buying a cue

[ownek00]

And in the shipping information says won't ship buyer must collect

[ownek00]

This is what cc suggested for my budget
http://www.cuecraft.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=305
tried to find something on ebay but nothing suits me in there,
i sent a message to the seller that rifle sent me the link of but without reply..

[itsnoteasy]

The bottom of the advert on ebay says message me for shipping prices. So he will obviously post. I don't think it's more risky buying a second hand cue than a new one. Buying a new cue that may not suit you is riskier because the cue costs more! You should ask him if the cue is dead straight and if the ferrule is in A1 condition. Make sure the shaft has no dents. The butt will probably have the odd scratch but this is no biggy so long as there are no splits in the splices (ask this question if you like). But, it looks fine to me. I'd rather use this cue than the one you linked from the cue craft website, let's put it that way. At least this uses real ebony and real wood vaneers.

Don't limit yourself to Cue Craft though, there are lots of good cues on ebay.

I think this is a good post, dont rush in, take your time and the right cue will come along( wish I took my own advice).

[ADR147]

This is what cc suggested for my budget
http://www.cuecraft.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=305
tried to find something on ebay but nothing suits me in there,
i sent a message to the seller that rifle sent me the link of but without reply..

you would be better with one of the ones i have in that that. that is a lot for a rosewood spliced cue.

[ADR147]

I shouldn't say this, believing in British made and all, but for a budget of £120, you won't find much better than a really nice LP or JY from China. Damn I said it.

But I'd wait to either save some more money to buy a Sherwood or better from Cue Craft or buy something used and ideal on ebay.

british made is a bit of a myth really - none of the woods are british! what really matters is to get a cue with a decent finish and i would say that since steve left and dave retired i don't know what cue crafts finish will be like.

[ADR147]

The finish is still very good. A mate got a custom recently, as good as anything costing twice as much, though he got a big discount through a ref friend. I disagree about wood, shaft wood is key, finish and splice second for me but I can refinish a cue, so that's different. Air dried timber is far better than dead timber from a kiln. But for this budget, anything that doesn't go clunk (whatever the shaft wood) is a bonus.

all the timber is dried before it is shipped. i know i buy a lot of shafts from cue craft!

[ADR147]

i am pretty sure it is all kiln dried on pallets these days.

[vmax4steve]

Yes, but how is it dried, that's what matters.

It's dried in a kiln, otherwise it takes years for air drying and who's going to wait that long. As long as the drying process isn't rushed it's no different to air dried, the final moisture content is what matters and that can be measured with a meter.
Any cue that costs below £200 is going to be made in the far east, that's the way it is these days as british craftmanship is a lot more expensive unless you can find a good one from a hobbyist cue maker who has a good reputation.

The cue is all about the shaft, I agree with that, fancy hardwoods for the butt are simply for decoration. A good straight grained shaft with a balance point between 16 and 18 inches and you have a good cue that you only need to put in the hours with until it becomes yours.

[ownek00]

Lol thanks for your help

[ADR147]

I have to disagree with Vmax here. Air dried ash feels completely different to kiln dried ash (the same applies to maple). I have cues made from both. The air dried ash is springier and has more feel, the kiln dried stuff feels dead on contact. The heat in the kiln doesn't just evaporate moisture in the wood, it changes the structure, the timber becomes brittle and stressed. This is why I'm always on the look out for old cues, made when ash was plentiful and laid down the natural way to dry out in outdoor stacks with nought but a roof.

*Cue Craft and Powerglide are still selling cues for less than £200, made in the UK!

powerglide are made in china - as far as i am aware all the ash imported is dried in kilns before hand because the shipping cost is by weight.

[Dave Walton]

Mastercraft are also made in the UK and start around £176

[ADR147]

These guys have some Cannon cues. The best one (for £81) has a hand-spliced ebony butt on to an ash shaft. Freepost as well, so if you have a friend in the UK, he/she could post it on to you in Malta.

http://www.titansports.co.uk/shop/co...oint_Cues.html

Maybe ADR can say more about them?

owned by peradon - if it is handspliced in ebony for £81 that would be very cheap.

[ADR147]

Peradon yikes! But £81 delivered for free does seem a bargain.

even for one made in china for them, even in brown ebony, that is a great price for a hand spliced cue delivered in the uk.

[ADR147]

Are all the Peradon cues made in China now, even their top of the range stuff (excluding custom)?

not sure - the cue wizard stuff is done in house. imagine some of the others are also.

[narl]

not sure - the cue wizard stuff is done in house. imagine some of the others are also.

After looking at the state of the splice fingers at the 2:34 mark in this video i have to wonder.

A lot of the cues they claim to have oil finishes yet they have a lacquered finish, peradon king in the club I go to is meant to be oil finished and its got a thick layer of lacquer on the butt.