Advice
or
The Simple Facts
But before we start…
- Please do not ask me any questions about cues until you have taken the time to read the advice below, FAQs, and all the other information found throughout the site.
- I understand you may have questions or are unsure about some things, but if you take the time to read it all (as I took the time to write it), you will probably find all the information you need here.
- Of course, if there are any other questions not covered, or you need to clarify something, then please feel free to ask.
Q: Who should read this advice section?
A: Everyone! Beginners and experienced players alike.
This comprehensive guide will tell you everything you need to know, cutting through the ‘jargon’ and ‘gimmicks’, to give you the facts you need to make the right decision for your next cue purchase.
Everyone has an opinion on what’s right or wrong, but don’t take someone else’s word for it. And don’t fall for clever advertising or ‘endorsements’…
1) General Advice
2) What sizes
3) Ash or Maple
4) Nice Butt
5) 1pc or Jointed
6) How Much
1) General Advice
‘Looks’
It is human nature to choose a cue that you think looks good. But people have different tastes, which is why there are so many different styles and patterns out there.
The most important thing is to select a cue that has a good ‘feel’. Try not to make your judgement just on how the cue looks.
Remember that a ‘plain’, or even unattractive, cue can ‘feel’ great and play superbly.
However, Snooker/pool is one of the most psychologically challenging sports there are, and it doesn’t take much to put seeds of doubt into one’s mind which can seriously affect your game.
So it is still important for you to actually like the look of your cue and want to play with it, but try not to base your judgement simply on the fact that you think a cue looks good.
‘Feel’
The most important part of a cue is the shaft, as this is where most of the ‘feel’ comes from.
One of the reasons why many people choose a (genuine) hand made cue is that each one is made individually and great care is (or should be) taken in selecting wood that ‘feels’ just right.
Generally speaking, the more you pay for a cue should mean you are getting a better quality cue. The woods used on more expensive cues should have been carefully selected and the build quality should be better.
But beware, this may not always be the case.
Personally, I carefully select shaft timber by checking that it has a nice ‘feel’ or ‘spring’ to it. I do not like particularly whippy wood, or indeed very stiff wood.
I find that very stiff wood tends to make a cue feel lifeless, and that whippy wood gives you problems when playing deep screw shots or shots off the cushion. That is not to say that you can’t play the full range of shots with these types of wood. It’s what you get used to.
The best thing about using your own cue is that it becomes an extension of your arm and you know exactly how to hit the cueball to get it to do what you want. You will learn to know the ‘feel’ of your cue.
‘Looks vs. Feel’
You should be aware that it does not matter what the wood looks like, or how tight or wide the grain is, because the wood itself can vary greatly between being naturally very heavy and naturally very light.
For example, it is virtually impossible to just look at a piece of Ash and know that it is stiff or whippy. You can only tell this by picking it up and trying it.
This leads us to another thing. I often get asked for Ash with a certain number of arrows or maybe for a very stiff piece of Ash.
This in itself is not a major problem, but it can take a long time to find a shaft that suits a client’s requirements. But, quite often, a shaft can look exactly how you want it to, but the ‘feel’ is not so good.
Remember that every cue made will feel slightly different and unique from the next because wood is natural and will vary in weight/density/grain pattern due to where it was grown, the climate, the part of the tree from which it was cut, etc., etc..
Conclusion
Select a cue not just on appearances, but consider the wood and build quality. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a cue that is perfect for you, but try to spend as much as you can afford because you are likely to be getting better quality and the cue will probably last longer.
A good cue is an investment because you will use it for years. A cheap cue may start giving problems after just a little use, particularly ferrules, joints, and weights.
Each cue may vary slightly in the way it plays because wood is natural and varies from piece to piece. But as long as a cue has been made well using good quality wood, you will soon get used to the unique characteristics, and you will be able to perform the full range of shots. (If not, check out your cue action because that will be where the problem is…). And once you get used to your own cue, no other cue will feel as comfortable to you, or play the same way.
Try not to listen too much to the ‘advice’ given to you by the ‘bloke down the club’. Remember that he is telling you about the type of cue he likes or believes to be the best, and we are all different. Only you know what feels comfortable to you. By all means listen to advice that people give you, but ultimately you must choose for yourself because it is you who must feel comfortable with the cue.
2) What Sizes?
There are four basic sizes to a cue, and each contributes to the overall ‘feel’:
- Length
- Tip Size
- Weight
- Butt Size
1. Length
Remember that 99% of cues are mass produced and that they are made to a certain length because that’s how the machines are set up. Not because the law states that you must use this length.
We are all different shapes and sizes, so the ‘standard’ length may not feel comfortable to all of us. Think about buying a pair of trousers – the average leg size may be 32″ but what about the rest of us? Either taller or shorter. The principle here is – get what feels comfortable to you.
