*** Uncle Vit - Selling 4-Arrow Shaft ***

[cally]

What was you expecting Andrew, was you expecting it to be a 'c' brand as the good reviews have always been for the 'c' brand

I think unclevit sources cues from different places and may use a few workshops work...

[cueman]

I don't want to sound like I'm against foreigners or anything here but for me I'll never understand why anyone would want to buy a cue from abroad, especially if you live in the UK. I mean we have the finest cue makers in the world on these isles and yet some people prefer to buy Thai or Chinese cues when the majority of players over there know that English cues are the best!

I wouldn't mind if the price was extremely cheap and the quality on a par or better than what you can get here for the equivalent price but thats just not true IMO.

I know that this is just a tester for ADR and that he is not your average cue buyer but if it can happen to him it can happen to any of you. Just let this be a warning for anyone who thinks that buying a cue from overseas comes without problems. Not only has he got an inferior quality cue but sorting this mess out and the lack of customer support should be enough to put anyone off.

[Deepscrew]

buyer beware for sure...

[The Stig]

I don't want to sound like I'm against foreigners or anything here but for me I'll never understand why anyone would want to buy a cue from abroad, especially if you live in the UK.

It wouldn't suprise me one bit if the majority of cues in the UK have come from the far east in one form or another, from what you read and hear quite a few UK cue companies have their cues made in the far east and they re-badge them with their own badges.

We have some quality cue makers in this country, probably some of the best in the world but i'd take a guess that the majority of cues in this country have come from the far east.

As far your point where you say that you can't understand why anyone would want to buy a cue from abroad, my current cue was made in the far east, its a Phoenix cue and its the best cue ive owned by far.

You get good and bad both in this country and abroad, its not fair to target all far east cue makers with the same tag as from what ive seen their are some great quality cues that come from the far east and obviously a few ropey ones just like you can get in this country.

[cris0000food]

The C brand cue I had was an awful player. The finish was ok and the splicing was tidy. But the woods were not good. The taper and balance were all wrong.

[eaoin11]

The C brand cue I had was an awful player. The finish was ok and the splicing was tidy. But the woods were not good. The taper and balance were all wrong.

That's a shame, mine played really well. What specs did you end up getting? I think you said that it was off spec?

[cueman]

It wouldn't suprise me one bit if the majority of cues in the UK have come from the far east in one form or another, from what you read and hear quite a few UK cue companies have their cues made in the far east and they re-badge them with their own badges.

We have some quality cue makers in this country, probably some of the best in the world but i'd take a guess that the majority of cues in this country have come from the far east.

We are talking about cues in the £175+ bracket here and I don't think you can say that any cues of that cost in the UK are from the far east. Maybe the cheapo cues you see on Ebay using names like Robin Scott or JX etc but we are talking about proper hand made cues from a reputable cue maker.
I only know of one cue seller who openly admits his cues are made in the far east and rebaged and that is GBL. However he has a good reputation and probably knows that the quality he is getting is going to be top notch because he has a deal with them. To my knowledge no other cue maker sells cues that are rebadged with their own name. If you know otherwise then please name them!

[The Stig]

We are talking about cues in the £175+ bracket here and I don't think you can say that any cues of that cost in the UK are from the far east. Maybe the cheapo cues you see on Ebay using names like Robin Scott or JX etc but we are talking about proper hand made cues from a reputable cue maker.

I think you will find that your wrong in what you say above, like you say GBL cues from what i believe are made in the far east, from what i have seen they are top quality cues. Stu at Greenbaize comes across as a perfectionist when it comes to what he sells, he wouldn't stock anything that looked or felt ropey, i think he stocks master cues as well, they also come from the far east and they get good reviews.

You also have the Phoenix range of cues at Craftsman cues, again they are top quality cues, i use one myself. You said that you don't think any cues from the far east cost over £175+, my Phoenix elite cue cost £264.

I don't want to name any of the other cue brands here but i can assure you that some are imported and re-badged as their own.

