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Pool cues (cue sticks, billiard cues. etc.), what makes them worth the money?What is the best pool cue for the money?For the 2nd question "the best pool cues for the money" is subjective based on each person. Some people a 1-piece cue is perfect for them, other people a fiberglass clad cue, and still for others a real Balabushka is the only thing that will do. We will give you some ideas of what you pay for when choosing a cue, what you get for your money and where you should put your money.Also read: Pool cue ResearchHow much should you pay at a minimum for a decent 2-piece cue - For 2024 we say at least $75. Continue reading why.
Also! Before going too far let me lead off with one comment...If you really want to know if a cue is right for you I suggest you buy and if you don't like it RETURN IT! Now on to the rest of the article!
Have you ever looked at an item and wondered if it is worth it? What makes the item worth the price listed and can you find it cheaper???
Give us a bit of your time and let us give you a run-down on pool cues, what they are made from, and what you are paying for, or should pay for, when you choose a pool cue to purchase.First let us say Walmart, Target, K-Mart, etc. sell the low end cues and low priced cues BUT the next time you are in one of these stores take a minute or two and look over their cues and use them as a low end baseline for comparison.Material, performance (comes from many variables), price, quality, design, reliability, technology will be discussed in this article but we need to start by talking about what pool cues are made of.
----------------------Base Material:When you look for a pool cue you will find 4 basic delineations of what they are mostly made of - Wood, graphite, fiberglass or metal.But, don't be confused by the first three, they are all made from wood. (most shafts are made of maple or for snooker cues - ash). As for Metal cues - well just don't go there, they stink.
The graphite and fiberglass cues are wood with a coating over the wood. This coating makes the cue a bit sturdier to abuse. But, if you hit it hard enough you will damage the cue.So if a graphite or fiberglass pool cue is a bit sturdier then why not buy one? Are there any downsides to them?For a lot of people fiberglass or graphite clad cues (like Cuetec/Scorpion) make a great decision as they can be relied on to be a little bit less likely to warp or get dinged up and some people, even though we do NOT recommend it, leave the fiberglass or graphite coated cues in their vehicles. A down side of clad cues is some people complain the cue gets sticky with play and they can tend to have a bit more deflection to them. Deflection of a cue and a shaft? What is Deflection? (just like deflection we are going off on a tangent here)We like to use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflection_(engineering) (opens in a new tab/window) as a resource and this part of the description: "the degree to which a structural element is displaced under a load".The pool cue, as it hits the cue ball, WILL deflect, or alter its trajectory; this will then push the cue ball in a different direction than possibly intended and affect the object ball. Ask yourself: The last time you missed the pocket by only a little bit... was it your aim, or the deflection caused by your cue???
Price of a pool cue is dependent on quite a few factors… including cost of materials, art, engineering, and reliability. You can go into Walmart, Target, Kmart, etc. and see some pool cues under $30 and think “Wow, those are a good price!”, you can purchase those and wouldn’t discourage you from purchasing them, but I hope by the end of this article you will see why cues are a "get what you pay for" item. I am not advocating you to avoid purchasing from one of those stores. If you decide that the pool cue is worth it to you, after reading this article, then buy the cue!
Let’s talk about why the price of pool cues starts to climb and what you get for your money.Pool cues can be found in a lot of stores from $20 up to thousands of dollars.What makes one pool cue worth $20 while another is worth thousands? Well, before we get into the thousand dollar cues let’s talk about pool cues for the majority of people; commercially available pool cues from $20 to $999.There are a lot of cue manufacturers from Action, Lucasi, CP cues, Schon, Viking, Joss, McDermott, Meucci, Predator, Mezz, etc. etc. etc. and in those lines you will see cues anywhere from $40 and up. Why are they already starting at $40 when Walmart has ones starting at $20?Quality of parts for certain!!! If you look at a $20 Walmart cue and a $40 Action cue you will almost immediately notice differences, and those difference matter.First look at how cheap the design looks on the Walmart cue, next notice the differences in the wrap, joint, pool cue shaft, ferrule, tip and how everything lines up. Right near the TOP OF THE LIST of what you need to look at is quality of parts and construction!
