When it comes to the billiards sport of pool, players are very serious about the cues they use. This means that professionals and hobbyists alike are always on the lookout for the best pool cue brands in the world.
Throughout history, there have been many different pool cue brands offering impressive technology and unique designs, though there are key brands that have stood the test of time.
These are the best popular pool cue brands in the industry for their high quality construction and accuracy of performance. Read on for more information about the top 15 best pool cue brands.
1. McDermott
McDermott is a billiard brand located in the United States and sold globally. The McDermott H-Series cues with their innovative carbon fibre full-length cores are one of the more popular styles that this brand sells.
Founded in 1975, this billiard brand has grown to branch out into 12 different sub-brands that are leaders in the billiard industry in cues and staffs. They also pride themselves in offering personal cue customisation for players.
The wood-makers of McDermott go through a process that includes more than 150 different procedures to maintain their high-quality and handmade craftsmanship that they’re known for.
2. Meucci
Meucci pool cues are part of this list of the best pool cue brands in the world. Though Meucci isn’t as popular as the big brand names, it’s still a favourite among serious billiard enthusiasts. Their cues are amazing in accuracy and flexible in their design, with The Black Dot Bullseye Shaft being a high-tech shaft that’s flat laminated.
Bob Meucci is the founder of the brand. He made cues since the early 1960s and later created his official Meucci Originals brand in 1975. The American brand continues to evolve and provide professionals with high-quality cues.
Interestingly, Meucci was the first cuemaker to make points out of unique Mother of Pearl and use inlay of 14-karat gold. Bob is also known for popularising the sealed Irish linen wraps, breaking into the 5-figure cue market.
3. Schon
This American pool cue brand is named after the German word for ‘beautiful’. That’s what these cues are, with the STL3, made from Birdseye Maple and Ebony being a best-selling model that embodies this brand’s aesthetic of beauty entirely.
Created by pool player Terry Romine Sr. and friend Bob Runde, Schon was founded in 1981. By 1992, Bob retired and Evan Clarke overtook the operations. John Fuhrman also joined the Romine family in 1998 to work in the business. Terry passed away in 2013, though the brand continued to be supported by master craftsman.
When Evan retired in 2015, John continued to hold the brand and keep the legacy of the Romine family alive.
4. Pechauer
This is one of the best pool cue brands in the world with high-quality stunning designs that have been brought out as special edition Cues of the Year. The 2013 Cue of the Year, Empyrean, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the company. 2015 was the Regalia cue and in 2017 it was the Sovereign model.
Jerry Pechauer was the founder of the brand, along with his son Joe. The brand idea began as far back as the 1960s, though it wasn’t until 1980 was when the billiards supply store run by the Pechauers opened. The store started by selling other brands until they made their own designs.
By 2013, there were over 400 dealers of Pechauer around the world, with their custom cues being the most sought after in the industry.
5. Schmelke
This family-owned brand is in its third generation of cue making. The Schmelke R-Series cues are some of their best selling models, made North American Hard Maple with a premium soft tip, great for detailed accuracy.
Created by two pool-loving brothers, Duard and Richard Schmelke, they began making custom pool cues in a small shop near their home in the 1940s. In the early 1970s, Duard and his son, Jim, began to grow the business, with Jim eventually taking over the brand in the 1980s. Since then, stores became bigger and their global reach expanded, all while staying a family business.
Schmelke’s cues are all made in Northwest Wisconsin with the finest grade materials, such as imported woods like Cocobolo, Birdseye Maple, Rosewood and Ebony, all cured for at least 12 months.
6. Jacoby
Another father-son American cue brand is Jacoby. Their 2019 Cue of the Year, the Shaka Zulu contains an impressive 3474 inlays of ivory, ebony, copper, holly and green box elder burl. One of the best selling ranges on their site is the LTD series that are limited edition signed, dated and numbered models.
Founded in 1982, Jacoby Custom Cues were created by David and his son, Shane, from initial designing and creating in their own home. Later, David’s son Brandon came on board and their first shop was opened in 1992. Currently, the location of this brand is in Wisconsin.
From 1997 until 2013, David was the President of the American Cue Makers Association. He later stepped down to enjoy more downtime with his family and local pool league competitions.
7. Mezz
Mezz is another one of the best pool cue brands that continues to bring out new styles and models in their mission to innovate in the realm of high-quality pool cues. Some of the most popular styles over the years include The Mezz UJ, the Mezz ZZZ Series, and the Mezz Powerbreak cue and Airshooter jump cue.
Founder Yuji Miki started by making one piece cues in the early 1960s for a Japanese trading company that sold to the United States. In 199, Miki’s son Kazunori Miki joined his father to create an independent company, which was launched at the BCA expo in 1995 as ‘Mezz Cues.’
In 1996, Miki’s preside joint system was developed, and two years later the Mezz Hybrid Shaft was developed. The company has been headquartered in Okamoto Tomioka City in Japan since 2003.
