Why buy a cue that is over $300?

[Banks]

$300?

Even that is too high.

The ultimate, unbeatable price-performance cue of all time is the....

Player's Sneaky Pete

Solid, well made butt. They come with perfectly acceptable and decent well made shafts. Hit is good. It doesn't do strange things. Plays consistent. There is nothing you can't do with that cue. It's probably the least expensive cue out there that has the base minimum requirements for structural integrity and solid hit. In fact, it is better than many cues costing much more. There are other generic or low end cues that appear similar, but they fail in some respect - they have odd balance or bad tapers. Or poor ferrules and joint work.

Players? That's still a bit pricey. I just looked and it's like $68 and god only knows what the shipping charge is. I saved at least $18 over that and got repeated test drives off all the cues I could handle. Even after all of these months, there are still a couple of other cues that I've got my eye on.. perhaps get a couple more back-ups in case my current one walks away. If they haven't warped sitting in a bar for years, I'll be confident knowing that they're of a good quality.

I'm now down to:
a cheap, 'carved wood' cue with screw-on tip
a 14oz schmelke with pin that needs fixing
a j&j j/b
an apa vegas cue
and my 15oz valley

Don't be jealous.

 

[Grilled Cheese]

Players? That's still a bit pricey. I just looked and it's like $68 and god only knows what the shipping charge is. I saved at least $18 over that and got repeated test drives off all the cues I could handle. Even after all of these months, there are still a couple of other cues that I've got my eye on.. perhaps get a couple more back-ups in case my current one walks away. If they haven't warped sitting in a bar for years, I'll be confident knowing that they're of a good quality.

I'm now down to:
a cheap, 'carved wood' cue with screw-on tip
a 14oz schmelke with pin that needs fixing
a j&j j/b
an apa vegas cue
and my 15oz valley

Don't be jealous.

Oh c'mon man - I was being serious! :grin: Really.

The Player's Sneaky Pete is in my opinion, the lowest cost cue on the market that has sufficient quality and plays consistent. I don't shoot with one, but I play with guys who do. They can afford much more expensive cues, but are simple people who don't care for fancy stuff. I've shot many racks with their Player's sneaky, and hits well. These guys play strong too. That cue is perfectly fine. It does nothing to hinder the game.

For $70 you get a cue that is 2-piece and denies any player out there any excuse. It doesn't have an inadequate ferrule like a K-Mart cue. It has a decent finish on it. It has a decent taper similar to cues costing hundreds or more than a grand. They're straight. The joint is fine. They are made of hard maple, not raman. They aren't left rough, they are very smooth.

The only equal that might be cheaper are good quality, one piece house cues but you can't transport those easily and none have a decent taper on them. The reason the sneaky is better (and often more expensive, yes even at $68) than other budget cues is because they actually have to use maple. The Budweiser APA cue that is covered in a decal wrap can be anything under there. They put the worst wood on those. Lowest grade. Most aren't even maple. They can't do that on the sneaky because the finish is transparent.


Think of it like this...you can pay $300 for a Predator cue, or $1,500. They both use the same shaft. The Player's shaft gives up nothing to most other plain maple shafts out there from McDermott, Joss, Viking, Schon ....The butt is no worse in any way than a Meucci, Lucasi or anyone else's plain jane sneaky butt.


I'm not one of these people who says you should run out with a broomstick. I do believe in a BASE LINE of quality for a cue to be playable and consistent. But when I say a Player's sneaky is good...it starts hitting a nerve with some folks. Those people with insecurities who insist on a custom cue or that money can buy skill. See the thread "custom cue mythology" ...

 

[Banks]

Oh c'mon man - I was being serious! :grin: Really.

The Player's Sneaky Pete is in my opinion, the lowest cost cue on the market that has sufficient quality and plays consistent. I don't shoot with one, but I play with guys who do. They can afford much more expensive cues, but are simple people who don't care for fancy stuff. I've shot many racks with their Player's sneaky, and hits well. These guys play strong too. That cue is perfectly fine. It does nothing to hinder the game.

