What is the best cue in the range of $1000-$1500?
- Thread starter haminh
- Start date
First, you should probably get cue. Go back you your pool hall of choice. Bring calipers, a tape measure and a tip tool. Pick like 6 decent cues and bring them to your table. Trim the tips to a perfect nickel radius before you start. Shoot a game with each. Try to find a best one. When you do, measure:
Tip diameter
Shaft dia at 8", 16"
Butt diameter where you grip and it's distance from end of butt.
Balance point from end of butt
No house cue is perfect. List what you like and don't like about the best one. Also, for each measurement, decide is that about right, or should it be on direction or the other.
Try friends cues and do the same.
You should have a pretty good log of info to go to a cue store with, or contact one of our fine retailers on here with. I personally would pick a retailer off AZ.
Then, buy a cue for like $100-$300.
I think you said you wanted to get better. To get better, don't buy a cue. Buy Mosconi's book and find a good instructor in your area.
To tell someone how good you are, list your high run and the game.
Good luck in your search. IMO, cue pricing looks basically like this:
< $100 - Hard to find a playable cue.
$100 - $300 - good production cue
$300 - $600 - premium production cue with nice inlays, ld shaft, etc
$300 - $500 - basic plain Jane or sneaky custom cue
$600 - $900 - basic 4pt custom
>$1000 - fancy custom
Tip diameter
Shaft dia at 8", 16"
Butt diameter where you grip and it's distance from end of butt.
Balance point from end of butt
No house cue is perfect. List what you like and don't like about the best one. Also, for each measurement, decide is that about right, or should it be on direction or the other.
Try friends cues and do the same.
You should have a pretty good log of info to go to a cue store with, or contact one of our fine retailers on here with. I personally would pick a retailer off AZ.
Then, buy a cue for like $100-$300.
I think you said you wanted to get better. To get better, don't buy a cue. Buy Mosconi's book and find a good instructor in your area.
To tell someone how good you are, list your high run and the game.
Good luck in your search. IMO, cue pricing looks basically like this:
< $100 - Hard to find a playable cue.
$100 - $300 - good production cue
$300 - $600 - premium production cue with nice inlays, ld shaft, etc
$300 - $500 - basic plain Jane or sneaky custom cue
$600 - $900 - basic 4pt custom
>$1000 - fancy custom
I'm not going to throw out any names...mostly because everyone seems to be doing a fine job of that already. What I will caution you is that what ever cue you decide on, DO NOT purchase a cue with elephant ivory in it...not even the ferrules. You mentioned you live outside the US...it is illegal to import or export elephant ivory in the US...and most other countries as well. You run the risk of at the least, having your cue confiscated and never returned...at the worst, some countries carry heavy fines or prison terms.
I might suggest saving yourself some $$$ and getting yourself a nice 'sneaky pete' with 2 shafts. These will play somewhat similar to a barstick, and be perfectly serviceable for your needs. Just make sure that the shaftwood used is quality, and that you have decent tips on the shafts and you should be good to go for quite some time.
Your biggest decision will be picking a cue with the most comfortable shaft taper for you. Since you are not fond of Predators, which typically have a Pro taper, you may opt for a cue with a SW-type taper (stiffer) or even a European-type conical taper. The shafts and the tips can make or break the way a cue plays.
Best of luck with your search!!
Lisa
I might suggest saving yourself some $$$ and getting yourself a nice 'sneaky pete' with 2 shafts. These will play somewhat similar to a barstick, and be perfectly serviceable for your needs. Just make sure that the shaftwood used is quality, and that you have decent tips on the shafts and you should be good to go for quite some time.
Your biggest decision will be picking a cue with the most comfortable shaft taper for you. Since you are not fond of Predators, which typically have a Pro taper, you may opt for a cue with a SW-type taper (stiffer) or even a European-type conical taper. The shafts and the tips can make or break the way a cue plays.
Best of luck with your search!!
Lisa
I know this is old thread but i cant agree more with c&c. In my 23 years as a serious player, the only custom cuemaker that has made his shafts the way i would have them built to my specs is Travis of Blackcreek. His precision work and playability is top notch. His veneer work is so to perfection its scary.
i think the reason you didn't here about some of the more famous ones is because most of them are not in the price range you asked about. i play with a southwest, cost alot more than 1500.00. personally i also like the Jerry Olivier. for your price range he can build you a very nice and good hitting cue. i have 2 Olivier's and i believe they play very close to my southwest!
True - my 1991 Southwest six-pointer cost $1400 back then, if I remember correctly. What a deal in hindsight! The workmanship is unsurpassed, at best equalled by others. Today, since all I'm interested is playability (looks an extra at best), the same kind of money would buy me a plain Jane QP or Lambros (what I'd probably pick) - how times have changed…
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
The OP is so ambiguous that it's hard to answer with any degree of direction. That being said...I would point out that there are probably more cues in the 1000 - 1500 price range than in any other range. Customs, productions, anything in between. Maybe in the 500-1000 range.
And to reiterate what others have said...
The cue does make the man.
Look at Efren Reyes...one of the most decorated players ever and played with relative garbage for most of his career.
The best players can beat with with a warped house cue even if you have any cue you can think of.
And to reiterate what others have said...
The cue does make the man.
Look at Efren Reyes...one of the most decorated players ever and played with relative garbage for most of his career.
The best players can beat with with a warped house cue even if you have any cue you can think of.
While this is true, it may not be good for one's health, nor one's sanity – just heard of a famous Japanese chef who thinks it of paramount importance that knives are dead-straight as an arrow "because of the length of the cut": because one will use one's whole body to compensate, and that after years of use, one may suffer from wrist and shoulder pain because of it. Makes me wonder if a crooked pool cue won't affect a player similarly…
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
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for todays market do you thing the price range should be higher or lower???
then we can start a new thread:grin: