What Brand of Pool Cue Do You Play With?

11/26/2006 10:45:40 AM

What Brand of Pool Cue Do You Play With?

What kind of billiard cue do you play with?

What brand of jumpbreak cue do you use?

What is the favorite pool cue you have ever owned?

I shoot with a Viking cue for my main stick with an OB-1 Shaft. I have a Fury jump/break cue as my break cue.

Denismh

What Brand of Pool Cue Do You Play With?

Replies & Comments

George on 11/26/2006 12:06:02 PM
Playing Cue: Viking cue

Break Cue: X-Breaker cue

kurtain on 11/26/2006 11:12:01 PM
I use an old Meucci (97-15) cue to play with and a Predator Sneaky Pete to break with. They have not let me down yet so why mess with a good thing.

cfryer5 on 11/27/2006 7:15:46 AM
I play with a McDermott Pulse cue with an I2 shaft and I love it.

Shorty on 11/27/2006 9:03:06 PM
My playing cue is a Schon LTD 642 cue with a Petree custom shaft, a 1.25 ivory ferrule, a black lizard wrap by Mike Webb and custom extensions by CueCrazy.

I break with a Colt 18 ounce breaker cue, 13.5mm, black leather wrap by Mike Webb, with a hard leather tip.

GlamourDave on 11/29/2006 3:20:42 AM
I currently play with a Phillipi custom cue that is a 18.7 oz. It is my principal playing cue for 8 & 9 ball playing.

I also play with an ivory jointed Coker custom cue. It is very loaded up with inlays in comparison to most Coker cues. It is 19.3 oz and I use it for playing straight pool and one-pocket.

I have a Schon SP #15 cue that I have had for 23 years. I switch between it and a Bob Runde custom cue that is extremely loaded with inlays as my backup cue in my playing case.

djkx1 on 11/29/2006 9:44:22 AM
Playing cue: Right now I have a 314 shaft on a Players cue, but Brent (BHQ) is making me 2 butts to match the 314. Both are wrapless, BEM forearm and butt, with the handle being made with cocobola wood on one and bacote wood on the other. I can't wait.

Breaker: I also have a home-made jump cue, and just got rid of my J&J J/B cue.

But, every time I see a nice cue though, I start thinking about trading, selling, buying. I think I may have the early symptoms of cue collector disease.

I also would love to get into making cues, but either way I'm going to need to be patient. My wife and I are expecting in June and it may be a while before I can afford more cues or equipment. At least I have a couple of nice cues to get me through until then.

jgpool on 12/2/2006 7:22:10 PM
Below is basically my lifetime of pool cues and they were all used by me for many years. 1. McDermott D-Line Series D52. David Howard by Meucci DH-33. JOSS West #17 that Bill Stroud made this for me 1983-84 (I still have the original brochure)4. JOSS Limited5. Viking Z906. Schmelke A40 that I bought in Colorado Springs, CO mid 1970's7. Schmelke A40 given to me in the 1980's The last two cues (6 & 7) are Schmelke cues. They are quite similar and the shafts are interchangeable. I just had them refinished by Schmelke.

zcat27 on 12/3/2006 11:58:29 PM
I have four pool cues that I move between.
- Mike Capone Hoppe Style
- Skip Weston, Hoppe Style
- Chad McLennon (CAM Cue) Plain Jane BEM
- Paul Dayton, Ebony w/6 Bloodwood Points
I absolutely love all four of them!

StormHotRod300 on 12/4/2006 2:26:16 AM
Well hopefully by Monday, December 4 2006, I will be using my new BHQ cue. I bought "The Beast" from Brent.

I've been using a Zim cue (Micheal Zimmerman) which, I've been using since about May 2006. I like the cue, but just something about it, makes me like 50/50 about it.

I have a SP that Zim also did up for me, and I like that cue A LOT better. For some reason the shaft on the SP cue has a stiffer hit. So, I've been using the SP cue for a while now, kinda giving both cues some love.

As for my breaker, i just have a Action SP cue with a phenolic ferrule/tip on it.

But I am really excited about getting the new cue from Brent, its ALOT heavier 22.25oz, but I love using a heavier pool cue.

easymoney on 12/4/2006 12:32:37 PM
For playing one-pocket, I use a Kikel cue or an Olney cue.

For 8 ball I use either a Coker cue or a Joss cue.

