'Hand Made' Cues - Do they have any inherent value?

[jrc750]

Seen you say this before but for the life of me I cant understand it. Why not buy a cue online that you fancy and if when you have it and don't like it send it back? All it'd cost you is the postage and by law you have it for 30 days on trial.

If a cue is made to your spec I'm pretty sure you cannot send it back

[Shockerz]

Seen you say this before but for the life of me I cant understand it. Why not buy a cue online that you fancy and if when you have it and don't like it send it back? All it'd cost you is the postage and by law you have it for 30 days on trial.

Not so sure that's the same in this country? I'd be interested if someone on here knows this to be uk law......

[the lone wolf]

Seen you say this before but for the life of me I cant understand it. Why not buy a cue online that you fancy and if when you have it and don't like it send it back? All it'd cost you is the postage and by law you have it for 30 days on trial.

Good points jimmymoller.
That said, taking the risk of buying and returning relies on v good communication between buyer and seller.
Yes purchases are protected by law, but if I have to rely on the law rather than quality customer service then I can do without the hassle.
Each to their own I guess?

[vmax4steve]

Not so sure that's the same in this country? I'd be interested if someone on here knows this to be uk law......

Distance selling regulations cover all returns no matter what the reason, buying in a shop is different as you can see before you buy.

[Shockerz]

Distance selling regulations cover all returns no matter what the reason, buying in a shop is different as you can see before you buy.

Yeah, I think I wasn't too clear on my question.

I know distance selling regs exist in this country; I was curious as to whether you could just order an item and then just send it back as you now don;t fancy it but the item was delivered in perfect condition?

[the lone wolf]

Yeah, I think I wasn't too clear on my question.

I know distance selling regs exist in this country; I was curious as to whether you could just order an item and then just send it back as you now don;t fancy it but the item was delivered in perfect condition?

Not only that, but if a return is made and the product is not in perfect condition then the courier is involved too making it a 3 way. Which may be appealing to some, but not me.

[Shockerz]

Not only that, but if a return is made and the product is not in perfect condition then the courier is involved too making it a 3 way. Which may be appealing to some, but not me.

I've been thinking about doing a snooker website for a while with a few goods as it's nice to talk snooker rather than your day job sometimes but it would have to be perfect for me to take it back and I guess there lies the crux of it.

[jimmymoller]

I really doubt many cues are sent back. (Keith Aulds probably being the exception)
If the build quality is as expected and the spec as ordered then there is only the fact the buyer just cant adapt to it as a reason to return it and I imagine most would then give it longer to get used to it or sell it on. Oldgit comes to mind here he's had hundreds, wonder how many he's returned instead of selling on.

[Shockerz]

I really doubt many cues are sent back. (Keith Aulds probably being the exception)
If the build quality is as expected and the spec as ordered then there is only the fact the buyer just cant adapt to it as a reason to return it and I imagine most would then give it longer to get used to it or sell it on. Oldgit comes to mind here he's had hundreds, wonder how many he's returned instead of selling on.

Yeah I gues returns would be few and far between if what was ordered was sent. I guess someone like ADR would give a better opinion on this subject.

[Big Splash!]

I've been thinking about doing a snooker website for a while with a few goods as it's nice to talk snooker rather than your day job sometimes but it would have to be perfect for me to take it back and I guess there lies the crux of it.

Do the website! You got a great love of the game.

[Big Splash!]

it would be simpler to understand what it takes to make a handmade, no we know that already. or rather what is the art of making a cue that is made by hand?

anybody know??

I've just finished this double-tapered Bo Staff using a plane and sanding blocks. I have a worktop in my shed but it's not level and sloping so no use. So I planed it on a Draper fold-out workbench thing that chippies carry in vans. I cut the square from a board using a saw; one of those hand held ones you buy in DIY shops for a tenner. No electric plugs required. I planed it thrice as the wonderful Geordie cue maker recommends. So it goes 4, 8, 16 sider, round. Resting in between for a month and it did move a lot. It's a prototype for the next one in air dried, aged oak. I can say hand on heart, it's 100% hand made. Oddly, despite no computers and machines, the BP is exactly at the mid-point as it should be for perfect control in martial arts.

If I can do it, why do cue makers require lathes, copy lathes, imported shafts and cheap Thai/Chinese supply made on machines? Profit you say, lucre you say, greed you say? Not sure, but that's capitalism for ya. Squeeze the customer and take the cream off the top for yaself. Such is life and the world but it doesn't seem like love of a craft to me sometimes. Makes me sad in a way, that nothing, even beautiful crafts are above the dark side of the economic jungle.

