If your cue is made in the USA it is fine for your needs. A lot of the low end McDermott cues are made in China. Almost all of the LD shafts including Predator and OB are also China made. I think the cue you have might be a China made cue but I am not sure.
Why buy a cue that is over $300?
- Thread starter Ares49
- Start date
If your cue is made in the USA it is fine for your needs. A lot of the low end McDermott cues are made in China. Almost all of the LD shafts including Predator and OB are also China made. I think the cue you have might be a China made cue but I am not sure.
I think Royce might disagree with the OB part of that statement. Unless China has moved to Plano, Tx.
Larry< has seen OB shafts made in Texas.
Yikes! I was just about to correct that statement... My Micky D rep. told me awhile ago that all G Series were made here in the US. Anything lower isn't..
For those of us that have chosen to compare a cuestick to a woman :shakehead:....better get a whitten case :lovies:
Not allot of exercise compared to Mika coming from first round on the losers side at the us open for the win a couple yrs back.
We buy them because we like them. The beauty. The feel.
Inless you buy the right cue and take good care of it and 40 years later its worth
10 to 20 k.
MMike
I can't speak for everybody, but I can say that my jump from production to custom was about quality and aesthetics.
When I was shopping for my first custom cue, the online reseller said that the beauty of the wood, the quality of the shaft wood, and the overall fit and finish were significantly better than most production cues. Owning several customs since then, as well as seeing all the cues at five or six Super Billiards Expos, has shown me exactly that. Compared to the gorgeous grain and carefully executed accents of custom cues, most production cues have a very cookie-cutter look and feel. It's as evident with plain janes as it is with highly ornate cues.
I haven't gotten into LD shafts, but I am a stickler for dense shaft wood (especially old wood). I think you can ask some production makers to hand-choose a shaft for you, but I doubt it'll be anywhere near the quality that many custom makers can provide.
You're right that some production cues are as capable as pretty much any player is. But as capable as a cue is, it might not have that comfortable, confidence-inspiring feel that a better cue can have. The balance might be off, the shaft wood might impart a dull feel, or the cue might generally have a low-quality feel in the hand. Some people, especially those who have played with better cues, are sensitive to that. If you find a $200 cue that makes you happy, all the better for you. Unfortunately, many players won't find a suitable cue for them at that price point.
When I was shopping for my first custom cue, the online reseller said that the beauty of the wood, the quality of the shaft wood, and the overall fit and finish were significantly better than most production cues. Owning several customs since then, as well as seeing all the cues at five or six Super Billiards Expos, has shown me exactly that. Compared to the gorgeous grain and carefully executed accents of custom cues, most production cues have a very cookie-cutter look and feel. It's as evident with plain janes as it is with highly ornate cues.
I haven't gotten into LD shafts, but I am a stickler for dense shaft wood (especially old wood). I think you can ask some production makers to hand-choose a shaft for you, but I doubt it'll be anywhere near the quality that many custom makers can provide.
You're right that some production cues are as capable as pretty much any player is. But as capable as a cue is, it might not have that comfortable, confidence-inspiring feel that a better cue can have. The balance might be off, the shaft wood might impart a dull feel, or the cue might generally have a low-quality feel in the hand. Some people, especially those who have played with better cues, are sensitive to that. If you find a $200 cue that makes you happy, all the better for you. Unfortunately, many players won't find a suitable cue for them at that price point.
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I just bought a new Schon STL-5 with a Predator 314 deuce shaft.
Good looks, and a low deflection shaft costs money.
Good looks, and a low deflection shaft costs money.
I'm fairly new to taking pool seriously as I've only been learning and putting time into my game for a little over a year, but I can tell you that a better cue made a HUGE difference in my game. When I started, I bought some run-of-the-mill $60 players sneaky and thought it would be just fine for the foreseeable future. Then a teammate let me shoot with his predator sneaky and 1st gen Z shaft for a few racks. I can't stress enough how much just the change in cue improved my game instantly. I literally jumped 1-2 skill levels (APA) in play with it...instantly. So I had to have one. He tracked one down for me and I am still blown away, to this day, at how much of a difference it has made. I wasn't much of a believer at first either. I am now.
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I once had a lady come to my booth and buy a 479 dollar pink and white Instroke leather case. she pulled her 25 dollar cue out of her 15 dollar pink case and put her single cue into the 3x7 instroke
That's the same mentality that drives purse sales. Women spend hundreds on something to hold lipstick and a tampon. It was bought because it was pink and white, not because it did what she needed.
I have a $100 case I won in a raffle on AZ for $10 or something, or I'd be using a $50 case. Holds my cue and accessories, never had any issues.
While I can somewhat understand a $1,000 cue, I don't think I will ever see the point of a case over $100. Unless the goal is to have people envy you for the fact that you can buy one.
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Personally I have never paid more than 230 I think. I guess I agree that at some point it is just a waste. It helps that I actually prefer simple looking cues and I don't like wraps. My 4 shooting cues I have been through over the years have all been sneaky Pete's...