We can almost guarantee the wrap will not be Irish linen, the joint will look cheap (and it will be), the tip will be low quality, the ferrule will be low quality and the shaft will not have been aged for very long. Plus the joint will probably not line up very well.
Next look at how things line up... Look from the tip down to the ferrule, to the joint on the shaft, the joint itself, then continue looking down to the wrap and the butt section. Is there a gap anywhere? Everywhere? Is it all lined up or crooked? We look at those cues and cringe.Let’s go down the parts that make up a cue and touch on what you should pay attention to: #1 most important: Wood.We have had some cues for 30+ YEARS. In that time we have seen a lot of cues and some surprising things.- Two of the custom cues had a lot of movement of the wood while the plastic or hard materials didn't move. - We also have some CHEAP pool cues that have stayed 100% intact. - Some of the technologically advanced cues had issues.Why? Is it luck? Nope, quality of wood, selection of the wood, treatment of the wood PLUS how it is cared for. When it comes to woods there is a science behind picking the wood and the time it takes to watch the wood and see if it starts to bend (warp). If you go to a reputable factory, custom cue maker's shop or even a cabinet maker's work area I would bet you they have woods aging and being prepared to use. You do not cut a tree and immediately start building something with it. Aging the wood is 100% on the manufacturer/cue maker. (A bit more on wood just below)The tip: PLEASE, PLEASE do not buy a cue that has a screw on tip unless it is just for banging around. If you buy a cue with a screw-on tip it will most likely be a tip that doesn’t hold chalk for long or is too hard to shape. But here is another problem - if you have a screw on tip you can't put a regular tip on your cue. We do sell replacement screw-on tips if needed though. Now if you took our advice and NOT purchase a cue with a screw on tip, you can change it to a good leather tip without much problem. If you purchase a low cost cue with a regular tip that tip will be of low cost too... expect to spend a bit to buy a good tip and maybe a bit more to pay someone to put it on, you just raised the price of that cue that you "paid a low price for". -- We recommend LePro tips for a relative low cost tip, or for a layered tip, we love Talisman tips as a Talisman tip has been on our most played cue for many many years without issue and they hold chalk well too.
The ferrule: If the ferrule is of low quality it is prone to cracking and if it cracks you might be in danger of the wood underneath cracking too. If you break with a cheap cue you run more of a risk of the ferrule breaking. Quality ferrule will add more expense but you can use your cue with less fear of causing damage... so you begin to see why spending a bit more is worth it and getting into "you get what you pay for".The cue shaft: Wood breathes. If you take a live tree and cut it down, as it dries out it will change shape… Go to your favorite hardware store and take a look at their cut lumber. How much of it is 100% straight? Do you think they cut it at a curve? How would you like trying to play with one of those pieces of lumber? Is your game going to be up to your talents?Do shafts warp? Do cues warp?Yes!!! But a lot less likely if aged properly by the cue maker. There are also chemicals you can use to seal the cells in the wood which also helps prevent warping but the chemicals add to the cost too.Why does wood warp?If it has not been aged very well and was cut into the finished product before it was finished aging it is more likely to warp. The longer you age cut wood before making it into a finished product, the less prone the wood will be to bending when complete. But the longer you age the wood the more cost the companies incur. The better cue makers age their wood, cut, age, cut, etc. This makes the shaft (and other parts of the cue) much less prone to warp and this will also add an expense by the cue maker who most likely will pass this cost on to the customer.NOTE: YOU MUST take care of your cue after it has been purchased or you risk it warping no matter how well it was aged or taken care of by the manufacturer, and/or if they added a wood stabilizer. This is an important part for you to do, if you do not, the damage is on you. Further down in this article will be our recommendations.