For $70 you get a cue that is 2-piece and denies any player out there any excuse. It doesn't have an inadequate ferrule like a K-Mart cue. It has a decent finish on it. It has a decent taper similar to cues costing hundreds or more than a grand. They're straight. The joint is fine. They are made of hard maple, not raman. They aren't left rough, they are very smooth.

The only equal that might be cheaper are good quality, one piece house cues but you can't transport those easily and none have a decent taper on them. The reason the sneaky is better (and often more expensive, yes even at $68) than other budget cues is because they actually have to use maple. The Budweiser APA cue that is covered in a decal wrap can be anything under there. They put the worst wood on those. Lowest grade. Most aren't even maple. They can't do that on the sneaky because the finish is transparent.


Think of it like this...you can pay $300 for a Predator cue, or $1,500. They both use the same shaft. The Player's shaft gives up nothing to most other plain maple shafts out there from McDermott, Joss, Viking, Schon ....The butt is no worse in any way than a Meucci, Lucasi or anyone else's plain jane sneaky butt.


I'm not one of these people who says you should run out with a broomstick. I do believe in a BASE LINE of quality for a cue to be playable and consistent. But when I say a Player's sneaky is good...it starts hitting a nerve with some folks. Those people with insecurities who insist on a custom cue or that money can buy skill. See the thread "custom cue mythology" ...

When I got my last cue, a Joss, it also came with an older Players. The wrap was getting just a hair loose and the cue had a very slight warp in it. If I knew I'd be able to keep that warp out of my head, that would've been my regular cue because I really liked the feel of the hit. Players cues have a pretty consistent quality to them without breaking the bank. I've always wondered with amazement at the price for "custom" sneakies that run hundreds of dollars. Imagine if Ford came out with a $125,000 Focus, basing the cost solely on the fact that it was built by a good mechanic who could adjust the steering column, etc, to your preference.

I got my current cue off the wall of the bar I hang out at. Had it cut in half and away I went, no shaft smoothing, no replacing the nub of a bumper, nada. My biggest peave with high-priced cues and yet-to-be-made customs is that you don't really have any idea of how you feel shooting with the cue until after the money's gone. For a schmuck like me on a budget, that doesn't cut it.

I tried to find pictures on the APA site and the WesternBCA site of me shooting, but I could only find one or two pics and neither of them had my cue in the frame. Go figure.

 

[maldito]

Can someone send me links to information or explain to me the benefit of spending a couple hundred dollars or even thousands on a cue stick?

I just recently bought a McDermott G204. It ran me $209

It is a well made American cue, G-Core shaft.

It should do me very nicely for being an intermediate player....

In fact this cue will be better than me for years to come.

But what I notice is that there are a lot of amateur pool players who are shelling out $300+ for these cue sticks that wont make them play any better...

Back in the day people were pocketing balls with straight sticks and maple shafts...

Now we have this predator LD nonsense.

Whats the point? Pool is a very simple game, with a simple wooden tool.

If anyone can give me some insight...I am just recently taking the game more seriously

No one can tell you what is best - go to the various trade shows exhibitions where the cue makers have booths - ask to see some of their cues ( something similar in wgt to what you play with etc. ask them if you can play or take a few shots with it etc. - ) - I was playing 3-c one day and the cue my opponent had caught my eye so I asked him about it and he handed it to me and I took a few shots with it -- well it really felt like a cue that i would really like to play 3-c with - he told me who made it and that his parents bought it for him as a gift since he liked to play billiards so much ------ it had some inlay work but not anything fancy etc. it had 2 shafts and he said it cost $2000 .

I have a lucasi uniloc cue - some people have commented on it- two guys who picked it up immediatly said it had a very nice balance to it (one of the reasons I bought it) - however over the course of time I shoot with one of the lower cost Schon models and I just shoot better with it ( I recently went back to shooting with a 13 mm shaft vs originally a 12.75 shaft) it just seems that the shots I know I should make I make them more consistantly and with more confidance with the shon vs the lucasi.

