actual cue comparison excluding prices

[thai_son22]

hi everyone,

oftenly we hear about cues on this forum and its price. we always hear about value for money and what to buy if you have the money to splash.

i have decided to start this thread because i wanted to know purely of playing ability in a cue.

we have cue makers who charge £200+ for cues and we have makers who we call "value for money" that charge £100+ for cues regardless of if the cues are english made or not.

i understand that in a more expensive cue is expected to have a better finish or more attention to detail etc.

and generally, the "value for money" cue has "lesser" attention to detail. my cue for example, the chevrons aren't directly in line with the flat end of my butt which is something i dont like much.

however, putting all this aside, would a cue from a top end maker like Wooldridge, Coutts etc play better as a cue than a "lower" end cue such as Welsh Pool, Unique, Master Cue etc?

i wasnt too sure because i remember seeing a thread where members were saying that chevrons etc and grain doesnt affect the playability of a cue but only in aesthetics. does the same apply to maple shafts also? although there is no visible grain?

if this is the case, would a player who doesnt care about aesthetics at all and attention to details be better off going for a lower priced cue?

i would like to thank any responses in advance as this is something i feel i need to clarify.

Nicholas

[MikeWooldridge]

however, putting all this aside, would a cue from a top end maker like Wooldridge, Coutts etc play better as a cue than a "lower" end cue such as Welsh Pool, Unique, Master Cue etc?

not necessarily.

good cues can be found in all price ranges. a more expensive cue should be 'better' made, and should 'feel' better all round than a cheaper one.

but it's not always the case.

if you had a room full of mass produced cues, you will surely find some very good cues.

if you had a room full of 'top end' cues, you're more likely to find they're all very good.

however, it's a 'grey' area, and i guess if anyone was looking to pay top dollar then they should first REALLY know their cues. otherwise, invest in a cheaper cue cos they possibly wouldn't know the difference anyway.

but like most things, people like to buy into a 'product' based on reputation etc., e.g. mercedes cars. you know you're getting quality. but a ford will probably do the same thing.

[thai_son22]

i understand what you mean in terms of mass produced "cheaper" cues and the top end cues.

but what i mean is that, the cues i am referring to are more quality cues. not really the cheap end cues like BCE lol.

im talking more thai cues in terms of value & welsh pool or even northwest.

top ends refers to yourself mike as well as others.

would the same still apply?

[potted]

A £10 cue can be just as good to play with as a £1000 cue as the only playing difference assuming the spec including the taper and density of the shaft is identical is the amount of throw a cue produces and the more the spec is identical the more the amount of throw is identical.

What you pay for is the quality materials and the selection of them the craftmanship amd specific design which can be unique till somebody copies it and the reputation of the builder. ie the lable. Like every other product, manufacture a quality item, build a reputation,and fill the order books and you can charge more. Buy from the most famous and most expensive and you can expect perfection but it's value really is far less just like a brand new car compared to an ex demonstration one with the same mileage.

Buying a cheap cue though is a gamble your virtually eliminating by going the custom route sometimes you can pick up a good cue for a pittance especially off ebay but more often than not you get what you pay for.

[ste bed]

i think people on this forum go in to cues far to deep at the end of the day if you like your cue and can play with it then leave it at that and put it out of your mind.every cue thats made by every different cue maker will play different as every piece of wood is different no 2 cues are exactly the same.

i dont think that because 1 cue is more expensive than another it automaticly means its a better cue 1 person may like it where another may not i think balence is very important and the very good makers like white,coutts and wooldridge always seem to get the balence of a cue just right i also belive the finish of a cue is very important to and again the top makers seem to do this alot better than the (mid range) cues out there. as for the grain in an ash cue i think players get obssesed with looking for the perfect grain and disregard a cue because its not got a nice grain and i think they are missing the real important things in a cue because of that.

i used to play with an ash cue and i became so obssesed with having the grain in the right place every time i took a shot my game started to suffer so i changed to maple and had parris make me a ultimate number 925 with a limited edition splice cost over £600 pounds thinking that because its the "best" cue money can buy it will again automaticly make me play better how stupid was i. it came i couldnt play with it i sold it. i went to craftsman cues to find a new 1 and found an old battered 1 piece riley club cue machine spliced for £5 pounds and loved it but it was falling apart so i had trevor white resplice it in plain ebony and i have never thought of buying a new cue again and never will . in the endits your cue only you use it dont me bothered about what other say if you can play with it then thats that

[thai_son22]

people do go deep. hence the reason i started this thread with regards to playability and not a particular grain or no grain which as i said is aesthetics

[ste bed]

but every cue plays different and every player has a different opinion to what makes a good cue some players may consider north west cues to be better that wooldridge cues as for thai cue i personaly think they are some of the best cues on the market playability wise yes there are some bad ones but overall there very good . but not finished as well as wooldridge and white but i have never seen a cue with a better finish than by those to makers. at the end of the day its all personal preferance every one has there fravorite cue makers and every cue they make is unique i think your looking for a answer that doesnt exist.

