| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
MNGopher
USA
54 Posts |
 Posted - 02/09/2007 : 3:01:10 PM
|
It's time to finally buy a cue made for the long haul as opposed to the off the rack cues I've previously purchased from Big 5. I know, I know....BIG 5!
After extensive research, I am split between a lower end Viking $$160) or the extreme lower end of Joss ($220+). Other than expensive inlays and "cool" paint jobs, what is the difference in a $160 Viking & a $220 Viking?
Any feedback about the sticks from current owners would be great.
|
Edited by - MNGopher on 02/09/2007 3:04:26 PM |
|
|
trhxke
USA
142 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2007 : 3:18:55 PM
|
I have a Viking VX10 which is no longer available new, but I really like it. My wife bought it for me as a father's day present and I have been playing with for about 4 years now. I used to play with a Meucci but never really liked the feel of the VERY flexible shaft. The Vikings have a more firm and rigid feel whick I prefer.
My wife has a Viking K5 (the Dragon), I have played with it and it plays exactly the same as my VX10.
I am not familiar with the Joss cues.
As for your question regarding the difference in cost of the Vikings....I believe it is MOSTLY the designs of the butt that make the cost dramatically different. They use the same shaft and the feel of the hit is VERY similar if not exactly the same.
Those designs can get very intricate and that will increase the difficulty of making the cue which raises the labor cost and directly affects the cost of the cue. The more plain the cue the more resonable the cost.
Tom Hardinger
www.BigRigToys.com
Your Internet Source for pool cues, darts and various colletibles. |
 |
|
|
Torsten
USA
401 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2007 : 4:09:55 PM
|
The best thing I can tell you is to go to a store that lets you "kick the tires" so to speak. You never know, you might love the feel of a 70-dollar Sneaky Pete over a 800 dollar Mizerak. Not extremely likely but still. I quite enjoy the play of my visibly warped Scorpion. The parabolic state of it's shaft coupled with my complete inability to hit a ball straight have cancelled out many of the most greivous flaws in my game. Before "Bent Betty" as I affectionately call my cue, I played with an old piece of crap stick I traded some baseball cards for. The $200 bucks my buddy and his girlfriend spent on a high-end (for me, 200 bux is pretty high end) cue for me as a college graduation gift 5 years ago was much appreciated but helped my game only nominally if at all. Then my douchebag buddy "borrowed" it but left it in a bar, never to be seen again... but that's an entirely different story in and of itself.
"The downside of being better than everyone is that people tend to assume you're pretentious." |
|
|
|
frananator
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2007 : 12:34:22 PM
|
I think you will first need to evaluate how serious you are about pool. If you are just playing socially for fun then pick your price range and buy what visually appeals to you and feels OK in your hands. Another source is to check out used cues - many players sell their first cues once their game has advanced.
If you want to develop your full potential then I think the most important consideration is "quality". Look around your area at the higher skilled players and you won't find many of them playing with a $200 cue! A well taken care of quality cue will last you a lifetime and is worth the initial investment. I don't know your skill level, but your game should be sufficiently advanced to the point where you will recognize the difference in the "feel" of different cues before you can decide what works best for you (weight, MM size of the shaft, hard hit,soft hit, etc). The first cue I bought (1988) was a $250 Adams which I thought was very inexpensive but served the purpose of giving me the "same feel" every time I played so I could concentrate more on learning than dealing with a "house" cue. I quickly outgrew it & was in the market for a "good" cue. It is my "break" cue now so I have certainly gotten my money's worth.
Joss - a total stroke of luck presented itself to me in 1989 when I was able to purchase a 1968 Joss. A "tournament buddy" who bought & sold used cues (some old & some not so old)as a hobby was moving to Nevada and wanted to sell his last dozen or so cues before moving. The minute he opened his display case I went immediately to it before I even knew what it was & as soon as I picked it up and shot with it I knew it had to be mine. It felt immediately comfortable with no "adjustment time" needed. He knew that it was going to a "good home" & knew it would be appreciated & well taken care of so he sold it to me for the unheard of price of only $350!!! I still play with it 6 days a week even though I have other cues (I have an old Rambow also but that is another story)
I personally prefer the old cues because I like the way they were balanced in the "old days" and the inlay work was more sutle.
