What makes a good cue?

A good-quality, brand new pool stick should be almost flawless, with little to no change in smoothness between the tip, ferrule, shaft and butt. We've all seen the local pool hall hero come into the bar and roll all the pool cue sticks on the table to ensure they get the straightest one.

What should I look for in a good cue?

What are the best cues made of?

Good quality pool cues are customarily made from straight-grained hard rock maple wood, especially the shaft. Snooker cues, by contrast, are almost always made of ash wood, although one might come across one with a maple shaft. Maple is stiffer than ash, and cheaper.

What is the best type of cue?

Most adult players will be best suited to a standard-length 57-inch cue, although a 48-inch cue is also perfectly good for most adults and older children. If they travel to play, then a 2-piece or 3-piece cue might be ideal.

Does a good cue make a difference?

If by chance you wish to up your pool/billiards/snooker game, you might want to consider buying your cue. Can a cue make a difference? Absolutely. As is the case with other activities such as bowling, golf, frisbees and darts, using better equipment will usually result in more proficiency at the designated game.

Pool Talk: Episode 6: Choosing Your First Cue

What weight pool cue do most pros use?

While professional billiards players tend to use pool sticks that weigh about 19 ounces, it is a better idea for beginners to use pool sticks that are a bit lighter (around 15 ounces) while they are still learning how to pocket those tough shots with ease.

What pool cue do most pros use?

PROFESSIONAL billiard players TRUST their game to Predator more than any other brand, including many WORLD CHAMPIONS ★ and top ranked players.

What cue does Efren use?

Fueled by the demands of the professional player comes the revolutionary Pro Series cues.

Is a lighter or heavier cue better?

In general, a lighter cue will allow more control over finesse shots, and a heavier cue will allow more cue ball (CB) speed with less apparent stroke effort. A heavier cue might also be easier for some people to keep on line during the stroke, but this is a very individual thing.

What cue did Tom Cruise use?

The famous scene in the 1986 sequel to The Hustler, The Color of Money where Tom Cruise is given a beautiful cue by Paul Newman and told, “It's a Balabushka,” made the name Balabushka synonymous with top quality pool cues.

What Oz cue is best?

Pool, snooker and billiard cues range from 17 ounces to 21 ounces, and we recommend a cue between 17 to 19 ounces for snooker and standard English and Australian pool playing. A heavier cue (between 20-21 ounces) is often recommended for American Pool as the balls and table are bigger.

What makes a professional pool cue?

Low deflection cues are what the professional pool player's use. They are built with special manufacturing processes and components that improve the accuracy of the shaft when applying side spin. They are also more forgiving on straight shots so low deflection cues are great for any skill level, including beginners.

What size cue do professionals use?

If you are mostly playing an eight-ball pool game, the stick you would generally use is about 1.39 to 1.44 metres or 55-57 inches. Some manufacturers provide up to 58 inches. Professional players opt for between 56 and 57-inch cues because they believe these are the perfect sizes for the cue ball.

What is the difference between cheap and expensive pool cues?

There is a big difference in the manufacture process. Making a Hand-spliced cue is a longer process and often involves extra splicing and includes more exotic woods. The cheapest cues that many suppliers sell are not spliced at all and are in fact painted to look like they are spliced.

What size tip do pro pool players use?

Generally speaking most pool players prefer and 8mm to 8.5mm tip for a 1 & 7/8 pool cue ball, and most snooker players prefer a 9.5mm to 10mm tip for a full size 2 1/16 snooker cue ball. American pool uses an even bigger cue ball so the tip sizes are normally between 12.5 mm and 13.5mm.

Is a hard tip better than a soft tip pool?

A harder tip has a slightly better hit efficiency (energy transfer) than a softer tip. This will result in slightly more CB speed for a given stroke speed. This can provide a slight advantage for draw shots, where , where slightly more CB speed will retain slightly more backspin on the way to the OB.

Is a longer pool cue better?

players about 6'4″ and taller really need a longer cue.

And some short players play with a longer cue so they can reach more shots without the mechanical bridge. If you find yourself often gripping the bumper at the bottom of your cue, you may need a slightly longer stick. …

What is the best cue weight for beginners?

Length & Weight

Cues usually weigh 18 – 21 ounces. For a beginner, we would recommend about 20 ounces.

What is the best tip for a cue stick?

Medium-hard tips

This is the most common cue tip, and it gives players a good balance of cue ball control and consistency. Medium-hard tips also require less maintenance than soft tips. Most beginning and intermediate players will benefit from the medium-hard tip.

Who is the most skilled pool player?

Reyes is widely considered one of the greatest pool players of all time. A winner of over 100 international titles, Reyes was the first player to win the WPA World Championships in two different pool disciplines.

How often should you change your cue tip?

When or how often should you replace a cue tip? Usually, a tip is replaced either when you want to try something new or if your current tip has worn down too low, where there is almost no tip material left on the shoulder of the ferrule.

What is the best pool stick ever made?

Is a nickel or dime cue tip better?

– Nickel or dime radius only makes a difference on very small diameter tips. – On very small tips it's better to have a dime radius than a nickel radius. from Patrick Johnson (in AZB post): To avoid hitting on a tip's edge, it should be shaped to a curvature radius less than its width.

Is heavier cue stick better?

A heavier cue will tend to create more CB speed for a given stroke effort. A heavier cue might also be easier for some to keep on line during the stroke, but this is a very individual thing. More weight can also help prevent stroke deceleration.