Roger Long has been a BCA Instructor since 1993. He is the former owner of CuePort Billiards in Lakeland Florida and a regular contributer to Table Talk Newspaper here in Phoenix. This special column is an answer to a question that was addressed to us by a user via e-mail. Previous months columns are available here.
	Lucasi Cues Mark at AOL asks... Q. Hello, I recently came across an add for Lucasi cues and they looked like a very nice cue at a reasonable price but someone recently told me they are pieces of dog do do. Do you know anything about these cues? Thanks, A. Mark, It's interesting that you should ask about Lucasi cues at this particular time, because I've recently been checking them out for myself. I must have seen the same ad you did, and when I heard that a dealer friend of mine had just laid in a stock of them, I went down to have a look. What I've discovered so far is that they are an import, but probably not from a country like Italy as the name "Lucasi" might suggest. They are being distributed by Cue & Case Sales out of Jacksonville, Florida. Cue & Case made the Players cue famous. Players is an import that's privately labeled just for Cue & Case. I suspect that Lucasi is the same. Jim Lucas is the owner of Cue & Case Sales, and I think "Lucasi" is just a spin on his own name. Now for some good news! Lucasi looks like it might possibly be the best cue buy on the market. Its construction features appear to be the same as those used by some of the better-known and highly-respected cue makers. The ferrule appears to be phenolic, similar to Aegis or Ivorine. The standard joint is made out of polished, stainless steel with a 5/16-18 stainless pin, matching up with a piloted brass insert in the shaft. The most expensive model comes with a Uni-Loc joint, something normally found only on a few custom cues. The joints and butt plates are backed up with collars and rings made of natural, linen-based phenolic; once again a material normally found only on high-priced cues. The butts are wrapped with pressed, and polished Irish linen. The inlays are made from various exotic woods and other beautiful materials and are so exact that they could only be done on CNC machinery, just as all the "big boys" are now doing them. The shafts are tight-grained maple, and have a perfect pro taper. Each cue has a deep, high- gloss finish. I hit some balls with the model that has the Uni Loc joint. It had a very solid, and consistent, hit. The balance and feel of the cue was as good as any other I've ever shot with. Now for the best news! The Lucasi cues have a price range of only $200 - $400! I know that's still a lot of money for some of us, but after seeing the cue, I really expected it to cost two to three times as much. This cue is also endorsed by Buddy Hall. Now I know that some people might say that Buddy is only endorsing the cue because he gets paid to do it, which is probably true, but I've personally met Buddy several times, and I don't read him as the type of man who would invite flak from players by saying something that he didn't really believe.   All copyrights are owned by Roger Long. No duplication is allowed without his permission.