The average length is around 57″-58″ but I have been asked to make cues longer than this. However, I don’t recommend going longer because a cue is already quite long and thin and, although it might not sound much, just an extra 1″ can make a cue feel much whippier and less solid.
You can easily go much shorter and I have made many cues as short as 53″-54″. There is a school of thought that says that a shorter cue feels more compact and helps with a better ‘touch’ around the pack. But others say they struggle with long pots. I blame the cue action…
Try to keep an open mind and don’t listen if someone tries to tell you that your cue is too short. If you like the feel of it then it is right for you. End of story.
As a general guide, some people say that the cue should be around shoulder height. But there are other factors to consider here, mainly your arm length. If you have longer arms than average then your reach will be longer than average, and vice versa. You could be tall but with short arms and so the distance between your bridge and the hand that holds the cue butt will be shorter than ‘expected’.
Length Summary
- Try to stick within the ‘standard’ lengths, it will be easier/cheaper to find a cue. You can easily adjust the position where you hold the cue butt, or increase/decrease the length of your bridge to suit your body, and get the cue ‘feeling’ the right length.
- However, if you really feel you need it different then it is not a problem. You must feel happy with your cue, so have it longer/shorter if that’s what you really want.
2. Tip size
Like everything else, there are no hard and fast rules here. But there are general guidelines, and it is probably best to stick to them.
Snooker – The most commonly requested size, and my personal preference, is around 9-9.5mm. Not too small and not too big.
9mm is as small as you need to go really, but many players use even smaller tips. However, remember that snooker balls are quite heavy, and the smaller tip you have, the less wood you have, so you will increase the chances of the wood under the ferrule breaking.
Going the other way, 10mm is plenty big enough for those who prefer a ‘full size’ tip. You can go bigger of course, but I’m not sure there is any benefit.
8-Ball English Pool – 8.5mm is my preference for 8-ball pool, but you can get away with smaller tips because the balls are much smaller and lighter, so there is less strain on the wood under the ferrule.
But you really don’t need to go less than 8mm and you are only risking damage over time by going smaller.
9-Ball American Pool – For 9-ball you probably need around 12-13mm because the balls are much larger and heavier so you need a bit of ‘meat’ at the tip to handle them.
You may get away with a smaller tip in the short term but over time, an 11mm tip is probably as small as you want to go.
Tip Summary
- If you have a good cue action, you can play the full range of shots with virtually any tip size.
- But if you stick between 9-10mm for snooker, 8-9mm for 8-ball, 12-13mm for 9ball, you won’t go far wrong.
3. Weight
The most important factor here is the balance, i.e. how the weight is distributed. A well balanced cue will feel and play better.
As a general rule, cues balanced anywhere between 16″-18″ should feel just about right.
Most snooker and pool cues today weigh between 17-19oz, and anywhere in between will be fine. You can go heavier or lighter if you really wish but it’s unlikely to be the answer to your problems.
Jointed cues tend to be heavier due to the additional weight of the metal joints, and centre joint cues tend to be balanced well forward, sometimes more than 19″, due to the extra weight halfway up the shaft.
Unfortunately, some people tend to focus on the actual measured weight in the eternal quest to improve one’s game. In fact, they can be quite obsessed e.g. ‘I want exactly 17.6oz’. No you don’t, you need to learn how to cue the ball properly…
An ounce is noticeable, but anything less than half an ounce is not really going to be noticed or make much difference to the cue’s overall feel.
Also, you can have two identically weighted cues, e.g. both 17oz, and same sizes all over, that will ‘feel’ and play completely different when playing shots due to the balance being different/wrong. One may be butt heavy and the other may have a forward balance.
So you see, it’s not as simple as just choosing a weight, or demanding an exact weight because ‘that’s how much my mate’s weighs and I love that cue’. It’s a guide of course, but there are other factors.
Maybe you’re one of those who thinks a heavy cue will give you more cue ‘power’?
A heavy cue may feel more ‘powerful’ in your hand, and if you swing a heavy cue as fast as a lighter one, then more force is generated.
Force = mass x acceleration. This is a basic law of Physics.
But this alone will not give you greater cue ‘power’, and a cue that is too heavy will make ‘touch’ shots more difficult.
No my friend, improved cue ‘power’ comes from your cue action, and your cue action is directly affected more by the balance than the actual weight.
Weight Summary
- Like everything else about cues, there is no right or wrong weight.
- The balance is the most important factor. And this is usually determined by how well the cue has been designed and the quality of materials used.
4. Butt size
The butt size is measured across the widest point at the bottom of the cue, i.e. the diameter.
