stamford cue

[nicklaus21]

hi, anybody has any experience with stamford cues?

how is the wood quality,build,balance,finish splicing,smoothness,feel and so on like what we always discussed here.

pls let me and all of us here know because i think its an underated cue...

[Mr O]

I'll be totally honest, I have had 3 custom made Stamford cues. Got the latest a few weeks ago but wasnt entirely happy with it so I sold it on ebay to a guy in Australia. The best I had was the first which was a great cue but I felt I had ordered the wrong spec so I had it altered (really regret it now as it wasn't the same cue afterwards).
Nevertheless I stuck with them and ordered a second for pool with an 8mm tip. I told him how I wanted the taper, not too thin over the bridge and tapering down over the last few inches. I don't think he listened though and when I got it it was very slim, although top quality.
So I decided to give them one more chance (after all don't have much to lose cause always have the option of ebaying it and getting most of the money back) . Anyway I though surely they'll get it right this time, so I ordered one with a 9mm tip so it wouldn't be too thin... But once more they didn't really pay attention to the finer details. I mean the taper I had asked for was fairly slim and even right through, but not too thin. I even told him I could provide the measurements. However, it still wasn't right, and the last point in the grain was a good 15 inches below the ferrule with virtually no grain to look down. I told him a few times I like the last point around an inch or 2 below the ferrule..
My take on them is that they make superb quality cues, can't fault the workmanship and the strike on the cue ball is fantastic. But alas, they don't tend to pay attention to personal preferences, even straightforward ones, which is a ****er to be honest cause for me the search continues

[mchpddl1]

can you return the cues and get your money back such that they will learn how to listen

[khizzy]

i have had a few,playabalility wise they are top notch,good feel and balance but the craftsmanship and finish is awful,you can feel the splices when you hold the butt,the finish is bad no grain filler and very rough

[Mr O]

Don't agree with that Khizzy, finish and splices are top notch, can't fault the quality they just don't value an individual's minor points , which make all the difference to those of us who know exactly what we like. I'm not just being fussy but they're not even close

[khizzy]

well if you compare a mike woolridge or a trevor white with a stamford you'll know the difference

[kadobau]

My friend (.....not really a friend, someone I know from the snooker center) just ordered a Stamford cue a week ago, he mentioned the cost around RM3k.
Will receive in a couple of weeks, probably I can try it out.......

[Mr O]

I'm well qualified to compare with MW, TW etc , owned several of each and bought & sold a fair few, they are of equal quality no doubt, it's just that the others (custom MW especially) are built with more finesse, although he doesn't like dealing with customers lol

[poolqjunkie]

I have hit with a few and I think they are responsive cues. The hit was not super stiff, and it offers good feedback. I have tried a maple, and a few ash. Personally I like the ash ones better. The ash cues I have tried were great among the balls. Did not require too much effort to move the balls around at all.

I have only tried the more expensive series (not sure if it was called one or two) so I cannot comment on the lower line.

I personally prefer the finish and quality of material on Trevor White--on both shaft and butt. But again, I have only seen a few so it is just my limited observation based on a very few samples. Please do not take this as a generalization.

For the price they are charging, they are pretty much in the same price range as an ultimate or black plate, may be a tiny bit cheaper but is very close. I do not think they are underrated. They are quite sort after in Asia from what I understand.

[khizzy]

I have hit with a few and I think they are responsive cues. The hit was not super stiff, and it offers good feedback. I have tried a maple, and a few ash. Personally I like the ash ones better. The ash cues I have tried were great among the balls. Did not require too much effort to move the balls around at all.

I have only tried the more expensive series (not sure if it was called one or two) so I cannot comment on the lower line.

I personally prefer the finish and quality of material on Trevor White--on both shaft and butt. But again, I have only seen a few so it is just my limited observation based on a very few samples. Please do not take this as a generalization.

For the price they are charging, they are pretty much in the same price range as an ultimate or black plate, may be a tiny bit cheaper but is very close. I do not think they are underrated. They are quite sort after in Asia from what I understand.

yes they charge 440 for a plain series 1 ebony butt,not worth it i feel,my opinion.

they are very popular in asia especially after ding,liang and selby started using them.

mike woolridge,trevor white,john parris,hunt and obyrne any of these are far far better in the FINESSE aspect.when you pay that kind of money you want finesse don't you?

[khizzy]

im not saying that they are good playing cues,they are damn good cues but i've told them many times about the finish and splicing,the say they'll get it right the next time but they never do.

[bob1]

I'm well qualified to compare with MW, TW etc , owned several of each and bought & sold a fair few, they are of equal quality no doubt, it's just that the others (custom MW especially) are built with more finesse, although he doesn't like dealing with customers lol

TW I have heard is a great guy and MW has a great product,apparently.
But one is hard to communicate with and the other doesn't like dealing
with customers? You would think for that kind of money they should work
on that part of there business.

[khizzy]

TW I have heard is a great guy and MW has a great product,apparently.
But one is hard to communicate with and the other doesn't like dealing
with customers? You would think for that kind of money they should work
on that part of there business.

trevor is hard to get hold of probably because he works alone and dosendt like to be disturbed too much.

mike is quite a nice bloke,if u send him a mail with something sensible to ask he will definitely get back to you,but if you keep pestering him with mails after mails ,he dosent like it,who would?

[BryanLimSg]

probably the best cue that i have used.. i've tried mw jp h&o peradon and many other cues stamford series 1 is the best for me.worth buying a series one.

[poolqjunkie]

trevor is hard to get hold of probably because he works alone and dosendt like to be disturbed too much.

mike is quite a nice bloke,if u send him a mail with something sensible to ask he will definitely get back to you,but if you keep pestering him with mails after mails ,he dosent like it,who would?

I agree.

I dont think Mike "does not like to deal with customers." He has been around for a long time and have many many happy return customers. May be he just does not like to be bothered by people who think because they have paid some "kind" of money they have a right to keep demanding from him what they think they deserve from a business. I never look at Mike as a businessman--to me he is more like an artist and a top notch craftsman.

Trevor does all his business basically through one single email address--with no website and no advertisment whatsoever. I am not sure if it is proper to say he is hard to communicate with, because I am sure there must be a way all the customers on his waiting list managed to get in touch with him to place their orders. But again his is a one man shop and if you expect it to be a "business" with a phone operator and what not then you may want to go somewhere else. I think those who really appreciate fine craftsmanship would not mind the way Trevor communicates. The most important thing about communication is that you tell him exactly what you want and he delivers. Even if the guy replies all your email within 5 minutes and answers your phone no matter when you call--if he cannot deliver what you have requested then it is just a waste of time.

Speaking of the "kind of money" I must say I think Trevor is very cheap for the quality of his work.

Everyone is different. You simply cannot expect everyone to act like some professional businessman. These folks are very brilliant craftsmen. The most important thing is the quality of their work, not their communication skill, or whether you think you are being treated like a VIP because of the kind of money you have spent, in my opinion.

I am not saying I agree with how they choose to commiunicate with their customers. I am just saying I respect them as outstanding craftsmen. And I admire their ability to to push cue making to such a high level.