I am not putting down Lucasi or any other mfg - it all depends on what works ,feels best for you ( there may be a cue out there that is better for me but I realize that searching for it is in my opinion a waste of time )

Pool looks like a simple game with a simple wooden tool but it is not as simple as it looks same for Billiards ( straight rail looks easy you just hit one ball into the other 2 balls and you get a point - as Wille Hoppe said run 50 points without missing and you will see how easy it is)

 

[ridewiththewind]

I had a Josey that was perfect...for me. It was built exactly as I requested, and I played very well with it. Some things went sideways for me, and I had to part with it. Right now, I am playing with a battle-scarred 27 yo Helmstetter, with a slightly wonky shaft, and play pretty damn sporty with it. The weight and balance points between the two are pretty close. While I could live without the Josey, I will do what I can to get it back at the first opportunity. Why? Because it is uniquely mine, and I think it's beautiful, and it makes me very happy to pull it out of the case, and play with it. While I can play equally well with both (confidence), I would rather be playing with my Josey.

 

[Mitchxout]

Except get some money for it when you get tired of it...!

Scruggs cue: $1000 to buy, $1000 to sell.

How much does it cost to replace if it gets stolen? My Players sneaky plays great and for $60 who cares?

 

[poolplayer2093]

JB, on this we agree When I travel for work or vacation, I don't bring a cue with me, just bring a small bag with some very fine sandpaper, a tip scuffer, and a piece of Magic chalk.... and then I find a house cue with the best tip I can find, and work up the shaft and tip, and shoot.

I think the weight, shaft and tip matters more than who built it...(for playing purposes) maybe the joint a little, but I have three diff joints and it just don't matter to me... but all have the same shaft and same tip, but the butts made by 3 diff cue makers.... all the same weight..... I could not tell the diff if you put a gun to my head

man i've always been jealous of guys like you. i can't play with a house cue to save my life. i've tried hundreds of times. i play my best with real stiff pro tapered shafts. i can play with conical tapered shafts to a point but every house cue i've tried playing with is way too cone shaped for me. i've only found 2 house cues that i loved. one for some reason had the exact same taper that my MasonH had.

 

[poolplayer2093]

$300?

Even that is too high.

The ultimate, unbeatable price-performance cue of all time is the....

Player's Sneaky Pete

Solid, well made butt. They come with perfectly acceptable and decent well made shafts. Hit is good. It doesn't do strange things. Plays consistent. There is nothing you can't do with that cue. It's probably the least expensive cue out there that has the base minimum requirements for structural integrity and solid hit. In fact, it is better than many cues costing much more. There are other generic or low end cues that appear similar, but they fail in some respect - they have odd balance or bad tapers. Or poor ferrules and joint work.

bro are you lying out right or joking? everything you've said is wrong.

those players sneaky petes are the worst cues i've ever played with. the butts are crappy and the shafts are all but guaranteed to warp. even the thick shafts they offer are whippy and feel mushy when you hit a ball with them.

 

[poolplayer2093]

When I got my last cue, a Joss, it also came with an older Players. The wrap was getting just a hair loose and the cue had a very slight warp in it. If I knew I'd be able to keep that warp out of my head, that would've been my regular cue because I really liked the feel of the hit. Players cues have a pretty consistent quality to them without breaking the bank. I've always wondered with amazement at the price for "custom" sneakies that run hundreds of dollars. Imagine if Ford came out with a $125,000 Focus, basing the cost solely on the fact that it was built by a good mechanic who could adjust the steering column, etc, to your preference.

I got my current cue off the wall of the bar I hang out at. Had it cut in half and away I went, no shaft smoothing, no replacing the nub of a bumper, nada. My biggest peave with high-priced cues and yet-to-be-made customs is that you don't really have any idea of how you feel shooting with the cue until after the money's gone. For a schmuck like me on a budget, that doesn't cut it.

I tried to find pictures on the APA site and the WesternBCA site of me shooting, but I could only find one or two pics and neither of them had my cue in the frame. Go figure.

it sounds like you just don't know what you're doing if you don't know what your cue is going to hit like even though yo're the one that ordered it from the cue maker.

some people have specific specs they want a cue maker to use and that's why they go with a custom cue. some people, people like me, go with a specifi cue maker because they know what that cue makers cues hit like and that's the hit they're looking for. for instance my favorite cue makers are Andy Gilbert and Bryan Mordt. they both hit different but they also both hit very very well. i love the vibration i feel in my hand when i play with a bryan mordt cue. i get a different but equally satisfying vibration when i hit with a gilbert. andys taper is a little stiffer which i like but bryan uses an extremely comfortable shaft taper and a thinner handle with i really like.

