I am a tournament player and I believe that performance and confidence in one’s equipment is of the highest importance in playing your best game. I will not tolerate substandard performance from anything I use. I seek out the best gear for myself, my students, and my customers. Almost all of the products I use are for sale in my Billiard Coach Online Store.
Here is a detailed list of the equipment I play with, endorse whole-heatedly, and sell.
Playing cue: 2008 Samsara Custom Cue Link: Samsara Cues
This 8 point beauty has 4 high/4 low snake wood points with holly veneers into an ebony forearm and butt. Triple diamond ring-work and a kangaroo leather wrap. The butt alone weighs 15.335 ounces and with the shaft tips the scale at 18.47 oz. The playing shaft is a Predator Z-2 blank finished off with matching rings in Rugby, ND. One playing cue with a favorite performance shaft. Back-up shaft sometimes present, mostly not. The joint is a stainless steel Radial Pin by the Uni-Loc Corporation. The tip is a very old Moori Q for quick and very hard leather layered tip from Japan. Links: Predator Cues, Uni-Loc Corporation
Cue Case: 2006 Jack Justis Pro-Lite custom 4 by 8 cue case. Link: Jack Justis Cue Cases
Break Cue and Jump Cue: 2009 Samsara Break/Jump cue with dart jump handle. The break tip is the Samsara leather break tip which is also on my spare OB-1 break shaft. I also carry a Predator BK-2 break shaft with the standard phenolic tip. Link: OB Cues
Tip shaping accessories: Tip-Pic (my favorite), Q-Wiz (gentle sanding for my tip only), and Joe Porper Creative Inventions burnishing tool. I really don’t know why I carry this as my very hard tip almost never mushrooms.
Chalk: Blue Diamond chalk. The very best performing chalk I’ve used. It is worth it. Believe me. Link: Buy Chalk Here
Miscellaneous notes about things in my cue case:
My break cue/jump cue equipment combinations outnumber the playing cue by a wide margin.
My cue case is constantly rounded out with a rotating variety of cues/shafts for sale and gear being transported to customers. Some demo items are in there. The bottom pocket becomes a magnet for lip care products, even though I haven’t needed/used them for several years.
More photos of the awesome cue rest machined from stainless steel and black delrin are here.
The odd/unique item I have in my case is the button that grounds me and is a reminder from my days in the rat race of Corporate America.
I carry surprisingly few tip and shaft maintenance tools, due to the fact that I have a lathe sitting on my kitchen counter.
Please let me know if you’ve got questions via the comment system or a private email.
Thank you, Mike Fieldhammer Professional Billiard Instructor, Player, and Salesman