Looks and Personality! These cues have it all. You’ll not only love them for their sleek designs, but also their playability. Say Hello to Eddie Cohen of Cohen Cues in this month’s “Meet the Cue Maker”.
Eddie Cohen, 36, resides in Cerritos, California with his family and 2 dogs. While growing up, his hobbies ranged from inline skating to photography and even video editing. This led to him pursuing his degree in Fine Art and Film when he went to college at Cal State Long Beach in 2004. It was there he also began his introduction to pool. While attending college he conveniently had an 8 ft pool table at home which started to draw his attention. He began playing in tournaments at 19 and wanted to improve his game. That year, he purchased his first high end cue; a Schon limited. He also won his first tournament and began realizing the investment in custom cues. As he began collecting, he would start by paying for the cues to be re-tipped which quickly added up. He decided it would be worth it to learn how to do it himself and purchased a small lathe in 2006. A year later, it was at a local tournament that Eddie met cue maker Kent Davis (KD Cues) and was invited to check out his shop and see the whole process. After purchasing two cues from Kent, he began learning the basic construction of how to put a cue together. It wasn’t long until he could build the basic construction and Kent would complete the finish. Advancing quickly, by age 23 Eddie had not only completed his first custom cue, but he’d also built a Sneaky Pete along with a jump cue. In 2009, Eddie graduated college and was then able to devote more time to the growing hobby. He continued to develop his skill and around 2011 purchased his first professional lathe. Shortly after, fellow California cue maker Ariel Carmeli (Carmeli Custom Cues) took notice and offered to mentor him. He continued learning under Ariel for the next couple years and credits Ariel for teaching him how to do points and inlays. Eddie established his brand in 2012 and went full-time in 2013. He now works out of his 700 sq ft shop near his home in Cerritos, California.
Cohen Cues, now strongly making a name for themselves for over a decade, were originally branded “Eliah”. This was Eddie’s name in Hebrew, named after his great-grandfather. However, to streamline the brand, it was changed to Cohen Cues in 2015 and remains unmistakable with a cue craftily hiding in the “he” of the Cohen logo. When it comes to the construction, Eddie states most of his cues are made with the short splice technique. He prefers fancier builds which you’ll often see made from Ebony and include points, veneers and ringwork. On the other hand, he doesn’t shy away from a simpler build when it includes exotic woods such as Amboyna Burl and Purple Heart. Eddie states the hardest aspect of cue building is putting a finish on: “Every wood reacts differently. You can take 10 builds from the same piece of wood, and they would all absorb the finish differently”. After devoting years to refining his skills, he’s created a brand that is often chosen for their looks. Yet they’re fiercely backed with their playability. They’ve even been in the hands of a few pros. Roberto Gomez has previously played with a Cohen cue and it was with a Cohen cue that Chris Reinhold (formerly Robinson) won the Junior Nationals in 2015. To this day, Eddie continues to focus on the hit of the cues and keeps all components built in house except for the joint pins and bumpers. Lastly, the unmistakable Cohen logo will always be found near the bottom of the cue, engraved on the butt cap. With a yearly production of around 35 cues, Eddie states if the weather is perfect, they take just a few months to build from start to finish. He’s recently added some new equipment and after evaluating his building process, he aims to increase his production to at least 50 cues per year.
Eddie says his career highlight to date has been being invited to the 2017 International Cue Collectors Show (ICCS) in Las Vegas. He states, “even just being invited is quite validating”. Now, having joined the American Cuemaker’s Association (ACA) he looks forward to building something that can be displayed and voted on. He reflects “Building something from nothing and seeing the finished product” is the best part about being a cue maker. Although he appreciates more traditional designs, it’s innovation paired with a classic touch that sets his cues apart. When you play with a Cohen cue, you’re not only getting a sleek design, but a solid hit as well. With talent and creativity coming so naturally throughout his life, it’s no wonder he’s already made a name for himself. We will undoubtedly be seeing much more in the future from the youthful cue maker. If you’d like to get your own Cohen cue, the average price is around $3,000 with a basic Merry widow starting at about $1,350. His current waitlist is 2.5 years and growing quickly. The best way to get on the waitlist is by contacting him directly at cohencues.com. Or you can check current stock through one of his brokers such as Superior Cues, Recollections Cues or Bigglebachs.com. Next year, he will also be at the 2023 Super Billiard Expo if you’d like to catch him in person.