You should consider that the way you grip your cue butt is THE most important factor in achieving cue power and control. You should always grip it lightly, and this is possibly easier to achieve with a slimmer butt, which is probably why players tend to prefer slimmer butts nowadays.
The average size of a mass produced cue is probably around 29.5-30mm. You might think that 0.5 mm does not sound like much but believe me, it feels very different when holding the cue and playing a shot.
I have been asked to make cues thicker than 30mm, and you will find that older one piece cues have fairly thick butts, sometimes as thick as 32mm or 33mm. There’s nothing really wrong with that (although I personally hate thicker butts), but it’s a fact that most players prefer a slimmer butt these days.
I think that 28mm is about as slim as you need to go but I have made cues with 27mm or less butt sizes.
28mm – 30mm are the sizes I get asked for most, and you should realise that, like the balance point, the butt size can make identically weighted cues ‘feel’ different. A slimmer butt may ‘feel’ heavier because the butt of a slim cue is denser than a thicker cue, i.e. the weight per square inch is more. Another physical fact.
Butt Size Summary
- When you pick up a cue, it should feel immediately comfortable in your hand. If it does not ‘feel’ right for you, try something a bit different next time.
- Do not listen to someone else telling you the butt is too fat or too thin. If you like it, you like it. Simple as that.
Conclusion
- At the end of the day, it’s ‘all in the mind’. A good player can pick up any well balanced, average sized cue and play reasonably well with it.
- In time, you will get to know the sizes you feel most comfortable with.
- If possible, stick to standard sizes because you will have much more choice, and at the end of the day, they are popular because they are proven to ‘work’.
Finally, if you really want to improve your game, don’t worry so much about sizes but pay attention to how you grip the cue – it is THE key to cueball control and cue ‘power’.
3) Ash Or Maple?
What is the difference between Ash & Maple?
Ash
Ash, pictured left, is easily identifiable by the distinctive grain which produces ‘arrows’ and ‘lines’.
Every piece of Ash is different. It varies in grain pattern, weight, and colour. Some grain can be tight and wild, running all over the place with lots of arrows and lines, other pieces can have very wide grain lines with very few arrows. Some pieces are naturally heavy, some are light, some are naturally dark, others pale.
None of these factors has has any particular effect on the quality of the wood and how well it plays and there is no rule that says any one type is better than another.
In fact, for those people who think they can tell if a cue will play a certain way just by looking at it, think again. Wide or tight grain, it can be stiff or whippy. I’ve seen and handled thousands of cues. This is a fact.
The only way to tell, is to actually test it. Not just look at it.
Most people hold an Ash cue so that the arrows near the top of the shaft are on top between your bridge hand and the cueball as you play the shot. Some say that they use this to help them sight the shot, and if this works for them then good. Personally, I like to have the arrows on top just because I like the look of it and it ‘feels’ right to me.
Others prefer to play with the lines on top which I don’t particularly recommend because unless the lines are perfectly straight, which is very rare, it can give an optical illusion that the cue is bent as you draw it back and forth over you bridge.
Another good reason to hold an Ash cue with the arrows on top is that if you carefully feel down the shaft of an Ash cue, you will find that the wood goes in and out as it passes over the arrows/grain. This is perfectly natural because the wood is softer here and will have worn more as it was made or settled more as it matured.
By using the cue with the lines on top you may find that as the cue passes between your thumb and finger on your bridge hand you may feel these very small bumps and this may affect your cueing. But if you’re happiest doing this then no problem, just be aware that this can happen.
Finally, if Ash bends it is usually with the grain, either towards or away from the arrows, so if you hold your cue with the arrows on top it will cause no problems, but if you have the lines on top then the cue will be bent from left to right, or vice versa, and will probably play on your mind and put you off.
Maple
Maple has no noticeable grain and is relatively plain to look at.
Maple is similar to Ash in the way it plays. Again, it varies greatly in whether it is stiff or whippy and must be carefully selected to weed out the pieces that fall short of the required standard. And, like Ash, it can vary greatly in natural weight.
Maple is also just as likely to bend as Ash and, in fact, will often bend in an ‘s’ shape, first going one way and then another. This doesn’t happen all the time but is something else to be aware of.
Apart from that, the two woods are similar in playing qualities and you should find that the ‘feel’ is fairly close to an Ash cue.
As a general rule, it does tend to be a little ‘harder’ than Ash, but not always, and I would not advise choosing Maple over Ash because you think it will be more solid and make you play better. I have had many customers try a Maple cue after many years using an Ash one hoping it will improve their game only to find they can’t get on with it at all, so be warned.
Conclusion
- Personally, I prefer Ash. It plays well, and looks good, with the grain (arrows, lines, chevrons – call it what you will) giving each cue it’s own identity.
- Maple has no noticeable grain, so if you like the shaft to be plain, then go for Maple.
