How does it compare?

[RKW]

I'm going to be purchasing a new cue within the next 6-9 months and have narrowed it down to Schon, Pechauer, or KJ? I like your philosophy on cues KJ, but was wondering as I have never been able to get my hands on one, how does it compare in play to the other two cues mentioned above?

[dags_lax]

Having never played with one I can't really comment on KJ's cues.

A Pechauer can be gotten for significantly less than a Schon. So if cost is a consideration Pechauer would be a good choice, on par with a Viking or McDermott, but I think a better choice would be a Jackson or Jacoby. That is just my opinion based on my experiences actually owning and using cues from the manufacturers mentioned in this paragraph.

A Pechauer can also be had for the cost of Schon, but ?????????

[KJ]

IMHO, Pechauer is a significantly better cue than either a Viking or a McDermott from a construction perspective.

RKW,
I'm honored that you've included my cues in your cues selected for consideration. To show my appreciation I'm willing to make you a 'one time' offer. Purchase any one of my cues in the price range of your choice and play with it for one week. If that cue doesn't 'hit' or play better than any other cue you've ever played with, I'll personally buy the cue back from you, less shipping and allowance for use. You have nothing to lose. The benefit to you is that you'll have first-hand knowledge of the difference btwn. a hand-crafted custom cue and those that are produced on a large scale.

Some of the reasons that I can offer a custom hand-crafted cue at such an affordable price is because I don't do mass market advertising. Also, I don't have a huge manufacturing facility and I keep my overhead in line. Each step of construction is done by me personally, start to finish. I don't have a factory full of employees, just me. Lastly, there is NO profit margin built into my cues. They cost what they're supposed to cost. All I ask is to be paid a fair wage for my work.

[dags_lax]

[QUOTE=KJ;38475]IMHO, Pechauer is a significantly better cue than either a Viking or a McDermott from a construction perspective.QUOTE]

And my opinion is coming from the playability perspective. And granted it is just an opinion as playability is a subjective thing. I don't dispute that Pechauer is a quality constructed cue. But then again I don't think that McDermott and Viking make poorly constructed cues. I have a couple of their cues that I have had for almost thirty years.

[poohkiller]

WoWoWoWoW! Wish I could get an opportunity like that!


If that cue doesn't 'hit' or play better than any other cue you've ever played with, I'll personally buy the cue back from you, less shipping and allowance for use. You have nothing to lose. The benefit to you is that you'll have first-hand knowledge of the difference btwn. a hand-crafted custom cue and those that are produced on a large scale.

What KJ said about the difference in between a production made cue and a custom one must be true - I haven't had the luck yet to shoot with a custom cue but I bet it's well worth it.

What is more:
Some of the reasons that I can offer a custom hand-crafted cue at such an affordable price is because I don't do mass market advertising. Also, I don't have a huge manufacturing facility and I keep my overhead in line. Each step of construction is done by me personally, start to finish. I don't have a factory full of employees, just me. Lastly, there is NO profit margin built into my cues. They cost what they're supposed to cost. All I ask is to be paid a fair wage for my work.

All that is very true as you can hardly find much of these cues out there - no advertising is done, just the cost of the materials and the valuable hours of work that has gone into the cue. They are very unique and these cues should make many heads turn if you hold one in your hands.

Anyways, going for what KJ offered sounds awesome, you've got nothing to lose.

[dags_lax]

I have two "custom" cues. One by Steve Klien and the other by Chester Crick. And like KJ they are not in to marketing and high volume. They are into one thing, and that is making about 50 great playing cues a year.

[RKW]

KJ,
Thanks for your quick response and poohkiller, you're right, this is an oportunity that I can't pass up! I already know that I love the way the 45-4 and 45-5 looks, but I prefer the feel of an Irish linen wrap, so I will probably go with the 45-4. The only thing I need advice on is, what type of joint to get, the wood to wood, or steel joint? I've played for several years on an old McDermott with a wood to wood joint, but would like to know if people think that the stiffer hit of a steel joint will help improve my game at all?

Thanks Everyone

[skor]

I don't think that a joint type will improve your game, it will feel different, it will "send" a different response to your arm that you'll have to store in your "memory bank" of shots.

Normally I would suggest steel joint to beginners that do not have a good stroke, it will give some "extra" power on shots so if you feel that your cue ball position is always falling short then you can give a steel joint a try, although I would suggest to work on your stroke instead...
If you are a good player with a good stroke then you can get used to and play well with any joint type.

[KJ]

Monique is in the process of posting the pics and info on the rest of the cues in the '45' series. There are actually 5 cues in that series.

The 45-1 & 45-2 are the same cue, the only difference being the joint. The 45-1 has a wood/wood phenolic joint. The 45-2 has a piloted steel joint.

Same is true with the 45-3 & 45-4. Basically the same cue, the only difference being the joint. The 45-3, wood/wood & the 45-4, piloted steel.

