The inspiration of TON PRARAM III CUES

 

 

 

Palipon (Ton or Jack) Sombun is well known among snooker players for his passion for the sport. Since he was young, he evaluates, collects and exchanges different types and brands of cues. But to his dismay, his expedition of searching for the finest cues that suits him didn’t bore fruit. Thus, the only approach of solving the problem is to craft his own cues. That’s the purpose behind the establishment of TON PRARAM III CUES.
His knowledge and experiences as a fellow snooker player allows him to grasp the importance of every details and customization that every snooker player seeks from their own cues. His belief is that time, specs modification, and dedication is needed in order to produce the most suitable cue that brings out the potential of each individual player.

Since 2011, TON PRARAM III CUES is well acknowledged by the industry for outstanding quality, as we paid utmost attention to every single cue that we crafted. We import the most exotic and finest materials from around the world for cue crafting.
All of our cues are handcrafted by our professional craftsman, who has more than 30 years of experience in the production of cues.
We at TON PRARAM III CUES would like to be an alternative choice for players who’s fond of collecting exotic, exquisite looking, high quality cues, which enables them to further improve on their skills.

In the process of creating a TON PRARAM III Cue, we ensure that it is made from the finest materials available. Then each individual part of the cue will be crafted to your preferred specification, such as the stiffness of the shaft, weight distribution, etc.
Customers can also customize their own unique butt designs by choosing from our collection of exotic woods.
In our opinion every part of a cue (shaft, butt, balance, and tip) contributes to its perfectness. Therefore, any cue that didn’t meet our quality standard will be rejected.
As we only emphasize on crafting customized high quality cues, our raw materials’ curing time is extremely long. For example, the wood for shaft making was kept for more than a year before usage.

For the finishing touches, after repeated sanding by hand, we bath the cue using our own formulated cue oil. It gives the premium and silky smooth feel of natural wood that no other common lacquer can provide. SD joint is a standard on all cues.
It’s our pleasure and pride for your interest in our cues.

 

 

TON PRARAM III – CUE RANGE INFORMATION

Series 1: Starting price £315.00

Series 1 – Budget Range – Quality cues suitable for players who don’t emphasize on the beauty of the woods pattern. Shafts are hand turned to an oversized taper and left to settle over a period of time to ensure straightness and stability.
Base joints are fitted as standard which enables a mini butt or telescopic extension to be attached.

Series 2: Starting price £390.00

Series 2 – Customizable design – Quality cues suitable for players who emphasize on the quality of the raw materials used and the beauty of the woods pattern. The shaft can be customized to suit individual requirements.
Base joints are fitted as standard which enables a mini butt or telescopic extension to be attached.

Ultimate Shaft Grade Cues – Beyond – Limited Edition – Black Bone 

Beyond: Starting price £660.00 – Can be upgraded to Pro Shaft + £200.00

The shafts are specially selected for their straightness, best looking grains and the maple for their flawless beauty and excellent quality. The ebony butt timbers are spliced to the cues by hand and the cues are shaped to produce the distinctive four round point pattern. All standard splice designs are available in Beyond. Shaft specifications are customized to suit individual requirements.
Base joints are fitted as standard which enables a mini butt or telescopic extension to be attached.

Limited Edition: Starting price £725.00 – Can be upgraded to Pro Shaft + £200.00

Limited’s are the top range with custom made design of nice and rare exotic woods.
Butt design available only unique grain of each exotic wood.
The shafts are specially selected for their straightness, best looking grains and the maple for their flawless beauty and excellent quality. The ebony butt timbers are spliced to the cues by hand and the cues are shaped to produce the distinctive four round point pattern. Shaft specifications are customized to suit individual requirements.
Base joints are fitted as standard which enables a mini butt or telescopic extension to be attached.

Black Bone - These have been discontinued

Black Bone are only available in black ebony butt.
The specially selected ash and maple shafts are of the highest grade identical to Beyond and Limited Edition’s and are combined with top grade black ebony butt.
Base joints are fitted as standard which enables a mini butt or telescopic extension to be attached.

 

NEW INFORMATION

Begin / FS / Pro Shaft / Phantom Series

 

Begin – Starting price £230.00
These are the entry level shafts, not quite to Series 1 standard, this is usually down to having a slightly lighter density or a bit more flex than Series 1 shafts.
These are still very good shafts especially when compared to other cue brands.

 

FS – Full Shaft Cues. Starting price £420.00
These are cues made in the old traditional way.
The shaft runs the full length of the cue. Most cues are made using shorter shafts these days, these are extended to full length before splices are added, when cues are made using a shorter shaft, it allows weight to be added to a higher position, this has no detrimental effect on the cue.

 

Pro Shaft – Starting price £860.00
These are the very best of the Ultimate shafts.
The shafts are dense, strong, with excellent visual grain pattern. They tend to have the required flex / spring to have great playability.
Pro Shaft Ton Praram badges have a little letter P instead of the infinity logo .

 

Phantom FS Pro Shaft - This range are the best of the best - Highest grade exotic woods – Starting price £1540.00
Previously known as Red badge FU cues. Made as a limited run of 99.
We found it’s not just players who these cues, cue collectors have been buying these as an future investment.

 

Black Phantom FS Pro Shaft - 2023 Price £2072.00 / Bespoke Order Only / Please email. - Please Note - A very limited amount of Black Phantom cues are made each year.

 

Black Phantom have replaced the original Black Bone. These are only available with Jet black ebony butts.
The difference between Black Bone and Black Phantom is the way they are made. Phantoms are made with a traditional full length shaft, selected highest grade ash or maple shafts, known as Pro shafts. At present approximately 10 Black Phantom cues are made a year
Base joints are fitted as standard on all Ton Praram cues which enables a mini butt or telescopic extension to be attached.

 

What makes one shaft better than another when grading ?
The most important factors are a combination of – Strength - Density / Weight – Flex / Spring.
Strength – A shaft must have good strength to be able to produce a good strike and reaction with the cue ball. Shafts with more strength usually produce less deflection.
Density / Weight –  Shaft density is important because this creates natural weight and strength in a shaft. This contributes to a more solid strike and better reaction with the cue ball.
Have you ever used a cue which feels light on the bridge hand, when striking the cue ball it feels hollow ? These shafts tend to have quite a lot of flex, the playability of the cue will be limited when shafts have a lack of natural weight and density.
Flex / Spring –  Shafts need to be strong, so a shaft that is easy to bend isn’t ideal.
The best shafts have good strength but also a bit of flex which creates spring, this is what helps to get a good reaction with the cue ball, making creative shots easier to play.
Visual Grain – For some players is very important for others less. The grain pattern isn’t what makes the cue play well, visual grain pattern is personal preference. You will pay more for cues with good visual grain because it is a contributing factor when grading shafts. Perfect visual arrows can be difficult to find.

Remember this – The best cue makers know how to select the best shafts, and grade them accordingly.
Only cue makers with knowledge and experience can do this well.