(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best billiards equipment

I've really enjoyed the cuetec prestige series cue I bought as my first cue. Got it off Amazon for around $100, so it's within your price range. Great cue for the money, and it's fiberglass coated meaning it can take a beating or neglect. As a first cue, I think that's important. I accidentally left it in my car once and had no issues with warping whatsoever. The shaft is smooth and the weight is variable, which allowed me to play around with finding what was right for me. The veltex grip feels great to the touch, even if it's not as popular as Irish linen. The design is a bit more simplistic, but that's what I was going for.

https://www.amazon.com/Cuetec-Prestige-2-Piece-Canadian-Billiard/dp/B000K2IX0C/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=cuetec%2Bpool%2Bcues&qid=1564410468&s=gateway&sprefix=cuetec&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1

Hopefully that helps. Good luck in your search!

I recommend you to read about cue tips. This is an exact point of impact . Having a good cue tip is crucial for decent сueing.

Here is some short tables for begginers, just to understand the difference.
When you look at the number of pool cue tips there are available today, it can be extremely overwhelming. That's why I've created this Cue Tip Tables. I hope it would help people. Anyway:
>You will just have to experiment & find what works best for you.


The methodology we use for testing tip density is as follows:

• Use a standard Shore A Durometer (0-100 hardness scale)
  
• 1Kg (2.2 lbs) of pressure
  
• Measure the density of three tips per brand
  
• Take the average of the three measurements to determine a density rating
  
  Soft tips
  
  
• more cue ball spin
  
• more maintenance
  

• frequent replacement
  

  
  

  Tip Brand | Tip Size | Hardness
  

  --------|:--------:|---------:
  Kamui Black (Super Soft)| 14mm | 67.5
  Elk Master | 10mm-14mm | 66.8
  Moori soft | 14mm | 72.8
  
  Medium tips
  
  

• balance between cue ball control and consistency
  
• usually preinstalled by manufacturers as the standard tip
  

• plays consistently with less maintenance
  

  
  

  
  

  Tip Brand | Tip Size | Hardness
  

  --------|:--------:|---------:
  Fuji (Medium)| 13mm | 78.5
  Tiger Emerald | 10mm-14mm | 78.2
  Kamui Black (Medium) | 14mm | 78.5
  
  
  Hard tips
  
  

• create less spin
  
  
• require less maintenance
  
  

• are more liable to miscue
  

  
  

  Tip Brand | Tip Size | Hardness
  

  --------|:--------:|---------:
  Zan (Hard)| 13mm - 14mm | 87.4
  Kamui Black (hard) | 13mm-14mm | 84.8
  Bufallo (Hard) | 14mm | 86.8
  

I play with a Viper Elite Series - Amber now as my main cue. It was bought as a gift from Amazon.

The first one I got was warped pretty bad - I assume this happened during shipping? I sent it back and received a replacement and I've been pretty happy with it. I got the 20 oz, which is great for me since I prefer a heavier cue. Well worth the money for a starter cue IMO.

Have you talked to a ball driller and explained your condition? They might be able to do something with the pitch of the thumb hole and or something else. If you are talking about having problems on the back of your thumb then go buy hada patches asap, I use them all the time and can't imagine bowling without one now. https://www.bowlingindex.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BI&Category_Code=FA&Product_Code=FG-AC-VHPCut Never bought from that site but that's the product. If you're looking to reduce excessive moisture I highly recommend trying this http://www.amazon.com/Kegel-Sweat-Hand-Drying-Spray/dp/B00A4NN7RG I was hesitent to try it but now I use it everytime I bowl, just make sure to wash your hands after because you will want your hands to be able to sweat when you'e not bowling. You only have to apply it once before you bowl. Good luck and keep us posted. Also if you are using white tape inside your thumb you definitely don't want to be using it on the back of your thumb hole, way too much friction. I do see some people using it that way but it blows my mind on how their thumbs don't rip open.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GVHF7O/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_BgrAub1XWBRD9

I got that cue for my kids to use. I think it's great, and well worth the price. It has good solid feel, and the length is perfect for my 9 year old.

