What do you think of this cue?

[tedisbill]

I have a friend who is looking to just buy a decent cheap cue.

I don't really know enough about cues to know why this is so cheap. It's meant to be a handmade ash cue, and if it is, why is it so cheap then?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F222460284583

Would appreciate your comments please. I don't really know enough about cues.

I know the splices are done by hand and how cues are made.

Thanks guys and girls!

[pottr]

It's likely not spanking new... Just renovated and rebadged... Why it's so cheap

[MrPearwood]

There are a few reasons why its cheap.


Despite the fact on ebay it says it's located in the UK it's actually in China.
When Woods set up their ebay account they gave a British address to them, some relation whatever, sneaky perhaps but ebay don't care.

Woods produce a lot of cues and I mean a lot. With the company being quite big they buy in bulk and thus get a better price on materials, being mass produced in a country where the cost of labour is amongst the lowest in the world, when they use their 2^nd grade materials and skimp on the quality of the workmanship and finish the price they ask is as low as you will find anywhere.


Remember that to make a quality cue involves around 10 hours of labour here in the UK so with any half decent chippy able to walk into a job at £20 an hour who turns his hand to cue making is most likely going to have a base price of around £200 plus materials. With the average wage for a semi skilled factory worker being in the region of £75 a week in China, well, there's your answer.


The equivalent wage in Thailand is a mere £55 a week so theoretically Thai cues can be cheaper still but they wont be as the quality is in general far higher, and the way communist china works taxation et the Chinese can currently undercut almost all. Which is why they are the leading manufacturing company in the world today.


That particular cue is one of their budget cues, the ash will be okay but it wont have pretty arrows on it. They save like everyone else does their best looking ash for their best cues which they charge more for obviously. The splice work you will find is pretty good with even points top and bottom maybe even perfect. That is in the main because they use jigs unlike many who just go by their eyes.


The ebony is another story though, it may be good stuff it may be cheaper brown ebony it may be even a man made composite. I have friends that have seen all sorts on their budget cues.


In any case you will find all their cues will need refinishing as they merely spray a lacquer on the butt up to about half way. It makes for a pretty shiny cue, but not one you would like to play with lacquer can be sticky in the hand and a shaft if left just sanded is akin to a unexploded bomb when it comes to warping.


Easy enough to refinish though, it will cost you for some fine sandpaper, 0000 grade wire wool and a finishing oil and no more than an hours work spread over a few days to let each of the 3 or 4 coats of oil soak in.


There may also be,what is called a glue line in the splices. This is where the splices meet and there is a fine gap you can just about see and feel. If so that should be addressed too with a filler of sorts, ebony dust and superglue or a black resin that matches.


The case in the pic is excellent, it does the job, its pretty and its well made and for the money absolutely unbeatable.


The telescopic extension is as good as any but don't expect the mini butt to be ebony it's a man made resin thing.


One other thing, the price. It's £69 but you are liable to pay 20% import vat on the cue and its postage cost and a fee to the courier who will pay the vat for you and charge between £8 and £12 for doing so. So it could be another £26 extra. The courier will invoice you before delivery.


All said, it's a decent package for someone wanting a cheap usable cue.

[tedisbill]

Thanks a lot Mr Pearwood. Excellent reply.

I will show my mate and it's up to him to decide what he wants to do.

Thanks again!

[anish147]

Agree with Mr Pearwood.

But a word of warning...neither a 'pretty' cue nor a handmade cue means it is a good playing cue.

The tapering of the cue, quality of the wood and any joints, the breathing time between trimming the cue from a plank of wood...just a few things that affect the playability.

Mike Woolridge even says good machine made cues can be better than handmade...so don't be fooled into cheap cues:

http://handmadecues.com/identify-cues/

Better off buying a Thai made cue from someone like ADR147 or Greenbaize. They won't sell you a bad playing cue and will try to match your cugdet. Better then ordering online from abroad I feel.

[MrPearwood]

Though most of my Pearwood cues are made here in England i have had almost as many made in Thailand and with me selecting the boards and sending them there i can dictate the waiting/settling time. Not that i have needed to as the cuemakers here and the one i use in Thailand are very experienced and know their stuff.
Few if any in Thailand use lathes so you would expect some variance with the tapers but as they are jig mad i have not noticed any.
The Chinese almost certainly i think use copy lathes which produce the same taper over and over again. I mean after all said they are the master copying race.

[matthias]

just my two cents

if you go cheap, go for a one piece.
I've seen quite a few cheap ones come apart at the joint.

[BILLYBOY33]

Hi, I'm new to the Forum and would just like to add to the other comments about Woods cues. I bought one (3/4 shaft) when my John Parris Ambassador got stolen from my local snooker club. Whilst it isnt the best quality cue out there, for the money I paid it was OK. It looked very nice. It came with extensions that worked and a pretty reasonable case. However, after playing with it for over a year & a half I wouldn't buy another one. The reason? It feels cheap, & despite persevering, I never felt comfortable with it. The cue had no 'life' to it, like it was made out of pine. Also, despite having a weight of 18.5oz it actually feels a lot less. I was also suspicious that the cue wasn't actually hand spliced but more like hand painted, although I can't prove it without scratching through the splices! I couldn't afford another Parris so have now bought an ADR147 3/4 cue. Tell your friend to forget the Woods cue (you only get what you pay for) pay a bit more & buy an ADR147. A great value for money cue, not far off the quality of JP. Thank you once again Andrew (ADR)