What makes a good cue - cuemakers ONLY please.

[Jr's Farm]

I also disagree that this topic is subjective. If I handed you two cues and one had rings lifting, a warped shaft, and finish scratches and the other were pristine then it's clear that one is in better quality shape than the other one. However the one in bad shape might well be the better cue if you only knew what you were looking at.

That statement right there seems like the definition of subjective. One person might swoon over the pretty cue while another would go run rack after rack with the warped one becaues it hit solid. It's all going to depend on the customers opinion and that makes it subjective. You can tell him all you want that the banged up one is better because it uses a piloted joint and has a cored handle, but if he's a banger he'll likely choose the pretty one. If all he's looking for is to hustle rent money at the local hall he'll pick a solid cheap cue. Tools or art. If you can do em' both then you got a product.

As for your topic, I have a feeling that you already have a bullet-pointed list. You may get a better reception if you share your criteria here and ask for feedback on it instead.

Frank

 

[Canadian cue]

environment

There is one aspect of durability which people are reluctant to talk about IMO. The climate which the cue was built vs the one in which the cue will live. People should consider the climate of the cue maker and pick one which resembles the one you live. I realize that if a cue is well sealed and it is built in a medium climate that the cue can aclimate without much adverse affects but there will always be some. My question is how do the manufactures over seas account for this? They realy have know clue where the cue will end up. We all love wood cues but the wood is the biggest wild card in the whole equation of building cues IMO.

 

[rhncue]

There is one aspect of durability which people are reluctant to talk about IMO. The climate which the cue was built vs the one in which the cue will live. People should consider the climate of the cue maker and pick one which resembles the one you live. I realize that if a cue is well sealed and it is built in a medium climate that the cue can aclimate without much adverse affects but there will always be some. My question is how do the manufactures over seas account for this? They realy have know clue where the cue will end up. We all love wood cues but the wood is the biggest wild card in the whole equation of building cues IMO.

I believe this is a much broader problem than many realize. Wood shrinks or expands directly proportional to it's water content. A good, film finish protects a cue from losing or gaining moisture for short periods of time but not indefinitely. Sooner or later the components will reach their surrounding airs moisture content. Ain't no getting around it. If you live in FL, MS, AL, WA or AR you know for sure there is going to be issues when buying cues made in completely different climates and some forethought should be taken. This is the biggest problem with the cues brought into this country from the Philippines. Many of them are made in peoples kitchens or small workshops with no climate control so when coming here, in a year or so they look like two completely different cues. The larger, better equipped shops are climate controlled throughout the storage and building process so that the large change in humidity is not as disastrous.

Dick

 

[folkar]

I'm not a cue maker, but I think another way to look at the intent that John is getting at, would be to ask what makes a bad cue. There are enough well built cues that have completely different feels and hits and looks, that trying to peg one as the definition of a 'good cue' is near impossible.

However, building a list of things to watch out for, lets the buyer focus on their own personal preference.

 

[Craig Fales]

Hi John,

Straightness would seem to be a given yet few people really know how to verify a cue's straightness. Most roll the assembled cue on the table, watching for variations in light under the shaft. The more knowledgeable buyers disassemble the cue & roll the individual sections for a more discerning look at potential problems. Many sight along the cue's length, aiming at a distant light source.

The following test has been mentioned before but I rarely see buyers employ it. This baffles me because this test is a real eye-opener & leaves no room for arguments about straightness.

Roll assembled cue in this manner:
Lay the cue on the table such that the joint is resting an inch or so past the rail & the buttcap is on the table surface. This allows the cue only two points of contact - both on the extreme ends of the butt. Roll the cue & watch the tip. It will scribe an arc in the air if everything is not perfect. Perfection is not an unreasonable goal yet you'd be surprised at how seldom it is achieved.

That's the test I use to test for straightness. I've seen some real floppers lolz.

A good cue starts from the tip back:
tight fitting ferrule with no gaps anywhere.
quality wood in the shaft, grain perfectly straight, live tool cut everything at the joint.
the butt made with well seasoned wood, no cavity below the joint pin, quality glues used, tenoned 'a joint' always.

 

[Craig Fales]

There is one aspect of durability which people are reluctant to talk about IMO. The climate which the cue was built vs the one in which the cue will live. People should consider the climate of the cue maker and pick one which resembles the one you live. I realize that if a cue is well sealed and it is built in a medium climate that the cue can aclimate without much adverse affects but there will always be some. My question is how do the manufactures over seas account for this? They realy have know clue where the cue will end up. We all love wood cues but the wood is the biggest wild card in the whole equation of building cues IMO.

I build my cues with the assumption that they will be played with in an climate controlled environment. As such I build my cues in a 72*/ 50~60% humidity environment.

 

[manwon]

I see no drama in his question at all. If you think he's baiting you, perhaps you should just let it go.

I see no drama in his question at all. If you think he's baiting you, perhaps you should just let it go.[/QUOTE

You may be right, that is very observant thanks!!!!!!

 

[John Barton]

That statement right there seems like the definition of subjective. One person might swoon over the pretty cue while another would go run rack after rack with the warped one becaues it hit solid. It's all going to depend on the customers opinion and that makes it subjective. You can tell him all you want that the banged up one is better because it uses a piloted joint and has a cored handle, but if he's a banger he'll likely choose the pretty one. If all he's looking for is to hustle rent money at the local hall he'll pick a solid cheap cue. Tools or art. If you can do em' both then you got a product.

As for your topic, I have a feeling that you already have a bullet-pointed list. You may get a better reception if you share your criteria here and ask for feedback on it instead.

Frank

That's my point, in the absence of information the banger will choose the cue that's pretty over the one that is good, i.e subjective. At least IF you give him the information then he can make an objective decision for himself and if it's the pretty one then he has no room to complain a year later if it falls apart.

I don't actually have any list. Like I have said many times on this forum I sell cues by putting them into people's hands and letting them play with them.

You will never see me at a show spending five or ten minutes telling people all sorts of bullet points and asking them to hand me their cash. I don't even LET people buy a cue from me unless they hit balls with it.

The reason? I don't want them to come back later claiming that they were misled in some way.

 

[the_general]

the ol' man Bebot Bautista says the best cues are cues handcrafted with passion... he puts his heart, mind & body doing all our cues, even the simplest ones gets the same dedicated attention. profit set for last.


that's the soft side of it. most fundamental aspects for a good cue are already mentioned above.

 

[cueman]

I believe this is a much broader problem than many realize. Wood shrinks or expands directly proportional to it's water content. A good, film finish protects a cue from losing or gaining moisture for short periods of time but not indefinitely. Sooner or later the components will reach their surrounding airs moisture content. Ain't no getting around it. If you live in FL, MS, AL, WA or AR you know for sure there is going to be issues when buying cues made in completely different climates and some forethought should be taken. This is the biggest problem with the cues brought into this country from the Philippines. Many of them are made in peoples kitchens or small workshops with no climate control so when coming here, in a year or so they look like two completely different cues. The larger, better equipped shops are climate controlled throughout the storage and building process so that the large change in humidity is not as disastrous.

Dick

You make some good points. I will add that one cue maker in the Philippines stores his wood in the final stages of cue making in several different rooms that all have dehumidifiers in them set to different levels according to the part of the world the cue is going to. He says that is the only way he has been able to keep them straight. His cues bring bigger dollars also.