you get what you pay for... SAYS WHO?

jhanso18 said:
Same can be said for this. Same player with two different cues. Lets say the better cue makes said player a half ball to a whole ball better than a bar cue or a Lucky like you have. How much is that worth? Is it worth $100, $200, $2000??? It's subject to the player. If that player regularly plays for $1000 a set, is it worth $2000 to have that confidence in your gear? I guess it's subjective. To me, it's worth at least an extra $100, maybe even 2-300.
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I see your point and I have to agree. It is subjective and simply having that confidence in your gear can make a difference. :thumbup:

I guess it can be the same as in my profession. I am a photographer and I have expensive gear. Not because it makes me a better photographer, but because it helps me do more and I have the confidence that it will perform under certain situations. I certainly wouldn't be as confident with a consumer camera that will actually limit my own abilities.
 
MahnaMahna said:
I agree with your main points, but look at it this way:

A Ford Focus will get you to the same places a Mercedes will 99% of the time. So why doesn't everyone buy a Focus? Because looks, feel, and attention mean more to some than others.
Click to expand...

Great post to bring to light on how it is NOT the cue itself that is important. All of my playing days I have come to the conclusion that a Dufferin, house cue, is the best feel of any cue. It's convenient, free, and makes me "look" like a hacker. I don't want the attention anyways.

For those who like expensive cues, I have no problem with it. To each his/her own.

Happy Shooting to all!:wink:
 
Cuemaster98 said:
Hi,

I do agreed that hard work and dedication to practice in the game will improve your game no matter what cue(s) you used...however, I think that using a better quality cue to practice and play will give more confident (an edge) than if you didn't. As for what constitute a quality cue..that's really personal and highly up for debate. A cheap McDermott may be your holy grail of cue and to other not. Where as a SW or custom cue for other is their holy grail of cue.

I've been using a different cue each time in tournaments as long I can remember and I can tell you that my performance is highly affected by my choice of cues that I use to play with. Now, I understand sometime you get the rolls and you win irrespective of the quality of cues but I have been doing this for years and personally know for a fact that there are a lot of quality cues on the market however under pressure each will perform different for you. Played with my SW last night and I was in dead stroke and won a local tournament. Week before that using a different cue, also a quality cue but under play didn't perform or give me the confident that i needed.

Not only does sound and feel of a cue is important when finding a quality cue but you can test good quality cues on shots that your are familiar with and be able to understand whether the cue with work for you or not.

Sometime, I pick up a cue and without shooting a ball, I already know that it will be a good player for me. I've literally gone through hundreds of cues from all prices and I know for a fact that you can get lucky with picking up cue for less than 100.00 that will play like at 2K cue. All comes down to quality of shafts, tips, taper etc. So, at any budget, you can find a quality cue but general rule of thumb is that the higher your budget the more the consistent the quality of play will become.

Can you find a $100 cues that perform as good as a 2-4K cue, yes but very rare. If you do find one...keep it. Will a 2-4K perform much better than cheaper/production cue....very high probability that you will like it more.

Anyway, point is, don't dismiss higher quality cue until you try them for yourself. If you goal is to find a cheap cue and modified it to plays as good the more expensive cue that definitely can be done but point is don't discredit the more expensive cue just because they are more expensive. The tiny different can sometime give you the edge that you need to win. For me, the SW just gave me some much confident to drill the ball yesterday...that I couldn't missed.


BR,
Duc.
Click to expand...

Duc,
Nice post. I think you misunderstood my intent... I was in no way discrediting ANY cue. I am a firm believer in craftsmanship and that if you INVEST in a quality cue it will treat you well (usually).
I was ranting about me getting CAUGHT UP in the wonderful world of.cues... and not focusing on THE GAME!

I would rather buy a GARBAGE cue that looks like a banana (not the case with mine), and invest hours at the table and see improvement because my head is right... than to find my dream cue, and then get frustrated that it didnt help my game other than psychologically.

Know what I mean?

It was mainly a post about loving the GAME... regardless of what cue you have!