[eaoin11]

We are talking about cues in the £175+ bracket here and I don't think you can say that any cues of that cost in the UK are from the far east. Maybe the cheapo cues you see on Ebay using names like Robin Scott or JX etc but we are talking about proper hand made cues from a reputable cue maker.
I only know of one cue seller who openly admits his cues are made in the far east and rebaged and that is GBL. However he has a good reputation and probably knows that the quality he is getting is going to be top notch because he has a deal with them. To my knowledge no other cue maker sells cues that are rebadged with their own name. If you know otherwise then please name them!

I don't think GBL cues are 'rebadged'. I'm pretty sure they are completely made in Thailand.

[DeanH]

I don't think GBL cues are 'rebadged'. I'm pretty sure they are completely made in Thailand.

Correct, they are fully made in Thailand and on the website the first line on the GBL cue page is "our very own range of cues handmade in Thailand to the highest standards."

[cueman]

I think you will find that your wrong in what you say above, like you say GBL cues from what i believe are made in the far east, from what i have seen they are top quality cues. Stu at Greenbaize comes across as a perfectionist when it comes to what he sells, he wouldn't stock anything that looked or felt ropey, i think he stocks master cues as well, they also come from the far east and they get good reviews.

You also have the Phoenix range of cues at Craftsman cues, again they are top quality cues, i use one myself. You said that you don't think any cues from the far east cost over £175+, my Phoenix elite cue cost £264.

I don't want to name any of the other cue brands here but i can assure you that some are imported and re-badged as their own.

Yes I'm aware that Phoenix, mastercue, O'min etc are available for that kind of money but you suggested that the majority of cues in the UK were made over in the far east and rebadged which again isn't true, certainly not those over £175 which I said. Phoenix, Mastercue, O'min and possibly one or two others are not rebadged so therefore they don't count. I'm fully aware that you can get quality cues over there but you pay a premium price for them.

I'll just reiterate what I said about GBL who is an English based cuesports retailer, they aren't based in Thailand or do business out there so they have cues manufactured for them by some other cue maker who is then putting on a GBL badge as though they are solely made for them. I'd bet that they also make cues under some other name too but Stu is not going to divulge that information as he is obvioulsy making a tidy profit on them. Yes Stu isn't getting them and putting his own badge on but that still doesn't mean they aren't manufactured by someone else.

The reason you say you won't name names is pure and simply because there aren't any UK based cue makers who sell cues made for them by someone else, not in the £175+ price bracket which was my original post. I'm not denying that some have cues made but they aren't priced at that and are aimed at the lower end of the market.

[The Stig]

but you suggested that the majority of cues in the UK were made over in the far east and rebadged which again isn't true.

I didn't say that at all, i originally said that it wouldn't suprise me if the majority of cues in the uk will have come from the far east in some shape or form.

It wouldn't suprise me one bit if the majority of cues in the UK have come from the far east in one form or another.

In one form or another means what it says, cues that were made in the far east and have come to the UK in one form or another, i.e cues made for companies like GBL, or made for other companies then re-badged by them.

The reason you say you won't name names is pure and simply because there aren't any UK based cue makers who sell cues made for them by someone else, not in the £175+ price bracket which was my original post. .

There are users on here that know this goes on, you must have fairly blinkered views if you can't see why its done. Just do the maths, how long does it take a UK cue maker to make a cue compared to the conveyor belt systems in the far east for producing cues ? They can send over numerous blank cues from the far east in the time it takes some cue makers over here to make one cue.

Its called having great business sense, as long as the blanks are top quality of which most obviously are then you would be daft to not go down this route.

[cueman]

Stig I'm not blinkered at all, I know a few cue makers and those that I know certainly do not, have not and will never have blanks sent from the far east to make cues with. However if you know different then fair enough but I don't think we are talking the big name cue makers here. Again if you really think you know otherwise then feel free to PM me and it won't go any further and I'll gladly continue this discussion in private if you are willing to name names!

[ADR147]

your have a valid point indeed.

So will you send it to be refinished?

either that or i will do it.

[cally]

What was you expecting Andrew, was you expecting it to be a 'c' brand as the good reviews have always been for the 'c' brand

I think unclevit sources cues from different places and may use a few workshops work...

..........................................