David wu cues on ebay

[barrywhite]

custom as in butt design or specs? if just specs order one and alter it yourself

No, would be cheaper and better for them to do it. So, tip size, BP, butt width, taper, splices, etc. Full custom.

[tetricky]

I'm not overly concerned with how a cue is produced, much more interested in how it plays and, to a lesser extent, looks. I've never had a sub-£100 cue that I was entirely happy with the finish of. However I've had a number of Grand Cues, and they are entirely playable sticks. Two of my three are in regular usage, and I'm toying with buying a few more as (decent quality) rackers.

My only issues with them have been that in one of the three the balance has been fractionally more butt-end than I would prefer, and all of them have a (to me) nasty lacquer like finish. Easily recovered with a sand and an oil. My snakewood emperor is a thing of beauty that stands comparision with any cue I own.

I'm currently operating a policy of get what I fancy, while they are available at these sort of prices. I think for around eighty quid, you're getting the sort of cue that would cost you upwards of £150 from more respected sources.....and lets be clear, these things all seem to play pretty well.

[cueman]

Hey tetricky, could you tell us the actual balance of the cues and the weight each of them are too. Would be interested to know and a good guideline for potential buyers because this is one area that is often overlooked when buying a cue. Often a poorly balanced cue can make a good piece of wood play crap and a good cue maker should be looking to find the right BP, its a bit like tuning a musical instrument.

[tetricky]

Hey tetricky, could you tell us the actual balance of the cues and the weight each of them are too. Would be interested to know and a good guideline for potential buyers because this is one area that is often overlooked when buying a cue. Often a poorly balanced cue can make a good piece of wood play crap and a good cue maker should be looking to find the right BP, its a bit like tuning a musical instrument.

I have a spreadsheet of all my cues....so for the grands, and the woods, and my playing butters (for comparison). All cues are 58". The Stats are in order of "Description";"Shaft Type";"cue length";"tip size";"Butt diameter";"weight";"Balance point". Many of the specs are similar...because I have aimed for around my preferred specs when buying.

Butters, badged rosewood; Medium Stiff Ash; 58; 9.7; 29.6; 17.1; 17.5
Grand Emperor, Tulipwood; Medium Stiff Ash; 58; 9.4; 29; 16.8; 17.75
Grand, maple burr; Medium Stiff Ash; 58; 9.45; 29.6; 17.6; 15.5
Woods, rosewood; Medium Stiff Ash; 58; 9.6; 29.3; 17; 15.5
Grand Emperor, Snakewood; Medium Stiff Ash; 58; 9.45; 29.8; 17.7; 16.5

all play well, but the 15.5" balance point cues (the woods and the grand) are my least favourite.

[cueman]

Good bit of info there and I can see you like a fairly light cue. I think lighter cues benefit from a more forward balance of around 17-18", whereas heavier cues say over 18.5oz probably benefit from the balance being a little back balanced at around 16-17". I agree with you a cue under 16" often feels so light in your cue hand it almost feels as though there is no momentum to swing the cue and results in a lot of effort needed just to move the cueball around.

[barrywhite]

Good bit of info there and I can see you like a fairly light cue. I think lighter cues benefit from a more forward balance of around 17-18", whereas heavier cues say over 18.5oz probably benefit from the balance being a little back balanced at around 16-17". I agree with you a cue under 16" often feels so light in your cue hand it almost feels as though there is no momentum to swing the cue and results in a lot of effort needed just to move the cueball around.

Lighter cues definitely need fwd balance, with you there. My player is 17oz and balanced at 18-19". If it was rear balanced the tip end would take off on shot.

[ghost121]

My cues are mostly between 17oz and 17.4oz and all are balanced at 17 inches. Works for me and none ever feel light at the tip through the stroke.

[itsnoteasy]

What's that you are using BW?, seems very forward for one of the main cue makers, is it naturally weighted.

[andi mack]

Some of the prices for British cues are ridiculous; sheer profiteering rip-offs.

Barry, while you are of course entitled to your opinion regarding the prices of cues.

I would like to point out that the cost of living and wages are considerably higher in the UK than a Chinese machine shop. Not to mention taxes, NI, rates, materials, etc. Also i can't really imagine too many British cue makers ordering various woods in the same quantity as a Chinese shop turning out thousands of cues a year.

Also you are comparing a hand made product vs something mostly machine made.

I honestly have no idea how many hours it takes to make a cue from scratch (so i could be massively wrong), but i'd bet it's probably less per hour than your average plumber, mechanic, carpenter etc make.

If any maker would like to give a rough estimate in hours for a plain ebony one piece, it'd be nice.

[barrywhite]

What's that you are using BW?, seems very forward for one of the main cue makers, is it naturally weighted.

I believe it is but I'd need an xray or mri to prove it. It is a cue for us purists.

[barrywhite]

Barry, while you are of course entitled to your opinion regarding the prices of cues.

