Kevin Deroo Cues

[Terry Davidson]

The DeRoo cue I bought in 2005 to my specs and with an extended butt (he didn't have the SD socket choice) was over $1,000(CAN) including shipping. He was about 3 weeks later than his promised delivery date. Cue came almost exactly to the specs ordered and was straight.

I tried the cue out but could never get used to it very well and have since sold it on. He makes a decent cue however his splices are butterfly and not the 4 point traditional splices.

Also, I've had tons of British Made cues and I've never had one delaminate or otherwise lose any of its quality, so I'm not sure what happened to the other poster who had that experience

Terry

[Dehouser]

Hi Terry,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Deroo. As regards cue warping, I sent 3 cues home from England during the winter season in 1998. I can only assume that the combination of moisture level in the woods that the cues were constructed from versus the cold, dry climate wreaked havoc. The town I lived in at the time (Saskatoon) had a number of snooker players who had experienced similar warping/delaminating. To be fair, I had other English-made cues that were fine.

[Terry Davidson]

dehouser:

As I refurbish and straighten cues as a bit of a hobby, if you still have those cues kicking around can you send them to me? I'll cover the shipping for you and I'll see if I can bring them back to their original shape.

Terry

[poolqjunkie]

I think some customers might not really understand the difference between a hand spliced cue (4 round prongs) and a machine spliced cue (2 round prongs or 4 sharp points). They may not really understand that it is much more time consuming and demanding in skill to plane 4 splices by hand step by step than to turn a blank glued with two pieces of wood to round on a lathe.

If a cue maker turns his wood/cue on a CNC lathe, as opposed to planning it by hand--and if the cue is butterfly spliced to begin with--is it logical to assume that he can finish his cue in much lesser time than if he were to do it by hand, planning splices in stages? It does not mean the end product is necessarily inferior--in fact the end product might be more precise as it is done with the help of computer--but the question is just about whether you can justify the price of such a machine/computer made cue when you can get a bespoke cue truly built by hand for quite a bit less.

I understand some people think machine made or not does not matter as long as it plays well; while some may not want to buy a butterfly spliced cue made with a computer; some people might really treasure the craftsmanship of a hand made cue; while some may prefer the precision of a CNC turned cue--which is why I started this thread a while ago trying to hear what everyone has to say. Thank you.

[poolqjunkie]

dehouser:

As I refurbish and straighten cues as a bit of a hobby, if you still have those cues kicking around can you send them to me? I'll cover the shipping for you and I'll see if I can bring them back to their original shape.

Terry

Hi Terry,
How do you usually straighten your cues if you dont mind me asking...thank you.

[thelongbomber]

I would like to hear about cue straightening as well and would appreciate your help with my playing cue.

[Terry Davidson]

pqj and longbomber:

I have had great success straightening cues, both maple and ash shafted by carefully applying opposite pressure very gently over a bit of time, usually about a week to completely straighten a shaft with say 2 bends in it.

However, I do see a few 3/4 cues where the shaft is perfectly straight but when you put them together and look down there is a slight bend at the joint. These are a little harder to straighten and you have to be very careful with them. I use just a touch of heat and then again some gentle pressure and so far I've been successful with all of them. Sometimes with an older 3/4 the real problem is dirt build-up at the joint which is easy to solve.

For pqj, as an example, the Aurora 1pc I have here and used for over a year developed a slight bend about 18" from the ferrule, which is the worst spot to have a bend in since it's right where you use it. It took me about a week of carefully applying reverse pressure and I finally now have the cue perfectly straight and it's stayed that way for a couple of months now.

I don't like to use steam as I believe that takes the 'life' out of a shaft and I must admit I haven't tried the hanger method although I think it would work better if you somehow put a heavy weight on the butt and then hung it from just below the ferrule.

longbomber...if you want precise details email me at - terrydavidson45(at)gmail(dot)com and I will send you a lengthy email explaining how I do it and what to look for in finding the exact spot you have to apply the gentle pressure to.

Terry

[Dehouser]

Hi Terry,
A very handsome offer, but I'm afraid all three of the cues had been given away some years ago. The Deroo is the only snooker cue I have left.
Cheers,
Danno

[Dehouser]

I have added some pics to my Photobucket account of my 3/4 Deroo. Not great photography, but you can see the stainless joint he uses. Very basic cue, just ash and ebony, but some nice chevrons, and it has a sure and firm hit.

http://s630.photobucket.com/albums/u...Snooker%20cue/

[snookerbum]

hi there my deroo has a hit that is hard to get used to .and yes i can really control the ball more ..there is hardly any throw at all .its like my predater shaft, its tough to get used to but its a progession ....its an amasing cue .its always straight..

[poolqjunkie]

Came across a very nice Deroo cue from a friend. It is hand spliced (not butterfly spliced) with 4 splices of snakewood with curly maple veneers.
The shaft is also very nice, one piece ash, with even chevrons (I think 4 chevrons but cannot remember for sure).
It has a thick varnish applied on the butt.
The snakewood is exhibition quality, very beautiful.
Price I believe is about $1800 USD.

[snookerbum]

how does he like it?

[poolqjunkie]

how does he like it?

Cue is very good, hits solid and my friend likes it. He is keeping it as part of his collection.
He has another playing cue he uses on a regular basis.

[cyndrel]

I ave a Kevin Deroo (S20 on his snooker cues page) and it is by far the finest cue that I have ever played with. I replaced a John Parris Ultimate 3/4 cue with this one, and had replaced had replaced a Parris Classic with the Ultimate. Kevin Deroo exceeds them both .. feel, hit, balance, workmanship.
I won the Canadian Senior (0ver 55) Snooker championship in 2009 with his cue, and continue to lead my Ontario-wide league in high runs years after year.
Expensive? yes. Worth it? Damn yas!

[Toronto Playa]

I ave a Kevin Deroo (S20 on his snooker cues page) !

Hi cyndrel,
I live in Toronto and play in the east end. This spring I will be ordering a maple 2p snooker cue from Kevin Deroo. I'm thinking of getting his S19 2p. I do not know anyone who has a Deroo 2p maple but I would like to see one before I order mine. Maybe we could play a few frames and I could see yours? I think it would help my decision allot on which cue to buy and what kind of spec's I need. I can drive to Mississauga and meet up with you at your poolroom?

Table time is on me

Thanks, let me know
Lee