Ask your fellow APA members if they would let you shoot a couple balls with their cue and that way you can "try out" many different ones. Please don't be offended if some people with higher end cues refuse your request - I can count on "zero" fingers how many people I will let shoot with either my Joss or my Rambow as they are irreplaceable.
Whatever you end up with, you should keep it in a "hard" case and don't "leave it in the trunk of you car" - it gets really hot in there!!!
Fran
The Library
San Diego |
|
|
|
Phil
USA
829 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2007 : 1:52:36 PM
|
A big part of cue selection comes from personal preference. With mid-level production cues (Viking, McDermott, Joss, Meucci, etc.), it's a matter of feel. Some brands feel soft while others feel stiff, and it all depends on what you like.
Meucci tends to give the "softest" hit (like the cue ball isn't there), but historically that's because their shafts are very flexible, as Tom mentioned. They feel great but produce inconsistent results. In recent years they claim to have fixed that problem with their "black dot" shafts. I don't know if that is true, since I've neve played with the new shaft.
Viking and McDermott have a similar hit and feel. I have always liked the way the McDermotts feel, but have never played regularly with one. Same goes for Viking. The cue I prefer is Joss. The hit is still softer than many, but for some reason Joss cues have always felt more balanced in my hand. Everything else (and I mean everything) feels too heavy in the butt end.
Don't confuse the stiffness of a cue's feel with the hardness or softness of the tip. You can put a soft tip on a stiff cue and it will still feel stiff. The stiffness of the hit often comes from the type of joint. Metal on metal tends to be the stiffest, while wood on wood tends to be the softest (you don't find many wood on wood joints in new cues these days, as that presents other problems over time). Obviously, metal on wood is somewhere in between.
IMO, a good value for the dollar is 5280. They've only been around for a few years so they have no track record, but they seem to be good solid cues with enough decoration to look good. I buy them for raffles, and usually I try out the cues I raffle (without chalk). Last year I liked one of the 5280's so much I kept it. It's now my second favorite cue. It retails for $240, but really looks good too.
With all of the mid-level production cues, once you go beyond $200-$300, you're paying for decoration and maybe an extra shaft. Similarly, custom cues are for collectors and those who have taken their game to a very high level. If a custom cue improves your game significantly over a decent production cue, you'll be looking for 1's and 2's to help your team meet the 23 rule.
Like others have said, hit some different cues and figure out what you like before buying anything.
Phil
|
|
|
|
MNGopher
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2007 : 5:54:15 PM
|
Thank you all! Very informative, I am planning a visit to one of the local sellers to "test drive" next weekend & have settled on a seller up in Oregon. I'm leaning toward an 80 series Viking, so we'll see how it feels.
For the record - SL 4, 8-ball only, 2nd season of APA. So it is mainly a recreational thing for me right now, but so is golf & that didn't stop me from over-spending on putter! 
Unfortunately, I will not have a post under the rules section this week as nothing happened this week to warrant a question. 
Taz your answer on the teetering 8-ball after the break was definitely needed 2 weeks ago (weds night 8-ball), it fell in on it's own right after our opponent called to check & neither team had the right answer - so thank you. We finally learned to call when we couldn't find the answer in the book right away. Your answer kept the match a movin' on an otherwise slooooow night of 8-ball.
To continue my cap't bashing and embarassment, my brilliant captain did leave his stick at Studio Suites (?) 2 weeks ago - never to be seen again. Sorry Jim, you know how many times I left my case at the old Razzberriez only to find it behind the bar on my next visit!
|
Edited by - MNGopher on 02/15/2007 6:01:34 PM |
|
|
|
MNGopher
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2007 : 5:57:07 PM
|
The winner is...Lucasi
Best feel and look of the tryout I had w/ McDermott, Viking & Lucasi.
Thanks all.
"I want large bread" Nigel Tufnel |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
New Cue Purchase Advice
