I just ordered my new cue!

[EddyShukor]

how much the shipping cost?:snooker::snooker::snooker:

[Freddie Ng]

To malaysia is at least 1/3 of the cue price..

[Erwan_BZH]

It certainly is a great looking cue.I recently purchased a craftsman myself
and am very happy with it.You said you were paying 150 for it.I thought for the pro ash shaft they charge 60 more.

Yes, they do charge 60 more for an ash shaft, so it brings the cost to £210. Still very reasonnable IMO.

@EddyShukor: Add £36 for the shipping to France.

[Erwan_BZH]

Allright folks, after a few weeks waiting for it, I just received an email from Simon at Craftsman saying the cue has been dispatched. Should get it in a day or two I hope. Doesn't take that long to cross the Channel!

Can't wait to receive it!! I'll upload pics asap, don't worry!

[Erwan_BZH]

Here it is! Just received my new Craftsman Dominator this morning. Cue is very nicely finished, feels really well in hands, good balance. Ash is clear and top quality. I like the thuya burr Simon selected, nice color. I thought the blue veners would have been from a lighter tone but nevermind, I'm OK with this 'royal blue', it's really classy.

Full specs:

Craftsman Dominator
Length: 58"
Weight: 18.5oz
Tip size: 9mm
Tip fitted: Talisman soft
Butt jointed at 14"

Here are the pics:


















Ash comparison between my Panther (top) and the Dominator ( bottom)




Dominator (Left) - Panther (right)


New cue in new case (A Peradon leather case)

==> Full set can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/3638316...7623968331329/

I'll go to my club tonight to try it out. I'll give you the first striking feelings then! Should be really different as the cue is lighter than the other one but also with the Talisman tip. First time I'll try a Talisman so big discovery!

[Bigmeek]

Erwan Looks really nice. The joints are a bit different from mine. Did you get something special. I think the royal blue looks fine and the Thoya is fab. I'm sure it'll play well. I've played with mine quite a few times now and I really like it. I had to give it a wipe down when I got it as it was originally a bit sticky. I like the blue craftsman badge you got as it actually says "handmade". I opted for a plain white badge and it doesn't say the cue is handmade. Bit disappointing. Could get it changed if I was really bothered. Good luck.

[Erwan_BZH]

No, I didn't ask anything special. I asked Simon about the joint this morning and he told me the ones applied on the Classic range are different from the ones on the Standard range. Same goes for the telescopic extensions, one set per range.
So I'll need to order a shorter extension suitable for Classic cues, to fit in my case, as the one I currently use for the Panther is too long anyway.

The stickyness comes from the linseed oil applied on the cue when finished. I had to wipe it down too but not as much as on the Panther. It generally takes a few days to get off and get this nice woody, silk smooth feeling.

[jonnylovessn8ker]

i'd die for more pictures of the panther cue
i love ebony butted cues.

[jrc750]

Looks real nice, and good pics too

[Erwan_BZH]

i'd die for more pictures of the panther cue
i love ebony butted cues.

I'll try to get you some pics soon

[jonnylovessn8ker]

and more of the badge (butt side) please!! (pretty please)

[Acrowot]

Nice looking cue Erwan_BZH. Hope you have a good game with it tonight.
:snooker:

[Erwan_BZH]

Ok, so I practiced 3 hours with it tonight and I have to say I have mixed feelings. This cue is very different from my Panther (which was much heavier and stiff). It's lighter, balanced differently (because butt-jointed at 14"). All in all I really struggled because I found it a bit sloppy but I don't if it's me, the shaft or the tip! lol I might need to change a bit my stroke to use the cue at its maximum.
One thing that I'm really skeptical is the tip. I ask Simon to fit a Talisman Soft Grade to test it. I have never used laminated tips before so this was a big test for me after years of Elkmasters. Talisman are supposed to be hard tips, even the soft ones, but this one felt really soft and spongy. As I'm not familiar at all with this type of tips, I don't know if it's a bad one, or if there take time to get shaped and efficient. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and practice a few more session with it but if it's still spongy-like, I'll rip it off and put an old Elkie on it.

As a conclusion, I think I need time to really give you a better review of the product. It's a whole different cue and as you all now, it's a long process to get accustomed to a new cue. :snooker:

[Bigmeek]

Erwan Really sorry to hear about your trial of your new cue. I guess I'm not really surprised that it feels so different from your last cue. If I've read you correctly you've changed weight, balance and tip. Thats quite a lot of change to get used to. Did you plan to have so much change going on? With so much change I think it will take a long time to adjust. Personnally I like to stick with what I'm used to. I've played all my life with a 17.5 oz cue and (despite recommendations) just wouldn't want to spend the time getting used to a heavier cue. I got my new Craftsman at 17.5 oz and had very little trouble getting used to it. Balance and tip were also pretty much same as my old cue.

[Erwan_BZH]

Oh yeah I totally agree with you. I changed a lot of things on this one on purpose so it's not surprising to struggle right away with the new specs. It was kind of expected.

No the most disturbing feeling was really the new Talisman tip I think. I expected it to be much much harder but instead felt like a spongy BD or bad Elkie. A bit strange. But as I said, maybe these tips needs a couple of hours of potting to be 100% ready to deliver the best of them. I'll have a better idea tonight. If I still have trouble with it after the weekend, I'll probably go back to Elkmaster again.

EDIT: and to be fair, I played crap the whole past week (was tired, out of sync) so tough to get good feelings out of anything when in this state lol Should be better shortly!!