If your friends don't dance then they're no friends of mine.

Okay, okay, not really. Sorry.

Today two good things happened at the pool hall.  1) I got to hit with a Samsara cue 2) I came up with a new little game for myself.

1) After talking with the hall for a minute, he said he did have two Samsara BarCues left from the original lot of about 15.  So, I hit with one for a while.  Now, the joint was wood-wood with a piloted hole and it didn't meet flush, which I thought was strange.  The tip was very soft and probably the reason for why the "ping" was so deadened sounding.  I could barely hear the thing.  House-cues are louder than this thing.  The shaft it came with wasn't to my liking at all.  I guess that's a "straight" taper - but it reminded me more of a 3-cushion shaft than a pool shaft.  Although it didn't deflect any more than my current cue, it didn't deflect much less than mine either, and for $500 I want something a little straighter.  So... while I really like the design of the Samsara cues, I won't be putting out any money for one of them.  I'll stick to their break-tips though.  Now, I just want to hit with a Schon and compare it to the Carolina, and I'll be ready to make a decision.

2) I was hitting some shots from Byrnes Book of 350 Shots wherein he demonstrated a good safety shot that required "stun-through" action on the cue ball.  So, I started working on that shot.  Then I started working on other safety shots.  Then, I came up with this safety dance:  Throw all 9 (or 10) balls on the table, and then toss out the CB.  Shoot the balls in rotation - but each shot you are trying to get a strong safety out of it.  Freeze the CB and/or hide the OB.  Each time you get at least 65% of the OB blocked, take it off the table (unless it's a really easy kick to MAKE - like if you block the shot, but the OB is in the jaws, that doesn't count).  Go through the rack that way and see how many shots it takes to get through. 

So, you have a goal, you have a score, which means this is a measurable skill drill. Yay!  You could make it more interesting by making a rule on the number of rails used or only half-ball hits or only thinning the OB, etc.  Lots of ways to play safe; which is why I'm calling this in my practice log the "Safety Dance". (hence the title of this entry)

Caroline vs Samsara

So, I've been toying with the idea of getting a new cue.  I like my Lucasi, but I'm for sure going to replace the shaft.  Well, for the cost of a new shaft plus a little more I can get a new cue - and if I go custom, I can get a damn nice cue.

Today I hit with a Carolina Custom sneaky pete and while I don't like the look of a sneaky pete, the cue hit pretty darn well.  The standard shaft had less deflection than my current Lucasi too.  The butt felt good and solid and the ping was very audible - it sounded like a real cue.  They even have one in the wood colors I want: Cocobolo. :)

Now, Samsara Custom has a line of what they call "BarCue"; meaning they aren't decked out in elephant ivory and hand-laid inlays, etc.  Which is just fine for me, I don't care about that stuff, and honestly, I hate the idea of paying for it.  They, too, have a Cocobolo cue in this for around the price I was hoping to stay under/around.

Tomorrow, if I remember, I'll ask about them because I'm pretty sure there's a Samsara custom in one of the cases.  They have a unique design pattern on their true customs which I remember seeing on an end-cap the other day.  Their designs are actually some of my favorite, as far as curb-appeal goes, but I can't spend the $2,000-4,000 for one of those.

Has anyone reading this ever played with either?