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2
 
Cuemaster98 said:
Hi,

I do agreed that hard work and dedication to practice in the game will improve your game no matter what cue(s) you used...however, I think that using a better quality cue to practice and play will give more confident (an edge) than if you didn't. As for what constitute a quality cue..that's really personal and highly up for debate. A cheap McDermott may be your holy grail of cue and to other not. Where as a SW or custom cue for other is their holy grail of cue.

I've been using a different cue each time in tournaments as long I can remember and I can tell you that my performance is highly affected by my choice of cues that I use to play with. Now, I understand sometime you get the rolls and you win irrespective of the quality of cues but I have been doing this for years and personally know for a fact that there are a lot of quality cues on the market however under pressure each will perform different for you. Played with my SW last night and I was in dead stroke and won a local tournament. Week before that using a different cue, also a quality cue but under play didn't perform or give me the confident that i needed.

Not only does sound and feel of a cue is important when finding a quality cue but you can test good quality cues on shots that your are familiar with and be able to understand whether the cue with work for you or not.

Sometime, I pick up a cue and without shooting a ball, I already know that it will be a good player for me. I've literally gone through hundreds of cues from all prices and I know for a fact that you can get lucky with picking up cue for less than 100.00 that will play like at 2K cue. All comes down to quality of shafts, tips, taper etc. So, at any budget, you can find a quality cue but general rule of thumb is that the higher your budget the more the consistent the quality of play will become.

Can you find a $100 cues that perform as good as a 2-4K cue, yes but very rare. If you do find one...keep it. Will a 2-4K perform much better than cheaper/production cue....very high probability that you will like it more.

Anyway, point is, don't dismiss higher quality cue until you try them for yourself. If you goal is to find a cheap cue and modified it to plays as good the more expensive cue that definitely can be done but point is don't discredit the more expensive cue just because they are more expensive. The tiny different can sometime give you the edge that you need to win. For me, the SW just gave me some much confident to drill the ball yesterday...that I couldn't missed.


BR,
Duc.
Click to expand...

I agree 110%! Great post!
 
My thoughts are that my thoughts are my thoughts.

Not single F should be given by anyone else why I do what I do and I don't give a single F why anyone else does what they do.

Be a much happier world if people would simply focus all their rant energy on improving themselves instead.

Discuss.

:)
 
RRfireblade said:
My thoughts are that my thoughts are my thoughts.

Not single F should be given by anyone else why I do what I do and I don't give a single F why anyone else does what they do.

Be a much happier world if people would simply focus all their rant energy on improving themselves instead.

Discuss.

:)
Click to expand...

Im fairly confident that my rant was about improving myself, and my love for the game... *shrug*

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2
 
nineballsafety8 said:
So, before anyone gets the panties in a twist... I am going to go on a medium rant about cues and why there is so much "perfect hit" crap going on.

SO.....

I have been playing off and on for about a decade, and at one point was playing 5+ hrs a day, 365... since joining the Army, I no longer have that luxury. However, in my several years as an avid hobbyist, I have been through upwards of 20 cues. I was always looking for the next big thing when it came to cues and technology and who was the new hot cuemaker... blah blah blah

After spending WAY TOO MUCH MONEY on cues over the years, it has become evident to me that what you spent, or who's name is on your cue is pretty pointless.

For me its all about feel. I like a cue that gives me good feedback, and there is a certain sound that I like my cues to make when I hit a ball well (mostly the tip and ferrule combination account for the sound). So, I have to ask myself, why do I keep looking for the next best thing, when I have now and have had SEVERAL cues in the past that play great.

And what I realized, was that it was 2 fold. The main fun for me was the HUNT, I love doing the research and dreaming up what I think might make me happy. But more importantly, and the part that has my feathers ruffled... is that PART of me was caring about what other peoples reaction were when I answered the question "hey, what kind of cue is that".

SO... what did I do? I benched all of my high dollar equipment, and bought a "McDermott" LUCKY cue... $39 from Amazon PRIME... and guess what fellas (and ladies)... IT PLAYS GREAT. So what if it was made in china, or taiwan, or the moon... i don't care if it was made by retarded monkeys with polio... as long as it plays well.

