Just looking for some advice, please...

[HappyAsLarry]

Hi everyone.

First of all, this is a fantastic forum. I only discovered it tonight and I've spent the past two hours or so reading through a lot of threads, trying to gather as much information as possible before purchasing a new cue. I *think* I'm sorted now, but as I'm still pretty new to all of this and I've just taken in a heck of a lot of information, I thought it would be best to run it through those who know a lot more than me

I used to play snooker on and off for a couple of years, but it's only been the past seven or eight months or so that I've been playing quite regularly, I'd say about twice a week. I've only used the cues provided in the club up to now (), but now I know I love playing and want to get my own cue...

I have about £70/£80 to spend, which I know is not a lot at all. I understand that perfectly, as I've read a couple of threads where people have quoted that price range.

My thinking is a £70/£80 cue would be a good step up from a club cue and would be a good basis for the future where I'd look to get a better, hand-made cue like a Parris cue, which I really like the look of.

Anyway, I really like the look of the Craftsmen Classic Victor cue at £59, I was just wondering if this was the best choice given my position? I am open to any suggestions.

Thank you for reading

[MattCash]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Craftsman cues are very good in terms of service and I'm sure that they are the best bet for a cue with your budget.

Good luck with finding a cue

[RGCirencester]

Welcome to TSF and may I say how refreshing it is to see someone actually read the forum before instantly posting a new cue thread!

I would second the above advice as to craftsman. And don't forget to buy a case to put it in!

Do you know what specification cue you would like? I'm assuming you are comfortable with a fairly standard cue as you have used rack cues up until now.

[HappyAsLarry]

Thanks for the kind welcome, guys. I'm hoping to spend a lot of time reading and posting here, although I didn't think many people would be on at this time!

I noticed a lot of people suggesting Craftsman cues, which is how I came across them in a first place, but I couldn't find much information about the Victor cue specifically, so I thought I'd post this to make sure it's a good choice and that there aren't better cues in my range.

As for the specification of the cue, I've been doing some reading on here regarding that, too. I meant to mention it, just to see what people thought.

I was thinking:

3/4 butt jointed
9.7mm tip (10 is standard, yes? I think a slightly smaller tip would suit my game more, though, especially on straight shots...this is one of the reasons I don't fancy an expensive cue right now, as I'd rather experiment with a cheaper cue)
19.5 oz in weight (I prefer a fairly heavy cue, as I feel like a have a lot more control)
59" in length (I will try to do the test that's been mentioned on here, which tells you which cue length is ideal, but I'm 6'5" so I'm thinking the longer the better...that's what I read anyway. And to be honest, the length of standard cues I've used have been ok, but I think it could be a lot better, especially on long range shots and shots that require power)

I'm looking at hard cases right now, as well. Any suggestions regarding cases would be much appreciated too

Thanks a lot once again for the welcome and for the help. I'm off to bed now, though, I need to give my poor eyes a much needed break from all of this reading

[RGCirencester]

The "standard" tip size you will find on club cues and many cheap cues is 9.5mm. This is felt to be a good balance. Personally however I prefer a 10mm tip.
The smaller the tip the more accurate you need to be with where you hit the hit cue ball.

Case wise I would personally go for:
In the lower price range
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ONE-PIECE-LEAT...3A1%7C294%3A50
One piece case, extra to carry around however you do get a nice case quite cheap
From ADR147 on here
http://www.craftsmancues.com/acatalo...cases.html#a50
or the craftsman £35 aluminium case

Or if you have a little more to spend on the case
leatherette from ADR147 on here again
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-4-Leatherett...3A1%7C294%3A50
or a cue craft aluminium case for around 60 pounds for instance from Stu at greenbaize
http://www.greenbaize.com/cases.htm

[HappyAsLarry]

Ah, I see. I've just taken a look at the market research thread posted on here and a lot of people prefer a tip between 9.5 and 10, so I think 9.7, right in-between the two, might be a good start for me. I'll see how that goes and with my next cue, I can always go up to 10 or even down a little.

