Help buying a pool cue
 

I've been playing pool seriously for about 1 year and need help buying a cue stick. I already have one I paid about $150 for which I'm assuming for a medium skill level player (which I would consider myself despite not playing very long) is decent/average. What price range am I looking at for not the very best cue stick but a decent top of the line one? Should I also be buying an alternate stick for breaks to prevent wear and tear on the main one? Is there much of a difference in buying a custom made cue stick from a pre-made one? I play pool almost every day also so having decent equipment is pretty important to me.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

Definately stop breaking with your play cue - it is a shot you are using tonnes of power on and i wouldnt want to use a good play cue for them. Plus a good breaker has little throw (flex) and most modern ones use phenolic tips.

http://www.mcdermottcue.com/Sledgehammer.asp

Sledgehammers are the standard as far as im aware but generally not cheap. If you want just use a club cue to break off or cheap crappy cue you get in a supermarket, but investing a breaker is a solid step in the right direction if you wanna take the game seriously.

As for play cues, http://www.meuccicues.com/ is supposed to be a good brand - same goes for http://www.stealthcues.com/

Ultimately id recommend finding somewhere you can try them out (never buy on blind over the internet even if its recommended highly) and see what fits your stroke best.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

Customs arent going to be much better than a good quality off the shelf cue in most cases - in fact most custom makers only make the butt and use a factory shaft.

Just set a budget, find the best cue in that budget. Google some pool forums, try cues (if you play at a club, see what others use and recommend) and generally just use common sense.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

Yeah I saw a few decent brands with well priced sticks such as Viking, Cuetech, Scorpion, etc. Now that you showed me that Sledgehammer that really looks like something worth buying (too bad I'm too much of a nit to go order one right now lol) What is the standard price for a good cue off the shelf? I've seen them priced anywhere from 250 to 1000 for a good one so I'm thinking about 500 is the way I need to go.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

I used to collect pool cues, so I might be able to help you. I quit collecting about 10 years ago, so I'm not that familiar with stuff from the last few years. I currently own one cue and it is a custom cue.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

Buying a good cue is important, but replacing the tips is ultra important. You need to be able to do this yourself on a professional basis. The gluing, clamping, sanding, the whole nine yards. Your cue is no better than the tip. You don't want
anybody else doing this for you if you like money.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

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Buying a good cue is important, but replacing the tips is ultra important. You need to be able to do this yourself on a professional basis. The gluing, clamping, sanding, the whole nine yards. Your cue is no better than the tip. You don't want
anybody else doing this for you if you like money.

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Wow I'll have to look up doing this. I never realized how important it was until you told me.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

The cost of getting the tip replaced shouldnt be too huge - you should be able to find a local cue shop or pool club that will do it correctly and professionally.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

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The cost of getting the tip replaced shouldnt be too huge - you should be able to find a local cue shop or pool club that will do it correctly and professionally.

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It can add up over time if you play a lot. I never did my own tips, but the tips I used cost more than the labor putting them on so I wouldn't want to risk screwing one up.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

Price isn't everything with pool cues. For the most part, the biggest cost in a cue is the design. Within each line by a manufacturer the cue is exactly the same except for the artwork/inlays.

Your best move is to try out a variety of cues. If you play regularly, you shouldn't have any problem borrowing a cue for an hour. Once you find a brand that you like, you can choose a price range and design. Be careful about the joint, though. Different joints will make the cue play very differently, even when from the same manufacturer.

Last bit of advice: If you like the weight/feel/design of your cue, you could consider upgrading the shaft. I ended up buying a Predator and after adjusting to it, felt like it really improved my game.

FWIW, I really like McDermott.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

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Last bit of advice: If you like the weight/feel/design of your cue, you could consider upgrading the shaft. I ended up buying a Predator and after adjusting to it, felt like it really improved my game.

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I do know a few cue makers that would be deeply offended if you put a predator shaft on "their" cue. I personally don't care for that shaft, but it was very new when I left pool.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

I'll just say to find a butt that you like with a good joint and throw a predator shaft on there. You'll be spending a whole lot of money to go the custom route, and barring that the predator is a pretty good shaft if low deflection is your thing.

I break with my cue, and have never had any issues with doing so. I played a ton of pool. If you're the type to bend the shaft against the table when you break, then yeah you might have issues at some point, but 'm pretty sure there are other areas of your game that you can work on before perfecting a stylized break like that. If you have a crappy joint then yeah you'll screw it all up by breaking with it too. If that's the case, then get a cue with a better joint.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

Cuetec cues are really smooth, reasonable and basically unbreakable...

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

Lol, Cuetec, well played sir.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

You dont like cuetec? I would play a Mcdermott too, I own one of thosse as well. I honestly like my Cuetec better though

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

Is there much of a difference between say a 300 cue stick and a 700 cue stick? It seems to me like the larger price increase is due to the craftmanship of how it looks and not the actual enhancement of it as far as playingwise.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

I'm also guessing that at top of the line cue sticks from what I see the 3 main brands are Viking, McDermott, and Predator.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

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I'm also guessing that at top of the line cue sticks from what I see the 3 main brands are Viking, McDermott, and Predator.

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Someone else can feel free to correct me, but if you're spending under a dime I don't think you can beat a predator shaft on a decent butt/joint. You're gonna have to go in to 4 figures for a good custom cue.

Also look at Joss and Meucci, unless things changed. That might put you over the grand, though. I don't follow these things like I used to.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

From what I've seen the only difference between a 200-300 dollar cue and a 700-900 cue is how pretty it is. Like others have said find a cue that feels good in your hand and when you stoke, and put a predator shaft on it. At your level that's really all you need. Most people never get to a level where they need a custom cue

Also for a breaker I've had good results just using a Sneaky Pete.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

As has been said, most of the cost of a cue is in the design and inlays, particularly the cost of exotic woods, ivory, and the detail of the inlays. Inlay pockets cu by hand (i.e. sharp points) are more cosly than a CNC cut pocket design. The benefit of a custom cue is freedom to have a one of a kind design, custom length, weight, butt thickness, and balance point.

As regards having a break cue - I break with a 16oz and play with an 18oz, the lighter mass means more acceleration and a harder break. Also, your break cue tip with mushroom more readily, but doesn't matter as much since you (should be) hitting the dead center of the tip every time. I may write more later.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

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You dont like cuetec? I would play a Mcdermott too, I own one of thosse as well. I honestly like my Cuetec better though

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Maybe cuetec has changed. Back 10 years ago it was basically a brand stamped on a crappy generic cue.

Re: Help buying a pool cue
 

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You're gonna have to go in to 4 figures for a good custom cue.

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This isn't true. You will have to go 4 figures for a custom cue made by a well known maker. If you play a lot and know people in the industry you can probably find a good cue maker that isn't famous and get one for under $1k.