Cue maker with the most precise craftsmanship in your opinion

[ChatLag]

It is really difficult to decide for one. Even more as there are better and less better cues from each of them.
But for me the greatest perfectionist is Robin Cook followed by Trevor White.

[s1ivv3r]

Unless you've actually held a cue made by all of the makers mentioned in this poll I don't think you can actually vote.

Sorry to be a party pooper

Totally agree!!

All i can say is i've just put my money where my mouth is and bought a Mike Wooldridge cue.. and if your in the market for a new cue and you can afford his prices.. you will not be disappointed at all.

It is stunning.. i have owned Craftsman, Parris, BCE, Peradon and other spurious lumps of wood in my 26 years of playing.. and its the best built cue i have played with ever.. and also the best "feeling" !!!

I won't vote because i cant comment on the other cue makers on the list... but my Wooldridge is stunning.

Thanks Mike

[ADR147]

explain adr? i played with a deroo for years, and it certainly was hand spliced, no question about it. his cues are made near where i live, and a lot of the players here have them, i can't be sure about his 8-ball cues, but his snooker cues are hand spliced.

they are butterfly splices the cue is made in two parts and glued together a skill in its own right but not the same thing as a traditional handspliced cue. for all i know he may well make a handspliced snooker cue but i have never seen or heard of one.

[poolqjunkie]

explain adr? i played with a deroo for years, and it certainly was hand spliced, no question about it. his cues are made near where i live, and a lot of the players here have them, i can't be sure about his 8-ball cues, but his snooker cues are hand spliced.

Canadian terminology is a bit different from the UK's when it comes to cues. Canadian has been greatly influenced by the US when it comes to snooker cues. Most of the well known snooker cues made in Canada are/were modelled after Brunswick cues made in the early 90's and after.

A lot of people are confused by the term "hand spliced" and "hand made."

The US definition of "hand spliced" and that of the UK are different. But whichever definition you go by, Kevin Deroo's cues are not "hand spliced."

According to the UK definition, butterfly spliced is not hand spliced.

Hand spliced is referred to using 4 splices of hardwood to "splice" onto the shaft(ash/maple).

Butterfly splice is cutting a V in the hardwood(single piece) and glue it onto the shaft wood then turn it to make two prongs which appear round like a pair of wings, thus the term, butterfly.

With butterfly, you can make the points even top and bottom much easier than if you have to splice two splices on the shaft first, hand plane it, then splice another two pieces and hand plane it again, to make then all even.

Also, with butterfly splice, the shaft only goes to the end of the bottom of the splice, but with hand splice, the shaft can go all the way through to the butt end.

Butterfly splice always have two prongs, and there is no junction at where the prongs meet; with hand spliced cues, there are usually 4 prongs, and there are lines where the splices are glued together that you can see.

The British has been making snooker cues since perhaps even before Americans signed their declaration of independence, the term, "hand splice" is always being used to refer to this technique. It is a time honored traditional cue making technique.

Kevin Deroo does make some cues with 4 round prongs which look like hand spliced cues, I am not sure if they are real hand spliced though. I was told he uses CNC (computer) to make his cues, as opposed to using hand planes and such. With CNC, he can cut out the pockets for the splices and then just glue them on like inlays--they will be perfect every time doing it this way.

A lot of people refer to cues made by the late Canadian legendary cue maker, Tom Gauther, as "hand spliced" but I do not believe he has ever made a hand spliced snooker cue in his entire career. He is able to make top notch playing cues that are hand made, but they either are butterfly spliced, or featured 4 sharp points--none of them were made using the UK hand splicing technique.

The interesting thing I have found is that in the US, "hand spliced" actually means sharp points rather than round tipped prongs. (These sharp point look is usually called "machined spliced" in the UK.)

If you have ever seen like a Southwest, James White, Paul Mottey, Joel Hercek, Mike Capone...you will notice that they feature sharp points, and they are referred to by the Americans as hand spliced points, which is very desirable among cue collectors.

A hand spliced cues in the US pool cue world means usually 4 (but not always) sharp points. Usually this types of points are worth more money than the round edged points which are cut out by CNC. Deroo's 9 ball cues do not have sharp points--they are all round as they were all cut by CNC and inlaid on the butt wood (they are round because of the size of the cutting mill)--so his 9 ball cue also is not hand spliced by the US definition.

In that sense, you can call some of the sharp points cues by Tom Gauthier "hand spliced" by the US definition. But if you show it to a Uk collector, he will probably call it machine spliced.

Either way, butterfly splice is not hand splice. Kevin Deroo's butterfly spliced cues are not hand spliced cues, although I guess you can call it hand made if your definition of hand made involves the help of computerized equipment.

