First Cue Brunswick 521 With Linen Wrap

3/24/2015 9:45:29 AM

First Cue Brunswick 521 With Linen Wrap

Hey everyone,

To start I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Matt and I am an advanced-beginner pool player (best way I can describe my abilities). I bought my first cue on Saturday for $30 at Wal-mart. I promptly sold said cue (lol) after a few games to a friend and decided if I want to improve my game I need to invest some money in my hobby. I purchased a Brunswick 521 with linen wrap from a not so local billiards store (closest one i could find) for a little more than sticker price on the internet. Internet it goes for $170 plus tax and shipping and i paid $250 tax in. I figure being able to see the cue and check if its warped before i buy it is worth the extra money on a big investment like that.

My questions are;

What are your thoughts on this cue?
Should I invest in some new cue tips/ferrules?
Should I remove the lacquer where my guide hand is? (someone mentioned this to me and I am very skeptical as to whether or not it will help or if there are alternatives that don't involve maiming my cue)
What is the best kind of case to protect my cue?
What sort of maintenance should I do to the cue?
Should i buy anything for my cue locker at the Legion to keep it from warping from the humidity changes? (Legion clubroom is in the basement at this location)
Would anyone perhaps live in Brampton, Ontario, and would like to help me to improve?

Thank you all very much in advance for your recommendations.

carbs454

First Cue Brunswick 521 With Linen Wrap

Replies & Comments

Zeke on 3/24/2015 4:20:30 PM
Matt, the price of a cue stick is irrelevant. The difference between a 30 dollar Wal-Mart stick and a $500 Meucci (or any other quality stick maker) is 90% between your ears and 10% actual difference.

I've seen guys using a house stick with half a bag on, beat good players with expensive sticks far too many times to think anything other than it's the player, not the stick.

If your confidence is based on the make, price and appearance of your cue, all is not lost - but a lot is.

Go to a billiard supply store. Don't look at any prices. Just grab a stick and try a few strokes on real balls on a real table. Based purely on "feel" - which one feels best?

As long as the stick is straight, has a decent tip with the proper shape and it feels good in your hand, buy it!

carbs454 on 3/24/2015 5:57:47 PM
Thank you, but i wish to clarify, this cue was not bought for price rather feel. The other cues in the store did not work well for me (and i looked at more expensive ones as well) I purchased it for 3 reasons, feel, apperance (silly i know but still slightly important to me) and the linen wrap. i prefer the linen wrap as i like how it feels in my hand as i cradle the cue. i did not like the walmart stick however as it just felt awkward in my hand, and for some reason (probably cuz it was a "hybrid" but i dont really know) it vibrated a bit in my hand.

Zeke on 3/25/2015 5:52:00 AM
So you initially bought it for its feel - then it lost its feel?

How did that happen?

carbs454 on 3/25/2015 6:34:23 AM
No. The cue at wal-mart i just grabbed, said it looked cool, it wasnt warped and it was cheap so why not. When i played with it i did not like the feel. Previous to that i did not even have the cue out of the shrink wrap plastic

Zeke on 3/25/2015 6:44:47 PM
Gotcha. I understand now.

I suppose it's possible to buy a stick "on-line" but, without "feeling it" in the sense we all share, that "feel" - comes from between one's ears too. Golf confirms all this stuff. ;)

carbs454 on 3/26/2015 8:04:54 PM
Played with the cue today for the first time. put a lot more spin on the ball than im used to, but by the end of the 2 hour session i got the hand of it. quite like it acctually.

First Cue Brunswick 521 With Linen Wrap

Title: First Cue Brunswick 521 With Linen Wrap
Author: carbs454 (Matthew Carbone)
Published: 3/24/2015 9:45:29 AM