If money were no object, that would be one thing. If it is, that's another. And since the quality of hit is a very subjective thing, before I'd buy any cue costing more than fifty or sixty bucks, I'd like to try out the actual cue first, to see how it feels when hitting the cue ball at various speeds and with english and so on. For that reason, the aesthetics of the cue are somewhat irrelevant, unless of course, you simply want to look cool.
I confess to liking striking cues, flashy cues with exotic, colorful wood and dramatic streaks in them. From what I've seen, those kinds of cues are basically only custom made cues. Although Schon sure does have some awesome looking cues available. But how will the cue itself hit is still the question...
Sorry for the rambling answer, but I don't really have one, at least for now...
By the way, my favorite hitting cue so far is an el cheapo sneaky pete made by excalibur... I had Ed Young make a custom shaft for it, plays awesomely and the hit is sweet. I suppose I could find a spectacular butt to go with it, but if I did, after a few weeks of play, it would already be dinged up somewhat. And it might just grow two legs, if you know what I mean. So for now, I'll just play with my lowly sneaky... Would I buy another one? In a heartbeat!
Flex