The Joint: Please take a look at a Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc. pool cue and look at the joint. It WILL look cheap and you can count on it being cheap. On some of the low end cues, the joint would be so cheap you might have a tough time keeping the cue together; not good!The wrap: Most cheap cues use nylon wrap. Nylon is not very absorbent and will not last for long. The preferred material for a cloth wrap is Irish linen which is a very durable material and absorbs sweat. Some of the higher end cues get leather, and treated right, the leather wrap will keep your cue looking good for a very long time!So far I hope you can see how the cost is reflected in quality parts and time to make the cue right, and a low cost cue is made of low quality parts and made quickly, not taking the time to age the wood, just get them out the door.Don't just take our word for this; please take a look at pool cues in Walmart or the like. Please. This will give you a great idea how all cheap parts look when put together. These cues are around $20 - $40 and have that level of quality.As you step up to the next level of cues, you add quality parts, and therefore cost.Take a $20 priced cue and lets add some quality....- Add in good quality maple wood + $20;- Add a good joint + $20;- Add a good ferrule and tip add another $15+.
Cue $20Wood $20 (or more!)Joint $20Ferrule $15----------------Total $75
So there you have it... you have a cue that costs $75, with so much better quality parts and you will be thankful. Our advice is to go and look at the Walmart cues in the $20 to $40 range and then order one of our cues at $75 and compare. We have a 60 day return policy so feel confident making that purchase!So far, we have not even gone above the $100.00 level, and have not talked about the design too much either. As far as we are concerned, $75 would be a good starting point for a basic cue but at www.cuesplus.com we always provide discounts so the $75 cue will actually more likely cost you $68 or less. It may take a while to get that amount to sink in but take a look at any other entertainment item and you will see good comes at a cost. An average-low end bowling ball is at least this amount, some golf clubs are this price for each club, same for fishing rods, etc. We could go on but you can use your favorite search engine to see this is the beginning range for most of these products. Let us dive into a pool cue in the $100 to $200 range. <-Click to see some of these.
This is where you will find cues that will have better aged wood, better quality wood, more expensive woods (maybe some exotic woods thrown in the mix), better quality tip and ferrule, better joint, have better artwork and quality construction! This is really where the sweet spot of a cue is. You can even get some of the "Made in the USA" cues in this range. You will have better quality wood.You will have a lot less concern with the shaft warping.You will have a lot less concern with the ferrule cracking.You will get a better design that will look good and be made with real wood - not a sticker decal.And you will have a lot less concern with having to spend more money to replace a junky tip.
If you look close on the butt section of the Walmart pool cue you will see it is a coated transfer - meaning a decal images glued on the cue and coated. This is a fast and CHEAP way of getting a cue that is more than just a bare wood cue (and it helps cover imperfections in the wood). A cue that has quality wood with real wood inlays takes more work and will reflected in the price but they also look SO MUCH better and you don’t get as many imperfections in the wood because they can’t just cover it up with a decal.Equipment: It costs money to buy, operate and maintain. These are ongoing costs that will add to the price too. Now let’s talk about technology and how it adds to the price of the pool cue. Remember deflection? Cue manufactures are spending money trying to come up with a low deflection cue using different tapers, pie design shafts, different core materials, different ferrule materials, tips, etc. etc. etc. The bottom line is you will pay for the development cost in the cost of these cues but you will also reap the benefits from these advancements. Most of the developments in deflection are in the shaft so you will be looking at a higher priced cue if you look at purchasing a cue with an 'advanced' shaft. Advanced shafts usually makes the basic pool cue price raise into the $350 and up price points, even without a nice design and some manufacturers cut corners to give you the advanced shaft but little else high end on the cue. If you add in inlaid wood points and designs with a advanced shaft the prices raise quickly. So for a mid-range cue WITHOUT a shaft that claims "low deflection" you are looking at $250 and up, THEN add a low deflection shaft you'll add $150+ (minimum) on top of that. Plus if you want a nice design, the price again goes up. A simple design added to the quality parts and low deflection shaft cost $400 and up. So here we are, $400 or above, and you have a cue with some bells and whistles, now let’s talk about cues in the next range: Above $900 and custom cues. What do you get? Quality wood, Quality parts, Quality artwork, technology, skill and artisanship! And let us not forget reputation. A true Balabushka pool cue in today’s standards may seem a bit crude but Balabushka was a legend and you will pay for a legend if you want an original Balabuska cue. PLUS you are paying for something that isn't made anymore. *Original Balabushkas are no longer being made but the name does live on with the Balabushka "tribute", or signature, line of production cues.