- They both possess the necessary characteristics that make them capable of the full range of shots.
- You must feel comfortable in your mind with your cue, and it really comes down to whether you prefer the look of a cue with ‘characteristic’ grain or a plain one. But it’s not the type of wood alone that will make you a better player.
Finally, remember the most important thing is how the cue actually feels and plays. Every cue made is different and should be considered as unique as you are. Try to accept the various grain patterns as the natural feature they are and look at cues with an open mind.
If you dismiss one on looks alone, you may be turning your back on the best cue you could have ever played with…
4) Nice Butt!
What difference do the splices make?
The most common butt wood used on a top quality hand made cue is Ebony. This has plenty of natural weight, polishes to a nice finish, and looks good because it is usually black and contrasts well with the light colour of an Ash or Maple shaft.
But you are only limited by your own personal choice as there are many other woods you could choose.
Conclusion
- The type or number of splices does not dictate the quality of a cue. In fact, cheaper hand made cues often many splices, but this merely disguises an overall inferior build quality.
- Any good quality hardwood can be used for the butt, because it doesn’t make that much difference to the ‘feel’ of the cue. This comes mainly from the shaft, and how the cue is weighted and balanced.
- It is quicker to machine splice rather than hand splice a cue, therefore a hand spliced cue is generally more expensive than a machine spliced cue. Although not always, because some mass produced ‘hand’ spliced cues are very poor quality and are priced accordingly.
- Any cue, if made and finished well, will play and feel good. Simple as that. It’s the quality of the cue maker, not the type of splicing that makes a good cue.
- A cheap hand spliced cue is exactly that – a cheap cue. Don’t think you’re the first person to have found that incredible bargain.
Remember:
Buy Cheap – Buy Twice!
True for cues as it is for everything else in life…
5) 1pc Or Jointed?
What type of cue is better?
There are basically three types of cue:
- One piece – As it’s name implies, this cue is complete and has no joint. My personal preference – Recommended.
- Butt joint – This cue usually has a joint just below the splices (see picture), and is far and away the most popular jointed style found in quality cues.
- Centre joint – The original 2pc style, which has a joint in the middle so the cue splits in half. Not popular in the modern game but quite convenient to carry.
Quite often the base wood in a butt may be Ebony and this is then over-spliced with another type of wood to create a different pattern. This can be done many times with many different colours creating very unique cues.
But ultimately, whatever pattern or woods have been used on the butt, it does not make much difference to the actual playing qualities. This always comes mainly from the shaft. It really is just a case of whether you like the look of the butt of a cue.
If you feel happy with the appearance, you will feel comfortable with the cue. And probably play better…
So which one is best?
Let’s put it this way…if you can play well with a 1pc cue then you can play well with a jointed cue. It all comes down to personal preferences and what you feel comfortable with. You may feel more comfortable with a 1pc or you may just like the look of a jointed cue.
Centre joint cues are undoubtedly easy to transport and certainly solve the convenience issue. Particularly useful for the ‘occasional’ pool/snooker player walking to the pub/club for their once a week/month game.
But one piece and butt joint cues have become more popular, and tend to be favoured by the ‘better’, or more regular, players.
Facts
- The main reason people buy a jointed cue is for convenience. They are considered easier to carry around/store, plus, the butt joint cue was designed so that the cue could take an extension making the cue far more versatile than a 1pc or 2pc.
- However, that is not so important now because many 1pc/2pc cues have joints fitted in the base of the cue to take any size extension.
- A 1pc cue is solid from top to bottom, with no joint to cause any possible problems, like noises, poor alignment, or affect that ‘feel’ when you strike the ball.
- But, a well made jointed cue should also give no problems, and has certainly never stopped a very good player from being very good regardless.
Conclusion
- It really just comes down to what you like. If you’re serious about your game, does it really matter whether you carry around a one piece or jointed cue?
- As long as it has been well made, you are unlikely to suffer any problems.
- So relax, and just go for what you feel comfortable with.
6) How Much?
Facts
There are very good reasons why a decent cue will cost you more than a cheap one:
- It’s made better.
- The cost to produce it is higher.
- It will last longer.
- It will ‘feel’ better.
There are exceptions though, and you should be careful not to fall for the sales pitch of some companies.
Hopefully, the advice on this website will help you avoid those pitfalls.
Conclusion
- Do not make your cue purchase solely on price.
- When comparing prices, make sure you are comparing like for like. Do not be fooled by fancy pictures or endorsements.
- Of course it is important to stick to a budget, and of course it is wise to shop around for the best price. But also remember that you want the best price for the same, or better, quality.
- Ultimately, what you really want, is the best cue for you. Which is usually not the cheapest…
Food For Thought:
