How bent is too bent?

[tom-k]

Afternoon all,

Looking to get back into the game I got myself a new cue, on close inspection there is a very slight bend, I'm talking about the tip leaning around a millimetre away from a plumb wall when held one way round. So the question, how bent is too bent? I've heard all the anecdotes about pros playing with a £2 charity shop broom handle, those guys are clearly a mile away from me in terms of talent. So for us mere mortals is this something worth replacing? Presumably no cue is perfectly straight, how normal is a slight lean?

[MrRottweiler]

It doesn't sound bad enough to replace the cue. Roll the cue on the table to see where the lean is in comparison to the position of the butt or other markings on the shaft so you can cue with the lean facing either up or down but it sounds very slight to even need to do that. Start practicing with it and you'll tell if it's not the right cue.

[DeanH]

most cues are NOT pure "cones"
often the rate of gradient is different along the length of a cue.

Look down the cue from butt to tip with your eyes only slowly rotating the cue in your hands, that is the best way to judge a cue's straightness

[vmax]

most cues are NOT pure "cones"
often the rate of gradient is different along the length of a cue.

Look down the cue from butt to tip with your eyes only slowly rotating the cue in your hands, that is the best way to judge a cue's straightness

Correct, a cue might have two bends, one cancelling the other out enabling it to roll perfectly across a table, oh and the eye you use would be your dominant eye, just to save some grief later on

[mrdman]

Hendry says his cue was bent and "only good for holding up tomato plants" (Alex Higgins), so as long as you're always holding it the same and consistent, I don't see why you can't win at least a few World Championships with it

[Met75]

You saying that a small curve fits within the tolerance?
I lay the cue on the table, with the top facing up (the flat part with logo of the handle is up) and under the tip approx. 2 mm space.
It does not put a side spinner in a shoot.

New cue and it curves slightly upwards, it annoys me a bit, but if you tell me not to deal with it, then I don't care.