Best new £350 cue?

[jaffa.johnson]

It doesn't really. Its just that English makers need to charge more for their timber and labour costs than the Chinese and Thai's do.
Give O'Sullivan a Yuan Ying cue and he will still knock in a 147 for you.

Although the latter of your statement could ring true and the point you are making I assume is that the best players all have superb actions and could technically play with anything.

There is a clear differences in quality between cues and makers.

[renzie67]

And Scottish makers a little more again because the English guys charge the Scots more lol .

[snooker warrior]

Give Crispian jones a ring mate , I paid £300 for my 1 piece ash plain ebony butt , and is as good as any cue from anyone , and a nice easy guy to talk to !!!!!

[buddfridgeman]

Stu Green gbl as already mentioned, lots of choice and good cues.

[sanman]

Stu at that price is very hard to beat. And best of all you can try before you buy. This way chances are very good you would get a a cue that suits you. Buying sight unseen means its a bit of a hit and miss

[willtyson]

Jason Owen cues are very good, as are exquisite cues and Andy Travis. Most cue makers will make you something nice on that budget :snooker:

[gazza147]

I have been into Cues for over 30+yrs and I would say Please Try before you Buy if you can! especially if you dont know what specs etc you definately need and even then the Cue may not be perfect as i have noticed many of times.

For Price and Quality!...............

Trevor White - Great Cue Maker if your not in a Rush or Look too Buy a 2nd Hand One!
Master Cue - Best Quality Cue for the Money by Far! - Try Stuart at Green Baize
John Parris - Great Cue Maker and you may find a 2nd Hand One £200-£350 depending on Design!
Mike Wooldridge - Great Cue Maker and lovely cues if you can find one you like for Budget!
Tony Glover - Great Cue Maker and lovely guy to deal with if you can find one 2nd hand!
Jason Owen, Crispian Jones etc I cannot comment on as I have never kept one long enough to play alot with...lol..Althou had a few and seemed very nice cues.

There are plenty of Others but what may suit me may not suit you? thats why i advise you to Try before you Buy!

[humperdingle]

Thanks for all the replies... I'm currently in a choice turmoil, but determined to get the 'right' cue 1st time around, And I suppose I may well have to try some cues out.

Interested, if not slightly worried, by this comment:

John parris you would get a parris classic for £350 inc delivery, but in my opinion they are hit & miss either good or awful

When you say 'Awful', what exactly do you mean? Awful workmanship, materials, or something else? I'd hate to buy a cue unseen for £350, which could be described as 'awful'.

[JeeSe]

Thanks for all the replies... I'm currently in a choice turmoil, but determined to get the 'right' cue 1st time around, And I suppose I may well have to try some cues out.

Interested, if not slightly worried, by this comment:


When you say 'Awful', what exactly do you mean? Awful workmanship, materials, or something else? I'd hate to buy a cue unseen for £350, which could be described as 'awful'.

I think the problem with Parris Cues is that he built his reputation a long time ago, hand crafting all the cues himself to very high standards, and cleverly providing the pros with his cues in a great bit of marketing. But now it is very much a mass production, a team of people, a lot of orders to get through and the best Ash saved for the more expensive cues. (or that is the way I see it personally)

With a smaller cue maker, Jason Owen (Cue Guru), Exquisite Cues, and some of the others mentioned in this thread, they use the best ash they can find for all their cues and are building their reputations so put a lot of effort into making perfect cues. It's not mass marketing and different grades of cue, it's the finest cue they can produce backed with dedication and a passion for their craft. It will also be a much shorter waiting list, a much better price and in my experience a cue of just as good quality as a high end cue of a more well known maker.

I have a Jason Owen cue at the moment and have used a few Parris cues, the only difference in reality seems to be the price... and as for quality I would choose a Jason Owen cue every time. I have no experience of some of the other smaller up and coming cue makers but I have only heard great things.

That said, all cues are different and everyone wants something different from their cue.

[Bigmeek]

Thanks for all the replies... I'm currently in a choice turmoil, but determined to get the 'right' cue 1st time around, And I suppose I may well have to try some cues out.
Interested, if not slightly worried, by this comment:
When you say 'Awful', what exactly do you mean? Awful workmanship, materials, or something else? I'd hate to buy a cue unseen for £350, which could be described as 'awful'.

Probably bean said a million times but its well worth going somewhere to try a few cues out. Many of us on The Forum have wasted hundreds/thousands of pounds ordering up cues "blind" from various cue-makers only to find out that they don't quite suit. If you think about it you could spend a small amount of your budget on petrol or train fares and maybe save money in the long run if you avoid buying a cue that turns out not to be "the one" and you have to sell it on at a loss.
Having said that you can probably get used to any cue if you put in enough practice.

[humperdingle]

I think the problem with Parris Cues is that he built his reputation a long time ago, hand crafting all the cues himself to very high standards, and cleverly providing the pros with his cues in a great bit of marketing. But now it is very much a mass production, a team of people, a lot of orders to get through and the best Ash saved for the more expensive cues. (or that is the way I see it personally)

With a smaller cue maker, Jason Owen (Cue Guru), Exquisite Cues, and some of the others mentioned in this thread, they use the best ash they can find for all their cues and are building their reputations so put a lot of effort into making perfect cues. It's not mass marketing and different grades of cue, it's the finest cue they can produce backed with dedication and a passion for their craft. It will also be a much shorter waiting list, a much better price and in my experience a cue of just as good quality as a high end cue of a more well known maker.

I have a Jason Owen cue at the moment and have used a few Parris cues, the only difference in reality seems to be the price... and as for quality I would choose a Jason Owen cue every time. I have no experience of some of the other smaller up and coming cue makers but I have only heard great things.

That said, all cues are different and everyone wants something different from their cue.

Thanks for the lengthy reply - It does put things in perspective.

Probably bean said a million times but its well worth going somewhere to try a few cues out. Many of us on The Forum have wasted hundreds/thousands of pounds ordering up cues "blind" from various cue-makers only to find out that they don't quite suit. If you think about it you could spend a small amount of your budget on petrol or train fares and maybe save money in the long run if you avoid buying a cue that turns out not to be "the one" and you have to sell it on at a loss.
Having said that you can probably get used to any cue if you put in enough practice.

Funny you should mention that - I was talking with the guy i've started playing snooker with and we were saying how we could take a 'jolly', to visit a couple of cue makers.

Currently considering the fact that It's early days and should probably take things easy before blowing that amount of cash.

[granny]

Best cue for your £££

Craftsman custom made £325. A cue of this quality would cost another £150 +
If your swayed by name on the butt.

[renzie67]

Pop in and see me in Rosyth mate and I will show you a couple of nice cues.

[humperdingle]

Thanks, but I just got a nice S/H John Parris Classic cue so managed to put a few notes back in the wallet - Nice and plain - Just the way I like a cue to be. Feels lovely in the hand.

[Anderson Ho]

Nice cue .....