Cue advice please!

[hoover]

Thanks for your quick reply. On another note, I am considering buying some el-cheapo viking queue (the glasgow / edinburgh variety) and then either keeping it if I like it, or go for the expensive stuff (O' Sullivan, maybe) and hand the cheap one to my son :wink:

Can somebody tell me how those Viking queues handle? I know it's all subjective, but I'd like to make sure they don't fall apart on the first shot.

[Pathak]

I cannot suggest you on priceband of the cue but if you want to have good speed in snooker, take out a cue with these basic features. 1) weight of the cue should be 17-19 Oz [mine is 19Oz], 2) tip diameter 9mm, 3) before purchasing place it on snooker table and slide conical and check it should not be uplifted from striking side. 4) and in future never keep the cue in standing position with the support of wall when not in use for playing.

[hoover]

Thanks for your advice. The problem is I will have to buy it mail-order as we don't have any snooker shops in the area. 8(

Cheers, uwe

[twiglet]

I have to agree with Matt on this one, although a cue regardless of price is down to personal preference, endorsed cues are simply mass produced with a clever hint marketing attached to them.

I haven't heard of viking cues to be honest-but some of the BCE range which Jimmy White And O'Sullivan endorse seem to have simulated splicing-where the points are painted on and varnished. This to me would sound the alarm bells ringing about the quality of the cue. This said, there are plenty of pro's in todays game making a very good living using what woould be considered sub standard cues.

[hoover]

What exactly is involved in splicing? Sorry for the stupid question, but I've heard of cables being spliced, but not snooker queues.

Thanks for your reply,

uwe

[mattjgalloway]

Splicing is the bit at the bottom where the woods change - you'll notice it by the colour. Hand spliced cues will have sharp points or nice curves whereas machine spliced ones will have flat bits.

Sometimes they paint on the splicing which is just stupid and it's not going to be a good cue.

[hoover]

Thanks for your explanation. I guess it's tough to judge the quality of a queue just by staring at ebay auctions ;-) I'll see what my local snooker hall has in store first.

Cheers, uwe

[twiglet]

Splicing adds density and weight to the cue also. As Matt suggests splicing is at the bottom end of the cue or the butt where you would grip the cue. A good quality butt (pardon the expression) would consist of ebony or rosewood, chosen for their feel and density.

A traditonal hand spiced one piece cue would consist of one piece of timber with four pieces of ebony or rosewood glued then spliced onto the bottom of the cue to form the butt. You can tell a hand spliced cue as the the four points of the cue are curved and rounded. A machine spliced cue differs from a hand spliced cue as it is efectively made from 2 separate pieces of wood. The shaft and the butt are interlocked and glued and then turned down. A machine spliced cue will have very sharp points in contrast to a hand spliced cue.

Hand spliced cues cost more than the machine spliced counterpart, however i doubt if anyone would actually tell the difference once you got used to the cue.
Some of the BCE range have simulated splicing whereas the butt is simply painted on and varnished to protect it. To the untrained eye, people may be thinking they are buying a hand spliced cue when they are not!!

My personal preference, i would go for a hand spliced cue, however i would go for a good quality machine spliced cue over any simulated splice cue anyday!!

[hoover]

Which bings us back to the topic ;-)

which cues would you recommend in the 100-150 Euros pricerange?

All the best & thanks, uwe

[twiglet]

Mastercue do a machine spliced range which would fit in the £70-£80 bracket. They also do a best value hand spliced range which would cost around the £100 mark.
Perhaps an e-mail to Stuart from Green baize would be good and he can advise you further.

Also the information previously within this thread is also good advice, Craftsman cues have been going for a great number of years and good quality cues for a fair price.

[hoover]

I assume this is the master cue brand of snooker cues? I've checked some websites, and they do look beautiful. I've found the "Rapier" model for around 60 quid which seems to be a good price at www.snookershop.com.

Thanks again,

uwe

[twiglet]

Don't recall Mastercue producing a rapier model?

http://www.greenbaize.com/cues/master/value.htm

Anyhow this is the cues i had in mind, don't know if it differs from what you had?

[hoover]

sorry, I got mixed up with "cue craft" and master cues. I've sent mail to Stu inquiring about shipping charges to Germany.

edit: The "specials" section at greenbaize has a Cuecraft Buxton with case and extension for 75 quid which looks decent. Any comments?

All the best & thanks for your help,

uwe

[GreenBaize]

i bought a cue from Stu at greenbaize. have to say i will probably never change my cue again.
i went for a master cue, and it has made me a better player.
knocking in regular 50`s and even had an 85 clearance with it.

thanks Stu

No worries ,

Glad to hear your playing well with your cue
its been mad busy in the shop,
All the hard work is finally paying off us , happy customers are our best product !!

Regular 100's can't be far away for you now

[hoover]

I'll probably go for a master cue (TD2, to be exact), too. Stu got in touch really quick following my email, and he has been really kind clearing up all the stupid questions I've had. ;-)

cheers, uwe