Best Machine Spliced Cue?

[thai_son22]

Hi all.

Oftenly we only really hear about high quality hand made cues from very reputable cue makers around the Uk and most recently from Thailand.

But how about machine spliced cues? Of course the majority is from the far east but where would you go to get a real solid quality Machine Spliced Cue?

Many Thanks to all replies in advance,

Nicholas

[poolqjunkie]

Hi all.

Oftenly we only really hear about high quality hand made cues from very reputable cue makers around the Uk and most recently from Thailand.

But how about machine spliced cues? Of course the majority is from the far east but where would you go to get a real solid quality Machine Spliced Cue?

Many Thanks to all replies in advance,

Nicholas

I saw some old snooker cues, machine spliced, made in Canada called Devonshire, all with very nice ebony wood. Unfortunately, not being made anymore.

I have seen some Omin machine spliced cues but have never tried them. Believe them to be a lower end cues, called Thomas or something like that.

[Wity]

Unless it's a rare old un nowadays nobody wants a machine spliced cue. You only have to look on ebay to see how unpopular they are as quite often they sell for less than the postage.

[TheStranger]

I saw some old snooker cues, machine spliced, made in Canada called Devonshire, all with very nice ebony wood. Unfortunately, not being made anymore.

I have seen some Omin machine spliced cues but have never tried them. Believe them to be a lower end cues, called Thomas or something like that.

Speaking of Canadian-made cues, my recently purchased Dufferin Spirit Ash I think is machine-spliced as well, not sure.

[poolqjunkie]

There is another one which is very sort after among snooker players here in Canada, it is called a Trophy. It is a half jointed machine spliced cue, with a white joint, black joint collar on the shaft, sort of a piloted wood joint with brass pin.
I am not too sure but I think they were made by Brunswick in the old days for canadian snooker players.
A pretty well known Canadian cue maker who passed away a couple years back, Tom Gauthier, used to make some of his cues with some old Brunswick ebony machine spliced blanks. I was told he got a bunch of really old ebony house cues when he first started, retapered and rebalanced them, with a joint added and new shafts built. Later on, he built his own butterfly spliced cues, but his early ones were mostly machine spliced.

[Watford]

You'd probably go for a Thai one!
Omin Master?

[Burwat Champ]

I have seen some really nice machine spliced Master cues.

Very solid and great finish on them.

[jb134]

Unless it's a rare old un nowadays nobody wants a machine spliced cue. You only have to look on ebay to see how unpopular they are as quite often they sell for less than the postage.

I've never really been able to understand this at all. Whilst I agree that a well made hand spliced cue is a magnificent piece of craftsmanship, am not sure how much difference it would make to actually playing the game.

The only thing I can really think of would be the possibility that the top cue makers were buying all the best shaft woods.

[Wity]

Absolutely no difference playing wise. In fact i'd go so far as to say I play just as well wth my £10 bce 2 piece all ash Jimmy white pool cue as i do with any other and so would 98% of players. If the specs are to your liking and the finish smooth and it has a decent tip thats all you need. The 2% who prefer cue a over cue b are pros, semi pros collectors or cuemakers themselves as they are the people who have the experience and have tried literally hundreds that they can recognise minor differences totally irrelevent to joe ordinary such as the amount of throw a produces over b.

I simply dislike machine spliced because I think they are ugly, yet there's a few million Americans out there that love their sharp points and would complain if they had a bostin cue that had 1 point 1mm longer than another. Ir's all down to what you fancy a leather 100 year old chesterfield couch or a deck chair fom blackpool beach. You can fall asleep in either but if you've fallen asleep in one nightly for 20 years theres no way the other willl compare.

[Watford]

I've never really been able to understand this at all. Whilst I agree that a well made hand spliced cue is a magnificent piece of craftsmanship, am not sure how much difference it would make to actually playing the game.

The only thing I can really think of would be the possibility that the top cue makers were buying all the best shaft woods.

Usually it is worth paying for and spending time choosing the best wood for an expensive hand made cue.
More mass produced Machine cues for less cash mean there is less incentive. Doesn't mean there bad just means there less likely to be good.
IMO of course.