Why are Snooker cues so cheap?

Merlinium

Merlinium

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was going to call this thread why are pool cues so expensive but I did not think that would be a fair title. Being in the UK my game is predominantly UK style 8ball which is played with a snooker cue, the cue I play with is a nice and simple hand spliced ebony cue with red and black veneers an ash shaft (tapered to an aprrox 7.5mm tip) with brass ferrule and centre joint. This cue is worth about £100 and would be considered to be reasonably expensive.

My 9ball cue is a Mezz EC-P with 2 shafts (original & predator) which I purchased 2nd hand for approximately £180 and in terms of 9ball cues this sort of investment is not considered particualrly expensive.


With the rare exception of snooker cues containing hallmarked Silver and Gold inlays I think the most expensive snooker cue I have seen is £570 (Dragon Cues DC18 all snakewood number), why is this the case? Are snooker cue makers putting so little effort into the task that they deserve no reward or are they being taken advantage of.


The reason why I did not call this why are pool cues so expensive is because I think there is a lot of work in them and considering I use my cue about 12 hours a week I think I got my moneys worth.
 
i think there are a couple of reasons for the price difference in snooker and 9 ball cues. 1st being the market for snooker cues being smaller as 9 ball is far more popular around the world. 2nd being the collectors market, i dont know about snooker cues but the collectors market for pool cues has enabled builders to make a name for themselves and it makes their cues a much sought after product.
 
That's a pretty broad brush you're painting with. Just as with pool cues, there are a variety of manufacturers and makers with price points running the gamut. Keep in mind, that generally, snooker cues are not wrapped, come with only one shaft, have no inlays and are not as ornate. That being said, I still don't think they are "cheap". John Parris' made-to-measure series range from 272 pounds to 400 pounds base price. Start adding ornamental splices and underlays and the price can escalate considerably - also, let's not forget the VAT. As with anything - you get what you pay for. JMHO.

Adios,

Pizza Bob
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't snooker cues generally far plainer in appearance than similar quality pool cues? Obviously a lot of meticulous workmanship is put into the construction of snooker cues, but you don't seem to see a lot of inlays, whereas high-end pool cues generally have numerous inlays. The inlays take a lot of the cue-maker's time to cut and properly fit, and require purchasing a wider variety of materials, and time and materials both mean higher cost.

-Andrew
 
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