Wright Cues by Reg Wright

[wmccreedy]

Would highly recommend Reg Wright of Wrightcues.co.uk . My game has improved big time since Reg made me a cue back in January 2014. Check out my review at
http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...12545&page=501 Its the 5th post on page

[DCTW]

Cue should be arriving via UPS today! Although he was busy setting up his new shop, Reg kept me updated via whatsapp with pictures on different stages on my cue making - A big Thank You to Reg!
Will be posting some pictures once i receive the cue.

[jb134]

Saw the posts about price. Difficult to make a cue for less than £100 in materials, electricity etc. If making from scratch there's an awful lot of hours in it. Hard to get a painter an decorator to work for under £25 an hour so what would be a reasonable price?

[cueman]

Reasonable is Andy Travis, mastercraft etc. These guys can make cues at an affordable price so why can't other cue makers?

For example I mentioned in this thread that I asked Reg Wright for a quote for a cue, this was about 2 years ago I think. I also requested exactly the same quote from Andy Travis. Reg quoted me £516, Andy, £360. £150 price difference I think is quite a difference for exactly the same cue.

Now IMO Andy has proven his work on here time and again. Reg is still relatively an unknown quantity but at the time I had the quotes both I assumed were in the same bracket in terms of experience and quality of workmanship.

[jb134]

Reasonable is Andy Travis, mastercraft etc. These guys can make cues at an affordable price so why can't other cue makers?

For example I mentioned in this thread that I asked Reg Wright for a quote for a cue, this was about 2 years ago I think. I also requested exactly the same quote from Andy Travis. Reg quoted me £516, Andy, £360. £150 price difference I think is quite a difference for exactly the same cue.

Now IMO Andy has proven his work on here time and again. Reg is still relatively an unknown quantity but at the time I had the quotes both I assumed were in the same bracket in terms of experience and quality of workmanship.

I agree that's quite a difference, almost 50%. Was there a lot of detail in the cue you asked for? I see the plain ebony and ash is £330.

I agree about Andy Travis and Mastercraft btw, decent value for money. I've never seen a Reg Wright cue so I can't comment.

The thing is when you see some of the rubbish around the £200 mark it astonishes me the jump in quality when you go to £300.

I just can't get the pricing straight in my head. I appreciate that if you're splicing and planing all day you'll get quicker and I see there are guys using routers and jigs (I've tried that myself) but given the man hours I think £300 for a handmade cue is a great deal. Arguably too good.

I also appreciate guys with factory type set ups can do it for less.

[cueman]

The design was just for a 1pc ash cue, 4 splices of Rosewood with 4 thick maple splices over thin purple splices. Also requested end joint and extension. Not overly special in terms of design, maybe Andy is more skilled at splice work and doesn't charge extra and Reg perhaps prefers simpler designs. Who knows but the price difference certainly was surprising to me.

Obviously reputation comes into a lot but mastercraft for instance have been making very good cues for a number of years and before them craftsman cues before they stopped making cues to measure and these guys have never upped their prices like many others do once they get a little more reputation.

In the end I decided against because I realised I'd get a better cue from one of the top thai based cue makers and eventually ordered a Maximus Ultimate and got a great deal on it that it was too good to turn down. TBF Stu messed up on the price hence the deal. Had he not done I'd have gone with Andy Travis.

[Shockerz]

Cheers Golfy, I didn't have a clue about the left or right handed question either, the knowledge on here never ceases to amaze me, nice one.

I was told once that if you are right handed with a left handed cue then the thread can come undone (which a cue maker said happens a lot?) as a right handed player will always tighten it.

Whether that's correct or not I don;t know but I know that I twist my grip on follow through and and right handed and always twist clockwise so makes sense.........

[Shockerz]

Saw the posts about price. Difficult to make a cue for less than £100 in materials, electricity etc. If making from scratch there's an awful lot of hours in it. Hard to get a painter an decorator to work for under £25 an hour so what would be a reasonable price?

I'm gob smacked how cheap cues are for labour (once materials costs taken off).

After playing golf ro years and shelling out £1,000's for the latest clubs and over £300 a pop for drivers, snooker is a really cheap game in comparison.

