess that all my latest experiments got me used to a "regular" shaft with "regular" deflection...)
The Carmeli is the perfect player for me, with the right weight and balance... KJ also fitted a 314 shaft for it and it was my daily player until the raffle wins... It has a great feel and hit both with the original shaft and with a 314 shaft. I think I'll go back to it for a daily player.
The Schon is a Schon, I call it "My old trusty"... Can't go wrong with it and with a 314 shaft it was the cue I used most when I was competing... but it feels a bit heavy now. (I would love to get an STL9 or/and an R12 with a 14.5 oz butt....)
The Jacoby is very similar to the Schon but it has a softer hit (just a bit... and it is compared using the exact 314 shaft). It is also a bit lighter. I really like it but the white linen can get dirty very fast at the local "unmaintained" pool halls so it doesn't get too much play time...)
The McDaniel is by far my favorite, this is the only cue that was ordered to my specs. I don't get to use it that often because the pool halls around here are too crowded and I fear for it (it is in mint condition!!!).
Having played with different wraps, leather, Lizard, linen and wrapless, I have to say that for long sessions I prefer the Irish linen.
Congratulations.
