Man Viking options are second to none.
I have 2 Valhallas AND a Lucky. All three play the pool. No complaints. The Mac has the longest taper which I like. All pretty straight too. One Val dead straight and the other two, very slight aerial wobble.
Viking Valhalla line sucks!
- Thread starter Willowbrook Wolfy
- Start date
I have 2 Valhallas AND a Lucky. All three play the pool. No complaints. The Mac has the longest taper which I like. All pretty straight too. One Val dead straight and the other two, very slight aerial wobble.
I’ve told this story a few times.
At mosconi cup one year in the practice room I rolled Johnny archers cue on the table. The ferrel was lifting up off the slate bed 1mm I’d guess. It was that bad. He went 6-0 that year. Straight cues are over rated……
Best
Fatboy
To his credit he did have a Triangle Tip so all wasn’t bad with that cue
Clearly, straight is better but I couldn't care less if my stick has a bit of warp in it.
Valhalla cues are entry level cues. We sell them and have never ever had a complaint.
I've played with several original Vikings. They are good cues. I don't like the exact shot shaft, though. It was a terrible idea, and it plays as bad as it looks.
Viking cues used to have very nice playing shafts, before the ld time. The taper was very well thought out. Just the right amount of flex, I think. The Vicore isn't too bad either, especially in 12.5 mm. I borrowed a Viking cue with a special order slim butt and a Vicore, and It was an excellent cue that I could probably have played with for the rest of my life without any complaints.
As far as the China cue lines of Viking and McDermott, they suck a##. The Star cues have the deadest feedbacks of any cues I've ever tried. If I had to use one, I'd quit pool forever. It was like playing with a log, I had no idea how I hit the ball when I used one of these. All the hits felt the same, dull and muffled. Obviously one can get action on the cue ball with almost any cue, but with this one it was a complete chore to control the cue ball.
I bought a Lucky Cue and the internal glue joints all failed. I liked the way it looked and the balance, but even for such a low price, it ought to at least keep it's structural integrity, if nothing else.
I dont' think I've tried many Valhalla cues. My friend had a break cue that was a Valhalla. I didn't like it. Also I think there was one Valhalla playing cue behind the counter in the pool hall, I got to try, and I hated that one too. I've heard plenty of things, but very little good...
Viking cues used to have very nice playing shafts, before the ld time. The taper was very well thought out. Just the right amount of flex, I think. The Vicore isn't too bad either, especially in 12.5 mm. I borrowed a Viking cue with a special order slim butt and a Vicore, and It was an excellent cue that I could probably have played with for the rest of my life without any complaints.
As far as the China cue lines of Viking and McDermott, they suck a##. The Star cues have the deadest feedbacks of any cues I've ever tried. If I had to use one, I'd quit pool forever. It was like playing with a log, I had no idea how I hit the ball when I used one of these. All the hits felt the same, dull and muffled. Obviously one can get action on the cue ball with almost any cue, but with this one it was a complete chore to control the cue ball.
I bought a Lucky Cue and the internal glue joints all failed. I liked the way it looked and the balance, but even for such a low price, it ought to at least keep it's structural integrity, if nothing else.
I dont' think I've tried many Valhalla cues. My friend had a break cue that was a Valhalla. I didn't like it. Also I think there was one Valhalla playing cue behind the counter in the pool hall, I got to try, and I hated that one too. I've heard plenty of things, but very little good...
Last edited:
That and China vs USA.
But skip the Vpro, Vspin, Vcrush and get the Vikore. Search Ebay for vikore, lots of deals if you are patient.
Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
This is why I’m ordering my next one with the “old Viking taper”. Seems to hit better than the standard pro taper. At least in my case. They still offer it, it’s just not listed on site any more
Another thing not listed on their site is you can get a full threaded pin instead of quick connect if you request it. I’ve seen some older posts on here complaining about the quick one….
What a silly post. Valhalla is their entry level cues, you get a perfectly fine cue for $100, not bad. Of course they don't play like a cue close to four times the price.Yes they suck! I might change my avatar after trying to play with thatViking is selling last night. They play nothing like my regular Viking cues. They are stiff and s$&@$y. My friend has them as his house cues. I forgot my cue yesterday and thought-“well it’s not so bad. He has Viking house cues”. I was definitely wrong on that one. I would take a McDermott Star or other lower tier McDermott over Valhalla line any day of the week. And I hate McDermott cues.
if you want a Viking cue do not buy a Valhalla line. It’s definitely not a Viking. I hope all their cues don’t play like this now. I’m trying to get a custom built for me right now from them. Just waiting on the price. Their custom shops backed up because of the peak pool season.
I have two. My only complaint is they're cut too fat. They feel like logs in some ranges. Failing that, one is cut perfectly straight. Rolls like it's a still photo and the other has the tiniest bow; detectable only when assembled and rolling. I now have one shaft on another Chinese cue and that's becoming a player.
Got the perfect one for 40 bucks off Amazon (return) and the other one for 60 ish, also Amazon. No crocs, piranha, boas, or mosquitos.
