Who are the best Foreign Cue Makers ( US Dollar is i

[Hollismason]

Yes, I know we all want to buy locally from the USA. However, I came across a website from one of the other posters called Craftsman cues and then it dawned on me that the Euro and the British Pound have pretty much tanked over the previous 10 years to be comparable now with the US Dollar.

The reason this is important is that now the US Dollar goes a bit further.

Here is the item in question

I actually just looked at their website and they have this cue :

Stunning 9ball cue with some intricate inlay work, made up of maple, abalone, ebony, rosewood and mother of pearl. Irish linen wrap. Complete with spare shaft. Stunning Abalone points.
Complete with joint protectors.

Cue specs.
Length 59.5", Weight 17.75oz, Tip size 12.7mm

• 5/16x18 joint pin.
• Black and white irish handle..
• Forearm Inlays: made with maple, rosewood, abalone, ebony and mother of pearl inlays.
• End Sleeve Inlays: made with maple, abalone, ebony, rosewood and mother of pearl inlays.
• Forearm and endsleeve made with maple.
• Ring design made with Maple & Abalone.

(This is Craftsman Cues in England)

The price is the issue though : Total Price: £429.00.

This cue comparatively was around 650 US dollars at the beginning of the year( Pound was at 1.45 exchange rate, now is 1.2) and now with the exchange (which by the way rate exchanges are not instantaneous it still does take some time for the market to catch up to the exchange and some places set their exchange rate at a quarter interval not on a "day to day " basis) .It's now around 520 dollars.

The Euro is in a similar situation as well.

Basically, the US dollar is becoming stronger and the Euro / Pound are becoming weaker now ( some of this may have to do with Britain leaving the EU ,but the full impact of the Brexit is still to be determined we probably won't see a full effect until next year. The Pound though is in decline and has been for several years).

Anyway now is a good time to buy overseas while the dollar is strong so what are some good cue makers over seas?


Edit:

Can a mod change title to say Us Dollar is Strong, what are some good overseas cue makers?)

Some reason it cut off my title.

 

[hang-the-9]

Is this an asian made import? They tend to put a lot of those inlays in but overall the quality in most is not good at all.

 

[Hollismason]

Is this an asian made import? They tend to put a lot of those inlays in but overall the quality in most is not good at all.

I believe it is in fact the English cuemaker Craftsman

 

[skins]

If you're going to spend $500 for a cue the FIRST thing you should research is what makers, in this price range, build a cue that is sound and solid.The amount of esthetic decoration in the cue doesn't mean anything without that...

 

[Hollismason]

If you're going to spend $500 for a cue the FIRST thing you should research is what makers, in this price range, build a cue that is sound and solid.The amount of esthetic decoration in the cue doesn't mean anything without that...

Everything I've read about the company Craftsman is that it's a excellent company. I was just using that as a example though of how the exchange rate right now can lead to a more beneficial buy for Americans.

 

[skins]

Everything I've read about the company Craftsman is that it's a excellent company. I was just using that as a example though of how the exchange rate right now can lead to a more beneficial buy for Americans.

Where and what have you read about this maker enough to push their work to American buyers?

 

[Bavafongoul]

Craftsman Cues is top notch; call and ask to speak with Simon Brown.
Let him know Matt from CA referred you; I've purchased their cue wax for several years.
Craftsman Cues website lists many brands of cues, including their own "Crafttsman Cues".

The website explains it as their own standard range of cues which they have been making
on their own premises for the past 30 years. Ebony hand spliced cues with lower decorative
splices. Whichever Craftsman Cues you see listed (In stock) on the web site, are in stock &
available to dispatch straight away. All Craftsman Cues made are on the premises. Using
black African Ebony & North American ash - Made by David Brown.


Matt B.

 

[skins]

Craftsman Cues is top notch; call and ask to speak with Simon Brown.
Tell him Matt from CA referred you; I've purchased their cue wax for years.

What is your experience of their cues?

 

[Hollismason]

Where and what have you read about this maker enough to push their work to American buyers?

Personally, I have not played with a Craftsman cue. I did however read reviews of the company , which there are actually reviews of their cues on this website that state it's a quality company that has been making cues for 30 years. There are also other several other reviews and documentation about the cues and generally it's " good price for good value". They're mostly known for their snooker cues ,but actually all of their snooker cues can be I guess you'd say turned up to 13mm which is interesting.

Mostly though I just used that as a example as I found it interesting that with the current market , US buyers have stronger buying power when purchasing in Europe.

That cue lost almost 20% in value in 6 months.

 

[Double-Dave]

Yes, I know we all want to buy locally from the USA. However, I came across a website from one of the other posters called Craftsman cues and then it dawned on me that the Euro and the British Pound have pretty much tanked over the previous 10 years to be comparable now with the US Dollar.

The reason this is important is that now the US Dollar goes a bit further.

Here is the item in question


(This is Craftsman Cues in England)

The price is the issue though : Total Price: £429.00.

This cue comparatively was around 650 US dollars at the beginning of the year( Pound was at 1.45 exchange rate, now is 1.2) and now with the exchange (which by the way rate exchanges are not instantaneous it still does take some time for the market to catch up to the exchange and some places set their exchange rate at a quarter interval not on a "day to day " basis) .It's now around 520 dollars.

The Euro is in a similar situation as well.

Basically, the US dollar is becoming stronger and the Euro / Pound are becoming weaker now ( some of this may have to do with Britain leaving the EU ,but the full impact of the Brexit is still to be determined we probably won't see a full effect until next year. The Pound though is in decline and has been for several years).

Anyway now is a good time to buy overseas while the dollar is strong so what are some good cue makers over seas?


Edit:

Can a mod change title to say Us Dollar is Strong, what are some good overseas cue makers?)

