On cases...

[Irish]

OK I know there are alot of case posts out there but I was hoping to get some info on the high end cases out there and the pros and cons of each maker. I will list as many high end case makers I know of and rank the ones I have seen/used as I saw them. It would be cool if people who either own or have seen these various cases would rate them according to:

1. Cue protection (physical)
2. Cue protection (environmental, cold/heat protection)
3. Durabilty (lasts a lifetime?)
4. Workmanship (How precise is the case made)
5. Materials (top quality leather/wood/ect...?)
6. Ease of use (cues come out/go in easy. Accessory holder ease of use/space)
7. Looks (how nice the cases look. If a custom maker how precise is his work and how amazing can a case be made to look)
8. Value (With everything taken into account is the case worth the money)

When rating the cases please use extremes. A 10 in durablity means you simply could not damage the case in normal rough use and the parts of it both interior and exterior will never wear out.

Instroke: Big company, seems they make a very solid case. No custom jobs from what I can see. Lots of options on shaft/butt configuration.

My ratings of em...

1. Physical protection seems great. The case is solid and heavy and the cue is quite secure (although a joint down only tube holds a cue a little more secure). 8/10
2. Protection against the environment is average I would say. The seal is not air tight and the case will allow the outside elements into the case. You would not want to accidently drop this case in a lake while it was holding a Balabushka. 7/10
3. Durabilty seems very good with these cases. If it does not last a lifetime I imagine it will last a large part of it. 8/10
4. Workmanship is very good for a production case. Nothing looks out of sorts. Not quite as precise as a well made custom case. 8/10
5. Materials are quite good. They have some very nice leathers in their higher priced cases. Not quite hand picked leather such as seen in custom cases. 8/10
6. Ease of use is great. Cues can be put in either joint up or joint down. Accessory pockets are almost perfect. 9/10
7. Looks are decent. Your case will not be a eye catcher as these are just too common. A nice custom made case will own these for looks. 5/10
8. Value is decent on these cases. They are not cheap but they seem to do a good job. For not much more money a person can get into custom made cases with alot more character. Alot of slightly cheaper Instroke clone cases out there now that seem very similar in quality. 7/10

http://www.instroke.com/

Talisman: New company in the case market. I dont know much about them. Only 2/4 configuration. Seems like a solid built case from their website.

I cannot rate em as I have never used or even seen one in person.

http://www.talismanbilliards.com/Cuecases.asp

Halliburton: Alluminum cases. Supposedly super strong and protective. Briefcase style. Cue holding area inside the case has me worried from pictures. 4/8 configuration only?

Never seen one in person

http://www.seyberts.com/chan/halliburton.htm

Fellini: Tube style cases. Not made anymore. I think they are one butt only configurations. Supposedly a super protective case that is well sealed.

Never seen one in person.

Floridafred: Builds custom-made briefcase style cases out of exotic wood. Cases look awesome both inside and out.

Never seen one in person.

http://www.floridafred.com/

Whitten: Custom-made tube style leather cases. His custom made work to match cues looks amazing. The prices are HUGE. Are these cases that good? are they worth the money?

Never seen one in person

http://www.whittencuecases.com/

Justis: Custom made leather tube style cases. These look quite alot like the new Talisman cases yet with custom leather tooling and custom name-plates and other small handmade touches. Quite expensive once a person gets some custom work done. Are these cases worth the money? How do they compare to Whitten if you have seen both?

Never seen one in person

http://members.aol.com/JJustis4//

New York: Colorful looking cases. Tube style leather. Custom made I believe.

Never seen one in person

http://www.newyorkcase.com/products.html


Thats all the high end case makers I can find/remember for now. If you have another ya want to post about just say who they are and a link would be nice if possible. Hopefully we can get alot of info on the various case makers and the good and bad points of each. I am really hoping to see if those custom cases are worth the extra money and afford better protection for a cue then the production cases

[Vicki]

I have a Whitten case. I absolutely love it. I don't agree that the price is HUGE, as you say. I think the prices are competitive with other custom case manufacturers and that the quality is competitive.

They are FAR more attractive than Justice (of course, that's a matter of taste). I prefer the cleaner, sleeker, more contemporary look. I have a black lizard with flat black accents around the lid and accessory pockets.

I like the styling of the accessory pockets but would prefer that they open accross the top of the pocket - rather than from the side. In other words, when the case is standing on end on the floor (as it is most often), and I unzip the pocket, the stuff inside may fall out the side of the pouch. I would prefer the opening to be up top rather than on the side. No biggie.

