How does a chinese made ebay cue play?

[Chunqx]

This question is mainly about those chinese made cues that are on ebay claiming to come from canada....
I know they're not going to be in the same continent even as a JP, MW, etc.. but for a beginner, how do they play in comparison to a Riley, BCE, something in the same price category?

[trevs1]

No reason why there should be any difference.

[MattCash]

Quality-wise you would expect a mass produced chinese cue to be inferior to a custom made cue from reputable cue builders, but as for playability it all comes down to the person who is using it. Stephen Hendry, one of the finest players that snooker has produced, used an old powerglide connoisseur, that was bought for him as a gift, and won virtually everything with it.

[stegorjus]

I know of an ex-pro who's begged someone to sell him his £30 eBay cue because he thinks it's perfect for him. That doesn't mean another cue of the same name will feel the same. BCE/Riley cues are varnished to keep them looking pretty after being handled in sports shops. Varnish is sticky and not being micro-porous, it isn't great for the wood. The celebrity endorsements are pricey but meaningless.

[philip1988]

i know a couple of people who have one of those chinesse snooker cues on ebay......there ok tips are bad......the cues are better than any of the bce cues i've used myself when i started

[Viktortheman]

Well, do the tip matter? Like if you buy one of these chinese cues and replace the tip with a, let's say a Mike Wooldridge supertip. Will the cue become "better" then? I know that tips are vital, but how vital are they?

[stegorjus]

Of course the tip matters, it's like the tyres on a car. It's the point of contact. A bad tip on a good cue is likely to be worse than a good tip on a mediocre cue.

[philip1988]

Well, do the tip matter? Like if you buy one of these chinese cues and replace the tip with a, let's say a Mike Wooldridge supertip. Will the cue become "better" then? I know that tips are vital, but how vital are they?

yes the tip matters...with a bad tip you have more of a chance of a bad contact or miscue.........but yes you can just change the tips on these cues

[Mellow Yellow]

how does a chinese cue play?

i rittle bit rippy!

[poolqjunkie]

I would say for the same price, the Chinese made cue offers very good value. If I have to choose between those cues and a BCE, Riley, or a Paradon at the same price range, I will choose a Chinese cue--although I have doubt that the BCE, Riley,,,etc in the same price range might also be made in the far East.

[HPayne]

Don't know how they play, but the look of it is nice, although I'm not an expert.


http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...2BSI%26otn%3D4

[stephen23]

is all about the cue suits you or not while craftmanship varies......................

[DandyA]

this is only my experience but I'd say it's not the tip at the front of the cue that matters ... nor the cue itself ... it's the "tit" at the back that makes the most difference (ie me) ...

having said that, I think it's vitally important to have your own cue, to get used to it, to learn what you can do with it ... the same applies with the tip ...

I played very happily for 4 or 5 years with a cheap Cannon Scorpion (which I thoroughly recommend and still use for UK 8ball pool) but then I said to myself maybe I could control something better for snooker? So I bought a "Welsh Dragon" and I'm more than delighted with it - got it 4 or 5 months ago and still learning what I can do with it ...

So what I think I'm saying is, don't buy a new cue cos you hope it will make you play better ... buy a new cue because you think you can play better with it

Hope that makes sense!

[poolqjunkie]

From what I heard so far, Welsh Pool Trading does offer very good value for the money but it is not in the same range as the cues in question.

I know a few people with cues from China, some have those MA, MX, MS or what have you, with the case and the two extensions for about 50 pounds including shipping to Canada. Some have the JX, JS, or something like that for a bit more.

The latter seem better in my opinion.

[Chunqx]

They claim to be hand made. Are they really hand made? Not that it means too much in terms of quality given they probably have the cheapest labour available given the population.
The deal does look good. The one available in Aus is neither MX or JX... they are badged as MYX and come with an aluminium case, mini extension, a telescopic extension, spare tips... But I'm not planning to get something for display, I hope to use it so aesthetics aren't very important for me. Unlike what it must like in the UK, choices in Australia for snooker cues are very limited. Can't really get Riley or BCE cues here easily, especially the 3/4 cut ones. Contacted quite a few retailers and one claimed to have John Paris (spelled that way in the ad) and told me it was on special for A$150 (which is equivalent to 65 pounds or thereabouts) and straightaway alarm bells came up crying "FAKE!" and I never called back since. So, those are my choices...