I also like cues by Scruggs and Shurtz.

As for my favorite cue of all time? Well, my favorite cue keeps changing.

For years it was a Meucci original cue. 6 months ago I would have said Dave Kikel cues. Then I decided I liked cues by Jeff Olney better. Lately I've been getting hammered shooting with the Olney cue so I've switched to\ my Tim Scruggs cue for now. The bottom line is that no stick is going to help me.

Sweet Marissa on 12/4/2006 11:04:30 PM
My playing cue is a Jacoby custom cue that I designed.

The forearm is cinnamon-tinted birds-eye maple with five ebony spliced points with veneers. At the base of each point are white holly french diamonds with baby pink mother of pearl in the center.

The butt is ebony with five matching french diamonds as in the forearm.

The wrap is all black Irish linen, and the joint is stainless steel with dual silver rings at the joint, wrap, and butt.

I break with a Rick Howard Mace or Predator BK2 cue.

toni4ball on 12/6/2006 6:02:48 PM
I love my Jacoby cue! I custom designed my Jacoby cue about 4 or 5 years ago, and I love it!

It was hard to get used to, after playing with a Joss Hustler for 10 years.

I didn't like the wrap, taper of the shaft, or weight right away, but after having the shaft tapered and removing the weight bolt, it's wonderful.

I still keep my Joss cue and use it as a break cue, and when I'm feeling like I can't make a ball I use it to shoot - kind of like a safety blanket.

One Pocket Smitty on 12/6/2006 9:21:57 PM
I play with a 19.5 oz. Jerry Olivier ebony with 4 Ivory points and a Lizard wrap.

I also have a Schon cue with 4 floating Ivory diamonds that hits very well.

I break with a Olivier Jump/ Break.

ChrisOnline on 12/9/2006 1:23:31 AM
I have a bunch of cues that I like to play with from time to time and I love them all!

Here are a couple of my cues. I got some new ones so the picture is not updated. Some have been sold and some of the newer ones I got, I just haven't taken pics of yet.

acedotcom on 12/12/2006 8:31:54 PM
In pool rooms, I play with a Scorpion Sneaky Pete.

I break with a Palmer cue I bought back in the 70's used. I recently had it refinished by Proficient Billiards for about $160 and tried to auction it off on eBay but no one hit the reserve. So, I decided to keep it and use it to break with. With the original bolt it weighs about 20.5 ounces.

For playing in bars, I have an old, $50 Players cue with a pressed Elk Master tip. I don't really care if it gets dinged and it allows me to draw the heavy cue ball. I don't like to expose my better cues to all the metal on the bar boxes.

The only stick I have a picture of is the Palmer cue. It weighs about 20.5 oz. I use it as my break cue.

JSGGEMS on 12/29/2006 5:55:30 PM
I have 17 cues in my collection, Cognoscenti, Schick, Scruggs, Bender etc. but I typically go between 4 cues:
- Pat Diveney
- Cognoscenti
- Bender
- Schick
These are all my best playing cues.

The cue that I play with the most is my Custom Diveney butterfly cue with a solid Ivory joint, G-10 pin, Ivory ferrules, and Lake Salvage Shafts. It is a great playing cue.

My favorite cue? I always go back to my Diveney custom butterfly cue w/ 3/8-10 G-10 pin, also w/Lake Salvage Shafts, Ivory ferrules, W/Moori Q tips. It's the best playing cue that I own. My 2nd choice would be my BlueGrass.

219Dave on 1/11/2007 10:45:39 PM
I have a Viking F98 with a natural stain and a black wrap that I play with most of the time. I'm thinking of getting a 314-second generation shaft for it.

I also have a cocobolo Schmelke sp cue that plays pretty well for what it cost.

I am looking to get a reasonably priced jumpbreak cue soon, and I am still saving for my first custom pool cue. My wife's still pissed about how much I just spent on our new Olhausen table in the basement!

BVal on 1/12/2007 11:15:13 AM
Playing cue: A Predator 4K1 Z Shaft-2 Sniper tip 18.5 oz.

Break cue: Soon to be Petree Custom with a white diamond tip. 18 oz. He is building it to look exactly like my playing cue (they will be different as far as shaft diameter, bolt, tip and taper but it will basically look like my 4K1)

Jump cue: Stealth AT-1 cue with a white diamond tip 9 oz.

havoc on 2/19/2007 11:35:30 PM
I use a Lucasi LE-27 cue with a sniper tip.