 

[poolplayer2093]

How much does it cost to replace if it gets stolen? My Players sneaky plays great and for $60 who cares?

So you're reason to not have nice things is that you might have them stolen from you?

I've played and owned expensive cues and every one of them was worth every penny i spent on them.

as it is right now i've finally dialed into what kind of cue i like. the next custom cue i like with be made exactly to the specs i want. cue length, balance point, handle thickness, tip thickness etc...

 

[Banks]

it sounds like you just don't know what you're doing if you don't know what your cue is going to hit like

That could very well be true. Without already having extensive knowledge on all of those different things, how would one find out without plunking down a nice chunk of change? It would be difficult for most people to try enough makers and combinations to know unless they have access to them through a friend or so I would think. I've tried some cues over the years and couldn't find anything special. Now I'm happy as a clam just using a standard bar cue.

 

[jeffj2h]

My 25 year old Helmstetter plays great, though I've moved to an OB shaft for it. I paid $185 in 1987, which adjusted for inflation is about $370 today. It looks nice too.

A few years ago I considered dropping $2K or so on a custom cue, but it's too much of a pain dealing with cue makers so i decided to stick with the one that brung me.

 

[KRJ]

man i've always been jealous of guys like you. i can't play with a house cue to save my life. .

I don't like house cues..but I can make it work... the worst part of house cues is they never friggin clean the shafts, and you have 8 years of accumulated dirt, sweat and chalk.... and they are about as smooth as a porcupines ass.....

And I really hate lugging a cue around the country when travelling....

One time I was at a resort that had a pool table, and they were having a tournament one night, and I'm like oh, that 's cool.... so I sneak down in the morning to practive... the table is good, 8 ft, the cues are not bad, but they had NO friggin chalk... They were using a piece of chalk from a chalk board, ya know, the long white stuff ?????

I snuck down to the local pool room a few blocks away and swiped one piece off a table and went back to the resort and played in the tourney with the chalk.... won me a free bottle of wine and a free dinner at the restaurant

 

[poolplayer2093]

hot, expensive and no questions......

all she needs to bring is a valid form of id to prove that the date of intercourse is actually 12:01 am on her 18th birthday, a video camera, low to no inhibitions and a pen to sign the standard NDA that all my sexual partners sign.

Oh, yeah, she's welcome to pick her own safe word but mine is always armageddon!!!lol

you see now if i was like gay people i'd throw my sexual prefrences in everyone's face and insist that liking my balls slapped during oral sex is the same as being born black,mexican, asian or some other form of minority.

 

[poolplayer2093]

I don't like house cues..but I can make it work... the worst part of house cues is they never friggin clean the shafts, and you have 8 years of accumulated dirt, sweat and chalk.... and they are about as smooth as a porcupines ass.....

And I really hate lugging a cue around the country when travelling....

One time I was at a resort that had a pool table, and they were having a tournament one night, and I'm like oh, that 's cool.... so I sneak down in the morning to practive... the table is good, 8 ft, the cues are not bad, but they had NO friggin chalk... They were using a piece of chalk from a chalk board, ya know, the long white stuff ?????

I snuck down to the local pool room a few blocks away and swiped one piece off a table and went back to the resort and played in the tourney with the chalk.... won me a free bottle of wine and a free dinner at the restaurant

i've got one question for you to see if we're cut from the same cloth. Did you keep the chalk all to yourself and not offer it to the people you were playing? if you kept it to your self then you're my kinda guy!!!

 

[poolplayer2093]

That could very well be true. Without already having extensive knowledge on all of those different things, how would one find out without plunking down a nice chunk of change? It would be difficult for most people to try enough makers and combinations to know unless they have access to them through a friend or so I would think. I've tried some cues over the years and couldn't find anything special. Now I'm happy as a clam just using a standard bar cue.

