Out of curiousity........

[MattCash]

i bet it is magnificent, do you share his specs or did you have it altered?

[KeithinFrance]

I really do know what you mean, I did that once with a Master machine-spliced cue of all things! I had a nice cue that I was playing well with, but when I went into a shop looking for a cue for a pal of mine, I picked this one up and it sort of stuck to my hand!! It chose me! I bought it, took it home and went to the match we had that night, played and won my 2 matches with no practice, and thought: Yes!! This is it!! Next day, I went to practice withit, and ... nothing!! Couldn't pot a ball over a pocket! So, I persevered for about 2 weeks, every day and it was the same old story: Nothing!! Sh%µt!! So, I sold it for the price I'd paid and the guy's still got it today and I'm still searching too!

[cueman]

Good thread this one! Personally I think average break is tough to gauge as we all have periods of good form and bad, its only natural. However I do think its strange that some people will spend upwards of £250 on a cue when they only play once a week maybe and have a high break of 60 odd. I don't mean to belittle these people but seriously they wouldn't really know a quality cue from a fairly decent one.

You can tell these types of people because they are more fussy over the design of the cue and accuracy of the splicings and straightness of grain than the actual feel from the cue. Fact is a good player will be able to find the right cue for them and never need to buy another unless something happened to it. I went through about 8 cues before I settled for the original one I had 12 years ago but I realised after trying out that many from various cue makers that you need to settle with one and forget the temptation to try out others.

You can waste hundreds, thousands even on having cues made up for you but unless you really know what you are looking for its just money wasted IMO, even then its no guarantee that what is made for you will actually perform. Go to a club or shop which sells cues you can try out, its the only way to find what you are looking for.

[Oldgit]

i bet it is magnificent, do you share his specs or did you have it altered?

Trevs specs are perfect for me so its completely unaltered. Funnily enough I loved the 'arrows' as I hold the cue with the flat 'up' and so sight along the arrows but Trevor had chosen the ash because it had absolutely dead straight grain and he holds his cues with the flat facing to the front and so sights along just perfectly straight grain. He had been kind enough to send me the cue a year or so ago and I loved it from the moment I first held it. Incidentally its the exact same specs as Ryan days cue.....in fact Ryans cue is another of Trevors old playing cues.

Oldgit

[MattCash]

yes, i believe they used to play together and ryan fell in love with trevor's playing cue. If trevor keeps on giving his cues away he will soon become bankrupt

[Oldgit]

yes, i believe they used to play together and ryan fell in love with trevor's playing cue. If trevor keeps on giving his cues away he will soon become bankrupt

Well, I actually paid Trevor for the cue and as for him soon becoming bankrupt, I believe that he has just bought adr147s Bentleys and Helicopter!!

[Jonny]

Good thread this one! Personally I think average break is tough to gauge as we all have periods of good form and bad, its only natural. However I do think its strange that some people will spend upwards of £250 on a cue when they only play once a week maybe and have a high break of 60 odd. I don't mean to belittle these people but seriously they wouldn't really know a quality cue from a fairly decent one.

You can tell these types of people because they are more fussy over the design of the cue and accuracy of the splicings and straightness of grain than the actual feel from the cue. Fact is a good player will be able to find the right cue for them and never need to buy another unless something happened to it. I went through about 8 cues before I settled for the original one I had 12 years ago but I realised after trying out that many from various cue makers that you need to settle with one and forget the temptation to try out others.

You can waste hundreds, thousands even on having cues made up for you but unless you really know what you are looking for its just money wasted IMO, even then its no guarantee that what is made for you will actually perform. Go to a club or shop which sells cues you can try out, its the only way to find what you are looking for.

agree with this i have nothing against people spending hundreds on a cue if they are making huge breaks and are playing very regularly but when people spend that much money on a cue with fairly "low" breaks and play occasionally it seems kind of pointless imo but then again, it is my opinion XD

[Oldgit]

agree with this i have nothing against people spending hundreds on a cue if they are making huge breaks and are playing very regularly but when people spend that much money on a cue with fairly "low" breaks and play occasionally it seems kind of pointless imo but then again, it is my opinion XD

Obviously you are entitled to your opinion BUT what is the harm in someone spending their hard earned money on whatever they want? A handmade cue is hardly the most expensive item so if it gives pleasure to the owner then thats fine.

What you are saying sounds to me like........if you can't drive like Lewis Hamilton then its pointless buying a Porsche for yourself when a Ford Ka will do!!

Oldgit

[MattCash]

basically, you don't have to be a professional to appreciate the quality of a well made cue.:snooker:

[Jonny]

Obviously you are entitled to your opinion BUT what is the harm in someone spending their hard earned money on whatever they want? A handmade cue is hardly the most expensive item so if it gives pleasure to the owner then thats fine.

What you are saying sounds to me like........if you can't drive like Lewis Hamilton then its pointless buying a Porsche for yourself when a Ford Ka will do!!