I am still looking for an inexpensive but good break cue.

Hustl3r on 2/23/2007 3:22:37 PM
Waiting for my Gracie cue to get here and when it does, I plan on switching to that as my primary playing cue.

Bishop on 3/30/2007 9:27:13 AM
I would love to get my hands on a Palmer cue.

Bishop on 3/30/2007 9:27:13 AM
I got two Wayne Holmes cues both pictured in another thread. I have one on the way and a couple of decent McDermott cues for the kids to bang around with.

The shortlist of cues I want includes a Sugartree cue, a Scruggs cue, a BHQ custom cue, a Hightower cue, a Madden cue, and a Varney J/B cue.

I don't necessarily have a favorite pool cue of all of the cues I have ever owned, but no matter what I play with I always go back to my 8 point Wayne Holmes cue. That pool cue just feels like its part of my hands.

shark3149 on 4/1/2007 4:08:37 PM
I am playing with an older Joss cue at this time but am getting a BHQ in the next week.

I then will be playing with that. I think it is time for a change.

I also have a Southwest cue that I play with. I am just scared to ding it or have some thing happen to it so I don't play with it to much.

I have played with my Joss cue for 10 or so years and am just looking for some thing else. Now I have found a new cue to play with for 10 years.

I also have a Blackcreek cue, a Shanon cue, an Uncle Larry cue, a DG cue, and some others.

I will now start to collect and play with BHQ cues. I am picking this one up and having him make me a matched set e.g. a player cue and a jump break cue.

My favorite cue of all time? I had an old Joss S/P that I loved. It was all beat up when I got it but I loved that cue. I do not believe there will be another cue with which I will play as good as I played with that Joss cue. The cue was stolen from me a few years back when I was on a road trip. I hope some one took it from them the same way they took it from me. The cue wan nothing special but I put a yellow macarta ferule on it and had it cut to make a jump section in it. Man did that cue play good.

However, I may have a new favorite now. I told every one that I was going to BHQ to get my new cue. I knew his cues played well but didn't expect them to play as good as they do.

The cue I got feels so good in my hands. The first ball I hit I new this was not just any other cue but some thing special. You can do any thing with this cue and know exactly what to expect in return. The thing is every cue Brent let me play with hit as good as the one before. That just tells you he knows what he is doing. Well it is going to be hard to pick one of his cues to play with all the time as he is making me 2 more cues. Wow I can't wait.

BHQ on 4/1/2007 10:45:55 PM
Nate, you are to kind buddy. Thanks so much and it was a real pleasure having your company. We had some fun too didn't we? My head still hurts a little, but I take full credit/blame for that. I haven't been out much and, man, it was good to get out and shoot.

Wanna see you what your cues are gonna look like? I'll get the hang of this design program down eventually, but for now, these are good enough to see beforehand:

Kingwood & tulipwood cue design:

shark3149 on 4/2/2007 6:55:10 AM
Thanks Brent. We sure did have some fun. I told my buddies that it was worth the trip just for all the fun I had. I didn't get you that drunk did I? Well you better get some rest I will be back in a few weeks. Even though I played badly, I had a blast. You know playing pool is so much more fun when you get to hang out with good people.

I am just being honest about the way I feel your cues play, that's all. I know every one that is serious about pool knows how hard it is to find that perfect cue for them. Well I have found it. The 2 new cues look great. When I come back down in a few weeks we can talk about all the details on the other cues.

A-Train on 4/2/2007 7:41:04 PM
I use a Schon cue and I accept no less.

I actually have two Schon butts that I couple with a Predator Z shaft. I love how that thing hits. the Predator Z shafts I believe take 11.75 mm tips. I love having the smaller tip. I feel like I have a little more precision with my english. Plus, the decrease of deflection (or lack thereof ) is really nice as well.

A Schon cue is likely all I will ever play with. I've owned almost every major brand of pool cue from Dufferin to Meucci to Viking to McDermott to Lucasi and even custom cues such as Southwest. For my personal taste, the best cue money can buy is a Schon pool cue paired with a Predator Z shaft. I had a local ex pro hit with it and he said it was "one of the top 5 best feeling cues he's ever had the pleasure of wrapping my grubby paws on."