That's exactly how i figured out exactly what i like. the long, painful, and expensive way. i've tried more cues than i can remember. for a while i would write down some general specs of each cue that i got. ive got a good friend that's way more specific and dilligent about writing down each cue's specs so i leave that to him and just ask him when i want to know something.

anyway even though i can't remember all the cues i've owned or tried i did make it a point to remember all the things i liked about specific cues. now i've got a pretty good idea what specs i like and what i'll play my best with.

it's long and grueling and not completely necessary to do but i recommend doing it to all the pool and cue junkies out there. it's a labor of love and in the end you've got something that's like eve was to adam. an extension of himself

 

[9balladdict]

If you have the money to do so then why not lol?

 

[naji]

Can someone send me links to information or explain to me the benefit of spending a couple hundred dollars or even thousands on a cue stick?

I just recently bought a McDermott G204. It ran me $209

It is a well made American cue, G-Core shaft.

It should do me very nicely for being an intermediate player....

In fact this cue will be better than me for years to come.

But what I notice is that there are a lot of amateur pool players who are shelling out $300+ for these cue sticks that wont make them play any better...

Back in the day people were pocketing balls with straight sticks and maple shafts...

Now we have this predator LD nonsense.

Whats the point? Pool is a very simple game, with a simple wooden tool.

If anyone can give me some insight...I am just recently taking the game more seriously

Sorry did not realize this will be long---sorry!!

I like your question, it reminds me of myself 30 years ago where you had to go to a Billiard shop to buy a cue; no online buying at that time,; here comes the salesman, yelling :angry:, if you put chalk on it you bought it, so you cannot try what you want to buy, you end up with two choices i buy cheap one if i did not like, i am down $60.00 and regret it every time you loose a match; or be frugal like i did, went to Hechinger (the old HomeDepot chain), bough $2.00 3/8 inch wooden rod 3 feet long, and $3.00 1" wooden rod, put a $0.50 tip and sanded it at the 3/8th end, and drilled the 1" rod about 4" stuck the 3/8" in and walla played great, i have to admit it, had to cut the end of the shaft few times to change the tip (soft wood without ferrule), i was not good player then, maybe i shoot a little now :groucho:; but i used to love it when people see it, it broke conversations, complements, won few matches it was joyful time. fast forward, 1982 , my dad business picked up really well, so i am rich then; did i buy a $200 or 300 cue off course not; once a frugal you will always remain one; so my dad wanted to give me a present, asked around and bought me a $200.00 Meucci cue 13 mm shaft i hated it i could not sell it or play with it. One day my 8 years old nephew came to visit, got a hold of my $5.00 cue, was not home at the time, short story it was his favorite toy, i came back home the shaft was broke in half, did not like it slapped him with the remaining piece (sorry it was hard slap ), to date his mom does not really like me :angry: but he end up a pool champion back home luckily he does not remember the story, he love me, i beat him so bad in pool, he quit pool
So the Meucci comes to the rescue, sure did not like big shaft, so stuck my drill up, and there it goes an 11 mm shaft, with 1 mm ferrule shell, since about the 1984 i have been playing with it, finally last month the tip and ferrule broke so, who cares i was playing with no ferrule before true it is almost 10.5 mm now , i tell you what it plays much better without the ferrule. I tried to switch to other cues, but naaaaa it is my best playing one for now
If that salesman was nice and honest with me and let me shoot few balls, i would have probably picked up a $200 cue who knows; yet again he had to make a living and lie a little; if he told me the truth then, i probably would be playing with a house cue all these 30 so years and he would have been out of business! knowledgeable customers what drives salesmen nuts..sorry..

 

[Mitchxout]

Knowledgable customers drive salesmen nuts. Thank you, Naji.

 

[KRJ]

i've got one question for you to see if we're cut from the same cloth. Did you keep the chalk all to yourself and not offer it to the people you were playing? if you kept it to your self then you're my kinda guy!!!

Of course I did.... those who fail to plan, plan to fail. I checked out the equipment prior to the event, and decided I needed something better, and got it. Those who snooze, lose, and that they did....

Oh, btw, I did drop off the piece of chalk a few days later to the pool room.... and bought a beer before I left...I'd call us even..... I'd have felt guilty if I didn't bring the chalk back....