[thai_son22]

i dont particulaly think i am looking for something that isnt there.

if i was to put it in simple terms, if a grain doesnt finish doesnt affect the playability of a cue, then a cue with a messy grain can be just as good as one with a tidy one.

so why not spend less on a cue with a messy grain? simple. its preference. thats us being picky but we dont have to be.

so when you spend more on a top end cue, you also pay for finish and preference of grain.

i could go to a mid-range maker and they could make a cue just as good PLAYABILITY wise so how can i be looking for something that isnt there.

[ste bed]

you could go to a mid range mmaker and they could make a cue just as good playability wise then again they may not.


thats what i have just said the grain of a cue makes no difference to how that cue will play. if you had a cue made by a mid range maker you might think its a good cue playability wise where i may not like mike said in his post if you got aload of cheap cues,mid range cues and top range cues you would probably find good and bad cues out of each range. dave brown at craftsman cues is considered a mid range cue maker but i think his cues are as good as anyone elses but then agian you will find some bad 1s to same as wooldridge cues i have never seen a bad made cue by mike but personaly i dont like mikes cues there to thin for me . the point i am trying to make is everybody has a different opinion to what makes a cue good.

[nam1977]

Sorry to butt in here (nicholas), I think my question will be sort of relevant to this thread .

As some of you will know I am on a look out for a new cue.
And I need some help in finaly deciding the wood I would like.
I can't recall ever using a maple shaft cue. I would just like to know the differences in the wood. I've read your report Mike from your site about the difference (which is not much, just bit stiffer play wise) , but I also read that maple is cheaper than ash. Whys that if they both have the same characteristics? Is it because maple is easier to source? Or is it because its stiffer, its less favourable as snooker cues?
Also I've played with many ash cues which flex under shot, which seems to push the cue ball off course, has maple got less chance of doing this as its stiffer?
I love that clonk noise when striking the cue ball (doesn't have to be a hard hit), and hate that dead thud noise, which noise does the maple shaft create? Or is that to do with the tip, because I do hear it from the ash cues but not often, and when I do hear it, normaly its a good shot/pot.

K hijack over

[nam1977]

Started a new thread on the subject I asked about,
Sorry again for the hijack Nicholas Deffo over now

[MikeWooldridge]

i understand what you mean in terms of mass produced "cheaper" cues and the top end cues.

but what i mean is that, the cues i am referring to are more quality cues. not really the cheap end cues like BCE lol.

im talking more thai cues in terms of value & welsh pool or even northwest.

top ends refers to yourself mike as well as others.

would the same still apply?

yes. that was what i was talking about.

i wouldn't even bother including bce cues in the equation

[MikeWooldridge]

but every cue plays different and every player has a different opinion to what makes a good cue some players may consider north west cues to be better that wooldridge cues

doubt that very much. only if they haven't seen both....

you're right about thai cues. good value for money. but in fairness, so are others.

[MikeWooldridge]

Sorry to butt in here (nicholas), I think my question will be sort of relevant to this thread .

As some of you will know I am on a look out for a new cue.
And I need some help in finaly deciding the wood I would like.
I can't recall ever using a maple shaft cue. I would just like to know the differences in the wood. I've read your report Mike from your site about the difference (which is not much, just bit stiffer play wise) , but I also read that maple is cheaper than ash. Whys that if they both have the same characteristics? Is it because maple is easier to source? Or is it because its stiffer, its less favourable as snooker cues?
Also I've played with many ash cues which flex under shot, which seems to push the cue ball off course, has maple got less chance of doing this as its stiffer?
I love that clonk noise when striking the cue ball (doesn't have to be a hard hit), and hate that dead thud noise, which noise does the maple shaft create? Or is that to do with the tip, because I do hear it from the ash cues but not often, and when I do hear it, normaly its a good shot/pot.

K hijack over

go with ash. it's better. imo.

[ste bed]

doubt that very much. only if they haven't seen both....

you're right about thai cues. good value for money. but in fairness, so are others.

john higgins seems to think he's a good cue maker