SPINDOKTOR on 4/13/2007 10:13:51 PM
I've owned a bunch of pool cues over the years.

I'd have to say Joss. With so many new options available from Joss they can make a good cue even better.

My new Joss is the 07-21 with a Morri Soft tip and a 13mm shaft. Im also going to try a OB-1 shaft, and it will POSSIBLY become my new favorite cue. LOL.

I was a Fan of Meucci cues at one time as well. I also like a Ray Schuler cue with the Standard Pro Taper shaft. Mine has the long ferrule and is right around 12.75mm.

CaptainHook on 4/17/2007 2:58:47 PM
I have been playing with this Palmer I bought last week. It is now my primary playing cue.

My favorite cue ever was also an old Palmer cue, the one I had before the one in the picture. The new one in the picture is also an "old Palmer" and I am also really liking it a lot as well.

Here are some photos of my other pool cues:

My "Car Cue" - Halex 19oz Titanium Cue This is a Halex 19oz Titanium Cue that I bought at Wal-Mart for 30 bucks. I call it Car Cue cause it lives in the trunk of my car for shooting on my lunch hour or after work. I had a LePro tip put on it, and after 3 years of the Brutal Florida Heat, it is still straight as an arrow. It is a pretty good shooting Cue.

1969 Pamler Model "A", Wayne Gunn Sneaky Pete This is my Jay Flowers case with my 1969 Pamler Model "A" and my Wayne Gunn Sneaky Pete. The short handle is a sawed off Sneaky that I made my own Jump cue out of back in the early 80's.

Adams Jim Rempe JR-3 Cue This is my 1978 Adams Jim Rempe JR-3 with a Sterling B/J Cue in a Sterling bag. Funny story about the Rempe cue. I bought it used in 1986 from the owner of a local Pool hall called Crazy Cue. I had taken a job right around the corner and would go shoot on my lunch hour with a House Cue. One day when I came in he was putting a price tag on it and was going to put in up for sale, It caught my eye and he said here go shoot with it. I fell in love with it and he sold it to me for $75 with a case and a locker to keep it in.

Larry Haymes Custom Cue, Cuetec 99296 This Cue was made for me in 1996 by Larry "Larue" Haymes. It is Cocobolo and shoots the Lights out. Also Pictured is my Cuetec 99296 B/J and my Giuseppe 2X4 case.:D

Forearm of the Coco cue:

1974 Championship Cue Dug this one out of the back of the closet. It was my very first pool cue. It is a 1974 Championship Cue with a flip top case and it is still dead straight after all these years. I still remember opening it up on X-mas morning. It was a screw on tip til 1986 when Wayne Gunn converted it. I just took the Championship cue with me yesterday. I had not shot with it since 1992. This cue shoots the lights out, played 8 Ball on my lunch hour. Ran out the first game. Got out with 2 bank shots in the second game. Made a razor cut with inside on the 8 in the third game. I will be taking this one out of the closet more often. It brought back some great memories. I have had it for 33 years

The case held up well over the years also:

CaptainHook on 4/17/2007 2:58:47 PM
@Bishop - I lucked into the Palmer cue.

A guy named Creole Freddie came into the Flamingo with it for sale, and the owner took some shots with it and really liked the hit, and started talking price with him. So he hands it to me and says take a few shots. I I fall in Love with it right away, and wind up buying it from the guy.

It turns out that Creole Freddie is cue maker himself, and knows all the old timers. He tells me he got the cue years ago from a pool player named "Portland Don" Watson.

Then he shows me a cue he made called "the Starburst cue" and then he pulls out Buddy Hall's Lucasi cue.

Anyway, I took the Palmer cue I just bought home with me and cleaned up the shafts and ferrules, shaped up the tips and cleaned the butt with some Martin Guitar polish. It looked good, and I felt really good about buying it.

I have not bought a new cue in a long time, with the exception of picking up a Titanium cue at Wal-Mart for 30 bucks a few years back, just to keep in the car for playing at lunchtime or after work. Now it is my favorite, It is 17.6oz and I love using it for One Pocket.

ccn7 on 4/23/2007 9:03:15 PM
Gosh you guys are naming such outstanding cues by some of the great cue makers in the business.

I'm embarrassed to mention that I only have my Meucci cue and a Predator cue at this time.

BUT in about a year I will have two very lovely matching customs cues crafted by our very own Brent Hartman of BHQ custom cues. Then I'll have some bragging rights too.

