Well here we go... AZ Cue Buildoff! and a request your ideas

ugotactionTX

ugotactionTX

I'm in dead rack!
Silver Member
First of all a big thanks to Shawn for coming up with this,keeping it going and making it happen. And a SUPER BIG THANK YOU to the cue builders for participating. It takes stones to put your cues into the hands of the cue buying public and let them directly compare (for better or worse) your work to that of others.

I just left the pool hall in possession of the the cues after Shawn(really cool guy) was nice enough to just drive down (3 hours or so) and hand deliver them for the build off. After checking them out for a little while, it's now very clear to me that not only can I not make a ball today, but this is going to be loads of fun. All of them are the similar and at the same time completely different. Myself and Doug(bullshooter69) were able to have a short review and get some initial impressions which I'll save for a more formal response.

However, IMO I think we need to decide on a couple of things. After the 3 of us spoke it became clear (at least to me) that we need to come up with some kind of "standard" of grading/reviewing the cues. Things like fit, finish, balance, weight, butt taper, shaft taper, Sound of the hit. feedback through the cue to the shooter, and general appeal are all worthy categories. but what we need is a grading system. Perhaps 8-10 catagories and a scale of 1-5 or 1-10. It would make it much easier to compile the results and opinions rather than "I liked number 3" or "number 6 was kinda skinny" At least with a standard system we can tally opinions and impressions

Also, If you are on the list to receive the cues, I think we decided tonight( I hope I'm not speaking too soon) that to protect EVERYONE involved, before you can receive the cues, you need to send a copy of your Drivers License to Shawn. That way there is good information on everyone involved... seems reasonable to me.

If you have ideas or thoughts on a grading system please let him or me know. Since I'm the second "location" the quicker we come up with something the better. That way everyone grades the same general way.

thoughts?
 
two sections

I think two sections of the review should be clearly defined. Fit, finish, weight, shaft size, these are all hard facts with little room for individual judgment. One section could be just a listing of these things, all of the hardware specifications that seem worth commenting on and a star rating system up to five stars.

In a clearly separate section a reviewer should be able to put subjective impressions that will vary widely by individual. "Feels skinny", like or dislike the sound or feel of the hit, these type of things should clearly be defined as the person's opinion. Although opinions carry weight especially if there is a general consensus they shouldn't carry the same weight as a joint not square or other indisputable defect.

I think each reviewer should select a personal favorite or two also. This is based on what suits them at this time of course. What I want in a cue has changed many times over my playing years and is changing again as I get less time to play. With more time to play I want a highly tuned stick that rewards me for perfect cue handling. With little time to play I want a stick that is a little more forgiving.

Hu





ugotactionTX said:
First of all a big thanks to Shawn for coming up with this,keeping it going and making it happen. And a SUPER BIG THANK YOU to the cue builders for participating. It takes stones to put your cues into the hands of the cue buying public and let them directly compare (for better or worse) your work to that of others.

I just left the pool hall in possession of the the cues after Shawn(really cool guy) was nice enough to just drive down (3 hours or so) and hand deliver them for the build off. After checking them out for a little while, it's now very clear to me that not only can I not make a ball today, but this is going to be loads of fun. All of them are the similar and at the same time completely different. Myself and Doug(bullshooter69) were able to have a short review and get some initial impressions which I'll save for a more formal response.

However, IMO I think we need to decide on a couple of things. After the 3 of us spoke it became clear (at least to me) that we need to come up with some kind of "standard" of grading/reviewing the cues. Things like fit, finish, balance, weight, butt taper, shaft taper, Sound of the hit. feedback through the cue to the shooter, and general appeal are all worthy categories. but what we need is a grading system. Perhaps 8-10 catagories and a scale of 1-5 or 1-10. It would make it much easier to compile the results and opinions rather than "I liked number 3" or "number 6 was kinda skinny" At least with a standard system we can tally opinions and impressions

Also, If you are on the list to receive the cues, I think we decided tonight( I hope I'm not speaking too soon) that to protect EVERYONE involved, before you can receive the cues, you need to send a copy of your Drivers License to Shawn. That way there is good information on everyone involved... seems reasonable to me.

If you have ideas or thoughts on a grading system please let him or me know. Since I'm the second "location" the quicker we come up with something the better. That way everyone grades the same general way.

thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
I planned on grading them on a 0-10 scale, or possibly on a 0-20 scale because there are so many cues that the differences will be in single digits.

I would say that grading guidelines should be used so that everyone is grading along the same lines. I suppose they could be graded on two main lines being Appearance and Play with sub-lines of Finish, Balance, Craftsmanship etc.
 
I will personally vouch for ugotactionTX....he really CANT make a ball :grin:
 
ugotactionTX said:
However, IMO I think we need to decide on a couple of things. After the 3 of us spoke it became clear (at least to me) that we need to come up with some kind of "standard" of grading/reviewing the cues. Things like fit, finish, balance, weight, butt taper, shaft taper, Sound of the hit. feedback through the cue to the shooter, and general appeal are all worthy categories. but what we need is a grading system. Perhaps 8-10 catagories and a scale of 1-5 or 1-10. It would make it much easier to compile the results and opinions rather than "I liked number 3" or "number 6 was kinda skinny" At least with a standard system we can tally opinions and impressions

Also, If you are on the list to receive the cues, I think we decided tonight( I hope I'm not speaking too soon) that to protect EVERYONE involved, before you can receive the cues, you need to send a copy of your Drivers License to Shawn. That way there is good information on everyone involved... seems reasonable to me.

If you have ideas or thoughts on a grading system please let him or me know. Since I'm the second "location" the quicker we come up with something the better. That way everyone grades the same general way.

thoughts?
Click to expand...

I completely agree with all of this, a standardized form with the addition of a narrative section, and copy of driver's license. When it's all over and done, each review could/should be scanned and copied onto a disc and made available to whoever wants it, for a fee. Or just make a huge thread!
:p
 
Hey brother.....I have that Excel spreadsheet at work on the buildoff on some diff categories to rate the cues. I will send it to you monday so we can all rate these cues. We can add to or take away from it if we need to, but once we get it right, leave it till the cues get back to me...then we can easily see which cue was better in each category..

send me your email ugotactionTX so I can send it to ya
 
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