What do you think of Southwest Cues?

There is one more element I like about my Southwest: in contrast to my other cues, it changes the least in weight from winter to summer. Just weighed some of my cues again, as it's humid, and the one I pulled out for fun tonight felt so much heavier than usual (not relying on memory alone: I take notes of the technical details of each of my cues). The Southwest is my only cue that weighs just the same as always.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
expensive and i can not afford it right now...

maybe latter if i rich enough to have that amount of money i will buy southwest:D...but, i doubt it because . I love my sugartree a lot and i alos love my Barnhart
 
sengkun108 said:
expensive and i can not afford it right now...

maybe latter if i rich enough to have that amount of money i will buy southwest:D...but, i doubt it because . I love my sugartree a lot and i alos love my Barnhart
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Stick with the sugartree. Forget the SW unless you are a cue flipper. I've had 6 of them. They are not worth the $$$ and especially not the 10 yr wait. I would love to try a sugartree. I hear they play great! and the ones I've seen look good too.

If you waited 10 years and spent $2500. on a cue would you be telling everyone how bad it played? I don't think so.

I have an Al Romero sneaky that plays as good or better than any of the 6 SW's I've owned for a fraction of the cost. I've also got a couple of Bluegrass sneakys that play jam up and are not for sale.

By all means, if you have the $$$, buy all the SW's, Szam's, Balabuska's and Manzino's and Searing's you can afford.

Our economy would be the better for it.
 
i've only hit with two but they both played great! if i could afford one i'd have one.

alright no i wouldn't but i'd think about it
 
Next Time.......

poolplayer2093 said:
i've only hit with two but they both played great! if i could afford one i'd have one.

alright no i wouldn't but i'd think about it
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Next time I see ya I'll have my SW, and I'll let ya try it.

Last time I think you hit some balls with my Gus?
 
DoubleD said:
Well, nobody told you that they didn't like them, anyhow.
You ever have a friend who was talking about his prized possession? Ever not like that prized possession? I'm betting so. Did you tell that person that you didn't like it?
It is like the ugly baby thing. That baby may look like a monkey with fetal alcohol syndrome, but you only tell the mother that it is precious and cute.
dld
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You have obviously never owned one.

It is not how it plays when you hit a few balls with your friend's cue. It is about how it plays after you have hit with it for several months. How the balance of the cue feels like an extension of your hand. How when you hit the cue, it feels like an old friend...you can trust it over and over again. They are really great cues. They are built the old-fashioned way, and the care that goes into each one is obvious.

No, if you want "bling", then you don't need one...pick up a Lucasi or Fury. But if you want a cue that was designed to be a billiards instrument, then pick up a SW.

That is only my opinion....that and $5 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Joe
 
My two SW cues spend most of their time at home in my 25 year old Flowers case. I keep my Gulyassy cue in my trunk for basic use.

However, partly due to another thread discussion about SW cues, when I had a day off yesterday, I brought out the SW cues...

Now, let me say, I've been enamoured with my Gulyassy cue since I got it. It plays great and has a very solid feel. In short, it's a hellava cue.

But, yesterday, after a few minutes with my SW, I was once again charmed by it. I've said this many times, and I don't know why it is so, but there is NOTHING that hits and feels like a SW. The sound when you release the cue and strike the cueball is simply different. There is more feedback and there is a more resonant report. The balance is incomparable. It's an instrument, not simply a tool.
 
tedkaufman said:
But, yesterday, after a few minutes with my SW, I was once again charmed by it. I've said this many times, and I don't know why it is so, but there is NOTHING that hits and feels like a SW. The sound when you release the cue and strike the cueball is simply different. There is more feedback and there is a more resonant report. The balance is incomparable. It's an instrument, not simply a tool.
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Agree wholeheartedly! And it doesn't matter that those who've never owned nor used one for any longer period of time (hitting a couple of balls with a cue won't do) don't get this - after all, SWs are already highly sought-after, as well as possibly overpriced, like most things in life that are truly incomparable.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
Overpriced?

acousticsguru said:
SWs are already highly sought-after, as well as possibly overpriced, like most things in life that are truly incomparable.
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The market determines the price. In this case, there is not enough supply to meet the demand.

High priced items tend to be purchased by people with more money.

People with more money tend to work smarter and/or harder than people with less.

Those who work smarter understand the value of doing things better in their own work.

As a result, they understand the real value of a superior product.
 
LAlouie said:
They're not as good as they used to be. But the hit is very consistent.
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Nothing is farther from the truth,I have had a least one new South West every decade from 1986 till now and the quality,fit and finish have only gotten better through the years,in my avitar the maple one is from 03 and the ebony one is a new 2010,I have two more on order.I hope I live long enough receive them!:p
 
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Hit a few SW cues at the APA this week.

It had been around 20 years since I hit Louis Ulrichs SW, which I hated at the time.

