handmade ??? probably not !!!

[paddybhoy30]

I think some guys will be scared the value of some of there cue collections will be hit by these revelations. Also i don't think crispian has to mention the big two. If you can't work that out you should'nt be putting in an argument.

[eaoin11]

yellow maybe but i have addmited that too, ive not set up a fake account to do this, ive not hiden my frustraition in any way at all
your welcome to pick away as much as you like about my morals ect, but its all off my chest now, something i am happy about to be honest, now as ive stated other people have different agendas and would probably love to try shooting down the two i am not brave enough to try too myself, but im not here to do that for them, i am simply trying to pick on the guys who in my opinion are at a simular stage to me !

Well I'm almost confident enough for one of the two. There's been so much evidence here it's not funny.

But before we name names I'm very curious about the relationship between you and your supplier of imported cues. How would they be feeling about this? If they are one of the 'big two' as I suspect they are then I wonder if the reason for you starting this thread is that you've already been cut off? I made a joke to share this idea in a previous thread but I imagine that there would only be one or two importers who have set up workshops in Thailand that are supplying the smaller makers in the UK. They wouldn't be happy about you attacking the business of their other customers.

[jim evans]

by the same token if joints are sourced from abroad, which a lot are?

yes i buy some of my joints mainly butt joints from china,i buy brass tube which i turn into ferruls of ebay dont know where its made,my badges are made in scotland,my exotics come from all over the world as well as uk ,but uk does not produce these woods,most of the ash and maple comes from abroard ,you dont get many english ash cues,you can go on forever,the point is people are using the thai made cues and virtually just adding a badge and selling as handmade uk

[perpetualboredom]

All these posts to prove what we already know:
Anyone valuing an item more based based purely on where its made, are:

inherantly racist,
stupid,
deserving of being fleeced

congrats.

[Neil Taperell]

All these posts to prove what we already know:
Anyone valuing an item more based based purely on where its made, are:

inherantly racist,
stupid,
deserving of being fleeced

congrats.

I don't agree with the racist part .

Getting fleeced is partly what this thread is about , is it not.

[DeanH]

as to one of earlier posts about shafts,i have said in other posts that i buy the cue dowells to make my cues which i buy in uk where the supplier gets them from ive no idea does that make my cues not handmade

Oversized cue dowels (i.e. no extra splicing) I have said before these are ok for the term handmade, as a lot of work is still required for these to become cues.

yes i buy some of my joints mainly butt joints from china,i buy brass tube which i turn into ferruls of ebay dont know where its made,my badges are made in scotland,my exotics come from all over the world as well as uk ,but uk does not produce these woods,most of the ash and maple comes from abroard ,you dont get many english ash cues,you can go on forever,the point is people are using the thai made cues and virtually just adding a badge and selling as handmade uk

Where the materials/components come from is not a problem for me, where else can you get "Australian boomerang burr wood" but from Australia
Same with North American Maple and Ash, etc, etc.
Getting joints in bulk from a quality supplier in China that is ok, now if the old manufacturers in the UK were still around and competitive in price/quality I am sure that you (JimE) would purchase them.
Your last part of your sentence is the pertinent point of this thread, as well as with not disclaiming the original of the cue to the purchaser and is the point that I disagree with.
I am awestruck that Crispian has taken the big-step to be what could be classed as a whistle-blower from within his industry with what can be clearly seen from this thread as a massive can of worms. Respect to you CJ for taking what must have been a difficult decision.

[rob s]

All these posts to prove what we already know:
Anyone valuing an item more based based purely on where its made, are:

inherantly racist,
stupid,
deserving of being fleeced

congrats.

What a ridiculous statement!!! It is natural for 1 of the determining factors when deciding a price for any product would be the cost in producing it. The value of the cue will be determined by the cost of materials and labour so a cue made in England will obviously cost more than a cue made in Thailand. My dad is from Afghanistan and my mum is from England so I have seen and suffered a lot of racism so I find your statement above not only ridiculous but also a bit insulting personally. There is a lot of racism around the world including on this forum but valuing a cue on where its made is not racist at all in any sense of the word

[SouthPaw]

I agree Dean with the difficult decision part. I also think the silence of certain members on here speaks' volumes, i can hazard a guess at one of the big boys so to speak, undecided who the other one could be...

Was told a while ago that China(taught the trade secrets by a top cuemaker) will soon have the same quality as their Thai made equivalent so that will be another plus to the makers who buy in these Asian cues to finish as their "handmade in UK" own, more competition to export should equal a price drop for the importers, but we the consumer certainly won't be getting the discount, but that's another topic that shouldn't be discussed till it happens, unless it already has..? It wouldn't surprise me...

[louise sheldon]

As a cue maker i (dave coutts for those of you that dont know this is I!!) do handmade cues from a plank to the finished cue by hand, all hand planed which takes ages but the end result is better than a machine made cue eg the thai cues are as good as most cue makers can make but not as good as what the best handmade cue makers can make. i do thai cues which i customise them as they are a quicker turnaround but there is a big difference between the two which means i cannot pick a really nice shaft of a thai cue and resplice it due to the different length fingers on the butt as shown on previous pics on this thread.

it has taken me over 25 years of hard work and my early cues i used to sell for peanuts as i was learning the trade. i started off doing repairs and im a firm believer in learning this way and as the years went by i got better so i used to increase the price of the cues to reflect not only the amount of work that goes into a handmade cue but how happy i am with each cue. it is only in the last 3 years i feel i have got to a point that i am happy with them as i always strive for perfection which is not easy with wood and can be frustrating

so come on you lads that are converting cues, keep making them also by hand and one day they could be better than those brought in cues and you will get a lot more satisfaction knowing you made the cue yourself.

[archalf1471]

handmade ??? probably not !!!

what about the plumbing tubes and the thin polythene bags that most cuemakers use? Does that have to be UK sourced as well, should cuemakers submit their B and Q receipts for close scrutiny. FFS this is getting beyond a joke.
I'm playing some snooker tonight is anyone else? I'll be using my Travis cue which plays well regardless off where it came from, while I wait for Jason to finish my next cue.....
If anyone else is playing have a good game and play well.

[DeanH]

yep I am playing tonight with my friend who still loves his AT maple cue (see other threads)
I very much hope to play well

[archalf1471]

handmade ??? probably not !!!

good man dean well done!!!

[Neil Taperell]

what about the plumbing tubes and the thin polythene bags that most cuemakers use? Does that have to be UK sourced as well, should cuemakers submit their B and Q receipts for close scrutiny. FFS this is getting beyond a joke.
I'm playing some snooker tonight is anyone else? I'll be using my Travis cue which plays well regardless off where it came from, while I wait for Jason to finish my next cue.....
If anyone else is playing have a good game and play well.

What has this got to to with this thread ????

I played last night and enjoyed it . Didn't play too bad but still lost my match in the weekly comp


P.S Just noticed my chalk isn't made in the UK .....I can't have that as i'm racist

[crispian jones]

i am in a very difficult position here, something that is of my own making i admit, so how about this ? you lot vote for one guy, on my side or not i dont care, to sit here on this forum possibly this evening and we have a debate ? it is probably best that is someone that i dont know and that is not a cumaker ?

i will answer every question you throw my way with 100% honesty, but during this debate i would want my own questions answered too at some stage ?

[Byrom]

Who are you Crispian the Edward Snowden of cue world lol.