Expensive Pool Cues Just Paying for Flashy Design

12/18/2009 12:01:55 AM

I am just looking through the Viking cue catalog again and noticed that most of the cues have the same specs.

To a novice pool player like myself it seems that the more expensive cues just have a more flashier design.

Am I totally wrong or is there much diferance?

I feel like I am fumbling in the dark here so any help to this or the previous post will be very welcomed.

quickshot on 12/18/2009 8:30:47 AM
No you are not wrong. All the intricate finish will dictate a prize range. Viking is a pretty good cue stick for the money. If you buy on the internet most places have a return policy I believe you can live with. You have to read the fine print.

You have Billiard Warehouse, Ozone billiards, Seybert's and a host of others that will throw in a free case with the purchase. There is also Cheapcues. com in Oregon. I have dealth with all for one reason or another. And the norm is fast becoming a 13mm tip. As you shop around you will noticed that there is not that much difference in price no matter where you go.

Mitch Alsup on 12/18/2009 6:07:28 PM
What you need to understand about cues: 80% of the feel is in the tip. 15% of the feel is in the shaft 5% is in the joint and butt

So the difference between a (say) $100 cue with a good shaft and a $1000 cue with the same shaft is that $950 was spend in wood working wiith mills and lathes. It is likely that both would play "indistinquishly different" if they were weighted and balanced the same.

Fenwick on 12/18/2009 8:32:06 PM
I like the feel and balance of a Viking cue. Inlays and ring work does spice it up but does not make a cue play better. My player is a very plain looking cue. I'd spend the extra money on a Predator 314-2 Shaft with matching ring work on what ever brand cue you decide on. I'd also consider a extra shaft. It's nice to have a back up shaft if you ever pop off a tip.