Tony_M on 7/7/2007 6:49:50 PM
My cues worth mentioning include:
- A bunch of Tim Scruggs cues,
- Two sneaky pete cues,
- A 4 point cocobolo cue with an ivory joint and 3/8 10 pin,
- A 4 point purpleheart cue with ivory and abalone inlays,
- A Titlist conversion cue (which happens to be one of my favorite playing cues),
- A Southwest cue that I have been playing with a lot since September,
- A Judd Fuller BEM cue, and
- I just picked up a fancy Scruggs cue with ebony and Brazilian rosewood points from Tim Scruggs. Tim called me last week and told me that the cue he was building for me was finished. When I had him build this cue I gave him a price range and told him to surprise me. I told him that I did not want to see the cue until it was finished, since I was at his shop a number of times he must have hidden this from me because I have a bad habit of checking over everything he is building. I picked it up today, and had to share the pics with y'all.
Cue specs:
- Brazilian Rosewood and Ebony points
- MOP and Ivory inlays
- Ivory Buttplate and ferrules
Points:

Butt:

Joint:

The Forearm:

The Full Cue:

Tim Scruggs himself holding the finished custom Scruggs cue:

dlabout on 1/16/2009 3:33:28 PM
My playing cue is an 8 point Helmstetter I bought back in 92.

My break cue is my old Viking from mid 80s

My "try to get someone to play with me at the bar" cue is a Meucci hustler.

Justanotherevolutionary on 1/16/2009 3:56:50 PM
I'm still pretty new to cue sports.

I have a Viking G05 cue (I think, wait, I know it's a Viking!) Anyways I love it, and will probably stick with Viking for the rest of my days. I am very particular like this. If it works I'll use it until it doesn't.

I've used Cuetec cues, McDermott cues, and Lucasi cues and maybe it's just because it's mine, but I prefered my Viking cue to all of them.

Plus Viking has wonderful support teams and warranties.

I use a POS Sportcraft cue that came with my table for breaking. It works well enough but it just needs a hard tip. It's also a good guinea pig cue for replacing tips and other little experiments.

I also have a "no name, no graphics, old school sneaky pete" (some old hustler's cue) for massé and jump shots.

I also have a hand me down pool cue. I have no idea what brand, but it has a fish graphic on it, so I call it "the fish stick". This one is for standing in the corner and letting the dogs chew on.

Stitch on 1/29/2009 10:11:29 PM
I have a Joss cue.

quickshot on 1/30/2009 10:41:53 AM
I have a Player cue with an OB1 shaft, as well as a Player J/B cue.

Mitch Alsup on 1/30/2009 4:45:49 PM
I play with a Predator cue which has a Talisman H tip.

Billy Yards on 2/10/2009 4:05:21 PM
Why, _wooden _ones, of course!

All seriousness aside, I have an OUTLAW playing cue and a Schmelke break cue. My wife has a McDermott cue.

Fenwick on 2/11/2009 8:30:41 AM
My playing cue is a 2007 Viking G-08 with a Z-2 11.75 mm shaft.

My break and jump cue is a Viper.

My back up cue is a McDermott D series cue.

The back up to my back up is a 1972 Viking plane Jane. No inlays or points.

rtbbf on 2/15/2009 9:13:31 AM
I use a Dayton pool cue.

patrickp123495 on 2/16/2009 8:24:44 AM
My playing cue is an Adam A-D 4 cue. It is a simple looking cue.

My break cue is an ASKA Jump/Break with a phenolic ferrule and icebreaker tip.

My case is a 2x4 got it from local friends at Pampanga.

My dream cue is a Southwest/Pat Diveney pool cue.

user1470304867 on 8/4/2016 6:01:08 AM
My cue.

From what I've been told its an "early Adam cue", but to me it resembles more of Helmstetter cue.

Regardless I love playing with this cue, time after time.

Markb on 10/9/2019 9:51:31 PM
This is my killing crew:
- Huebler HK-4 cue,
- McDermott D-9 cue,
- Mali 5-point cue with a Joss shaft

billiardsforum on 10/10/2019 4:29:40 AM
Nice looking bunch of cues you have there!

I am not sure the middle one is a McDermott D9 cue though.

The D9 in the McDermott archives and in the old catalogs doesn't have any points, and has a different pattern in the butt sleeve.