Top 10 Best Brands of Pool Cues – Billiard Beast (2023)

We all know that the brand of pool cue a personuses has very little to do with his skills or abilities as a player. Gettinggood at pool is something that just takes time, patience, and lots of practice.But using a quality cue from a reputable maker can definitely make the processa little easier. With years of experience and expertise, brand name cue makersprovide exceptional quality and consistency in their cues which translates intomore consistent practice sessions and increased confidence at the table.

But with that being said, however, not all cues are created equal. And often times it can be difficult to know which brand of cue to go with, especially when you’re new to the game.

Fortunately, though, the billiard community has spoken and cast their votes on Ranker.com to determine a list of best brands of pool cues.

The Top 10 in order are:

• McDermott
• Meucci
• Schon
• Joss
• Lucasi
• Pechauer
• Jacoby
• OB
• Balabushka
• Mezz

In this article we’re going to take a closer look at what makes each of these brands worthy of being in the Top 10! By the end of this article you’ll be one step closer to finding that perfect pool cue!

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McDermott

Based in Wisconsin, USA, McDermott has beenmaking high-quality and innovate pool cues since 1975. Their cues go through150 different procedures while being crafted out of quality Hard Rock maple,exotic woods, and quality inlays in unique designs.

McDermott cues use the latest shaft technologyto help with accuracy and power. Their Intimidator I-Shafts come standard onall G-Series cues over $700, while their G-Core Shafts come standard on theirG-Series cues from $260 to $699.

Their brand ambassadors include William Deyonker(aka The Gentleman) who is an artistic pool champion and holds several worldrecords. Tom Rossman (aka Dr. Cue) is another McDermott brand ambassador whohas made a career out of playing pool and entertaining with stunning trickshots. Dr. Cue plays with the McDermott i-2 shafts. Jorge Rodriguez, a currentpro on the McDermott team, plays with a G229 with a traditional maple shaft.

McDermott’s new H-Series features a system in which you can fully adjust the weight balance in the cue butt. All of the McDermott cues include a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects and warpage, so it’s no wonder they’re number one on the list of 10 best pool cue brands.

Meucci

Kevin Cheng, who recently won the WPA PlayersChampionship, uses a Meucci cue. Dennis Orcollo, who holds world titles in both8 and 9 Ball, also recently joined the Meucci Pro Team.

Bob Meucci is considered one of the originalquality cue makers in the US. To this day all of his cues are made in Americausing the highest quality Hard Rock maple and exotic woods. Meucci cuesrecently released a carbon fiber shaft that has been getting good reviews. Formany years carbon fiber was thought to be less sturdy than traditional maple,but the new Meucci shafts look to be promising and may well change thatperception.

Meucci cues are known for a great feel and asoft hit for increased control and accuracy. In order to ensure the highestquality and lowest deflection cues, the Meucci company uses their “MythDestroying Robot” to test their cues.

They come with a joint and ferrule designed formaximum playability and finesse. Their Black Dot Bullseye Shaft is made from 35Northern Hard Rock maple laminations in order to give it strength, stability,and to decrease warpage. Meucci cues come with a one-year limited warrantyagainst manufacturer defects.

There is a long list of tournaments and money won with Meucci cues. According to Bob Meucci himself, his cues have won more money than any other cue lines put together. A couple of the big names that use or have used Meucci cues are Skylar Woodward, Dennis Hatch, John Morra, Loree Jon Hasson, Dennis Orcollo, Chris Lawson, Max Eberle, Cory Deuel, Jayson Shaw, and Devin Poteet.

Schon

Schon is the German word for beautiful andperfectly describes these American-made cues. Founded in 1981 by Terry RomineSenior, the Wisconsin pool cue company began with a quest to make the perfectcue. Many players agree that they’ve managed just that.

Every Schon cue is handcrafted and nevermass-produced. The family-owned company has been true to its roots since thebeginning and will continue to do so throughout the years. This means usingonly the highest quality materials and focusing on beauty, excellence,accuracy, and precision.

Some very big names have played with Schon cuesthrough their careers. A couple of notable names include Minnesota Fats, BuddyHall, Dallas West, and Shane Van Boening.

The company makes cues that fall under six different categories which include the fan favorite STL line of popular cues for amateurs and pros alike. Their other lines include CX, which is made exclusively for Cuestix International; SP or Special line which have no set number and are only made occasionally. They also have Limited and Elite lines, of which only a few are made, and their Unique cues which are truly one of a kind.

Joss

Possibly the very definition of a familybusiness, the Joss Cue company is headed by Dan, who started making cues in1968. His wife Debbie, and their son Stephen also help to run the business. Danhas been inducted into both the American Cuemakers Association hall of fame andthe International Cuemakers hall of fame.

In 2017, Stephen was named Cuemaker of the Yearby the American Cuemakers Association. Their handcrafted and beautifullydesigned cues make them some of the best cues out there.

The Paul Newman and Tom Cruise movie, The Color ofMoney, featured Joss cues throughout. Even the ones that were called by othernames in the film. Joss cues have been made for Nicole Kidman and DustinHoffman as well as for the entire cast of the classic Mission Impossible TVshow.

Many top players have used Joss cues over theyears. A few of these include Eddie Taylor, Jim Rempe, Jimmy Moore, and JoeBalsis. The Joss line includes many popular cues including the JOS02, JOS16,and their Color of Money cue.

Joss cues come with a limited lifetime warranty.

