Should I continue buying viking?

I have owned two vikings so far and I am a college student. My first viking was a promotional model JJ-4 that was told to be a really rare cue. My second viking was a Platinum 7 which is now discontinued. These cues were actually stolen from my car on seperate situations and now I have no cues.

Could anyone suggest a really good cue for a person that is now forced to be on a budget. I am considering the viking VM-7 but want to change the joint to the #5 for feel. Can anyone suggest a good hitting cue from another line? I prefer something with a soft hit so i tend to stay away from the stainless steel joints.

thanks
tien[/b]

[parrothead]

I wouldn't exactly call a $600 cue a budget cue, but if you have been happy with Viking in the past then why not stay there? If you are really itching to try something else then you might consider McDermott. They seem to be very popular cues, but I think you will find that Vikings have a better shaft.

[parrothead]

I hate to do this to Seyberts, whom I love above all other on-line retailers of billiard supplies, but, Billiardwarehouse.com is selling a limited number of p-7's at $455. If you really liked that cue you might look into it. By the way, stop keeping your cues in your car, it is bad for them even if some bastard doesn't steal them.

[Easyrider]

You take a look at Pechauer cues. The Ivory series that Seyberts sells are an excellent value! Recently Sid has stated they are now a fully authorized Pechauer internet dealer, so if you see another Pechauer on their website you can still purchase it from Seyberts.

[dhammis]

$500-600 will get you a great Viking, Predator or Pechauer cue. I don't really like McDermotts, so I tend to stay away from them.

--Damon

Those were my thoughts exactly. I'm not a big fan of the McDermotts and it was always a toss up between the Pechauer the Predator and the Viking. Right now I'm deciding on the

Viking Vm-7
Predator 3K-4
Pechauer IV-7

I'm not a big fan of the Stainless steel joint either and it seems as though the Viking is the only one available with a joint change on Syeberts. Does anyone know that it is at all possible to change the joint on the Predator or the Pechauer to something more similar to Viking's #5 joint? Is it just me or does the stainless steel joint doesn't feel good when hitting?

[Sid]

Pechauer will make a cue with the implex joint also. They will put it into any of their cues and the cost ain't that bad either. Free. (for the customization of the joint...not the cue :mrgreen: )
Only thing would be a 4-6 week delay in most cases. Please let us know if we can be of any help,