The Cuemakers Cue Maker?

[ADR147]

I have seen many cues made by, as I call them, the Famous Five (i.e. John, Dave, Trevor, Mike and Robin) which have all been equally beautiful to the eye (in terms of splicing etc) and also superbly crafted (in terms of precise workmanship). The beauty and precision of some of the cues I have seen has been absolutely stunning. I am a great admirer of beautiful, precision made cues. I just love looking at them.

But, conversely, I do sometimes wonder if all this beauty and precision is just a clever marketing ploy to make us pay a fortune for a snooker cue. After all, at the end of the day, it's a snooker cue. It's not an essential part of an aircraft engine or something. So I ask myself, is all this beauty and precision really necessary? (Obviously the beauty is not necessary. But is the precision really necessary?)

When you take into account the fact that Stephen Hendry won seven world titles with a 40 quid, off-the-shelf, PowerGlide one-piece maple cue - which was as bent as a dog's hind leg. And then, after his trusty PowerGlide got broken, he won hardly anything when he was playing with precision made cues of the kind mentioned above - it does make you think!

So, basically, if you want to spend £500+ on a beautiful precision made cue, then by all means do so. But don't think that you will necessarily play better with it than with a £50 off-the-shelf one.

the hendry £40 cue is a myth - £40 when hendry was 9 was a lot of money!

[ADR147]

I would think the best cue makers (the one who consistently turns out good hitting cues) would be the ones who new just what a good cue feels like.. So maybe the best cue makers would also be very good players themselves?

not sure, for example sir alex was a pretty average player but his management record is second to none!

[j6uk]

Yes, but alex was a pro footballer right? So he must have studied the game, known how to play and kick a football.. No, I'm looking at it that some of the crafts men who make cues don't truly know what a good cue feels like to play with in terms of the hit n touch!

not sure, for example sir alex was a pretty average player but his management record is second to none!

[willtyson]

Yes, but alex was a pro footballer right? So he must have studied the game, known how to play and kick a football.. No, I'm looking at it that some of the crafts men who make cues don't truly know what a good cue feels like to play with in terms of the hit n touch!

Lewis at Stamford is a very good player.

[DeanH]

and I hear Mike and Trevor are a tad handy on the baize

[j6uk]

Yes it would be interesting to know, from cabinet maker to cue maker vs snooker player to cue maker, maybe both and how many made tones and tones of good cues

[danam1]

I'm not just saying this because I have one, but surely mike deserves a lot of respect from other cue makers because of the innovation he is bringing into cue making. Whether the other cue makers agree with what he is doing or not, surely they must recognise his efforts in trying to be innovative?
But saying that, all the top ten or so are all master craftsmen

[davidhall147]

have you come around precision cues? Ive heard great things about the thai cues