[itsnoteasy]

I've just finished this double-tapered Bo Staff using a plane and sanding blocks. I have a worktop in my shed but it's not level and sloping so no use. So I planed it on a Draper fold-out workbench thing that chippies carry in vans. I cut the square from a board using a saw; one of those hand held ones you buy in DIY shops for a tenner. No electric plugs required. I planed it thrice as the wonderful Geordie cue maker recommends. So it goes 4, 8, 16 sider, round. Resting in between for a month and it did move a lot. It's a prototype for the next one in air dried, aged oak. I can say hand on heart, it's 100% hand made. Oddly, despite no computers and machines, the BP is exactly at the mid-point as it should be for perfect control in martial arts.

If I can do it, why do cue makers require lathes, copy lathes, imported shafts and cheap Thai/Chinese supply made on machines? Profit you say, lucre you say, greed you say? Not sure, but that's capitalism for ya. Squeeze the customer and take the cream off the top for yaself. Such is life and the world but it doesn't seem like love of a craft to me sometimes. Makes me sad in a way, that nothing, even beautiful crafts are above the dark side of the economic jungle.

The machines are for speed , imagine your waiting times if you had a thousand orders and you made your staffs how you do.

[the lone wolf]

I understand completely and feel the same way. But the sad truth is that craft practitioners (today) need to pay their bills too.
-
I've heard that Daniel Day Lewis is a keen craft practitioner so am sure that what he makes is 100% made by hand and is a labour of love. Why? Because he can afford for it to be just that... For the love and not for the profit.

I've just finished this double-tapered Bo Staff using a plane and sanding blocks. I have a worktop in my shed but it's not level and sloping so no use. So I planed it on a Draper fold-out workbench thing that chippies carry in vans. I cut the square from a board using a saw; one of those hand held ones you buy in DIY shops for a tenner. No electric plugs required. I planed it thrice as the wonderful Geordie cue maker recommends. So it goes 4, 8, 16 sider, round. Resting in between for a month and it did move a lot. It's a prototype for the next one in air dried, aged oak. I can say hand on heart, it's 100% hand made. Oddly, despite no computers and machines, the BP is exactly at the mid-point as it should be for perfect control in martial arts.

If I can do it, why do cue makers require lathes, copy lathes, imported shafts and cheap Thai/Chinese supply made on machines? Profit you say, lucre you say, greed you say? Not sure, but that's capitalism for ya. Squeeze the customer and take the cream off the top for yaself. Such is life and the world but it doesn't seem like love of a craft to me sometimes. Makes me sad in a way, that nothing, even beautiful crafts are above the dark side of the economic jungle.

[Shockerz]

I've just finished this double-tapered Bo Staff using a plane and sanding blocks. I have a worktop in my shed but it's not level and sloping so no use. So I planed it on a Draper fold-out workbench thing that chippies carry in vans. I cut the square from a board using a saw; one of those hand held ones you buy in DIY shops for a tenner. No electric plugs required. I planed it thrice as the wonderful Geordie cue maker recommends. So it goes 4, 8, 16 sider, round. Resting in between for a month and it did move a lot. It's a prototype for the next one in air dried, aged oak. I can say hand on heart, it's 100% hand made. Oddly, despite no computers and machines, the BP is exactly at the mid-point as it should be for perfect control in martial arts.

If I can do it, why do cue makers require lathes, copy lathes, imported shafts and cheap Thai/Chinese supply made on machines? Profit you say, lucre you say, greed you say? Not sure, but that's capitalism for ya. Squeeze the customer and take the cream off the top for yaself. Such is life and the world but it doesn't seem like love of a craft to me sometimes. Makes me sad in a way, that nothing, even beautiful crafts are above the dark side of the economic jungle.

Why don't you put a tip on it and see how it plays?

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

That's the very thing Mr. Big Shot...
Paying £100's on a cue before I've even played with any of their products simply can not happen in my world.
RE; "Proper tour of the Staes." The first time I went over there to play pool - Met some crazy people (who are now friends) and we hit the East Coast road and did 4 States in 3 days, playing pool 24/7 - It changed my perception of the world.
---
You should do your best to get out there Mr. Big Shot.
The state (no pun intended) of pool out there is not great anymore, but there is a huge community.
They take gambling to whole new level, with guys who end up sleeping under tables and much worse...
East Coast and Mid West are probably best for shooting Pool, but the West Coast has got VEGAS BABY - nuff said :snooker:

4 states in 3 days? Yikes.

I'm constantly staggered by their gambling culture, with games lasting for days on end. X ahead matches strike me as being completely pointless, as does not quitting ahead. The thought of playing anything over about 3 hours makes me feel physically sick. Would quite like to be a rail bird, however.