Oldgit

haha fair point bout the porsche :P

I guess i do agree that you can spend your hard earned money on an expensive item which gives you pleasure to own because everyone can do whatever they want at the end of the day. However, sometimes i get the impression that people are buying expensive cues because they think that they will play better which i don't really agree with because you're buying something for the wrong reasons. Eg, i tend to hear people saying stuff on here like my friend has a TW cue and he knocks in tons. It's kind of like they are placing more emphasis on the actual cue rather than the player

[Oldgit]

haha fair point bout the porsche :P

I guess i do agree that you can spend your hard earned money on an expensive item which gives you pleasure to own because everyone can do whatever they want at the end of the day. However, sometimes i get the impression that people are buying expensive cues because they think that they will play better which i don't really agree with because you're buying something for the wrong reasons. Eg, i tend to hear people saying stuff on here like my friend has a TW cue and he knocks in tons. It's kind of like they are placing more emphasis on the actual cue rather than the player

Well, what you are saying is correct. Look how many 'Traditional' cues John Parris sells because its the cue that Ronnie O'Sullivan uses.....same with Accuerate cues and Stephen Hendry. Back in the 'old days' look how Alex Higgins made the Burwat Champion cue so famous? People will always want to emulate their 'heroes' and companies have always used sporting heroes to endorse their products (Soccer, Tennis etc etc).

[KeithinFrance]

Fact is a good player will be able to find the right cue for them and never need to buy another unless something happened to it. I went through about 8 cues before I settled for the original one I had 12 years ago but I realised after trying out that many from various cue makers that you need to settle with one and forget the temptation to try out others.

You can waste hundreds, thousands even on having cues made up for you but unless you really know what you are looking for its just money wasted IMO, even then its no guarantee that what is made for you will actually perform. Go to a club or shop which sells cues you can try out, its the only way to find what you are looking for.

Yip, you must mean like Peter Ebdon, then, who tried over 100 cues before finding his cue! Now he's got it, he's happy and has not changed since. Some people are lucky and find what they want, some people aren't. It's not because you keep looking for a cue that you don't know a good one, and some people don't live in a place where you can try out cues easily and finding a good one can be extremely difficult.
As far as I am concerned, I can remember the feel of a cue from 27 years ago, and if I'd found the same feel I'd have bought the cue straight away. As it is, I live in a place where good cues are few and far between and so, I've had to order cues from cuemakers in the UK, by telephone or over the internet. Have you ever tried to explain the feel of a cue over the phone to someone you don't know? It's not easy at all. Your definition of medium stiff is perhaps different from the idea a cuemaker has! In fact, I know it is! So, you ask for the things you can describe, ie, straight grain, dark grained ash, lots of chevrons, forward balancing etc,etc. And you hope that what you get is what you had in mind! If you're lucky, it is. If you're not lucky, you continue looking and you pay hundreds of pounds until you find one with the 'feel' you're looking for; if, of course, you have enough disposable income to be able to!

You make some good points but without the disparaging tone it would have been a more pleasant read; and "a good player" can know what they want but not be lucky enough to find it!

I just hope it takes me less than 100 cues to find the right 'feel' that I can remember and still feel when I concentrate!

[RGCirencester]

This is a common mistake particularly from people who dont play all that regularly. Personally i find as long as you dont have a completely terrible cue then your fine. Personally i would buy an expensive cue because i appreciate the workmanship, time and quality of materials that went into the cue. I personally see a cue as an investement that will last and i will enjoy for a long time. I''ve known plenty of people that have spent 1000 pounds on a new tv, and then replace it a year or two later. Even people that dont watch TV that regularly do this. A cue however if taken care of will last many years, and even if you only play once a week will still give much enjoyment during the time you own it.

[trigger666]

sold my old pool cue (of 8yrs) to a team mate last year because i fancied a change !!!
i wouldnt say it was a big mistake but yet to find the same feel !!

played a couple of frames with it last week BIG mistake lol offered to buy it back but hes in love more fool me !!!""£$$

[KeithinFrance]

I wish you'd said this in your first post, it would have annoyed me less! I do know people who are like that, but don't tar everyone with the same brush; some people, like me, keep on looking because they've not found the 'feel', not because thay want a TW cue to play better. I do know that the only thing that'll make me play better is me!! But if I can get a cue with the 'feel' I'm looking for, I'll be a happy bunny!! No matter what the cue cost!

haha fair point bout the porsche :P

I guess i do agree that you can spend your hard earned money on an expensive item which gives you pleasure to own because everyone can do whatever they want at the end of the day. However, sometimes i get the impression that people are buying expensive cues because they think that they will play better which i don't really agree with because you're buying something for the wrong reasons. Eg, i tend to hear people saying stuff on here like my friend has a TW cue and he knocks in tons. It's kind of like they are placing more emphasis on the actual cue rather than the player

Yip, you must mean like Peter Ebdon, then, who tried over 100 cues before finding his cue! Now he's got it, he's happy and has not changed since. Some people are lucky and find what they want, some people aren't. It's not because you keep looking for a cue that you don't know a good one, and some people don't live in a place where you can try out cues easily and finding a good one can be extremely difficult.
As far as I am concerned, I can remember the feel of a cue from 27 years ago, and if I'd found the same feel I'd have bought the cue straight away. As it is, I live in a place where good cues are few and far between and so, I've had to order cues from cuemakers in the UK, by telephone or over the internet. Have you ever tried to explain the feel of a cue over the phone to someone you don't know? It's not easy at all. Your definition of medium stiff is perhaps different from the idea a cuemaker has! In fact, I know it is! So, you ask for the things you can describe, ie, straight grain, dark grained ash, lots of chevrons, forward balancing etc,etc. And you hope that what you get is what you had in mind! If you're lucky, it is. If you're not lucky, you continue looking and you pay hundreds of pounds until you find one with the 'feel' you're looking for; if, of course, you have enough disposable income to be able to!

You make some good points but without the disparaging tone it would have been a more pleasant read; and "a good player" can know what they want but not be lucky enough to find it!

I just hope it takes me less than 100 cues to find the right 'feel' that I can remember and still feel when I concentrate!