I use Xiguan layered tips from China, they come in packs of 10 for under £7, so that's under 70p per tip. Thought I'd give them a punt cause at that price why not, and I love them. They play softer than your standard layered tip, which some might not like but to me that's a bonus, and I've never had a bad one.

Also, with laminated tips you're better off trimming them around rather than downwards. I use one of these tip trimmers, basically like a giant pencil sharpener, just put it over the tip level with the ferrule and shave around. Trims a tip flush to the ferrule in less than a minute.

Thanks. Yeah the McDermott cases are nice. Mine is a pretty plain design, but they can do all sorts of things to make it truly yours. You can add pictures and patterns, more leather, whatever you want. I opted for less flashy, but very functional. It is a such a compact case for what it holds. It is the same size as the cheapo 2x2 I was using. It is so much nicer though. I ride a motorcycle so having my cues safe is a priority.

The chalk holder I use is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Porper-Chalk-on-a-Stick/dp/B000MLJIP0?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr-mr-title

Congrats on getting buy in from the other half. I'd be interested to know what you had to give up in the bargain :-)

If you're talking about the $800 set that the Brunswick site is offering, I'd think twice - you can definitely do better shopping around.

Seyberts have a similar Aramith set for $300. It's not got the premium ball set though, instead opting for Aramith's mid-range offering. Seyberts will also give 5% discount to APA members (or non-members I suppose) with the code APARULES.

You can also build your own package, tailored to what you want and omitting what you already have and save a fair bit. Here I will admit I to living vicariously through you in making up a list of what I would get. Again, prices from Seyberts.

• $295.37 - Aramith Tournament Pool Ball Set (Top of the line although I might be tempted to go for the $200 Cyclop set with the strange colors). You could also get the Brunswick Centennial ball set on Amazon for $369.
  
  
• $71.98 - 2 x Dufferin House Cues.
  
  
• $23.19 - Players House Cue (to use as a bridge - I couldn't find a decent looking plain bridge stick from Seyberts but others do have them).
  
  
• $2.97 - Moose Head Bridge Head.
  
  
• $16.00 - Magic Ball Rack combo pack.
  
  
• $21.95 - 144 pieces of Master Chalk (may as well stock up).
  
  
• $89.95 - Simonis X-1 Cloth Cleaner
  
  Total: $521.21
  
  Now excuse me while I go and pay $10+ an hour table time and continue to dream...

Are you positive it is smaller in size? I believe most coin op tables these days use a magnet in the cue ball to pull it out into the other ball drop. If that's the case, you can purchase a high quality cue ball with a magnet and have no problems at all.

& I don't think this is bad etiquette. In fact, I'd be stoked to play against another bar shooter who understands the difference. On that note, you average bar goer may think you're "hardcore" or something seeing you with your own cue ball. I always am just super open, honest, and smiley when I am playing with my own equipment. Most people are cool with it.

Oooooh awesome! It’s a really sexy pool cue scuffer, for roughing up the leather tip of a pool cue to better hold chalk and apply English/follow/draw.

Cool find.

Source: spent my youth in a pool hall.

Edit:

Here’s a modern variant
OCR 3-in-1 Billiard Pool Cue Tip Tool , Scuffer/Shaper/Aerator, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075TS1BB6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-qskDbY8CNWZE

Total ripoff and waste of money. If you bought all this stuff separately, brand new it's around $140-150. Used, $50 would be on the high side of fair IMO.

• Case: $70 (or less - there are cheaper versions of this case)
  
• Willard tip tool: $10
  
• Master Chalk: $6/box of 12
  
• Chalker: $10 (or less - I have a similar one that I paid less than $3 shipped)
  
• Cues: about $20-30 each
  
  Never heard of a "Joe Pool" cue, but you can bet it's pretty much a Sportscraft-quality cue with a different logo printed on it. Guaranteed piece of junk.
  
  Save your money and buy something good is my advice.

Not so much keychains, which would add massive bulk, but check into the chalk holders that go in your back pocket, and the chalk hang out. I had a cuetec one that I loved cause the pen shaped part that goes in to your pocket unscrews into a tip poker. I had this one. Get it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0043BMCPS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1397794843&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40 <EDIT> plus it held my predator chalk perfectly