[eaoin11]

Wow pooljunkie you just slaughtered that little peice of speculation and bridged the gap between the making of UK and US cues in the same (albeit long) breath. Congrats

[ADR147]

a uk handspliced cue can - and often still is - be made without the use of any machines at all.

[lkomarci]

My Trevor White cue has arrived just yesterday and before I knew it I was dashing into the snooker club pantingly. I can't remember when was the last time I was so content. The cue is immaculate! Just perfect weight, length and the tip size that Trevor picked out for me. It has a silky smooth finish and it feels like magic!

Harry Potter now I've got a better stick than you do!!!

[dsman]

ikomarci...congrats!

got pictures to make us envious?

[Shanghai Matt]

I own 2 of Trevors cues and I'm also on my second from Mike, have also played with a couple of Parris and glover cues. So can only offer my opinions on those from the list.

i think as far as craftsmanship of the splicing goes, you just cant beat Mike Wooldridge, on my custom every single one of the splices are EXACLY in line, both top and bottom!

I've got a pretty intricately spliced Trevor white, and while its an absolutely stunning cue, the splices arent qite as precise as the wooldridge. The finish on the shaft however, in my opinion, is the best I've ever seen on a cue.

the glovers ive seen have been lovely, might have to buy one for the collection

I've not been particularly impressed with any of the Parris cues I've seen, but theyve all been a few years old so perhaps they hadnt been looked after all that well... benifit of the doubt and all that eh.

[poolqjunkie]

a uk handspliced cue can - and often still is - be made without the use of any machines at all.

Hummm, we are not trying to bring Keith Auld back here, are we?

Joking aside, yes, I totally agree and I am so fascinated by how much the master cue makers could achieve with simple tools.

That is why I want to ask who do you think is the most precise when it comes to craftsmanship.

Although I am sure all the top names could build a very nice cues, but I believe there has to be some difference in terms of precision and execution. Don't you agree?

On a side note, I cannot believe not one person voted for Will Hunt or Robert...I mean with the prices these cues are going for in the used market, I would think there are tones of people who think these are perfect cues in every way.

[ADR147]

Hummm, we are not trying to bring Keith Auld back here, are we?

Joking aside, yes, I totally agree and I am so fascinated by how much the master cue makers could achieve.

That is why I want to ask who do you think is the most precise when it comes to craftsmanship.

Although I am sure all the top names could build a very nice cues, but I believe there has to be some difference in terms of precision and execution. Don't you agree?

yes and no - its about the time they take - if you are prepared to pay extra for the extra time all can do it, for example if you want trevor to really push the boat out you will need to pay him an extra £100 or so for the extra time but for all but a handful the difference would not be noticed.

[poolqjunkie]

yes and no - its about the time they take - if you are prepared to pay extra for the extra time all can do it, for example if you want trevor to really push the boat out you will need to pay him an extra £100 or so for the extra time but for all but a handful the difference would not be noticed.

I see. Thanks for your input.
So, if I show a picture of a cue made by one cue maker, with very intricate splicings and such, and ask another cue maker to build it. He will be able to do it just as well, as long as the price is met?
But that is assuming that they all have the same ability, knowledge, experience, and capability to execute? Do they?
What I am getting at is dont you think there may be a difference in where their limits lie?

[ADR147]

I see. Thanks for your input.
So, if I show a picture of a cue made by one cue maker, with very intricate splicings and such, and ask another cue maker to build it. He will be able to do it just as well, as long as the price is met?
But that is assuming that they all have the same ability, knowledge, experience, and capability to execute? Do they?
What I am getting at is dont you think there may be a difference in where their limits lie?

within reason as for their limits thats for them to say not me.

[poolqjunkie]

I own 2 of Trevors cues and I'm also on my second from Mike, have also played with a couple of Parris and glover cues. So can only offer my opinions on those from the list.

i think as far as craftsmanship of the splicing goes, you just cant beat Mike Wooldridge, on my custom every single one of the splices are EXACLY in line, both top and bottom!

I've got a pretty intricately spliced Trevor white, and while its an absolutely stunning cue, the splices arent qite as precise as the wooldridge. The finish on the shaft however, in my opinion, is the best I've ever seen on a cue.

the glovers ive seen have been lovely, might have to buy one for the collection

I've not been particularly impressed with any of the Parris cues I've seen, but theyve all been a few years old so perhaps they hadnt been looked after all that well... benifit of the doubt and all that eh.

Thanks for the feedback.
You know sometimes I feel that perhaps Mike is underrated when compared to other famous cue makers, especially in the overseas market. May be it is because he does not offer free cues to other pros, I am not sure.

[ADR147]

Thanks for the feedback.
You know sometimes I feel that perhaps Mike is underrated when compared to other famous cue makers, especially in the overseas market. May be it is because he does not offer free cues to other pros, I am not sure.

those of us in the know don't under rate mike at all.