8. Imperial
Imperial pool cues and accessories in an American company selling their products globally. Their Imperial Premier Cyclone 2-piece cue is made of Hard Rock Maple and is one of their most popular products.
Founded in 1955, Imperial is a division of the company H. Betti Industries. It’s one of the largest billiards and game room product distributors in the United States. North American hardwoods are used extensively to stay local in their products, whilst also offering high-quality creationist billiard lovers.
The company also seeks to give back to the environment in promoting the health of National Forests of North America, keeping their creation process with conservation in mind. Their mission, stated on the Imperial website, is to ‘Help protect these special places for future generations.’
9. Cuetec
Cuetec is a pool cue brand which prides itself on the hundreds of tournament wins that professional players have enjoyed while using Cuetec cues. Their new Cuetec Synergy Shaft was designed with the input of the five-time U.S Open Champion Shane Van Boening.
The brand started in 1989 with an 8-cue line made of 4 fibreglass and 4 graphite models. By 1992, the brand had 5 of the top world’s players as their staff, and just 3 years later, 2 more professional players joined the company. By the end of 2000, Cuetec had close to 60 different cue models.
2009 was when Shane Van Boening came on the scene, and the all-wood series of cues R360 was seen as the new standard for professional cue technology.
10. Predator
This American pool cue brand is among the best pool cue brands for accuracy and quality. The REVO Predator shifts are made of carbon fibre composite that incorporates over 20 years of testing and technological evolution.
This brand has been in the billiards game since 1994. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Predator was founded by Allan McCarty and Steve Titus. Later, Jim Lucas joined the team to offer more distribution channels and help in manufacturing.
The claim to fame for this brand is stated on their official website: “According to tests using Iron Willie, the Predator cues had 25% less deflection than any other cue tested.”
11. Tiger
Tiger cues specialise in innovative designs, constantly changing up their different lines of billiard equipment. One of their current best-selling cues is in the X2 series. Additionally, professional player Cristina De La Garza uses the playing cue TL-7 with Ultra Shift Sniper Tip.
Founded in 1988, this brand continues to manufacture its products, since the beginning, in a 6500sq ft. facility in Burbank, California in the United States. They are the only manufacturer in the United States that makes laminated cue tips in-house.
Tiger thrives on receiving feedback from players all around the globe to re-invent models and create new and exciting pool cues to advance the technology of the game.
12. Stealth
Mark Stoller is the proud creator of stealth cues, and the holder of 5 US patents, with more than 15 art licenses and 3 incontestable trademarks as accolades in the cue making industry. The 2018 model known as B-STHBK-01 is one of the best selling cues on the Stealth official website.
Mark created stealth cues at just 21 years of age, back in 1992. Decades on, this brand has appeared in over 125 trade shows and tournaments, with more than 225 unique designs. The brand focuses on custom cues, using bold and eccentric colours and designs.
Mark comments: “I want to live up to the Stealth name and be innovative, different.” Stealth cues are known as being the founding brand of the children’s pool cue design, with the standards he set still being used by manufacturers today.
13. Lucasi
Lucasi Cues are one of the best pool cue brands in the world. Their Hybrid pool cue series are the current favourite models of the brand, with the Lucasi Hybrid LH40 cue a sought after design.
Jim Lucas founded Lucasi intending to create affordable cues for hobbyists and non-professional players, whilst still offering high quality performing cues. The brand is a subsidiary pool cue brand of the pool cue manufacturer and distributor, Cue and Case, which was created in 1991.
A unique offering of this brand is that all Lucasi cues have a lifetime warranty that covers defects and even warpage. Lucasi aims to support their customers in a way that expresses their integrity and loyalty to their mission of high-quality pool cues.
14. Joss
Joss cues are often used by professional players, with many of their cues being used by BCA Hall of Fame members over the years, including players like Jimmy Caras, Nick Varner, and Eddie Taylor, to name a few. Their Joss Model OP06 is currently their best selling cue made of curly maple with 5 solid black points.
Founded in 1968, this pool cue brand was created by the Janes family, beginning with Dan. In the early 1970s, his son Stephan joined the cue making business, with Dan’s wife Debbie overseeing the back-end office and sales technicalities.
Interestingly, Joss cues have been made for Tom Cruise, Paul Newman, Jimmy Connors, and many more celebrities. In 2012, Dan was accepted into the International Cuemaker’s Association Hall of Fame.
15. Fury
The attraction to the Fury cue brand is that all of their billiard equipment is affordable, yet durable in their design and functionality. Their best selling pool cue on the market currently is the Fury ST1 model.
Founded in 2002, distributing first in the Chinese and European billiard market, Fury Pool cues expanded to the United States offering players who wanted great performing pool cues without paying hundreds of dollars every time.
This brand has been used by several professional players also, including the US Open Champion John ‘Mr. 400 Schmidt’, the WPBA Champion Xiao-Ting Pan and the WPA World 9-Ball Champion Chao Fong Pang, plus many more.
References
https://www.pooldawg.com/brand/pool-cues
https://www.ranker.com/list/best-pool-cue-brands/ranker-shopping
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