Mastercraft Nemesis

[richman]

Has anyone owned or played with this cue from Mastercraft ?
I really like the look of it, quite striking but not too fancy.

I would also like to hear more feedback on Mastercraft from those that have recently bought a cue from them.

Thanks for any help guys.

[snookerking1978]

Mastercraft Cues

I purchased a Mastercraft cue over 1 year ago. It cost me £130 for a maple shafted 3/4 cue. I had a few issues with the cue:

- The ferrule wasn't fitted correctly
- The light grain didn't line up with the butt of the cue
- There were small cracks in the splicing
- The splicing was uneven
- The specs I ordered were completely different from what was requested

For the price considering it was only £130 I suppose I can't complain, but unfortunately in this world you get what you pay for so if you want something of better quality you have to pay more.

If your looking for a good quality cue that is cheap I would recommend a master cue over anything else. If you want something more expensive the best cues I've seen in my opinion are from Mr Wooldridge he may charge a fortune but you can't fault the quality of his cues.

[bongo]

Over on www.maximumbreak.com they have some reviews for Mastercraft cues and they rate them quite highly too.

900th Post!!

[richman]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am currently playing with a Parris Ambassadeur 58", but have never felt comfortable with the feel of it.A friend of mine let me try his 59" Mike Wooldridge Pro 3 last week.It played like a dream and just felt right(you know what I mean)

The only problem is, at the moment I don't have the funds for the Pro 3,this being the reason I was asking for reviews on Mastercraft.

Do you think a 1" difference in cue length can make you a better player ?

[bongo]

Do you think a 1" difference in cue length can make you a better player?

No. As simple as that.

[Qubit]

Can't make you a better player no. But if you are tall its more likely that a longer cue might be potentially beneficial, and might make you feel more comfortable (hence perhaps leading to more reliable results).

Im 6'3" and anything less than 57" is not so good as it affects my cue action. Std 58" is OK and what i currently use, but i do think that something slightly longer might be a bit better for me (say 58.5").

[richman]

It can make you a better lover

So if I buy a 59" cue, you reckon I'll be better in bed ?

Seriously though, I would have thought playing with a cue you feel comfortable with(length size etc) would give you the confidence to play better.

[richman]

Don't qute get your point.
So you are saying, you would be a better driver behind the wheel of a BMW than you would a Lada ? A good cue to me ,is how it feels not how it looks.


I bet if you played with custom cues(Parris,Mastercraft) without the name badges, you would need to make a good guess as to what cue was made by the maker.I have tried this test a few times(even with a couple of pros), and most people could not tell what one was whitch.

[mchpddl1]

I think cue is a mental thing, when you hold an expensive/reputated cue you feel good and give yourself a mental boost, but this does not necessarily mean the cue is better.

Driving a BMW is obviously much better than driving a lada even you are blindfolded, you can hear from the engine; the smell of the leather, the comfort of the seat etc, but if you are blinded holding a cue no one can really tell if its good or not, purely by hitting with a cue ball, and the craftsmanship has absolutely nothing to do in this sort of test.

So i agree with you that how good a cue is, is not dependent on cost and look and brand. You just feel good when you get a reputated cue, but then after trying out for a period of time, many players sell them on ebay etc after the initial honeymoon period expired.......

[richman]

Apologies if I sounded argumentative, that was not my intention.
We could discuss cues all day, but as you said..... each to their own.

I, like you, find it strange that players will order cues £400+ without testing them first.Maybe knowing you are playing with a Wooldridge, Parris or White cue, actually does give you that extra bit of confidence.

[Foggy55]

Stamford Cues

Dont apologise, its ok....I just giving you my opinion...The old Will Hunt and the long spliced Stamford cue are the best I have tried...Selby and Ding use a Stamford and they are around the £350 mark...Nothwest around the £200 and they are hand made...but I find cues to be like fine wine the more popular a cue maker the more watered down they evntually become...John Parris cues are not all made by him alone so inevitably you get some duffers...I agree with you on testing them out first...confidence can come from a £10 cue before Hendry switched to a Accurite 147 from a Parris he used a Rex Williams Connassour-cant spell it-made by an old company who dont exist anymore called Powerglide...a cheap cue but he won 6 world titles with it...John Higgins used a North West so its all good...A cue can feel like your right arm if you use it long enough...Ronnie uses a Tradional cue by John Parris but I think when he was younger he used a Burwatt Champion...simular to what Alex Higgins used....John Spencer had a cue with a nail in it! My mate uses one that is bent...like a banana and he knocks tons in...but cant play with anything else.

Confiedence comes from practice...finding the right cue is an impossible practice...

I've just bought a Stamford C\W mini butt and extension £320.00. Prices start at around £200.00. I went up to collect and bumped into Peter Ebdon while I was there.

[Watford]

A few points:
I've heard a few horror stories about Mastercraft now. I'm sure they make some good cues but I been put off.
Accurite and Gravity cues have generally had drummings from the cuemakers who frequent the forum.
Powerglide Rex Williams Connoisseur was never a cheap cue as me and Mike Wooldridge discussed recently. It was hand made and although Hendry didn't pay a lot for it if it was new it would cost over £100 today. You can buy them now for £200.
Ronnie had a Burwat and has had at least 2 Parris' not including the 2 piece ADR147 has. These have never been standard Traditionals they are just the same splices. Ronnie's cues are longer and I think have thinner tips than the Traditional. His current cue is badged as an Ultimate not sure about the last one.

[Watford]

Nice looking cues Stamfords.
Got my case from there nice people.
Considered them and Coutts before I got my cue from Trevor. Not silly prices. Never seen one of there cues in the flesh though.

Best value maker is probably Craftsman Cues.
Northwest cues usually well priced but a bit dearer. You can still get one for less then £200 I think.
Your weighing up what value against quality really, depends what you want and what the budget is.

[Watford]

Still not sure I've found the one but not far away.
Like to try a pearwood cue and mabe go lower in weight not sure though. Quality of splicing important to me too.

Still not seen a Stamford cue
Will Hunt/Osborne's I've seen all nice but too dear. You will have seen quite a lot of Northwest cues what do you think of Kev's work?

[Foggy55]

Stamford cues

You just spent your money well foggy...The one I tried was a long spliced cue...it was one of the nicest cues I ever picked up...Do they have a table to try them out...do they have many on display and did you have a natter with Ebdon?

I bought a 3/4 Stamford cue, it's a copy of Ronnie's John Parris cue. Top cue and great service. I only said a quick hello to Peter as he was busy. Yes they have a table to try the cues on. You need to E mail them for a price list. They had about 6 or 7 cues in stock when I was there, so you can try them and perhaps do a deal on the spot, otherwise they will be happy to make you a cue. I found my cue slightly underweight sent it back on Thursday, they added some extra weight and returned the cue Monday cost me £30.00, how's that for good service!