I wish I had gotten the handle on the side. I got the removable handle on top (with snaps) and a shoulder strap. It helps to pull it out of the trunk or backseat if you can grab a side handle. The shoulder strap is the most comfortable ever made. I have had mine for a couple of years now and it is still as comfortable now as when it was new. Very well padded - with a good material.

You can put your name on the lid if you want and it looks classy - not garish like the big tooled leather cases.

I am sorry I don't have time or energy to use the rating system you requested, but I hope this helps.

Oh, one more thing,,, the shafts are "floating" in the case because there are little foam things in the bottom of the shaft tubes that support them. They don't move around. That's a good thing. Overall I think the case deserves a 9/10.

It barely looks used and I have used it quite a bit. I really love it and the Whitten's are the nicest people on earth. Really wonderful to work with... We've bought several cases for ourselves, a pro player representative, gifts, and for clients.

Take care,

Vicki

[Fred Agnir]

I have three of the major players in the case industry. Instroke, Justis, Whitten.

They all focus on different strengths. You can go plain or fancy in all three. It's just a matter of time and money.

If I had a choice, I'd buy all three. /ccboard/images/graemlins/smile.gif If I could only choose one... Jack Justis.

Here's a review from RSB:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=20011002065918.24015.00000267%40mb-mq.aol.com&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain

Fred

[Irish]

Interesting to see two people with differing views over the Whitten and the Justis cases and which is their favorite (I assume this means they are both very good cases and very close in quality and protection).

[SpiderMan]

I agree with the above post as far as it goes. I don't own a Whitten case, but several friends do and I am strongly considering buying one. Regarding price, they're only about a 50% premium over a "production" case like the Instroke.

Regarding durability, I think the Whitten closure systems will last a lot longer than those on the Justis. I did know one person who had a problem with a Justis swivel several years back. When I looked at it my opinion was that it was not only a point of potential failure, but that it would be difficult to replace "cleanly".

New York case seems to be of similar quality as the Whitten, though I have only seen one example in person. They have some interesting designs.

Once problem with all of these leather cases is weight - in the larger (2x4 or 3x6) sizes, they are all very heavy compared to something like a Guiseppe, which probably gives equal protection but less pride of ownership. If you're not into work, don't plan on toting these cases around too much.

SpiderMan

[SharpCat]

<font color="blue"> </font color> Heys guys. First time poster here. I have first hand knowledge on Floridafred Cases. I have had mine about 2 months and let me tell ya it is beutifull. /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif Mine is the 2x4 model with storage area, leather handul and combo locks. The wood used was Curly Maple (Butterscotch Stain) with Bloodwood. Every time I go to my APA league on Wednesday people compliment me on my case.

It took longer than i had wanted but then again I ordered during his peak season. I e-mailed Fred weekly and he always kept me informed on it's progress. I can say nothing but great things about his cases and his service. They really are as stunning as they appear online.

[bluewolf]

Since the whitten and justice allow the cues to touch the bottom of the tube, would they be more prone to warpage than say the instroke where they do not touch the bottom of the tube but are firmly held hanging?

Laura

[Vicki]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote SpiderMan:</font><hr> Once problem with all of these leather cases is weight - in the larger (2x4 or 3x6) sizes, they are all very heavy compared to something like a Guiseppe, which probably gives equal protection but less pride of ownership. If you're not into work, don't plan on toting these cases around too much.

SpiderMan <hr /></blockquote>

It has been my experience with my Whitten (it is 3 butt x 4 shaft but I usually only carry 2 butts) that even though the case is heavy it doesn't feel heavy. The padding on the shoulder strap is very comfortable AND the case sits so well on your shoulder. It doesn't fall through between your arm and hip. It lays perfectly.

I know people with older Whittens and they complain that theirs is too heavy. Same with Justice - too heavy. The newer Whittens are not. I have carried it from coast to coast, through airports, hotels, convention centers - you name it. It is SO much more comfortable to carry than anything else I have used.

For what it's worth...


Vicki

[Vicki]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote bluewolf:</font><hr> Since the whitten and justice allow the cues to touch the bottom of the tube, would they be more prone to warpage than say the instroke where they do not touch the bottom of the tube but are firmly held hanging?

