January 28, 2021
This article is to tell a story of my experience with Peri cues. I write down this article because of the surprising cue performance I found when I played with Peri cue, so I think I have to explain to those who have not had experience with Peri cues. Somebody would say, ‘Oh yea because you’re a Peri dealer, so you said they’re good!’. For this question, I will say ‘NO’, in turn, because I was impressed by the cues, then I became a dealer. Furthermore, to show respect to every pool cue, I do not positively or negatively comment a cue until I have tried it.
No matter whether you are loving collecting eye-catching limited editions made of top-quality materials or seeking a billiard cue that suits your unique gameplay, you might struggle in some ‘difficult selection’ situations.
Rather than a pool player, I would like to call myself a ‘cue player’. For me, billiard cues are artworks. The appearance or design, the materials, and the most important, the feeling it gives me the first time I touch it, are all factors that affect my first impression of a pool cue. Also, I will more focus on my pool games when I am using a cue I like more. This situation would naturally happen on many players. However, nobody can say if it is something right or wrong, as long as you’re enjoying your games and happy with that. Now let’s talk about the reasons why I think I will stick with Peri cues (Note*: all represent personal opinions).
I started to play pool with Predator then shifted to Mezz and finally I choose Peri (I have not tried any other brands yet so let’s just talk about these three brands). From a $600 cue to over an over-thousand-dollar cue, then to cues worth a couple of thousand dollars, I just kept ‘upgrading’ my equipment. For an extended period, I was crazy about carbon fibre shafts. After seeing a carbon fibre shaft, I gave up my Predator 8K-1 to the P3 Limited Edition then to the 25th Anniversary limited edition. I kept playing with carbon fibre shafts until, occasionally, I tried my old Mezz Alpha Hybrid shaft on.
Carbon fibre shafts are definitely low-deflection. I have played with Predator Revo (with 12.4mm soft Victory tips) and Mezz Ignite (with 12.2mm soft Kamui black tips) and tried to make a comparison between them. Interestingly, I felt more confident when playing with one of them than the other, but I could not figure out why I felt comfortable until I finally tried the Alpha Hybrid wood shaft. Then I understood that was the feedback to my backhand. Of course, one of them might have a lower deflection, but playing with the other made me feel more real from the hit. The wood shaft enlarges this kind of feeling. It was a critical point for me to find out the difference.
There has been a long time that people pursue low-deflection performance. I used to be fascinated with low deflection because of the advertisement but ignored other factors. This also made me unable to find a right way to play with carbon fibre shafts. Afterwards, I found cue feedback is more important for me to pick a cue. Obviously, wood shafts make me feel more real and much better, also made me used back to wood shafts. I think it is also why many pool players choose wooden shafts again after playing with carbon fibre shafts.
The first time I have a chance to try on a Peri cue made me fall in love with it. It was the Peri Infinity II PX2-02 with a P20-K shaft, and it has been my favourite playing cue. If compared to carbon fibre shafts, of course, I can gain more feedback from every hit and feel the cue is with me.
Today’s players are always talking about the deflection. I have played with carbon fibre shafts long-term, and I already had a specific standard for ‘low-deflection’. Deflection is also what I was worried about before I shifted to wood shafts. However, when I picked up the P20 shaft, I found it is definitely with a low deflection, which also guarantees the hit can go through the cue and reach my backhand (Note*: In term of the deflection, I will upload a video soon to give a review).
It is hard to explain how ‘solid’ that you can feel from a hit. In my opinion, if good cue feedback makes you feel comfortable with every attempt, then a ‘solid hit’ makes you feel confident with every shot. I call a power that I cannot feel and control a ‘pure power’, while a ‘solid power’ is a power that endows a shot with penetration and easy control. I can feel the ‘solid power’ from the Peri P20 shaft, and this is also why I get used to it quickly when shifted from carbon fibre shaft to wood. The radial pin joint makes the shaft and the butt fit closely so that the power transmits consistently. On the other hand, the same as many players, I feel more confident with this wood shaft than carbon fibre shafts.
The high accuracy when playing spin is owed to the low deflection. On the other hand, not every shaft can provide a strong cue spin, but the P20 shaft does. I like using the cushions and playing spin on the cue ball to make it run faster. When I play with the P20, every spin shot, no matter check side or running side, becomes very easy. A 12.5mm tip is just right perfect for me, and a high hardness shaft reduces the vibration when the cue tip touches the cue ball. This also ensures the power to act as much as possible at one point.
Peri not only pays great attention to cue performance but also to its design. In term of cue design, Peri always has a rigorous attitude and review procedure. Peri is found by a fanatic cue sports fan, and their designers have over 10 years of experience. All this has helped Peri evolve from a marketing agent a decade ago to one of the famous and best-selling billiards brands.
The Infinity II PX02-2 that I am playing with has the gorgeous appearance and top-quality inlays. This model belongs to one of the Peri high-end series cues. It is made of AA-level ebony wood, my favourite wood, and inlaid with Germany-made Elforyn, space aluminium, abalone and serpentine wood. The things that most attracts me are the eight ‘sliver arrows’ and the regular lines, which make up a simple cue appearance while endowing the cue with luxury. Particularly, Peri has its own patented technology, called ‘X3 cross carbon fibre technology’, applied on its high-end cues and some of the medium series cues, which reinforces the cue butt, improves its durability and makes your shots solid.
By the way, Peri’s high-end series, such as Duke, Infinity and the limited editions, are all highly pricing but this is because of the rare materials and time they spend on making the cues. On the other hand, you don’t have to play with a cue worth over USD 6,000 unless you really like artwork and want to be its owner. Peri cues are all with high quality and beautiful looking as well as excellent cue performance.
In the end, I will say everyone has their own gameplay styles and their own judgement of a pool cue. However, I will promise that Peri cues are the best cues that I ever played with, although my comment would not be the most representative. These are just to describe my experience with Peri cues and to reference those who have not tried Peri cue but are interested in. Now, Peri cues are right in New Zealand for you, so give it a try then you will not be disappointed!
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