Wrap or Crap

[Chopdoc]

I prefer a wrapless cue, but when you have something like what i have you learn to let a little slide to play with the cue of your dreams.

I can play with either and wraps look good on some stuff. but matching the color in the wrap to the theme of the cue, is just as important if not more important than selecting the right combination of woods!

different stokes i suppose..

pun intended...

best,

Justin

Some wrapless cues are absolutely beautiful. It gives the cue maker a larger canvass for showing off wood selections and the combinations of woods really takes an artists eye. But the same can be said of a wrap. The selection of the wrap takes an artists eye IMHO.



Some people have commented on linen being slippery. It really depends on how it is finished. Even saying pressed and polished does not tell the whole story actually, there are several ways to skin that cat and the results can be quite different. Generally it seems each cue maker has his preferred way to finish a wrap but they also usually have more than one trick up their sleeve as well.

How a wrap is finished is a matter of some experience and talent as well. IMHO a good cue maker should be able to tailor the wrap finish to suit the preference of the customer. That really isn't possible with an unwrapped cue.

I have seen some so finely polished and finished it was almost like they had clear shot over them like a Meucci even though they didn't. At the other extreme is the relatively unpressed wrap, very old school, that relies on use to gain its finish and texture. I believe pressing evolved in order to accelerate and or imitate this process.

In between those extremes are a variety of methods and resulting characteristics. The spectrum is very broad and the variety of results almost unlimited between the stated extremes.

It seems that several have posted an opinion on wrapped cues that is based on a limited experience with them. One or two cues and their opinion was soured. But did they ever have a cue maker address the wrap finish to "tune" it to their preferences? Maybe they just thought "this is the way wraps are" and just let it end there.

Never underestimate the talents of the cue makers to accomplish subtle tuning of any part of the cue, especially the parts that interface with the user. People talk a lot about how they like their shaft, especially including how it feels, and they work to get it how they like and keep it that way. For some reason that seems to be more mysterious about wraps.

I would say in some cases the amount of "voodoo" involved by the cue maker in finishing wraps rivals the amount of "voodoo" involved in finishing the shafts. They have their ways, never underestimate them.

You can extend that conversation to cork. There are a variety of ways to finish it and maintain it. Yet people try one and judge all by it. Did they talk to a cue maker about it?

Of course, some people simply prefer no wrap at all, and that's just fine. But if they made the decision that they don't like linen based on one or two cues I would suggest they actually didn't give it much of a chance.


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[jayman]

I prefer a nice tacky felling leather wrap myself, But some times besides being functional, a linen wrap can really add to the overall look of a cue.

 

[madmiller]

Some wrapless cues are absolutely beautiful.

Of course, some people simply prefer no wrap at all, and that's just fine. But if they made the decision that they don't like linen based on one or two cues I would suggest they actually didn't give it much of a chance.


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I made a decision on hundreds , maybe thousands cues with wrap that I saw. I continue seeing them everyday and just one look makes me wanna not touch it. It looks bad, like someone took a fine thread and wrapped it around nice wood( which is not far from the truth). The cue might be beautiful looking otherwise, but that material wrapped around the butt screws everything up.Looks like a long spool with extra thread on it , I guess seamstresses favor pool a lot. LOL
Nothing against wrap lovers.
IMHO To each his own!

 

[Chopdoc]

I made a decision on hundreds , maybe thousands cues with wrap that I saw. I continue seeing them everyday and just one look makes me wanna not touch it. It looks bad, like someone took a fine thread and wrapped it around nice wood( which is not far from the truth). The cue might be beautiful looking otherwise, but that material wrapped around the butt screws everything up.Looks like a long spool with extra thread on it , I guess seamstresses favor pool a lot. LOL
Nothing against wrap lovers.
IMHO To each his own!

I understand. You make your choice based on your personal aesthetic preferences.

.

 

[meridianblades]

I have been shooting with a Helmstetter for last 25+ yrs, and a linen wrap. I am having some cues made now and they will all be wrapless, because sometimes you just gotta show everyone your wood.....

 

[PGHteacher]

I would like to know am I the only one? I see a lot of different cues, cheap ones, expensive ones, custom, etc..
Some of them are very expensive...
But if it has linen wrap on it, I don't care how good it hits, how expensive it is. I will NOT touch it.
Wrap looks like crap, looks cheap, light colors get dirty easy, and worst of all, god forbid you scrape it on something it will come unwrapped.
I just don't get it. A lot of times I see a beautiful cue otherwise, but its look spoiled by having that thing called linen wrap.

So I have some excellent suggestions; don’t buy, borrow or steal a cue with a linen wrap, and if you win one sell it or give it to someone you like that likes linen wraps. Do not tell people that their cue that costs several thousand dollars looks like a cheap piece of crap; especially if they are bigger than you, look mean and you don’t know them. And finally be bothered less by what other people use, like and think looks good and worry more about how your equipment performs for you. This stuff may be obvious but since you made this post maybe not.

