| Cory Barnhart Ten Point Illusion |
I've known Cory for sometime, and have always been very impressed with the quality of his work and the hit of his cues. This cue is one of three I now have with recut points, and what attracted me to all of these cues were their crisp, highly defined points, added to the fact that this is a ten-pointer -- a bit unusual by most standards. (I have recently been impressed with the distinctness of the veneers and points being made by the German cuemakers -- Vollmar and Dienst -- and how they just stand out with remarkable crispness and contrast. Cory's points remind me of that work.)
|
There is nothing over the top about Cory's cues. They are clean, crisp and traditional, but his work, tolerances and fit are so tight that it's no wonder they look and play so well. Simple, however, they are not. His ringwork, points and other details are laboriously crafted. This ten-pointer is a perfect example.
|
I call this cue the Illusion because you really have to focus on the 10 recut points in order to follow the complicated pattern and overlapping effect. (He recently told me he is not making these ten pointers anymore. They are simply too much work and too difficult.)
He starts with a nose of birdseye maple and a butt sleeve of cocobolo, and then does his usual magic with recut points cut so meticulously that they look like actual veneers. He adds a joint and butt cap that look very much like ivory to me, but I can't guarantee it -- they may be eleforn.
|
Adding to the simple beauty of this cue, Cory adds some very important functional details that make it a great player. He has a unique ferrule design (short) along with some of the best wood I've seen in shafts. All of his shafts are cut from 50 year old air dried maple, with a 30 per inch plus grain count. All of these details come together resulting in as good a "hit" as you'll find in any cue.
| |
Another special feature of this cue is the hand inlaid silver dots that form the ringwork. This kind of detail is difficult to do, time consuming, and hard to find in a cue in this price range.
This cue has a nice black leather wrap, is made with a radial pin, comes with two 13mm shafts with Juma ferrules (similar to eleforn) and weighs 19.8 oz. It also has a nice custom made joint protector for the butt. It's a great value at $3300.
(Opinion ... compare the work in this cue to a new Southwest for nearly the same price. The value of this cue jumps out at you!)
|
|
