Mark Richard 57" Handmade 3/4 Piece SNOOKER CUE - Ash Shaft - CASE - TELESCOPIC EXTENSIONS - JY2

As a keen pool and snooker player (I have played league and county pool and league snooker in the past) who owns a very nice Peradon cue which cost 3 times as much as this, I was intrigued to know how well made this was so I ordered one on a whim. I don't play very much any more but I still love the game.The cue arrived very quickly and very securely packaged and I was immediately impressed by the quality of its manufacture. It definitely looks hand made and has a very attractive inlay of several layers of wood in the handle. It has a silky feel to it rather than the gloss 'varnish' finish you get on cheaper cues so it runs smoothly through your bridge hand but if you're sweaty, chalk dust can build up on the shaft so it needs cleaning quite regularly with a cloth.It comes in a well made metal case with screw-in miniature and extendable extensions. These are not so luxurious - they are well enough made but have plastic handles and no weight to them so although they serve a purpose and work well enough, they let the cue down a little. There is also some extra room in the case for a couple of bits & bobs (tip shaper, ball marker, chalk and the like) if you like to travel 'prepared'!The extensions screw on with a quick release thread, not dissimilar to the Peradon thread, but the main cue joins with an intriguing 'inside out' thread - the male thread is recessed into the butt and the female thread extends away from the main shaft like a tube. It's a bit odd but it actually works quite well, giving the complete cue a feel of stability. The thread is a 'long' thread so it takes a bit more 'screwing in', thus delaying your gameplay by a few extra seconds but it feels solid once engaged. Interestingly, and this is a sign of quality manufacturing, albeit a little strange, the protruding female thread forms such a good seal with the recessed male thread that you can feel resistance from the air pressure building up inside - a little like a ground glass gas syringe from school science lessons! This means you have to physically push the shaft into the butt to engage the thread.The tip feels like it has been machine glued on. As factory tips go, it's really not bad. I normally cut the tip off and replace it with a blue diamond tip before I play but I thought I'd give this one a chance before I did that. It played OK, and held chalk but I wasn't getting much reaction so it lasted one frame before the Stanley blade and superglue came out! WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I only had a 9mm tip with me and the cue tip and ferrel are around 10mm (maybe slightly less, I'll measure it and update this review if I can find my Vernier caliper) so if I'm honest, it doesn't quite fit right but since I prefer a smaller tip, and the discrepancy was small, I went with it. The cue played really well! Very true (when my rusty cue action didn't let me down!) and very smooth, with good reaction from the cue ball.The wood is also good, but if I had been able to pick this in a shop, I would have chosen a different one but mostly because I'm fussy! From one angle (but only one), there is a perfect 'arrow wood' pattern which means the grain of the wood points little V's at your target all the way along the shaft. Flip it over and there are arrows up at the base, but an oval in the middle and arrows down at the end. Look from either side and you can see a slight curvature in the grain which can be distracting if you decide to focus on your cue instead of the shot. An optical illusion could make you think the shaft were bent - but mine isn't; it's true.For me, the cue is just a little on the light side. I would have preferred just a little more weight in the butt - but it's really not bad and feels solid to play with.The only downside may be buying accessories since it is not an established brand but overall, if you want an excellent cue that looks the part, but on a budget, I wholly recommend this product.

The best cue I have ever owned. Each cue is a bit different so a review is never going to be for the same cue, you have to remember that. But the cue that I got was perfect. My first game of pool, I was instantly able to play better than before, and I have been playing since about 1983. I have lots of trophies from using 3 different cues, but not as good as this cue. The smoothness of the wood against the hand is really good, the handle looks beautiful, but like I said, you will not get the same cue. Amazon took the image of my cue off the listing as soon as I bought it, so all of the handles are probably different. My cue was this one...

After reading almost all of the reviews before buying this cue I feel I too should leave one. Despite Amazon messing up my delivery first time round... I'm am very happy with the cue itself.The case is a bit flimsy - but I didn't expect the world. The cue and attachments are brilliant. Cue is dead straight and very silky through the bridge hand.A lot of people have said the tip is no good (and I do plan on changing mine soon) however, I've shaped it up and barely knocked it in but it is reacting brilliantly. I'm in no rush to change it up unless I start to see issues.Overall a great buy!

it was good, the cue was delivered a day early, it is straight, well made, looks beautiful. My two slight criticisms are the tip is very hard and needs replacing and the screw threads for the extensions have too many turns to tighten, a quick release mechanism would have been much much better

Recently taken up snooker again and having lost my trusted cue in a recent house move i was forced to buy a new one. Eventually settled on this cue and i couldn't be happier with it. the cue feels very premium and immediately improved my game. Even the included case is very high quality. It immediately got a lot of attention in the team when i brought it down for a practice, with people thinking it was in a much higher price bracket.Honestly, don't even bother looking at other cues. For the price, you won't get better

Great value for money with the casing and extensions included. The cue was a bit heavy for my liking but that is down to preference. Mine had a minor 'rough' patch on the part where my chin rests. Nothing major that would affect your play. But it would've been a 5 star if not for that small defect.

Brilliant, my step son (25) was very very impressed with this!! and he's always at the snooker hall in his spare time and also plays for a pub team everything is quality!! (He says) I told him that the que tip was not the greatest (according to previous reviews) but he said he'll leave it on n see how it goes if it is really no good he'll change it to a different que tip

Very pleased with this cue. The weight 18oz feels good as my old one was slightly heavier at 20oz. No sticky lacquer on the cue. The cue joints fit easily together. All round one of the best cues ive had.