need help on chinese cues!!

[gazzalfc]

bugga it....cant wait....im gonne email them!!!!

[LavaChild]

thanks RGC...
yeah, kippax is just up the road from me (15 miles or so)
will do as you suggest and will give them a bell tomoz...
would rather spend £100 on a good cue than £55 on some chinese crap
will keep you informed on my progress
thanx again m8
Gazza!!!

I am in a very similar situation to yourself and would be keen to hear exactly what you end up doing.

From the research I've done (Which now feels quite extensive) it appears people seem to agree that ~£100 still doesn't get you a "good" cue... Well, rather, a cue but not with a case and any other extras you may be after. This is the sticking point for me. I'd much rather have a better cue but I'd need, an absolute must, a case. I would like a mini butt and extension too, if possible. Whilst I've found many amazing cues for £100, none come with everything I want.

By the time I add on the extras I'm well over £100... Maybe nearer £150. The problem is I began playing maybe two weeks ago now and intentionally wanted to spend only around ~£20 however after buying a £8 cue from Aldi to "tie me over" I decided I should up the budget at bit. At the moment I'm happy to up to £80 and today I've decided I wouldn't really bat an eyelid at £100, but beyond that I'm having to give it some serious thought.

While relative £100 may not be all that much, compared to how little I've played the game I'm not sure I can justify it.

If I am unable to find a cue, second hand considered, that is good for ~£100 with the bits I need (Unless I do decide to have one last push and add a little more... Which even still may not be enough!) then I'm going to do the exact opposite... Reduce my budget by as much as possible and get the cheapest cue/case "hand spliced" one off of eBay. Sure quality might not be there but if a Chinese cue is all that I can afford I'd rather spend as little as possible and begin saving for a better cue then... And hopefully by the time I've got sufficient funds I'll know better still how I stand in terms of how often I play and exactly what it is I want (At the moment I wouldn't know what size, weight, dimensions, etc, that I'd want if I had the opportunity of a custom!).

Please keep me updated .

[RGCirencester]

Well if you could convince craftsman to get some stock, you could get an aluminium case and machine spliced cue for 100. Whereas they may not be the greatest cues in the world, im sure they would be better than the ebay ones, or at very least its less of a game of russian roulette as i would imagine the craftsman ones to be more consistant. The case would also likely last longer if you do decide to upgrade in the future.

[eaoin11]

Tjay is the most hilarious advertisement i've ever read in my entire life!!!!!

A new variation of the "arrow technique"... with the "breast cue", rather than using the chevrons, instead imagine a heavenly valley to sight down

[gazzalfc]

christ...i can't have read it properly.....sounds more like a bluey!!!!!

[gazzalfc]

or mills and boon

or somat!!

[Mr O]

Do you suppose this guy is quite crafty and comes up with these stories for entertainment . Or does he really think anyone swallows his BS? I used to think some of his previous BS was amusing, but this one lol this dude is as mad as a frog in a sock

[Jacko]

I thoroughly recommend the cues sold by 'Big' Del Hill - snookers top coach. He has his own range of 'Big Del' cues which are all hand made and are the same quality as John Parris cues. You can even 'try before you buy' at his Snooker Farm where all the top pro's go to him for coaching.
They are not cheap but are cheaper than a Parris cue and they are the best you will find in the UK.
If I go there and forget to take my own cue, I will always grab one of his cues to play with. There's also some Parris cues in the rack but I guarantee if you cant see the badge you won't know the difference! They are that good!
Contact Del through his website at: www.thesnookerfarm.com.

[RGCirencester]

Wow i'd love to go there, a morning of snooker followed by an afternoon of fishing!

[vainparasite]

Ha ha i was looking at getting one of their cues but eventually decided against it and started looking through private sellers on ebay for more well known cues and i eventually won a cue craft zeus with extension and case for £19.05 yesterday. While it obviously wont be up to the standards a lot of you chaps are used to with parris or trevor white cues im sure it will be better than my jjb sports riley cue that i have been using since my old barracuda got stolen last year. Does anyone have any experiance of cue craft? Im hoping it will be ok.

I also seen a cue for sale on here that might fit your bill I know i would have been interested if i had seen it before i had won mine

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ad.php?t=16262

Hope you have some luck finding something, Martin.

[LavaChild]

I thoroughly recommend the cues sold by 'Big' Del Hill - snookers top coach. He has his own range of 'Big Del' cues which are all hand made and are the same quality as John Parris cues. You can even 'try before you buy' at his Snooker Farm where all the top pro's go to him for coaching.
They are not cheap but are cheaper than a Parris cue and they are the best you will find in the UK.
If I go there and forget to take my own cue, I will always grab one of his cues to play with. There's also some Parris cues in the rack but I guarantee if you cant see the badge you won't know the difference! They are that good!
Contact Del through his website at: www.thesnookerfarm.com.

What price range are these cues? Been searching the net for a while now and not come across him. I'd imagine they'll be way out of my price range, but a link to an online shop or similar would be nice? Thanks.

[RGCirencester]

I looked the shop section of the site isn't up yet. Imagine they would be expensive if they truly are as good as jacko makes out. If your after one of the ebay cues then the link vainparasite gave is probably good. At least you can get pics of the actual cue and decide from a visual perspective. I still think craftsman is your best best though.

[LavaChild]

I have contacted Craftsman but have heard nothing back from them yet. Currently my best hope (Short of eBay) is with ADR but I'm currently in the process of trying to find out how much (Or how cheaply, I'd hope!) I can find a cue case and extension for. I really think (And certainly if Craftsman don't get back to me) that this is a good bet.

In terms of eBay cues I think most of the Chinese sellers claim they send you the actual one in the auction... Or at least the two sellers I've considered most have stated this.

EDIT: The other consideration is one from Green Baize: http://www.greenbaize.com/budget.htm The "Budget" cue on there. It is still Chinese so I'm unsure if it's worth spending that much when Chinese cues are available on eBay much cheaper... But it's a consideration whilst I'm weighing everything else up.

[Jacko]

What price range are these cues? Been searching the net for a while now and not come across him. I'd imagine they'll be way out of my price range, but a link to an online shop or similar would be nice? Thanks.

It's probably best to email Del and ask for some prices. I think the cues are around £250.
There will be photos and details on his website very soon in the 'Merchandise' section. I'm waiting for one of his mates to take some decent photos of the cue's, extension, case's and chalk pouch and then I will pop down and get everything up on his site.
I know that not every player can afford that amount on a cue but for a serious club player it would be money well spent. Unlike a set of golf clubs, a cue is for life so it's a one off investment. Don't take my word for it on the quality of the cue's - go and try one out yourself. I would never buy a cue that I couldn't hold and play with first. :snooker:

[RGCirencester]

The pictures seem remarkably similar in every auction. I personally think its just a bank of photos and they pick similar ones each time. Could be wrong though.