Got the perfect one for 40 bucks off Amazon (return) and the other one for 60 ish, also Amazon. No crocs, piranha, boas, or mosquitos.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I had a Valhalla, it wasnt bad, but I never really loved it either. Got a USA Viking and loved it with the VPro, even better with the Siege CF. I like the Viking QR. The Valhalla handle balances about an inch farther forward than the Viking, without shafts.
Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
I don’t believe how opinionated I came off two years ago. Sorry about that. I’m still opinionated, but after taking some time off of here I must’ve chilled out a bit.
in my opinion the low end McDermotts still play better than the Valhallas. I’ve shot with the Valhallas a few times now. They aren’t really crap once you play them a few times. But I’d still have to say a low end McDermott plays a bit better, and regardless nothing beats a Dufferin hi-run in the sub-$100 range. It’d just be really hard to carry around a one piece.
Last edited:
I had a crush on the natural finish Lucky when and I finally got to it, it was cut a little slimmer than the painted Valhallas. It played well enough out the tube. One minor non-disappointment was the brass insert. WTF? All the pics show plain wood tap - oh well. It was easy to screw and unscrew. I came across a Players 3/8 10 wood tap and that bumped it into the zone.
Cheap cues you can live with are more reliable than wallflowers.
Lol I just noticed I already posted this schitt...
Freddy Fuzzmore
Member
My old girlfriend used a Valhalla cue I bought for her. I tried it one day and it was excellent. It was pink with girly stuff on it or I would have used it more. My spare cue is a McDermott I got second hand. Ha ha ha...
I have had good experience with Viking USA and especially the newish Invictus shaft...which for whatever reason isn't marketed or known by many.
I never considered a Valhalla and don't know why anyone would expect them to be any good. It would be like buying a Vega and being disappointed it didn'thandle like a C8 Corvette.
Sent using Tapatalk
I never considered a Valhalla and don't know why anyone would expect them to be any good. It would be like buying a Vega and being disappointed it didn'thandle like a C8 Corvette.
Sent using Tapatalk
Last edited:
How does the Viking Inviktus shaft compare to the Vikore shaft? According to my reasoning, shafts with carbon inserts should be stiffer than shafts without, and according to Dr. Dave increasing the stiffness has the same effect as increasing the front end mass. In addition, carbon is heavier than wood, so carbon inserts actually increase the front end mass. I am suspicious of the McDermott G-core shafts for the same reason, although I think it's pretty neat to watch them build one in their factory video.
Last edited:
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I think the Inviktus shaft is laminated but I don't think it has carbon fiber. The Exact shot has a carbon fiber spine. From what I've read, the contact with the cue ball is so brief that shaft stiffness has little effect on the the deflection. Most CF shafts are stiffer than wood shafts but they still manage low deflection. I was considering the Inviktus shaft but went with the Siege. I'm quite happy with it. I also snagged a Vikore as a spare. I noticed no deficiency in the Vikore but I do prefer the Siege, primarily because I'm just going to stick with what I'm used to. I've only put a couple of hours on the Vikore, the surface finish isn't even rubbed in. I don't think it will be a big adjustment if I do need it.
Thanks for the info on the shafts. I assumed there was no carbon fiber in the Inviktus shaft, that's why I'm thinking it might be more LD than the Vikore shaft.
I think the reason that full carbon fiber shafts can be made with lower deflection is because they can be made with much less front end mass. Even though carbon weighs more than wood, you can make a thin walled carbon tube at the front of the shaft that has much less volume overall than a wood shaft, which makes the front end mass less. The stiffness of carbon then adds back some effective front end mass, but overall the result is less front end mass than a wood shaft. On the other hand, inserting carbon fiber into a wood shaft doesn't make any sense to me if the goal is to lessen deflection. I think a solid wood shaft should have less deflection than the same shaft with a carbon tube inserted in it, like the Vikore shaft, or a carbon X inserted into the wood, like with the ExactShot shaft. And, I don't see how a carbon X inserted into the wood is any different than a carbon tube inserted into the wood in terms of deflection.
Last edited:
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I misread your post, I thought you believed the Inviktus had carbon. If you put a Carbon tube into a wood shaft, you can reduce the diameter and therefore mass while still retaining stiffness. I seem to shoot more accurately with a stiffer shaft, although there are enough variables that I can't say for sure. I do see what you mean about carbon being denser than wood and therefore increasing endmass for a similar diameter shaft. The Vikore seems to have similar deflection to the Seige. I was considering the Inviktus but decided to spend the extra money for the Seige, figuring if I didn't like it I could sell it and pay for the Inviktus instead of inching my way up the price range.
Well you have at least 3 cues that could hold their own in a AZBilliards ugly cue contest. They must hit a ton.I have had good experience with Viking USA and especially the newish Invictus shaft...which for whatever reason isn't marketed or known by many.
I never considered a Valhalla and don't know why anyone would expect them to be any good. It would be like buying a Vega and being disappointed it didn'thandle like a C8 Corvette.
Sent using Tapatalk