So will I continue to look for the Tascarella's, Szamboti's, Southwest's, Sugartree's, and whoever else might make people go ooooh and ahhhh... ya probably. But it will no longer be becaue I feel I need to validate myself as a "pool player"... im going to validate myself as a POOL PLAYER, by calling fouls on myself (regardless of if my opponent sees it), by being the first one to extend my hand for a worthy handshake to my opponent (win or lose), by never complaining about rolls (they are good and bad, and both players are on the same table), and by enjoying THE GAME!!!

If I decide I want to buy a nice cue, it will be to appreciate the hardwork and craftsmanship of the person behind the lathe... it will no longer be to give myself "the edge" above the next guy.

MY edge will come from hard work and dedication when I am at the table.



Curious as to your thoughts?

please discuss ;)
Click to expand...

You couldn't post this a couple of weeks ago before I bought my Carmelli :grin-square:
I bought it because it was beautiful. It just happens to play great. I took it out twice and both times some bone head nocked into it. Now I'm paying my plane Jane Coker player because I'm nervous about the Carmelli getting clobbered.

But the Coker plays good enough.
 
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Well damn it NBS8.

Just as I really getting used to the Mottey with the new shaft from Sly, you gotta come up with this kind of thought. LOL.

Guess I'll have to just use that $19 Wilson in my case that I typically use as a bridge cue.
 
Here's my argument for buying any good custom: besides supporting these craftsman, would you rather go through 1-2 good customs that wil last 30+ years, or go through 5-10 cheapo McDermotts....

Having said that, I like this post. I know and A player that practices with a 50$ ferrule-less McD... shaft isnt even perfectly straight! just like to keep wear off his other cues.

I don't really collect cues, but have gone through a few. I only keep one or two that i really like. If it doesn't feel right, or something else comes along, the cue goes. I shoot with a beat to sh!t scruggs sneaky. I got it for a steal of a price and it hits a ton. i've paid twice as much as i did for other cues due to looks, ivory collars, maker, etc... and it really wasn't worth it.

It is what it is. I'll play with a broomstick if shoots well!
 
I'm just a hack, so my opinion probably won't matter much to anyone, but I have owned a lot of cues. Most of my cues were stolen in a burglary and after that, my view on cues changed a bit. Some of those cues I considered to be unreplaceable among them a hand built snooker cue that I loved, but it turned out that I was wrong about the unreplaceable part.

There are no magic cues, but when it was time to replace the stolen ones, I found that the predator Z2 shaft was the one I played best with. Tried to place it on all kinds of cue butts, but really didn't feel that the butts played all that different. In the end I settled for a cue with a metal joint and forward balance and I decided never to buy any more cues, unless the one I have gets broken or stolen. I will use my money for table time instead. In my opinion, the most valuable training is to pick a cue (of reasonable quality) and stick with it. Many poolplayers change their cues more often than their underwear and I know that for me, it wrecked havoc on my game. Look at the professional snooker players. Most of them have had a cue for most of their life or at least a very long time. Stephen Hendry had his cue broken at the airport and it completely ruined his confidence in his game for a time (some say he never completely recovered).
 
Six Shooter said:
Well damn it NBS8.

Just as I really getting used to the Mottey with the new shaft from Sly, you gotta come up with this kind of thought. LOL.

Guess I'll have to just use that $19 Wilson in my case that I typically use as a bridge cue.
Click to expand...

You won't use the Wilson on Saturday... no balls lmao. Jk



Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2
 
Wow ...I can't believe I heard someone say they had a little respect for the R360 cues from cuetec. I paid $125 for mine brand new and shipped. It is a fantastic cue, and everybody that tries it loves it. I'm not claiming to be in the same league as most of you guys, but it works for me. The Players HXT LD series is also a great line of reasonably priced cues.

Both my Cuetec and Players exotic wood series cues are absolutely dead straight and hit nicely. I got the Players cue right here on the site brand new for $75 shipped. A truly great value IMO, and I was lucky to get sucha great deal.

These two lines of cues are definitely two to checkout for an inexpensive, but great cue.