I'll probably get shot for asking this (), but the one club that I play at have recently bought about fifty long lockers for people to store their cue. I've looked in them and they're very solid. I'm pretty interested in getting one simply because there are a few times I'll play snooker before I go off to watch rugby, or I'll be coming home from work and fancy an impromptu hour of practice, so storing my cue there would be really convenient...plus it only costs £10 for the year. My question is, is that sufficient enough to protect my cue? Or would I need a case as well?

Just that if I could get away with storing my new cue there for a while, until I get a better cue like a Parris and a proper nice case, then that would be ideal... but if it was to do any sort of damage to my cue, then obviously I'd prefer a case.

[Dan27]

Always keep your cue stored in a case.

[thai_son22]

nothing wrong with the victor although they are low priced.

well worth it. ive seen someone else with it and have had the chance to play with that model.

although no 2 cues are the same, the finish should be.. on your budget, go for it

[HappyAsLarry]

Always keep your cue stored in a case.

I thought so

Just wondered as the cue would never leave a club, but thought it could still get damaged and stuff even in a locker.

There are a couple of cues with cases on E-Bay. I know these mostly get a bit of a bad rep here, but the thing is my Dad plays a bit of snooker as well and is looking for a new cue to try out. He's a really, really tight b**tard though so my thinking was I could get one of the cue/case deals on E-Bay, such as this one...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HANDMADE-3-4-J...3%3A1|294%3A50

...and my Dad could try out the cue and I could have the case for my Victor.

Sound good, or...?

[Dan27]

Probably worth it if your dads not too fussy about his cues.

But wouldn't your dad then want a case ?

[HappyAsLarry]

Probably worth it if your dads not too fussy about his cues.

But wouldn't your dad then want a case ?

Aye, he's not that fussy at all, not at the moment anyway... I think he just wants something better than what the snooker club offers. And I've read a few people on here say these cheap, run of the mill Chinese cues aren't too bad, so it should do him fine.

I've got an old Jimmy White hard case that I've not used in a while that he can have It's only a two piece one, but it will do for him for now.

I just thought instead of getting the Craftsman aluminum case for £35 plus P&P, I could get one of those for about £20 or so (hopefully) and kill two birds with one stone. I know the aluminum case on E-Bay probably won't be as good as the Craftsman one, but it would suit my needs for now. I just don't want to spend too much until I've gotten into the game more and improved through practice.

[HappyAsLarry]

I'm sorry for the double post. I wanted to try and edit my last post, but I don't seem to have the option to do so at the moment...

Anyway, all I wanted to say is I've just bought this...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=120434423933

...for a shade under £35. I think it's a really good deal, because that guy has sold the exact same set in the past for the likes of £26, £31 and even $48.

And the Craftsman aluminum case I had my eye on was £35, not to mention P&P on top of that, so I've pretty much bought the case and got the cue for free, which my Dad can now have

I've also just ordered the Victor cue and some light green Triangle chalk so I'm all sorted now!

Thanks a lot everyone for your help. It's been much appreciated

[HappyAsLarry]

When I say £26, £31 and £48 (not $, that was a typo), by the way, that's not including the P&P of £12.99. Mine was £35 total. Just wanted to clear that up.

Also, how come I don't seem to be able to edit my posts?

I'm sorry for yet another post but I just wanted to clear up my typo.

[RGCirencester]

Now have you read ADRs tip guide
http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ad.php?t=11834

The ebay cue in particularly you will likely need to change the tip before you do anything as they are usually pretty terrible.

Think you need a certain number of posts to edit

[HappyAsLarry]

Yeah, I was reading that earlier today. It's such a good guide, especially the step by step with pictures. That will be a real help, as I've never done anything like that before. Thanks a lot, RGC. And ADR too, of course!

I'll see what my Dad thinks after he's had a session or two with it. Like I said he's not that fussy, especially at the moment. I was actually on the phone to him earlier and I was telling him about this place, and how some people pay like £300, £400+ on cues and he was like, "HOW MUCH?! "

The cue looks pretty nice, though, and I'm reassured by the fact that others on here have mentioned that they're a fairly reasonable cue. But I will more than likely end up changing the tip for him.

And RGC, did you ever buy a case, by the way? I was trying to find out more information on aluminum cases from E-Bay and noticed you were tempted by the cheapo-ness also