The 45-5 is almost unique unto itself. However, given it's design, ringwork and solid birdseye forearm, I felt comfortable placing it in this series. At this time, I have no intentions of offering the 45-5 with a steel joint. The cue, as designed, plays phenomenally well and has about as 'pure' or 'true' of a hit as you will find.

Matching Predator shafts are available as an option on any of the cues in the '45' series.

Thanks to all for your interest.

[KJ]

Hi All,
The pics for the complete '45' series of cues are now up. Thank You!!! Monique!!!

As stated earlier, Predator shafts are available either as a second shaft or as the only shaft. If you chose the Predator as the only shaft, I buy back the original 1pc. shaft and give you a $100 credit.
Price for the Predator shafts is, $200 for the 314-2 & $220 for the Z-2. In summary, buy the cue at cost, add the cost of the Predator shaft of choice, deduct $100 and I keep the original shaft. Pretty good deal, Huh ? Hand-crafted quality and Predator technology. It's what I play with.

Linen wrap color is your choice, free of additional charge. If the color is available, I probably have it. Your cue should ship next day; latest.

Your choice of wghts. btwn. 18oz/21oz., no additional charge.

If you have any questions regarding these cues and you'd like to speak with me directly, please feel free to drop me a PM. Thanx, KJ

[skor]

Hi KJ,

I hope that I'm not out of line here and with no disrespect to you or your craft.
In all the pictures of your cues the rings are not align, this is something that bothers my eyes (see picture)



I hope you take it as a constructive remark and nothing else.

[RKW]

I actually like it that the rings are not aligned. I feel that too much symmetry would be boring. Just my opinion.

[poohkiller]

That ringwork is his signature, that is why he uses them. You may find rings that are not lining up on other great cues too (such as SW).

RKW: to me symmetry is hardly ever boring, but for some reason I feel like that this cue should look awesome in person - beautiful choices of woods and the ringwork just adds that bit of salt that makes this cue stand out from the other merry widows.

[KJ]

Skor,
That's a good question that deserves a good answer. No offense taken.
The answer is that I deliberately try to keep the rings OUT of alignment.
Whether it 'bothers' your eye or 'captures' your eye is a matter of perspective. In either case, it got your attention.

At the request of a buyer when placing his order, I did align the rings on his cue. It's not a difficult thing to do. While he got what he wanted, my opinion was and still is, that the symmetry of the ring had lost it's appeal. Overall, it gave me the look of a piece of art that had been 'forced'. Art is about free flow of design. These same rings, when used on a 4 pt. cue would certainly compliment the symmetry of design if held in alignment with the points. particularly if there were 4 aligned inlays in the butt sleeve. In that instance it would be risky to deliberately mis-align the rings.

The '45' series is all about celebrating the beauty and uniqueness of the woods themselves. There is no alignment of the birdseyes nor is there any alignment in the burl. Therfore, the theme could be defined as 'dis-order'.
On these cues, deliberate alignment of the rings would only serve to confuse the desired theme. As the builder, this is my opinion/position and I certainly don't expect everyone in the world to agree with me. Let's call it; 'artistic license'.

On a parting note, I'll give you some food for thought. I use my rings at all positions, A B C D & E. Aligning the rings at A (the shaft) & B (the joint collar) is almost impossible or at least, a waste of time. As the shaft connects to the handle, there is no practical way of knowing in advance where the shaft will 'seat' in it's home position. To bring the shaft ring into alignment with the handle, the faces of the shaft & the handle could be trimmed so as to allow further rotation of the shaft to meet alignment. In the process, the black rings adjacent to the dash ring are being trimmed thinner and thinner. There goes the symmetry. Let's also consider that should I be able to align the A & B rings at the time that I build the cue, over time the shaft will rotate ever so slightly as the shaft 'wears in' to it's seat. Now that A & B are slightly out of line, the rest of the cue that is in line, looks out of place. The situation is not just a can of worms but more like a dumpster full of snakes. Sometimes, that's just the way it is. KJ

[skor]

Thanks for your input on this.
It's good to know that you would align the rings upon customer request.

[KJ]

Hi All,
I've had these images sitting on my desk-top for a while now and thought I better get them posted before everybody forgets what this is about. The discussion is about deco-ring alignment. You've got 2 choices, you can either align all the rings or you can deliberately keep them out of alignment. I choose the latter. Here are some examples of rings held in alignment. This builder has apparently adopted this design form as part of his cues' identity. It appears in much of his work or as much of it as I've seen. The builder, Greg Sirca, builds a very fine cue and is well known and respected on AZ. It is these types of design characteristics that differentiate one build from another. 'Viva la differance'.

The last image is the butt section of a cue built by the famous Vern Horn, a world-class builder. While his deco-rings are held in alignment, they are out of alignment with the inlays in the butt-sleeve, at least from my perspective.