I hit 3 at the show, and have to say the cues are a complete mystery to me.

Let me preface that I understand that people love them and they are very popular not bashing other peoples opinons

But the ones are hit were very similar in hit.

They were all insanely stiff. They all had a thuddy indistinct ht. The hit was very very very hard. They were very high deflection compared to all the other cues I hit. The way they felt was like I was just bludgeoning the cue ball not smoothly going through it.

For ME, it is the exact opposite of what I want in a cue. If you gave me one, I wouldnt play it.

I always dont like the aesthetic of them, they all look the same to me and ugly.

I just bought a Tascarella. To me these two cues are polar opposites of each other.

Tascarellas are crisp hitting, soft, stiff but medium stiff, and just feel smooth and fast through the ball.

They also both seem to be unique in hit. They both have a very distinct identity, something you dont see as much with most other builders.

Not bashing anyones preferences, but I am not sure why someone would prefer a cue that hits so hard and stiff as a SW.

I have also noticed that SW prices seem to be dipping precipitously lately. SW cues seem to always be the most immune to market trends in pool, but even Omega Billiards which usually prices their cues for at least 1.5x what they are worth, were selling them pretty inexpensively, and there were a couple new ones for sale around $4500.
 
SW cues..........you either luv 'em or don't care for them........Most folks like them a lot.......Personally, I'm not much of a fan.
 
johnnysd said:
Hit a few SW cues at the APA this week.

It had been around 20 years since I hit Louis Ulrichs SW, which I hated at the time.

I hit 3 at the show, and have to say the cues are a complete mystery to me.

Let me preface that I understand that people love them and they are very popular not bashing other peoples opinons

But the ones are hit were very similar in hit.

They were all insanely stiff. They all had a thuddy indistinct ht. The hit was very very very hard. They were very high deflection compared to all the other cues I hit. The way they felt was like I was just bludgeoning the cue ball not smoothly going through it.

For ME, it is the exact opposite of what I want in a cue. If you gave me one, I wouldnt play it.

I always dont like the aesthetic of them, they all look the same to me and ugly.

I just bought a Tascarella. To me these two cues are polar opposites of each other.

Tascarellas are crisp hitting, soft, stiff but medium stiff, and just feel smooth and fast through the ball.

They also both seem to be unique in hit. They both have a very distinct identity, something you dont see as much with most other builders.

Not bashing anyones preferences, but I am not sure why someone would prefer a cue that hits so hard and stiff as a SW.

I have also noticed that SW prices seem to be dipping precipitously lately. SW cues seem to always be the most immune to market trends in pool, but even Omega Billiards which usually prices their cues for at least 1.5x what they are worth, were selling them pretty inexpensively, and there were a couple new ones for sale around $4500.
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I am surprised by your comment about prices going down. I used to see plenty of SW cues for $3300 to $3600. $4200 seems to be the floor right now. Ebony nose were in the $5k range and now $6500+.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk
 
BigBoof said:
I am surprised by your comment about prices going down. I used to see plenty of SW cues for $3300 to $3600. $4200 seems to be the floor right now. Ebony nose were in the $5k range and now $6500+.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk
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I could be wrong. I remember those prices from maybe 18 months ago, but then it seemed they were all $5 and $6K and have come down a bit, but that was more of a casual observation as I am not looking to get one.
 
JCIN said:
They are one of my favorite cues. They are what they are as far as design. Won't see anything new or earth shaking but fantastic execution and quality is a given. Also one of the few cues out there that really does hold its value providing you do your homework and don't over pay.

I find the stock shaft tapers stiff for me but when I get them around 12.75 they feel great. SW's are not light cues. Won't see many under 19. I know the people who make them and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. South West cues are one of the yard sticks against I measure any other cue I am looking at. Big fan if you couldn't tell.
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i saw an ebony one once that was under 19 swear to jeebus....alot of us were drooling lol.

their customer service i think is amazing for how busy they are....left laurie a message once and she called me back in few hours, spoke about 45 min....great converstaion miss. laurie was very helpful. shocked me she took that much time out of her day for me...of course playability is in the eyes of the beholder but their quality is as good or better than any other on earth.
 
Simply the best cue in the world

The cues have a consistent play from cue to cue

I love the cue and the people who make them
 
deanoc said:
Simply the best cue in the world

The cues have a consistent play from cue to cue

I love the cue and the people who make them
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I would say Tascarellas, Searings, Barenbrugges and several others are at least as worthy as "simply best cue in the world". So much hyperbole and nonsense about SW cues, which frankly after hitting several of them I wouldnt use even if you gave me one. I have a lot of respect for Laurie and what she has accomplished, but a lot of it is fueled by the endless stream of SW cue flippers that have to make sure they keep the market hyped and prices high,

And NO cue that has a documented and consistent problem with warping should be considered the best cue in the world.
 
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