REV
 
I think the OP's main point -- that players spend their lives chasing success via equipment -- is very valid. And it happens in every sport because it's human nature to want to do better. It's also human nature to assign blame for failure on someone/something other than ourselves. "I'm going to buy that $1000 cue and do better in the next tournament!"

It doesn't matter if you're buying $3000 customs or $50 production cues: the cue is a very minor part in playing good pool.
 
Im a fairly new and totally amateur cue maker. Ive made about 20-30 cues or so, and most of those have ended up in the trash because i messed up somewhere and ruined them. The ones that survived my scrutiny play very well and the people who own them and shoot with them seem to love em. Before i started making cues, i was a cue fanatic and would buy and sell cues and drool over them. I never knew what all it took to make a cue, and im here to tell you that a low end import cue doesnt compare to a custom made cue by a reputable maker. Im a nobody, you have never heard of me, and you might never hear of me, but my construction process is rock solid. Ive got cues ive been building for over 2 years in my shop. Not because im slow, but because it takes a long time with some things if you want them to be perfect. Making a taper pass and waiting a month for the next one is painful to say the least, but in the end, its worth it. You cant get that kind of care and dedication from a $39 cue. Long after that cue has fell apart, my cue will still be playing. Good construction will make a cue play better and hit better, without a doubt. Just my opinion though.

Joe
 
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snipershot said:
Im a fairly new and totally amatuer cue maker. Ive made about 20-30 cues or so, and kost of those have ended up in the trash because i messed up somewhere and ruined them. The ones that survived my scrutiny play very well and the people who own them and shoot with them seem to love em. Before i started making cues, i was a cue fanatic and would buy and sell cues and drool over them. I never knew what all it took to make a cue, and im here to tell you that a low end import cue doesnt compare to a custom made cue by a reputable maker. Im a nobody, you have never heard of me, and you might never hear of me, but my construction process is rock solid. Ive got cues ive been building for over 2 years in my shop. Not because im slow, but because it takes a long time with some things if you want them to be perfect. Making a taper pass and waiting a month for the next one is painful to say the least, but in the end, its worth it. You cant get that kind of care and dedication from a $39 cue. Long after that cue has fell apart, my cue will still be playing. Good construction will make a cue play better and hit better, without a doubt. Just my opinion though.

Joe
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I think most people would agree with what you said. But I think the guy means you don't have to have great custom gear to have fun or become a better pool player. I myself don't own any beater cues, all custom, but I can and will still play with a cheap cue and have fun and enjoy pool.
I personally just enjoy playing with a well crafted cue. But that's just me.
 
Know what you mean. I have approx 15 cues now of various makes etc.

One of my best bar box players was a PR cue from China. Cheap EBay find that I refinished, new wrap and a re worked older shaft.

Well under a hundred and it plays just about as well as any other cue I own.

Just lucky more than anything but its a gooder. Probably a Wednesday cue.
 
I also think people let others change their opinion of their own cues. This has happened to me and I don't like it. If you have something that works, then play with it. It really is about the game.

Perceptions such as:
"God forbid you have a ding in your cue's buttcap!!!" OR "Oh my God! The points on my cue are off, it wont play well if the points aren't even! "

Lol, these things are really insignificant when you have that beautiful moment as your pocketing balls and everything just seems to work...
This is why I (and many others i assume) play the game!
 
galipeau said:
I also think people let others change their opinion of their own cues. This has happened to me and I don't like it. If you have something that works, then play with it. It really is about the game.

Perceptions such as:
"God forbid you have a ding in your cue's buttcap!!!" OR "Oh my God! The points on my cue are off, it wont play well if the points aren't even! "

Lol, these things are really insignificant when you have that beautiful moment as your pocketing balls and everything just seems to work...
This is why I (and many others i assume) play the game!
Click to expand...

Lol It's so funny you mentioned that. I have had three cues, that I have let go based on things that someone else has said. Things that didnt bother me in the slightest until pointed out, and then its like its was blaringly obviously and a major annoyance.

I now make a contious effort.not to say anything about someone elses cue that might put a bad taste in their mouth.

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2
 
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