If you’re considering the purchase of a Scorpion cue, this is worth reading. One of the big selling points for Scorpion cues is that they are warp resistant due to their fiberglass shell. The claim made by the manufacturers of Scorpion cues is that their cuemaking process provides protection from atmospheric extremes by their “Armor Effect” technique of coating the shaft with fiberglass, effectively sealing the wood and protecting it from moisture. According to the patent, the real protection comes from the following:
“A process for manufacturing wooden cues involves turning a wooden stick to obtain a certain diameter cue. This cue is then drilled to form holes, thereby destroying the composition of the wood fibers. Next, a glue and composite material are coated on the cue resulting in a preferred diameter cue size. The cue is then placed in a mold, pressed and heat dryed. The ends of the cue are then cut to an appropriate length and stoppers are added to the ends thereof. The resulting cue will be water-proof and will avoid warping, even over an extended period of use.”
The coating is part of it, but the other big part is the act of drilling holes in the shaft and filling them with a composite in order to break up the wood fibers. Pretty interesting stuff. This should protect the cue from warping, but the wood does have to be straight prior to the process in order for it to work.
For the record, I have a bunch of friends that play with Scorpion cues and none of them have had any warping problems. As with any piece of wood, if you abuse it by leaving it in your car or leaning it against a wall for weeks on end, it will warp. If you take proper care of your cue though, the fiberglass coating does seem to significantly reduce warping.