Laura <hr /></blockquote>

The Whitten case has a soft, foam thing in the bottom of the tube which, when cut to the correct length, causes the shaft to sort of float in the tube. I don't know about Justice, but in my opinion, a good shaft is not more prone to warping if it touches the bottom of the case.

I have a George case that stores my old Scruggs. The shafts are 12 years old and they are fine. They were good pieces of wood to begin with. I've left them in the car, left it screwed together and leaned against a wall. There's no reason they shouldn't be warped but they're straight as an arrow.

Vicki

[bluewolf]

Thanks Vicki. We now have more cues here than we have cases to put them in. A couple of our cases are falling apart too. I have a vinyl instroke that is a 3x7 and it is way too cumbersome for me to carry around, so I will need a new case. I am leaning more towards the whitten, although someone did write me about another case for sale and am also considereing that. Also we are trying to decide if ww will get a new case and use the instroke we have for storage or if he will use the instroke we have as his case.

So we are looking at at least one case. After reading on here, I looked at the latches on the instroke. They are so flimsy. When I get a case, I want it to be a 'forever case' not something that is going to fall apart. That is why I am checking everything.

And oh yeah, will a jump cue fit in the whitten pocket? I know eventually I will want a jump cue some time down the road.

I think the justice is the most beautiful one but it does not have a top pocket that I can tell. You get one 16 in or two 8 in instead of the way the instroke and whitten both have a small top one and a longer one at the bottom. Not having a top pocket would be a major inconvenience to me.I go in and out of that top pocket several times on league night and would not like having to reach to the bottom for my stuff. /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just like someone ways 'if it aint funny, it aint much' i say 'if it aint convenient, it aint much' /ccboard/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Laura

[Fred Agnir]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote bluewolf:</font><hr> Since the whitten and justice allow the cues to touch the bottom of the tube, would they be more prone to warpage than say the instroke where they do not touch the bottom of the tube but are firmly held hanging?

Laura <hr /></blockquote>
I'm not sure what you're asking Laura. Neither the Justis nor the Whitten allow the shaft to touch the bottom, unless the shaft is thinner than the tube. You can put a spacer in the bottom of the shaft tubes. These rubber spacers come standard with Whittens. In either case, IMO, the shaft in a case like these are only prone to warping if they (the shafts) are already of poor quality.

As far as the butts go, all three allow the butts to touch the bottom.

Fred

[Fred Agnir]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote Irish:</font><hr> Interesting to see two people with differing views over the Whitten and the Justis cases and which is their favorite (I assume this means they are both very good cases and very close in quality and protection). <hr /></blockquote>
Yes. They are both excellent cases, as is the Instroke case.

Fred

[Fred Agnir]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote bluewolf:</font><hr> And oh yeah, will a jump cue fit in the whitten pocket? I know eventually I will want a jump cue some time down the road.<hr /></blockquote>The Whitten pockets are too small, IMO. Mine won't fit a jump handle. Take a look:

http://home.earthlink.net/~ohagnir/_images/Whittenpocket.JPG

The Instroke Cowboy has a specific side pocket for a jump handle:

http://home.earthlink.net/~ohagnir/_images/InstrokeJump.JPG

[ QUOTE ]
I think the justice is the most beautiful one but it does not have a top pocket that I can tell. You get one 16 in or two 8 in instead of the way the instroke and whitten both have a small top one and a longer one at the bottom. <hr /></blockquote>Jack builds them one at a time. Anything is mostly achievable with time and money.

Fred

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote Fred Agnir:</font><hr> <blockquote><font class="small">Quote bluewolf:</font><hr> And oh yeah, will a jump cue fit in the whitten pocket? I know eventually I will want a jump cue some time down the road.<hr /></blockquote>The Whitten pockets are too small, IMO. Mine won't fit a jump handle. Take a look:

http://home.earthlink.net/~ohagnir/_images/Whittenpocket.JPG

The Instroke Cowboy has a specific side pocket for a jump handle:

http://home.earthlink.net/~ohagnir/_images/InstrokeJump.JPG

&lt;/font&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;font class="small"&gt;Quote:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;
I think the justice is the most beautiful one but it does not have a top pocket that I can tell. You get one 16 in or two 8 in instead of the way the instroke and whitten both have a small top one and a longer one at the bottom. <hr /></blockquote>Jack builds them one at a time. Anything is mostly achievable with time and money.

Fred <hr /></blockquote>

my whitten 2x4 has a bunjee jump butt in the long pocket with lotsa room let over.

dan