:idea2: :idea2: :scratchhead: :scratchhead:
:rotflmao1: :rotflmao: :thud: :thud:

 

[Scott Lee]

Yoohoo...that's the PURPOSE of the wrap...to absorb sweat. Just because you don't like them, doesn't mean they don't serve a viable purpose or make a cue look good. You are, by far, in the minority. Far more players, old and young alike, prefer wraps, be they linen or leather. I've been playing with linen wrapped cues for 40 years. Never had one come off, or become unusable because of sweat or dirt.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Another thing! You nailed it right on the head. I imagine how great that wrap feels after absorbing all the sweat and dirt after playing for a while. And it's not like you can put it in the washing machine to wash all that sweat and dirt( grease from hands, etc.)

 

[madmiller]

So I have some excellent suggestions; don’t buy, borrow or steal a cue with a linen wrap, and if you win one sell it

:idea2: :idea2: :scratchhead: :scratchhead:
:rotflmao1: :rotflmao: :thud: :thud:

Thank you! Nice advice! Actually that's what I was thinking if I ever get my hands on a wrapped cue! I would sell it! lol
PS especially now, when I know how many people love them.

 

[sfleinen]

Thank you! Nice advice! Actually that's what I was thinking if I ever get my hands on a wrapped cue! I would sell it! lol
PS especially now, when I know how many people love them.

Actually madmiller, linen-wrapped cues have a built-in lathe. Yes, they do -- a genuine built-in lathe!

Here's how:

1. Just use an X-acto knife and very carefully cut one end of the linen thread -- either at the forearm where it meets the grip area, or at the butt cap where it meets the grip area.
2. Next, just position the butt cap between your feet, and the forearm between your knees.
3. Position your tip tool on the tip -- or your sandpaper / shaft slicker on the shaft (depending on what you need the "lathe" for).
4. Reach down to the cut end of the linen thread, and PULL HARD like a rip cord on a chain saw.
5. Whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

Voila! You can quickly shape your tip, sand/condition your shaft, or whatever you need the "lathe" to do! Best part is, if you let the cue continue to spin after the linen thread has completely unwound, it will rewind itself in the opposite direction for another go. Just pull the rip cord again, and whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Repeat as often as you need.


-Sean

 

[madmiller]

Actually madmiller, linen-wrapped cues have a built-in lathe. Yes, they do -- a genuine built-in lathe!

Here's how:

1. Just use an X-acto knife and very carefully cut one end of the linen thread -- either at the forearm where it meets the grip area, or at the butt cap where it meets the grip area.
2. Next, just position the butt cap between your feet, and the forearm between your knees.
3. Position your tip tool on the tip -- or your sandpaper / shaft slicker on the shaft (depending on what you need the "lathe" for).
4. Reach down to the cut end of the linen thread, and PULL HARD like a rip cord on a chain saw.
5. Whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

Voila! You can quickly shape your tip, sand/condition your shaft, or whatever you need the "lathe" to do! Best part is, if you let the cue continue to spin after the linen thread has completely unwound, it will rewind itself in the opposite direction for another go. Just pull the rip cord again, and whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Repeat as often as you need.


-Sean

:grin:
I like this guy!!! If I knew that I'd be using wrapped cues for years! Problem solved! :grin-square:

 

[hang-the-9]

I love a good linen wrap, especially the double-pressed ones that look and almost feel like leather. Wrapless cues feel too sticky to me, although animal hide wraps are OK, but they are also a bit sticky to the touch, especially if your hands get sweaty at all.

One thing I could never figure out why it was done, Meucci spraying over their linen wraps. Defeats the whole point of having a wrap. Like those people that buy a nice Vette and drive it 50mph on the highway. May as well have bought a Camry.

 

[purpdrag]

Just my opinion... I don't like wraps. Don't like the way they look mostly, but also don't like the way they feel. Cuts my choices way down when looking for a new cue, but there are still many good cues out there without a wrap.

 

[Bumpa]

I think some wraps are pretty. I suspect Meucci cues are wrapped and clear-coated just to be pretty. I like the feel of linen, but I do not like the feel of a hard, glossy surface. My hands tend to stick to it. Meucci cues and wrapless cues with a hard, glossy finish are not for me.

Over the decades I have enjoyed and appreciated the feel of a smooth and oiled ash or maple handle on an axe, shovel, rake, hammer, etc. Just feels warm and right. Thus I have refinished several butts on old Dufferins, Brunswicks, and other wrapless cues with a satin luster, water-base hardwood floor finish. Three coats are easy to apply with a foam brush, and clean-up is easy. Not as pretty or durable as a hard, glossy finish, but my hands don't stick to it, and the cues just feel right.

Rick

 

[thefonz]

I'm not sure if that imagery would sell to the female demographic. I'm trying to picture the Fury Cue ad on the back cover of Inside Pool, with Xiao Ting Pan and Kelly Fisher with that slogan. :grin:

Like in golf, aren't a large portion of female players lesbians

Thefonz<== isn't out to offend anyone, he quite likes lesbians :wink:

 

[randallt6]

I had a brand new mezz and the brand new linen was too slippery I hated it. Now I have a 1990 schon and the linen feels amazing. Looks great too imo

 

[randallt6]

I started the exact same thread a few months ago and got pissed
on like a sleeping bum in a alley.I agree with you completely but
if I had to have linen it would have to be pressed alot and solid black.

wait till u feel my new schon's linen, 22 years old, nice and worked in (hope that didnt sound too gay)