New LUMINERI cues almost ready....

[unclevit]

What is Sanans full name ? is he the same Sanan who worked for O Min??

We never know his surname. Sanan is in the cue business before Omin, now in his 80+ years old. Retired.

[JP1]

Well he wont be making to many cues anymore then will he ?? O Min had a problem with his master cue maker who now makes cues on his own, do you know who makes cues for O Min now ?? the last lot I had from him was very very ordinary, with splices lifting and butt extension inserts coming loose, something you NEVER saw from O Min earlier on. Maybe we sould be dealing with the guy on his own now? I believe James Wattana who also bought from O Min has not done so for a while as well because of that ?

[JP1]

I agree with your sentiments, you do more damage to a talented youngster by giving him rubbish like JX or Robin Scott ( same cues ) 98% of all Chinese cues are bogwood and china ash type timber, you can get better quality tomato stakes at your local hardware store.

[unclevit]

Well he wont be making to many cues anymore then will he ?? O Min had a problem with his master cue maker who now makes cues on his own, do you know who makes cues for O Min now ?? the last lot I had from him was very very ordinary, with splices lifting and butt extension inserts coming loose, something you NEVER saw from O Min earlier on. Maybe we sould be dealing with the guy on his own now? I believe James Wattana who also bought from O Min has not done so for a while as well because of that ?

I never heard of Sanan for quite sometimes by now. What we are trading now are only his past productions. Heard that his newphew is doing alright, but not that good. Perhaps more experience is required. For Omin, he has many quality assistants in his factory at the moment, while he is on the wood selections & quality control. He is still famous on his 'balancing' secrets that he never passes his skill to anyone (not even to his younger sister, I think). For loose inserts it might be the weather, considering the young age wood used too. You can send them back for replacement without any expenses, I am confident. What we buy today is the name behind the badge (if you look at my avatar, it's the old Omin's badge that was used on all earlier productions - I bought it in 1999 for some $115, and many players are willing to pay over $200 to get it owned today). My friends are still buying Omin cues these days. For James Wattana (Tong Sidchoi), his cue is still doing good as far as I saw from the 6-red tournament recently (6 reds will punish any player who makes only a few potting mistakes, you know that). BTW, I have witnessed a number of 'quality cues' made by 'ghost' cuemakers - those experienced makers who never exposed their names to the public, and only favored by those who don't care about the names on the badges - serious players just love the feel, the craftmanship, wood and balance of these 'ghost' cues. Can;'t get hold of these ghost cuemakers at the moment. If you don't feel going again to Omin, perhaps try Mastercue's. I have also witnessed a lot of foreign players visiting and buying their cues even last week. Good potting

[samad]

I agree with your sentiments, you do more damage to a talented youngster by giving him rubbish like JX or Robin Scott ( same cues ) 98% of all Chinese cues are bogwood and china ash type timber, you can get better quality tomato stakes at your local hardware store.

thats a bit harsh on them . surely they arent that bad ?

[unclevit]

I agree with your sentiments, you do more damage to a talented youngster by giving him rubbish like JX or Robin Scott ( same cues ) 98% of all Chinese cues are bogwood and china ash type timber, you can get better quality tomato stakes at your local hardware store.

I have to agree with your opinion on chinese cues, though my first and only JX cue is doing quite alright for a young player (perhaps mine is out of the 2% left from 98% you noted - but I thought I was very lucky on this one). The only concern I have with this JX one is to how long it will last. I will gift these chinese cues (if not more than 40 pounds total price paid for a set) to new players who are not serious about playing, but only want to own a 'private' cue. Basics are more important to these kids at earlier days, I believe. It will be a big shake if chinese makers are changing their minds and use quality imported, matured Ash wood in their new productions, why ? Their retail cost, though slightly higher, will be a real bargaining for us. And we all see 'chinese' name on a lot of products these days, to accept the truth. But for my own collections, I will still stick to Omin or Mastercue (I live only a few miles from their factories, and can handpick and test any cues before purchases, which I think I am lucky on this) and not to mention about my 'bargaining' gift

[unclevit]

thats a bit harsh on them . surely they arent that bad ?

Samad : Many are bad, and only a few are good. What will happen if they don't 'volume' produce their cues, sit down and pay more attention in the quality....We will have quality cues at a down-to-earth price...and the Chinese will be shaking the World again like what they are doing at the moment with their 'made in China' products everywhere. Perhaps my experience is wrong. BTW, the Lumineri cues are beautiful, and tempting, that I may buy one for try

[samad]

yeh , these are rather good looking .