Custom Cues
A lot of custom cues we carry are built with the best parts, skill and are very artistic - they will last you a lifetime and be works of art you can be proud of. You are paying for the skill of the cue maker, not the skill of a machine. You are getting the best parts and a skilled artist putting them together and let’s face it - Some of the cue makers are already legendary, and for good reason.
There are also “custom fit” cues. Custom cues and custom fit cues are two different animals. Custom fit cues are rare to get and you would need to contact a custom cue maker and work with them. Some of the custom cue makers will work with you to “custom fit” a cue. They will measure you and build a cue to you, and also will work with you for shaft tapers, dimensions, specific weights, balance, and custom inlays. If you get to this level you are going to pay a lot of money and will mostly already know what you want in a cue. I would suspect unless you have a up-and-coming custom cue maker doing this work for you, you are going to pay a minimum of $1000.00 for a custom built cue and I would say that is very low. One more part to think about; the wood the cue is made from - Some woods can be $10,000 per Kilogram!!! (about 2.2 pounds) So you want a cue made from exotic or rare wood? You will have to pay for the cost of the wood then all the rest of what was discussed above.
So there you have a basic run-down of why pool cues go up in price as you add in quality materials, quality construction, artistry, skill and technology and what you get for your money. We could have gone into many more details and specifics but this article would be twice as long! I hope we have given you some insight on what range of pool cue you should look at and what you should expect for the prices. We truly believe that a good cue for a lot of folks are in the Action, Griffin, CP cues, McDermott, Joss, etc. cue lines. Three of our favorite production cue lines are McDermott, CP cues and Action. One of our favorite custom cues is an AE custom cue (no longer made) or Southwest but we like quite a few pool cues and use most of the ones we own. Lastly, can you get Cheap Pool cues? Or a cue for a cheap/discount price? Remember the age old adage: You get what you pay for. But we try and help by giving discounts and hope you will look around the $75 to $120 range for your average everyday player cue. When you want to step up to the higher ranges we carry those too. Also if you are just wanting some "bang around" cues we do carry those too! If you are looking for a new pool cue, with quality, you will need to pay more than $20 but you do not need to pay thousands. Most pool cue makers limit the discount that can be advertised for their products so you will see a general price range for almost all cues and they will usually only go below that set price when they are damaged or clearance for some reason.
Taking care of your cue:#1 Most important - Put it in a pool cue case when it is traveling or not being used! And guess what?!?!? We give away a free case with the majority of pool cues we sell for that exact reason! We have seen a lot of people carry their new cue without a case and it always seems to get messed up. Either by rolling around in the car, when they get out of their car with the cue, or going into a building to play. Also we have seen so many times where people lean their cue on a table and it gets knocked over or it falls. That can damage your cue pretty quickly when it falls from that distance. If nothing else use a cue holder that makes it a little harder for the cue to slide.#2 Limit Humidity changes. If you put the cue in your shower room/bathroom it will destroy the cue. Now very few people would actually do that but if the cue is left out and you have a different season where you live the cue will feel the humidity changes and you run the risk of it warping. The same hold true for cheaper cues. Why? They are usually not aged for long enough and if you then put them in a dry climate the water in the wood will seep out and the cue will shrink. #3 Anger. Yup. Seems silly a billiard store would be concerned about anger. Shoot if you get angry and hit your cue on the table or throw it we might be able to be the lucky store to sell you another cue! But please be nice to your investment. #4 SANDING your cue!!!! Stop that! What you want to do is burnish your cue shaft NOT sand but if you wish to try the hardware store route do NOT go above 220 grit in coarseness! What that means, to be clear, 220 is more fine (or less course) than 100. Further if you use 100 on your cue shaft you will screw it up and screw it up QUICKLY!!! We actually sell this product that is 2400 grit. Quite a bit different from what you will find at the hardware store and much safer. Make sure you clean your cue shaft then burnish your cue shaft. But burnishers also act like sanding so be careful there too. If you wish you can also try some of the sealers also.
If you wish to have more information, have a question, or just want to say hi, please feel free to email us by clicking here.
Thank you,
Cues Plus www.cuesplus.com
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