Some reason it cut off my title.

The Craftsman cue you chose as an example is quite clearly a cheaply made philippine import cue. These sell for $100-200 on eBay all day.
You might as well set $520 on fire.

But to answer your question, for example in Germany there are several very competent cuemakers.

Andreas Sure cues
CEM Cues
Oliver Stops cues
Vollmer cues
Arthur cues

In Switzerland there is Sorace cues.

There are more but all these guys make quality cues (not saying the others don't).

 

[skins]

Personally, I have not played with a Craftsman cue. I did however read reviews of the company , which there are actually reviews of their cues on this website that state it's a quality company that has been making cues for 30 years. There are also other several other reviews and documentation about the cues and generally it's " good price for good value". They're mostly known for their snooker cues ,but actually all of their snooker cues can be I guess you'd say turned up to 13mm which is interesting.

Mostly though I just used that as a example as I found it interesting that with the current market , US buyers have stronger buying power when purchasing in Europe.

That cue lost almost 20% in value in 6 months.

Post a link to these reviews about the pool cues you talk about and posted here from thier website, not the snooker 3/4 and one piece cues....

Also, as I've eluded to above, thier snooker cues are either one piece or 3/4 (not equally split like normal pool cues ) so "turning them up" (now thats just funny right there. LOL) is useless for American pool for the most part..

 

[smashmouth]

you need to take into account all fees associated with importing such as significantly at minimum you'll pay for much higher shipping costs, 2.5% on your credit card conversion surcharge, they'll usually also add another point or two to the real current exchange rate............from there depending n the country and shipping service there could be local taxes, then stateside brokerage fees, duties, and all manner of other bs misc charges

once you learn how to navigate those waters there may be value in some of the british snooker cues and european carom cues but for American pool you'd be crazy to spend $500 overseas as that sum pretty much gets you a world class sneaky pete custom or a world class production cue from the likes of Mezz and similair

 

[Hollismason]

you need to take into account all fees associated with importing such as significantly at minimum you'll pay for much higher shipping costs, 2.5% on your credit card conversion surcharge, they'll usually also add another point or two to the real current exchange rate............from there depending n the country and shipping service there could be local taxes, then stateside brokerage fees, duties, and all manner of other bs misc charges

once you learn how to navigate those waters there may be value in some of the british snooker cues and european carom cues but for American pool you'd be crazy to spend $500 overseas as that sum pretty much gets you a world class sneaky pete custom or a world class production cue from the likes of Mezz and similair

Those are all still to be taken into account but even still it's cheaper right now to order from Europe so it still saves you money regardless.

 

[smashmouth]

you missed the point

those factors ensure that currently it is not cheaper to order pool gear from europe

do you think you're the only person who has considered this?

to each his own though, post up when you purchase that high quality cue from overseas and let us know the final landing price and all the money you saved

cheers

 

[Straightpool_99]

That looks like a Filipino import cue to me. I've owned several, almost exactly like the pictured ones. Some of them hit great, others are complete crap. Usually they are thicker at the joint than other cues, and it's also typical for them not to have straight joint pins, so that only the original shafts are straight. Aftermarket shafts will lead to the cue rolling crooked. If the pictured cue is not made in the Filipines, they have certainly copied the Filipino style down to the last detail...I find that hard to believe. The shape of the inlays and inlay materials are a dead giveaway. Traditionally they come with linen wraps, it's rare to see them with Leather, especially good quality leather. The leather they use tend to be very thick and stiff. I bought a Flipino cue for 80 dollars, which was one of the best cues I've ever owned. I've also bought 3 others that were average and one that was crap and had to be discarded. None of them were straight with aftermarket shafts. I figure they are worth about 100 dollars if they are decent. I live in a climate with average humidity. If you live in a very dry area, you can expect them to warp. They are not good with climate control and wood aging down there and as you probably know, it's very humid there.

That 80 dollar cue I bought, I lent it to one of my countrys top 3 players and he nagged me for months to sell it to him for 500 dollars. When you consider the fact that it was butt ugly, it's telling of the kind of hit it had. It was stolen years ago.

Regarding European cues, there are some top notch German cuemakers, although those cues will never, ever be cheap. There are several good English snooker cue makers, some of them make cues for pool, but those are typically not so good.

The best European cues come from Germany (Vollmer, Arthur). My friend was quoted 5k Euros for a fancy Vollmer years ago, I've no idea what it would cost now.

 

[Chopdoc]

I was going to let this thread go but Skins jumped in so what the heck...

I have not read everything here, just skimmed.

The cue pictured looks like a $100-$150 PI cue. And I only push it to $150 because there are two shafts. If it isn't a PI import then the makers did everything he could to make it look like one. Which would be really odd.



This whole thread seems like a disjointed conversation actually.




.

 

[Cornerman]

I believe it is in fact the English cuemaker Craftsman

Is that his first name or last name?

 

[Type79]

I echo the critical comments and would only add that it is still a buyer's market in cues. Therefore why look abroad?

 

[skins]

I was going to let this thread go but Skins jumped in so what the heck...

I have not read everything here, just skimmed.

The cue pictured looks like a $100-$150 PI cue. And I only push it to $150 because there are two shafts. If it isn't a PI import then the makers did everything he could to make it look like one. Which would be really odd.



This whole thread seems like a disjointed conversation actually.

.

My questions surround my thought that these are cues this Craftsman company has made for them in the PI or similar and that THOSE cues are somehow getting a multitude of positive "reviews" which I cant find on their website not anwhere else. All leading to my first post regarding advice on how to spend $500...

 

[Hollismason]

I simply emailed them and just asked. Again, that was just an example though. I think you could pick up some decent cues for a lower price in the exchange currently.