Built to order in Hanoi · 10 to 14 days · Free to ask, no deposit to talk
Our Cues / The Inlay Collection
THE INLAY COLLECTION
Bocote
Dark ribbons through honey. No two boards the same, so no two cues either.
Quoted, not priced. Wood, weight, inlay work and engraving all change the number, so we quote each cue on its own. Ask and you will get a real figure the same day.
19 oz standard · 10 to 14 days · Free engraving · Ships worldwide
Solid bocote, not printed
Forearm and butt sleeve turned from one board. Look at the end grain at the joint when it arrives.
Inlay set by hand
Each turquoise petal chiselled into the wood, filled, then sanded flush. Most of a morning per cue.
Numbered and registered
A serial cut into the joint and written in our book beside your name. Ask us in ten years and we can still look it up.
You see it before it ships
We photograph your actual boards before we cut, and the finished cue before it leaves. No surprises in the box.
Bocote is the one people pick up first.
It comes off the lathe looking like weather drawn on a map, dark ribbons running through honey coloured grain. The figure never repeats in nature, so we gave up trying to match two boards a long time ago. You get the one you get, and it is yours.
The turquoise ring above and below the wrap is set piece by piece. Someone sits down with a small chisel, seats each petal into the wood, fills it, then sands it back flush. That is most of a morning gone. We have looked for a faster way and we have not found one we would be happy to sell you.
The wrap is full grain leather, stretched and stitched by hand. The collar is turned bone white so there is something bright sitting between the dark leather and the wood. Nineteen ounces unless you tell us otherwise.
Look closer
The joint. This is where you check the wood is real. Bone white collar, stainless pin, and solid bocote end grain behind it.
The ring. Each turquoise petal cut and seated into the wood by hand, then sanded back flush with the surface.
The grain. Eight thin coats of lacquer, cut back by hand between each one. Spraying it heavy would save four days and look like it.
SOLID HARDWOOD · HAND SET INLAY · NUMBERED AND REGISTERED · MADE IN HANOI · ONE CUE AT A TIME · SOLID HARDWOOD · HAND SET INLAY · NUMBERED AND REGISTERED · MADE IN HANOI · ONE CUE AT A TIME
Bocote, or one of the others?
People agonise over this and they should not. All five play the same. Pick the one you want to look at for the next ten years.
| Wood | Looks like | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|
| Bocote | Dark ribbons on honey | You want figure without shouting about it |
| Bird’s-Eye Maple | Pale, hundreds of small eyes | You like light wood and movement in the grain |
| Purpleheart | Violet, deepening to plum | You want the cue to change as you own it |
| Leopardwood | Russet with bright flecks | You are happy being asked about it every night |
| Ebony, plain | Near black, no ornament | You want nothing at all to look at |
Still stuck? Message us and describe the cue you play with now. We will tell you which of these you will probably get on with.
Most players end up carrying two
Breaking with your playing cue is the quickest way to shorten its life. All that shock goes through the joint and the tip, and over a couple of seasons you feel it. A separate break cue takes that punishment instead.
We are not going to pretend that is a sales trick. It is just what happens, and any cue maker will tell you the same. If you want a break cue built alongside your playing cue, say so when you ask for a quote and we will price the pair together.
Specification and policies
Full specification
- Forearm and butt sleeve solid bocote, turned from one board
- Inlay turquoise petal ring above and below the wrap, cut and seated by hand
- Wrap full grain black leather, hand stitched
- Collar and butt cap bone white with fine black pinstripe rings
- Finish hand rubbed lacquer, eight thin coats cut back between each
- Weight 19 oz standard, 18 to 21 oz on request
- Engraving up to 16 characters on the butt cap, no charge
Shaft diameter, joint pin and tip are being confirmed with the workshop and will be listed here shortly. Ask us in the meantime and we will tell you exactly what is on the current build.
Lead time and shipping
Ten to fourteen days to build, then shipping on top. We ship worldwide from Hanoi with tracking and a signature on delivery. You will hear from us when your boards are chosen, when the cue goes on the lathe, and when it ships. If we fall behind, and occasionally we do, we tell you before you have to ask.
If something is wrong when it arrives
Write to us with a photograph and we will sort it out. A cue that arrives damaged, warped, or not matching what we agreed is our problem, not yours. Because every cue is built to your spec we handle these case by case rather than posting a blanket policy we would not be able to honour.
Looking after it
Keep it out of a hot car and away from radiators, that is most of it. Wipe the shaft with a dry cloth after playing rather than anything wet. Store it flat or hanging, never leaning in a corner. Wood is a natural material, so the colour will settle and deepen slightly over the first year. That is normal and not a fault.
Grain and colour will vary from the photographs above, because every board is different. That is the point of buying wood.
WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY
Messages we did not expect
These are screenshots, not typed-out quotes. We asked each person before putting their words here. Nothing has been edited except cropping out phone keyboards and one message about pricing that was nobody else’s business.
“The inlay work is insane. Pics don’t even do it justice. Already got a buddy who wants one, I’m sending him your way.”
Jake M.
“You are an artist man. Omg I’m in love with you man.”
Ali A.
“I received it. It’s really good. The packaging is also very good. I tried it too, it’s awesome.”
Yaeyang
We have been selling to players in Vietnam for years. Shipping abroad is the new part, so these are the first customers overseas to write back. More will go up here as they come, good and otherwise, and we will not be quietly deleting the bad ones.
The other cues
Want one in bocote?
Tell us the weight you play with and whether you want the inlay ring. If you are not sure, say that instead and we will work it out with you. Nothing to pay to ask.