My Honest "Woods Cue" Review

[Galeocerdo]

I have their maple snooker cue, but not from the triple star line. My cue came with thin layer of some sort of varnish on it and it wasn't the best for my hands (however other players from my snooker club didn't feel any resistance while playing with my cue, so it is more problem of my skin). After I sand it down and treat my cue with lineseed oil and change the tip for elk master, the cue is absolutely perfect. It is straight, hits nicely and solidly. All players from my club found it to be a good solid cue (some even regret, that they bought Peradon for triple price :-) )

[Mellow Yellow]

i had a maple 3 star made, i couldnt fault the quality, i did make sure it was not lacquered though.

I sold it on as i ordered different specs to try out and in the end it was too heavy and too small tip, but the cue was very nice indeed.

[fishblade2]

thanks for the replies! this may be off topic but I wanted to ask you guys since it does have to do with this brand of cues as well as the wood type. I am an avid american pool player who is use to a maple shaft with low deflection technology and plastic ferrules. I am trying to get a cue from woods cues that is maple that would hopefully provide less deflection on the snooker cue ball and could come close to mimicking my pool cue deflection. How does maple feel and play in comparison to ash? Most snooker players stand by ash and I bought a cheaper one to try it and the hit is way too hard. I don't know if it's due to the ash wood of the metal ferrule. Some help would be greatly appreciated that way I don't go blowing money on a cue without knowing some much needed info from players who have had experience with both woods on a snooker cue.
Couple additional thoughts; I'm trying to figure out would a lighter cue or smaller tip or both possibly be needed to have the low deflection due to the use of a metal ferrule? Also would you recommend a 3/4 or 1 piece from woods cues? I'm afraid there may be play or issues with the 3/4 joint since it seems that for some the cue hasn't been up the level they wanted.

[Madbox]

The only way to know for sure how a cue feels is to try it first, but obviously this is something you can’t do with a woods cue. With this type of retailer you are putting cost against usability, can’t try till you purchase, can’t purchase till you know what your getting..... it’s a chance you take, it may be great first time round or you end up buying one you don’t like and selling it on, but the actual cost of the cue is minimal, compared to other bespoke manufacturers

[Japers]

I have had 3 woods cues. My first was a 2 star cue and loved the cue but sadly after 10 years the end is off centre. I then purchased a maple one piece. Nice cue but hated it. Gave to my friend who is playing really well.( For our standard) I have another maple 3/4 and it's fine but just feels it's missing that little bit f feel the 2 star had. So know I wonder do I risk a 3 star cue...

[Ninja.cues]

I have had 3 woods cues. My first was a 2 star cue and loved the cue but sadly after 10 years the end is off centre. I then purchased a maple one piece. Nice cue but hated it. Gave to my friend who is playing really well.( For our standard) I have another maple 3/4 and it's fine but just feels it's missing that little bit f feel the 2 star had. So know I wonder do I risk a 3 star cue...

If you have the old cue, why don't you get it straightened... If you got on with it so well.
I've don't plenty before.

[Japers]

Didn't realise u could to be fair

[ADR147]

If you have the old cue, why don't you get it straightened... If you got on with it so well.
I've don't plenty before.

what he said - 5 minute fix.

[Djoff]

Hi everyone. I’m back with the review.
I ordered A custom Made cue from Woods Cues. When it arrived it seemed ok. But after playing with it twice A crack appeared in the but. As you can imagine I was furious since I paid €235 for the cue plus €32 taxes. After having a discussion with them about the used wood they suggested I’d glue the crack 😳. They promised they would use ebony but admitted to using Some kind of nature wood. As compensation they wanted to send me Some extra tips. Of course I didn’t agree. They also put on A 8,3 mm tip instead of the 8 mm I ordered. After A rather heavy discussion they agreed to make a new cue. I decided to upgrade the wood to maple. For that I payed €50 extra. I also had to pay the €32 tax again.
After 20!days the new cue arrived and I have to say I’m very pleased with it. So my advice is to order maple or ash to make sure you get good quality !!

[Ninja.cues]

Where is the crack as it could be were the splices have moved and people think it's cracked..
Can you post some pics of it?

[Palerider1]

Well my opinion is honest and based on experience.

They are the worse quality and the Company is simply awful. I ordered a 3/4 Ash 60" it came with a case designed for a 58. No big deal, I'll live with it. I ordered another for a friend the same. A month later he shows me where the splicing on the butt was cracking. Concerned, I took a closer look at mine and sure enough it was cracking too. I contacted the company with the following

Hello. I have 2 cues I purchased in August and December. I have been very pleased with them. Unfortunately the butts are splitting where the Wood crest is mounted.

Their response, Hi,we checked these cues are OK before shipment,sometimes over-tight by tele.extension or forced racks cue on hard ground may this phenomenon. How about we offer you a big discounted price to purchase another? (cut and pasted from their reply. UK , I don't think so)

I replied, This is no PHENOMEMON ! No hitting on the ground or an over tightened extension. This is 2 out of 4 cues with defects. The splits go right through where you drilled for your crest. It is quite obvious they are stress fractures . These cues are only a few months old and used once a week by seniors at the snooker hall. After I purchased my cue, I convinced 3 others to order one. Now they are all waiting to see How Woods is going to rectify the problem. How Woods is going to make it right. The way I see it replacing the defected butts is the only solution.

Woods then came back with they would replace the cues if I was to pay for shipping. Even though I knew they should pay as shipping was included in the order, I wanted my cues so I agreed to pay $82 to send to Canada.

Today I received my replacements. Woods sent me 2, 58" 1 piece parlor cues. No splicing, no case, no extensions. They are basically 2 painted sticks. Terrible stick even for a pool hall. The value on the Customs form stated that they were $18 each. This company was at one time a UK family business who built a reputation for quality. The company was purchase by a Chinese group. You do not get the quality of a good British cue. They do not stand by their product. AVOID AT A COST. Pay a bit more and be happy with your cue

[snookerNtitties]

I have two Woods Cues. One is custom and one is stock. The stock cue is a 3/4 jointed 9.5mm tipped, and the custom is a 3/4 jointed 10.5mm tipped. Both have maple shafts.

The stock cue: the ebony (or whatever dark wood they used) has shrunk massively and there are cracks at the joint and the butt end and the joint rings are no longer flush. The shaft is straight on the stock cue.

The custom made cue is terrible. The ebony has shrunk and cracked and the shaft is warped and has uneven plane ridges that you can feel when stroking the cue.

I also buy tips from Woods, which have been good for the price so far. I will not buy any more cues from them myself, and will not be recommending them to anyone else. I believe that Cuesoul or Dufferin, both available through Amazon, are much better cheap alternatives.

[Emad]

The finish

Hi, I purchased a cue from woods, the cue plays good, however, it becomes sticky very quickly even though I wipe it frequently and I have a dry hands, I think this is due to the lacquer finish.
So here is my question: do you think it’s a good idea to use a sandpaper to remove the lacquer and refinish the cue?

[j6uk]

Hi, I purchased a cue from woods, the cue plays good, however, it becomes sticky very quickly even though I wipe it frequently and I have a dry hands, I think this is due to the lacquer finish.
So here is my question: do you think it’s a good idea to use a sandpaper to remove the lacquer and refinish the cue?

yes , but should be done by someone who knows what their doing as its very easy to take too much off and/or leave an uneven surface.
maybe try using 000 wire woolevenly to say 16'/40cm down, doing a bit at a time till you get the feel your after.
but better off sending it to a cue maker to refinish.

[Emad]

Thank you for the advice