MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — A pool cue company in Menomonee Falls made and sold one of the most expensive pool cues ever. It's called The Intimidator from McDermott Cue.
It looks like a medieval weapon, but it's actually a pool cue that sold for $150,000 in the late 2010s. It was crafted out of an 82-pound piece of stainless steel and it became a 9.5-pound colossal cue.
“Not designed for function. Designed more for form, but yea at over nine pounds you would get tired very quickly, and you would risk impaling yourself because those blades are super sharp," Jayme Cernicka, the customer service manager at McDermott Cue, said.
McDermott Cue doesn't just make cues like The Intimidator. They have been headquartered in Menomonee Falls since the company's inception in 1975. They are the first name when it comes to pool cues. The company makes some of the nicest and most expensive cues.
“Really what makes the difference there is the amount of detail and craftsmanship that goes into the design of the cue itself," Cernicka said.
These aren’t the kind of cues you find on the wall at a dive bar. While they have cheaper options many cost more than $400 with dozens costing thousands of dollars.
"Yea, we do have some professionals that use our cues. Whether they be normal playing on tour, or a lot of the artistic pool players which are very interesting to watch them on the pool table doing a lot of the trick shots, and artistic pool, a lot of those (players) use our cues," Cernicka said.
It takes a lot of work to bring cues through all the stages of manufacturing to make a finished product. Rather than being mass-produced with a piece of wood going through a saw, these are crafted to a high degree and go through multiple hands before one is finished.
McDermott Cue said the billiards business is booming. What normally takes two weeks to make now takes can take eight to ten weeks to finish. Despite having fewer than 50 employees, the company can produce more than 10,000 cues a year.
Back in the 70s, McDermott Cue, founded by Jim McDermott, became famous for introducing two unique designs that are now standard in the world of pool.
"One of the major things (Jim McDermott) incorporated into his cue building process is an interchangeable weight bolt system which was not common at the time," Cernicka said.
It allows you to change the weight of your cue. They have since added to that design to change the balance point of the cue too.
They also created was is commonly referred to in the business as the 'McDermott Joint'.
"A big 3/8th by 10 joint pin threaded into the wood of the shaft creates a very solid hit and feel," Cernicka said.
Those innovations are what made the company famous, and McDermott Cue continues to make strides in cue manufacturing. Normally, cues are made from wood. But recently, the company released an all-carbon fiber cue.
However, they likely won’t be innovating the world of pool cues that look like medieval weapons. They’ll stick to more practical ideas.
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