The Cue Named After a City, Built for a Champion
Tonny Carlsen is one of Denmark's greatest three-cushion players. A three-time Grand Prix winner and World Championship silver medalist in 2000 (finishing behind the legendary Dick Jaspers), Carlsen has spent decades competing at the highest levels of carom billiards. The Longoni Randers is his third signature cue, carrying the name of the Danish city that holds deep personal and competitive significance for him.
What defines the Randers is what it deliberately leaves out. Carlsen's design philosophy centers on performance and restraint: no ornate inlays, no decorative flourishes competing for attention. The cue is a working instrument, and every material choice serves a structural purpose.
Longoni has been manufacturing professional cues in Mariano Comense, in the Como province of Italy, since 1945, making them one of the oldest cue makers on the planet. The Randers represents the intersection of that eight-decade heritage with a champion's uncompromising vision.
This article goes beyond the spec sheet. We explain why the Randers is built the way it is, who it is genuinely designed for, and what justifies its premium price point in the range of $1,550 to $1,700.
The French Technique: Why Longoni Layers Five Woods
The term "French technique" refers to a specific construction method where multiple wood species are layered in thin sheets to form the cue's body. Rather than turning a single piece of wood on a lathe, this approach combines different densities and flex characteristics into a unified structure. The result is a cue with superior tonal consistency, controlled vibration, and long-term dimensional stability.
The Randers uses five distinct materials in its construction. The inner core is built from layered sheets of rosewood, amazaqué, and ash. Surrounding this core is Balkan curly maple, which forms the visible body. Black URAL wood provides the accent lines.
The ash core reinforcement deserves special attention. Ash stiffens the cue's spine, ensuring a robust and consistent hit regardless of table conditions, humidity, or temperature variations. This structural detail separates a professional-grade cue from a simpler single-wood design.
URAL wood is Longoni's proprietary name for European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) treated with an innovative deep staining process introduced in autumn 2019. Hornbeam is exceptionally dense, and the staining process gives it a deep black tone without paint or surface coatings. For the Randers, it provides visual contrast with the curly maple while reinforcing Longoni's commitment to proprietary material innovation.
Each wood species in the layered construction contributes a different density and flex profile. Rosewood adds warmth and mass. Amazaqué brings rigidity. Ash provides the structural backbone. Curly maple offers resilience and a clean grain. Combined, these materials produce a feedback profile that experienced carom players can read and trust, shot after shot.
This is precisely why the Randers looks understated. The wood combination does the work. Carlsen's philosophy is clear: if you need inlays and decorative wraps to sell a cue, the construction is not speaking for itself. The Randers lets its materials make the argument.
What Comes in the Box: Shafts, Joint, and Extension System
The Randers ships with two shafts. At this price tier, that is a meaningful inclusion. You get immediate playability plus a backup, and you can experiment with different tip preparations or shaft treatments without compromising your primary setup.
The Longoni S30 Stratos Shaft
Both included shafts are Longoni S30 Stratos models, the highest-density laminated shaft in Longoni's lineup. Each S30 is constructed from 20 precision-selected wood slices: 10 of hard Canadian maple and 10 of Balkan hornbeam. This alternating laminate structure creates exceptional density uniformity across the shaft's length.
More laminate slices mean more consistent grain distribution, which translates to reduced warping risk and a more predictable deflection profile. Compared to Longoni's lower-tier S2 or S20 shafts, the S30 offers noticeably tighter energy transfer. You feel less vibration loss at impact, and the cue ball responds more faithfully to your intended spin.
The S30's specifications: 70.5 cm shaft length, 120 to 135 g weight, and a 12 mm Caudron Medium tip. Each shaft carries an MSRP of approximately $395. All Longoni shafts undergo a minimum 24-month processing cycle before leaving the factory and are covered by a two-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
The VP2 Titanium Joint
Longoni introduced the VP2 metal joint in 2004, evolving it from the earlier Viper steel joint. The Randers uses the VP2 Titanium variant, machined from Grade 5 titanium. This reduces joint weight compared to the steel version while maintaining rigidity and efficient energy transfer from butt to shaft.
The practical benefit is forward balance. Many carom players prefer a cue that carries its weight toward the tip rather than the grip, and the lighter titanium joint shifts the balance point forward. The Randers is exclusively available with the VP2 joint, and it is compatible with a wide range of Longoni shafts, including the Luna Nera pure graphite shaft. That compatibility is a significant selling point for players who want a traditionally crafted butt paired with a modern, low-deflection graphite option.
The 3Lobite Extension System
The Randers comes with Longoni's patented 3Lobite extension system pre-installed on the butt. One-third of a turn locks the extension in place with no threading required, allowing fast, vibration-free attachment of modular carbon extensions (available in 10 cm, 20 cm, or 30 cm lengths) during play.
For tall players or anyone dealing with difficult positional shots that require extra reach, this system is genuinely practical. The extension itself is sold separately, but joint protectors are included with the cue. The 3Lobite's tool-free design means you can add or remove the extension between shots without disrupting your rhythm.
Who Is the Randers Built For?
This is the question serious buyers need answered before committing to a cue in the $1,550 to $1,700 range. Is the Randers suited for three-cushion play, libre, or both?
The direct answer: the Randers' construction and balance profile make it versatile across carom disciplines, but its character is most at home in three-cushion. The forward balance from the VP2 Titanium joint, the stiff ash-reinforced core, and the S30's high-density laminate all favor the controlled power and precise spin that three-cushion demands.
Within Longoni's signature carom lineup, the Randers sits firmly in the professional and competition tier. Compared to cues like the Bellissima or Evoluzione, this is not an entry-level or intermediate instrument. Buyers should understand that distinction clearly. If you are still developing your fundamentals, a less specialized cue will serve you better while you build consistency.
The ideal Randers player is a serious competitor, league participant, or advanced enthusiast who prioritizes tactile feedback and structural precision over visual flair. This is a cue for someone who has outgrown decorative designs and wants a tool built around a champion's philosophy.
Carom billiards appeared at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, featuring both men's and women's events with 20 competitors from 14 nations. That milestone reflects the sport's rising global legitimacy and growing competitive infrastructure, and it signals a strong moment to invest in professional-grade equipment.
Market trends support this trajectory. Nearly 45% of billiard cue buyers now prefer premium designs with advanced materials, and carom accounts for approximately 28% of the global billiards equipment market. The Randers sits squarely in this growing premium segment.
As an authorized Longoni dealer, Billiard City ensures that every Randers we sell is a genuine product backed by full factory warranties. You can find the Randers on our product page and purchase with confidence.
Final Verdict: Restraint as the Mark of a Serious Cue
The Longoni Randers is a cue built around a champion's philosophy of performance over decoration. Five-wood French layering, a Grade 5 titanium VP2 joint, and Longoni's highest-density S30 shaft work together to create an instrument that rewards precision and punishes nothing.
What competitor product pages tend to miss: the structural logic behind the French technique, the S30's laminate advantage over lower-tier shafts, the 3Lobite's practical utility for real match situations, and the proprietary material story behind URAL wood. These are not marketing details. They are engineering decisions made by a champion and one of the world's oldest cue manufacturers.
The Randers is ideal for serious carom competitors and advanced players. It is not the right choice for beginners or anyone looking for a decorative showpiece.
Billiard City ships the Randers from our warehouse in Boca Raton, FL, with free shipping on US orders over $99. As an authorized Longoni dealer, we guarantee genuine products with full factory warranty coverage. If you have questions about the Randers or need help choosing the right shaft configuration, our team is here to help.