Lucasi

Lucasi cues are well known for their low-defectrate and their lifetime warranty. Lucasi Hybrid cues and their custom line arefavorites among serious players. They are, however, made in China, which somepeople don’t like. But since they are made overseas, they tend to be a littlebit cheaper than their made in the USA counterparts. Their quality control is,some say, better than some of the higher-end American brands. You can get areally quality Lucasi cue for around $250-$300.

Another nice thing about the Lucasi brand isthey have a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. So, you can play on the cue and seeif you like it. Throughout all of this, they have top-notch customer serviceand take customer satisfaction very seriously. The fact that they care abouttheir products and customers makes them a great choice for number 5 of the 10best pool cue brands.

Some people have had problems with the Unilocjoints that Lucasi uses in their cues. At times the joints come loose and theyhave to send the cue in, but it doesn’t seem to be a huge problem. Many people,however, state that the feel is a little heavy due to the construction andmaterial of the Uniloc joints.

Lucasi’s Sneaky Pete cues are popular among manyplayers. Their LZS and LZC lines are also favorites among amateurs and seasonedplayers alike.

Pechauer

Another Wisconsin-based cue company, Pechauerhas been making quality cues completely in-house since the 1990s but have beenin the pool business since the 1960s. For founder Jerry Pechauer started makingpool cues as a hobby. He began by experimenting in his garage in order to fix abroken cue he had received after winning a wager over a game in a local poolhall.

By the time his son Joe was born, Jerry’s hobbyhad ramped up and he was the go-to guy for cue repairs in his area. When Joefinished making his first cue at the age of 14, Jerry decided it was time toturn the hobby into a full-time business.

J. Pechauer Custom Cues is run today by JoePechauer and is all about creating the best cues possible. They offer a carbonfiber shaft as well as the standard and low deflection shafts that have beenpopular for years.

The JP and Pro series cues are popular and are known for their great feel and smooth shooting. Joshua Shultz, Janet Atwell, and Andy Mcdonald are a few of the many pros who play with Pechauer cues. Plus, Pechauer cues have won Cue of the Year awards in 2013, 2015, and 2017.

Jacoby

Jacoby Custom Cues started in 1982 as a basementcue repair service under the name Dave’s Cue Service. Once they got a feel forrepairing all kinds of different cues, they made the move to start making theirown. This American company is based in Wisconsin and have been involved withthe American Cuemakers Association since the 1990s.

Jacoby makes hybrid and custom cues for any ofyour pool needs. They’ve made cues for pro players such as Corey Deuel andJeanette Lee.

Their cues are generally a little pricier thanthe average American-made cue, but they’ve won awards for their craftsmanshipbefore. In 2008 and 2009 they won the People’s Choice Cue of the Year award.

A couple of their current players include Billythe Kid and Randy LeMar. Jacoby’s Mag and Custom series are both favoritesamong many different types of players.

OB

Founded in the early 2000s, OB stands forOwen-Bunnell, which is the true name of the company. It was founded when DonOwen and Royce Bunnell met in Dallas after they both joined the same poolleague. Each soon found that the other spent their spare time designing andmaking pool cues. The company was born.

OB cues are fast becoming very popular. If youlook on any pool forum you’ll see those two letters sprinkled throughout. Manypeople claim that they’ll never shoot on anything but an OB.

OB has developed its own technology in order totake the term low deflection to a whole new level. Many of OB’s products areprotected by patents and may end up becoming the new standard for lowdeflection shafts. The name of their game is low mass inside the shaft and thetip. The OB cue making process is all about delivering the best feel, accuracy,consistency, and spin.

Some notable names on the OB team include BrianParks, Raymond Linares, Chris Bartram, and Charlie Bryant. As the OB name growsthe production team in Texas focuses on delivering a quality product at thebest price.

Balabushka

The Balabushka story is quite literally thestory of the American dream. George Balabushka, arguably the most famous namein cue making, immigrated to America when he was 12, in the mid-20th century.He worked with wood his whole life but never really set out to become a cuemaker.

Living in Brooklyn in 1959, he bought a poolhall with a friend of his and began repairing and making cues for friends.Pretty soon his name was synonymous with quality pool cues. He only actuallymade cues for 16 years, but in that time he made quite a name and reputationfor himself.

George died in 1975, but his legacy lives on.Balabushka cues are still a big name in the pool world, and for good reason.

Original cues made by George himself sell today for tens of thousands of dollars. They are true collector’s items. The Balabushka’s being made today are still quality cues but aren’t worth anywhere near a vintage cue that the man himself made.

Mezz

Last but not least on our list of the 10 bestpool cue brands is Mezz Cues. Mezz was founded in Japan in the 1960s by YujiMiki, who grew up helping his father make wooden figures and toys. For much ofMiki’s pool cue making career, he was under exclusive contract to make cues foran American company. His own cues didn’t begin selling under the Mezz nameuntil the 1990s.

Some attribute the quality and success of MezzCues to the fact that Miki learned a lot while making one- and two-piece cuesfor American companies like Adam, Helmstetter, Stambolini, and Brunswick.

Since then Mezz cues have been a big name in thepool industry. Miki’s unique design and technology makes for solid, reliable,smooth-shooting cues. No matter how he did it, today Mezz Cues are greatquality but are a little on the expensive side.

Some members of the Mezz family have included Alex Pagulayan, Chris Robinson, and Hunter Lombardo.

Conclusion

As you can see, all of these brands boast quitea few reasons to support their position in the top 10, and any one of themwould be a great fit for anyone looking for a quality cue that will last foryears to come.

I hope this list has been helpful and that you’reat least one step closer to finding the perfect cue for you.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and be sure to check out our other helpful articles for all of your billiard related questions!

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