I’ve finally got my first custom…

Cue: Omen
Made by: Pete Ohman  http://www.omencues.com/ec07017.htm (nice number)
Cue specs: Gaboon ebony forearm, 6 half spliced flame veneered Gaboon ebony points. Lizard skin wrap. southwest-like ringwork at A,B,C,D and E positions. 3-8-11 brass joint pin. Phenolic collar, wood to wood joint. 2 Shafts with ivory ferrules fitted with Moori Q tips. Approx. 19.75 oz.

If you look closely at the brass pin threading, you’ll find the letters O-M-E-N which is the signature of Pete Ohman’s work.

Here’s the forearm of the Omen. The points are razor sharp and another nice thing is the thickness of the veneers which accentuates the design. Some custom cuemakers have veneers that are just too thin and it doesn’t look as good as it should. But this is just remarkably nice!

Above is another view of the forearm. Ringwork is also very nice. However have to admit the finishing is quite thin. When I run my fingers across the points, I can actually feel them. Else this cue is extremely easy on the eyes.

It might not look much from here, but the handle wrap is actually Lizard Skin. How cool is that! Discovered that Pete is darn good at doing leather wraps because the seam was almost impossible to locate, you’d probably think it was a “slip-on” wrap but its not. Need I say how comfortable the grip is? Very impressed by the workmanship here.

Apart from the looks of it, the cue plays incredibly well. Probably better than it looks. There is a hefty ton of power in that shaft. Performance is seriously scary in a good way. My Joss cue shaft is good, but it has a little bit more flex and runs off when I stress it. Whereas this Omen shaft is by far one of the stiffest I’ve tried, yet its not too difficult to compensate the deflection, and it can take higher stress and maintain my desired cueing path. It can generate so much cue ball action without having to do too much too. I love the balance and weight distribution on this cue, it just fits my stroke well and I can execute tougher shots with less effort compared to my Joss. The challenge will be for me to tame this fiery beast because the cue is so powerful that I end up over running/over drawing/over siding… hahaha… I guess its because the hit is so much softer than my Joss which has a stainless steel joint (very hard hit) whereas the Omen has a wood to wood phenolic joint (soft hit), so I couldn’t really tell how hard I was hitting it till after I see the cue ball run like JL’s runny nose (he really had a bad cold). Will take some getting used to controlling shots with this cue.

Here’s how it stands out against other cues… although Pete Ohman isn’t really recognized as one of the premier makers now (Bluegrass/Bender/Southwest), I have to commend his craftsmanship because the cue looks good and plays great. A seriously worthy custom cuemaker. This Omen is just insane!

I’m really thankful that I got this, and despite many temptations to deviate, I still put God first to tithe and give church offering, give money to my parents and pay my insurance premiums before getting this cue. Truly happy with my new Omen and won’t be looking for another play cue for a very, very long time.