i cant help you with buying one, but seeing as I own one I may be able to give a little mini review.
great for making a break at the start of a game.
rubbish for everything else...no feel, no finesse...one of those "if all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail" pool cues.
it is too hard a material for soft strokes...not enough user feedback really.
I played with a graphite cue this past weekend, lost one game out of 15 so needless to say I was impressed! It wasn't mine, cost a friend R300 from Cash Crusaders..
it's funny, because I like playing with my graphite, but none of my friends get along with it.
I may just add here that I kinda like pool cues and got 6 here..all different. It is a bad habit, but I play with one for a few months, get the hang of it, then change moods and grab something else. My wife got me the graphite coz I liked the idea of an all black cue, and it suits me when I am in a bad mood from work and just want to hit something hard.