Need help buying a cue !!!!!!!!

[Jcn1990]

hi peeps,
I am in need for some help buying a cue as i am absolutely stuck and making sure that its the right choice. I currently have a Riley Steve Davis signature 3/4 cue that has lacquer on it and eventually starts to get sticky when you start playing. I need a cue that will not have lacquer on it as it just gets on my nerves when playing and i constantly find myself wiping the cue down with a towel. I have seen a cue called Peradon Century 3/4 cue but i aint sure if this cue is going to have lacquer on it, i've also heard about Mastercraft and craftsman along with all the other cue companies but i cant figure out what would be best company to go for to find a cue without lacquar. My budget is currently £170 but can increase it a lil. Also does anyone recommend the cue doctor in southend? Is the cues any good that they make?

Thanks

[PetMarmoset]

For that budget, I'd say go with a Mastercue. That's what I play with and I couldn't be happier with it.

[DeanH]

hi peeps,
I am in need for some help buying a cue as i am absolutely stuck and making sure that its the right choice. I currently have a Riley Steve Davis signature 3/4 cue that has lacquer on it and eventually starts to get sticky when you start playing. I need a cue that will not have lacquer on it as it just gets on my nerves when playing and i constantly find myself wiping the cue down with a towel. I have seen a cue called Peradon Century 3/4 cue but i aint sure if this cue is going to have lacquer on it, i've also heard about Mastercraft and craftsman along with all the other cue companies but i cant figure out what would be best company to go for to find a cue without lacquar. My budget is currently £170 but can increase it a lil. Also does anyone recommend the cue doctor in southend? Is the cues any good that they make?

Thanks

firstly, welcome to TSF.
Sticky cue - is often a sign of sweaty/dirty hands and not necessarily a dirty cue, so try to always have clean hands.
[also see http://www.handmadecues.com/info/20-cuecare.htm apart from the oiling, as this will not penetrate the varnish/lacquer]
but a varnished/lacquered cue can feel like what you describe and the damp/dry cloth routine should work ok.

New cue - in your budget there are a few makers that do good cues, already been mentioned, Mastercraft, Mastercue, Craftsman, etc. Recently Mastercue has been making some cracking looking cues as you may have already seen on the Post Picture of Cue thread.
But do you know the specifications that you like, length of cue, size of tip, weight, maple vs ash, etc?
I have only heard good things about Cue Doctor in Southend and I believe they have a range of cues that you can try out. This would be best to find what suits you and get good advice. So if you are local enough to Southend it would not be a waste of time to pop down there for an hour or two
Tell us what you find out and decide.

[SouthPaw]

If you really like your cue, you can remove the varnish and apply an oil finish, raw linseed oil being the most popular choice, there has been guides on here that could help...

[Jcn1990]

thanks guys, but i defiantly want to buy another cue, i've had this 1 for ages and i think its time for me to change it. Does any1 know where is the best place to look around london to find a mastercue? my specifications that i like are, cue length: 58" with 3/4, Tip size: 9 - 9.5mm, Weight: 16 - 17.5 Oz and in Ash.

thanks

[Jcn1990]

well i've had my cue for about 4 - 5 years now and its got a few minor dents and dings near the ferrule but its still solid fortunately. My specs for a cue are, cue length: 58 inches with 3/4, Tip size: 9 - 9.5mm, weight: 16 - 17.5 Oz, wood type: Ash. Does anyone know where i can get a Mastercue from in london?

[PetMarmoset]

As far as I know, Stu at Green Baize is the only one in England who carries Mastercues. You can also custom order one through him, which I recommend over dealing with Mastercue directly.

[cueman]

Martin Chesworth is another that carries mastercue and Craftsman cues sometimes have a couple of cues too. Sadly for you they are all up north around the yorkshire area and Stu is in the north east. Can't help with getting a mastercue in London, nobody that I'm aware of stocks them around your area.
Not sure the cue doctor is still around now, could be wrong but can't find much info on him and his website is no longer working.

[SouthPaw]

Martin Chesworth is another that carries mastercue and Craftsman cues sometimes have a couple of cues too. Sadly for you they are all up north around the yorkshire area and Stu is in the north east. Can't help with getting a mastercue in London, nobody that I'm aware of stocks them around your area.
Not sure the cue doctor is still around now, could be wrong but can't find much info on him and his website is no longer working.

Martin is the main uk dealer for mastercue but his prices reflect that, though he'd get sent out the higher quality cues more consistently in my opinion, there's actually a lot of cue shops Pat that stock Mastercue in England, not sure about London though...

[Jcn1990]

As far as I know, Stu at Green Baize is the only one in England who carries Mastercues. You can also custom order one through him, which I recommend over dealing with Mastercue directly.

got any idea how much ordering a custom cue directly from mastercue in thailand will charge? :S and how long does it roughly take?

[Jcn1990]

As far as I know, Stu at Green Baize is the only one in England who carries Mastercues. You can also custom order one through him, which I recommend over dealing with Mastercue directly.

got any idea how much ordering a custom cue directly from mastercue in thailand will charge? :S and how long does it roughly take?

[SouthPaw]

got any idea how much ordering a custom cue directly from mastercue in thailand will charge? :S and how long does it roughly take?

Believe it or not i when i priced for a custom, i wasn't going to save a penny doing that way when you include all the extra charges involved with postage/custom duty etc, like Pet has mentioned your better going through Stu to take the hassle as dealing with Ukrit(mastercue) is a pain to be honest, if you up your budget slightly a GBL(greenbaize own brand) order is coming in September and i was told you can add custom orders if given enough time ...

[dave121260]

Hi there I'm also after a new cue but with slightly less of a budget ( £150 ) was wondering If any1 could shed some light on the 3 star woods cue how do they play ??? And overall quality thanks

[PetMarmoset]

got any idea how much ordering a custom cue directly from mastercue in thailand will charge? :S and how long does it roughly take?

I got a cue and case from them for around $500 USD, but I don't recommend dealing with them directly. Their English is pretty bad, and on my order they made a mixup that ended up taking an extra month and a fair bit of my time to resolve. Everything is fine now, and the cue is wonderful, but I'd just as soon go through a UK dealer and save the hassle next time.

EDIT: To answer the second part of your question: about a month under normal circumstances.

[Jcn1990]

I got a cue and case from them for around $500 USD, but I don't recommend dealing with them directly. Their English is pretty bad, and on my order they made a mixup that ended up taking an extra month and a fair bit of my time to resolve. Everything is fine now, and the cue is wonderful, but I'd just as soon go through a UK dealer and save the hassle next time.

EDIT: To answer the second part of your question: about a month under normal circumstances.

ok thanks, i have spoken to craftsman cue's so far and they have told me that its best to come to the shop and have a feel of what you want but thats abit difficult because its quite a journey from london. He also said that they have a range of cues and if u like 1 from our range they will throw in a few free things for me which sounds good!. Will ring up stu from green baize tomorrow and see what he can do, I would preferably like to have a cue and a case with the 6inch mini butt, not really bothered about the extension or the case cause i can just use my old cue's case as it is still in good condition. Who'd do you think will give a better deal? :S