To think you can get a handmade cue for £300 including materials doesn't stack up. I know cue makers do it, and I know there are really gifted cue makers doing it but it doesn;t seem they get the financial rewards that match their efforts.

I wouldn't have been shocked if every decent handmade cue fetched £500, why wouldn't it if it is truly made by hand.

I was talking to a plumber the other day who was charging £280/day and a chippy who rakes in £300/£400 a day by fitting expensive kitchens in an affluent area. The plumber was moaning as someone was trying to charge him £600 for a website and the chippy was moaning as someone charged him £120 to remove all the rubbish from site after a job.......neither have them have a reputation as good in their trades so by my reckoning.....

Handmade cues are cheap. Who's to say Reg or Andy have it right or wrong.

Just an opinion!

[golferson123]

if you cant do it yourself get your hand in your pocket and stop moaning, lol. as for quality referrals just do your homework

[Exile]

I'm gob smacked how cheap cues are for labour (once materials costs taken off).

After playing golf ro years and shelling out £1,000's for the latest clubs and over £300 a pop for drivers, snooker is a really cheap game in comparison.

To think you can get a handmade cue for £300 including materials doesn't stack up. I know cue makers do it, and I know there are really gifted cue makers doing it but it doesn;t seem they get the financial rewards that match their efforts.

I wouldn't have been shocked if every decent handmade cue fetched £500, why wouldn't it if it is truly made by hand.

I was talking to a plumber the other day who was charging £280/day and a chippy who rakes in £300/£400 a day by fitting expensive kitchens in an affluent area. The plumber was moaning as someone was trying to charge him £600 for a website and the chippy was moaning as someone charged him £120 to remove all the rubbish from site after a job.......neither have them have a reputation as good in their trades so by my reckoning.....

Handmade cues are cheap. Who's to say Reg or Andy have it right or wrong.

Just an opinion!

If you want a job as my marketing director than you have it!

I've been saying it for years about the comparison to golf. People pay big money for mass produced items stamped out in a factory but expect such a low price when it comes to a unique handmade item.

I have had a few customers who had this opinion until i asked them the following. "how much do you spend on Golf including clubs, balls, fees, etc? Now how much do you spend on snooker/pool? And lastly, how much TIME do you spend doing each?

That's when the penny drops. They start to see cuesports in a different light as they are spending far more time and far less money on it.

[jb134]

Which opens another can of worms. When I started playing cue sports they were for people who had nothing. Table costs were negligible, decent cues were readily available for not too much money, food and drink were cheap and it was easy to get a game.

Golf was the game for toffs.

When you start looking at table costs, suddenly a couple of hours a night, three times a week, and let's face it, that's not enough, adds up to golf club membership fees and more.

[Shockerz]

Definitely I was shocked at how much some of the "less sought after" cue makers charge after getting quotes. Ok they are less than Wooldridge and Parris but charge the same if not more than Trevor White. I don't mind forking out for a good cue but I look at resale value if the cue isn't suitable as it is always a risk getting a custom cue. No
2 cues will turn out the same even with the same specs

Have you got any examples of the quoted costs, don't need to put any names on it. It would be interesting to see if the general consensus is that the prices are dear or right?

Just roughly would be good as it gives us all an idea.

[Big Splash!]

I contacted 3 cuemakers in U.K. lets say the lesser popular makers although they do make good cues from what have heard. All with same
Specs 4 lower splices of thuya burr cheapest was £550 dearest was £645. I know Trevor charges less than that. I wouldn't pay those prices purely because if I didn't like the cue when made I'd never make my money back
I'd be lucky to get half

You didn't contact J6, he would have made your cue for less than half of those numbers.

[DeanH]

Big AD - when did you get those quotes?
Also, did you contact the "commonly known" "mid-range" makers as well, how much were they for the same spec?

[Shockerz]

I had the quotes within the last week Dean the 3 cuemakers I contacted I believe are mid range and apart from the other top 3 cuemakers I know that's where my knowledge ends I haven't heard of anyone else or seen any of their work apart from the Thai makers.

Just a thought, Mastercraft and Cuecraft?