What makes one cue better than the other?

Donny Lutz said:
Then why did "Indian" take such care in making their bows and arrows?

In answer to the OP, because I say so.

Seriously, it always comes down to personal preference.
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Of course there is some personal preference that goes along with it, but if you're buying a cue online, odds are you're never going to hit it until you buy it anyway. At that point, you're merely buying what looks good to you. Sure, there is some preference to it, but the vast majority of people are going to get the same performance out of a $100 Joss cue as they would a $20,000 Balabushka.
 
I heard of milk duds only in the last month or so thru AZ. I need to find someone in town who uses one and try it out a few times. So far i have been using Kamui Soft or Everest that was a standard tip with my Jacoby Shaft.
 
Seth 304 said:
Well,

Currently I play with a $250 Viking cue, it's a pretty good cue--I've never had a complaint out of it. I figured at $250 it would be well enough made to last me and in truth it probably would last me my lifetime, however, I'm ready to invest in a classier cue as the Viking looks a little more 'childish.'

So I've been eye-balling Joss cues, in between the 4-$600 range and they're very nice looking, however the thought occured to me, "What makes it better than the one I'm using?" The only difference I can noticably see is my Viking is made from hard maple and the Joss is made from curly maple. Once again, the wood is beautiful in the Joss--everything about it is.

But performance-wise would there really be a difference? Also I see they all come with a 'buy an extra shaft' option--of which they have manufacturer shafts then OB or Predator shafts for a few hundred more--what performance enhancements does an OB or Predator shaft have over a Joss?

I still intend to pick up a Joss for the look but can anyone help me understand if there's an actual performance difference between the multiple items I've mentioned?

Thank you,
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Any "performance" is in the tip and shaft. Most of what is behind the joint is for looks, feel of the hit and balance. If you want to learn how an OB or Predator plays, do a forum search or a web search, you will find enough to read to last you a day sitting at your computer. And probably without any solid conclusions at the end as to what really is best for you.
 
worktheknight said:
I recently had a player come over to look at cues and I marked the pool table with chalk and set up a pretty easy cut shot to the corner. I done this so he could hit some different cues and found which brand made him feel he was not forcing the cue to make the shot and run the cue ball off the rail and down cross corner to the opposite corner. After he hit this shot about 30 times with five different cues, I then had him hit draw as to make the shot and not touch the rail which should run along the rail to the far corner pocket on the same side of the table, any extra draw would pull the cue ball towards the middle of the table. He kept hitting the rail, kept hitting the rail and yes, kept hitting the rail. I went to a cabinet and put together an older Schon, handed it to him and his first shot sucked away from the rail so much that he almost made it in the first corner pocket opposite like he was using the rail in the first place. He stood there amazed and just looked at me. I said, suppose your wondering when my next Schon order is coming in, he knew.
I agree, that many people can play an excellent game of pool and I have been beat by almost everyone with a bar cue. But, in my opinion, there is a difference when cues can do some work for you instead of you working the cue. It may cost a few dollars though.
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Shaft, Shaft, Shaft and tip :smile:

I did this experiment with a friend with several of our shafts. With a standard shaft with a regular tip we both got the least amount of spin. The most was a Predator shaft with a layered tip.

We both used the same two cues, but had 5 different shaft and tip combinations to play with and we both shot the shot 3-4 times with each cue and shaft. 100% of the time, LD shaft with a layered tip got the most action. We were able to bring the cueball about 1.5 diamonds lower with low right spin than with the worst performing shaft/tip combination.
 
Another thing to consider with custom cues is the aging of the wood. A good custom cuemaker often cuts/turns his shafts and butts many times and lets them sit for months in between cuts. Some have the wood in their shops for years before it goes out to a customer in a cue. It helps to prevent warpage.
 
Milk duds are what we call soft, single-layer tips that have been soaked and pressed. They are low-maintenance, hold their shape well, and play very consistent. And best of all, you can buy a handful of them for the price of a single layered tip!
 
better/different shaft... and different weight that you prefer. beauty will not make the cue play better. Of course its just my opinion
 
victorl said:
Milk duds are what we call soft, single-layer tips that have been soaked and pressed. They are low-maintenance, hold their shape well, and play very consistent. And best of all, you can buy a handful of them for the price of a single layered tip!
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Awesome, thanks man! By the way, I like your cat pic. haha
 
To me it is the construction techniques that you cant see that make all the difference. Take the ferrule for example, is it screwed into the tenon of the shaft vs sleeved over the tenon.

For me anyway, I prefer cues that are constructed with parts that are glued and screwed vs glued and sleeved.
 
To adapt a phrase from golf:
The butt is for show, the shaft (and tip) are for dough.

But really, it's the Indian, not the arrow.

You can learn to play with any cue, provided you CAN play in the first place.
 
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