I would like to point out that the cost of living and wages are considerably higher in the UK than a Chinese machine shop. Not to mention taxes, NI, rates, materials, etc. Also i can't really imagine too many British cue makers ordering various woods in the same quantity as a Chinese shop turning out thousands of cues a year.

Also you are comparing a hand made product vs something mostly machine made.

I honestly have no idea how many hours it takes to make a cue from scratch (so i could be massively wrong), but i'd bet it's probably less per hour than your average plumber, mechanic, carpenter etc make.

If any maker would like to give a rough estimate in hours for a plain ebony one piece, it'd be nice.

If you check the quote of me you made, you'll see the word 'some'. Now we can get a hand made cue for £3-400 that's the equal of anything and folk like Travis and Jim can make em. CJ will do a signature cue for £700 and while this is double the price of some UK makers I consider this to reasonable as he puts a lot of extra hours into the blockwork and splices. Anyway, these are reasonable prices for someone spending 20hrs making that cue. £1000, £1400 for a cue with a few splices is a rip off. If they want to pay someone more than a surgeon per hr to make a cue, that's up to the folk concerned. But I'm not daft.

[andi mack]

If you check the quote of me you made, you'll see the word 'some'. Now we can get a hand made cue for £3-400 that's the equal of anything and folk like Travis and Jim can make em. CJ will do a signature cue for £700 and while this is double the price of some UK makers I consider this to reasonable as he puts a lot of extra hours into the blockwork and splices. Anyway, these are reasonable prices for someone spending 20hrs making that cue. £1000, £1400 for a cue with a few splices is a rip off. If they want to pay someone more than a surgeon per hr to make a cue, that's up to the folk concerned. But I'm not daft.

Hi Barry,

Yes i did notice the some and of course took it to mean you meant the higher end costing cue makers.

I was simply pointing out that the higher priced makers aren't all one man bands and have additional outgoings such as staff, taxes, VAT, rent, business rates etc so all of those things have to be taken into account in the pricing of their products. All of which cost more in the UK than China.

20hrs to make a cue costing 1k is £50 per hour before materials, tools, electric, heating, water, rates, etc etc. Hell £200 of that'll be VAT, which knocks £10 per hour off.

When you knock those off it's not exactly a decent wage for what is essentially considered a "Master Craftsman" and certainly nowhere close to what even a mid level surgeon would be earning.

Oh and my main playing cue was made by Andy Travis and i consider it a bargain for the price i paid.

Please don't take any of my comments personally, they are only intended to create a conversation and to put across a different point of view.

[barrywhite]

Hi Barry,

Yes i did notice the some and of course took it to mean you meant the higher end costing cue makers.

I was simply pointing out that the higher priced makers aren't all one man bands and have additional outgoings such as staff, taxes, VAT, rent, business rates etc so all of those things have to be taken into account in the pricing of their products. All of which cost more in the UK than China.

20hrs to make a cue costing 1k is £50 per hour before materials, tools, electric, heating, water, rates, etc etc. Hell £200 of that'll be VAT, which knocks £10 per hour off.

When you knock those off it's not exactly a decent wage for what is essentially considered a "Master Craftsman" and certainly nowhere close to what even a mid level surgeon would be earning.

Oh and my main playing cue was made by Andy Travis and i consider it a bargain for the price i paid.

Please don't take any of my comments personally, they are only intended to create a conversation and to put across a different point of view.

Thankyou for your considerate and kind reply Andi. You must be a wise old bird if your player is an AT. I know that proper UK businesses do have to pay tax and I applaud JP for employing staff, paying them properly and paying his taxes to help support the country. He sends receipts, he's no scammer. So his cost per cue will naturally be higher but I do consider some of that chunk to be excessive. This is why I pointed to CJ who does everything above board, it's all hand made, takes many more hours to construct a cue than a Parris and he charges 750 tops. If JP chopped a couple hundred off the price, he'd be making less and have orders going 5yrs into the future. He charges a fair market price because folk will pay it but as for value, I'd say that there's more value in many other cues. I just don't see how JP, MW, etc can make a better cue than CJ and TW (who charges around 600) a cue, and especially AT (400) and TP (300).

[cally]

You're just guessing trevs prices now, funny thing with this forum is that since I've been here certain people have always stated that trevs cues are more than he actually charges..

I can't see my cue being 600 quid from trev now, its been a few years but that's some price increase if that's the case..

I'll have to have to have a chat with him I think..

[barrywhite]

You're just guessing trevs prices now, funny thing with this forum is that since I've been here certain people have always stated that trevs cues are more than he actually charges..

I can't see my cue being 600 quid from trev now, its been a few years but that's some price increase if that's the case..

I'll have to have to have a chat with him I think..

His prices have gone up, in line with demand and waiting times, TSF has made him a name. 400 quid a cue? Long gone. But 600 is still a bargain compared to MW and JP. If you have the patience to wait? For those who don't, TP is your man for 300.