How many cues do you use?

[Sandripool]

Hello! I have a question that is a little difficult to solve, because I understand that it goes with each person.

I'm new to snooker, and I'm testing cues until I find the one I feel comfortable with. In Spain there are not many options to try, since it is a very little-known sport, so I have to make purchases online...So reading your posts about a quality cues, I had the intention of buying two good cues with what I think are my specifications ideal given the time I have been playing.

Do you think it is a good idea to have two good cues with similar characteristics and alternate the game with them (not in the same match)? I've read that the pros don't do that , but I don't know if it can be extrapolated to other "humans".

Thank you!


Sandra

[Ginger Freak]

Personally, speaking from experience....no! If you want to get better at the game, it helps to have consistent conditions, including the cue. Each cue is ever so slightly different, so any variation might put your game out a bit! If you are just looking to play for fun, then there is no need for two cues anyway!

I have two cues and I tried that out once before, but noticed my game became too inconsistent. Now I use one exclusively for Snooker and the other for Pool

That said I can only imagine what a nightmare it must be to only be able to order online and not try beforehand, so maybe get 2/3 cues that you know you can return within a certain timeframe without cost, then try them out, see which you feel most comfortable with, and stick with that, send the others back!

[Sandripool]

Hi Ginger Freak , I understand perfectly everything you are telling me, in fact it is what I think, with how difficult this game is, to be readapting to another cue in a timely manner.

As for returning at no cost, impossible, they would be custom made ... in the same way that it is difficult to sell if one of the two does not convince me... it is a very small market here, and they are expensive products.
Both are made to order, and I estimate that they would arrive on the same date. I have dreamed of having a Parris for a long time, but I also think that it may not be my ideal cue, because they do not allow depending on what modifications (balance point for example), so why not also try with another quality one and assume that it does not It is for me (the JP), and at the same time demystifying it from my mind.

[the lone wolf]

Buy one cue to your requirements and stick (pun intended) with it for 6 months.

If you're budget is reasonable then the cue will be good enough to develop with.

From what you're saying. If you don't like the cue after 6 months you can always try another. But doubt you will

[Cue crafty]

I kinda like having two cues if you can afford it. You can try both when they arrive and decide which you prefer after a few sessions with both, probably won’t take that long.

if it’s as difficult as you say then you will always have a market to sell the other should you choose to.

On the flip side I always like to try and have at least a half decent second cue in case the nightmare of losing or damaging your playing cue. At least you can still play with something decent instead of waiting weeks/months till you find another.

[Sandripool]

Right now I have one that I bought for about £170 (case+mini butt+extend) and it works quite well for me, but I have always believed that my game would improve with a good hand made in UK one like the ones used by the professionals...

Trying them and playing only with the one that gives me the best feeling is what I will do, but I rule out selling the other one. The snooker market in this country is very small, I would have to practically give it away, and for that I keep it and see how beautiful it is :-)

It would be funny to invest more than £1000 in this operation and realize that I play better with a £90 one (I know the history of Hendry, Doherty, etc., and I know that this topic is very subjective.).

Life is too short to stay with the desire to try things!!

[Cue crafty]

Right now I have one that I bought for about £170 (case+mini butt+extend) and it works quite well for me, but I have always believed that my game would improve with a good hand made in UK one like the ones used by the professionals...

Trying them and playing only with the one that gives me the best feeling is what I will do, but I rule out selling the other one. The snooker market in this country is very small, I would have to practically give it away, and for that I keep it and see how beautiful it is :-)

It would be funny to invest more than £1000 in this operation and realize that I play better with a £90 one (I know the history of Hendry, Doherty, etc., and I know that this topic is very subjective.).

Life is too short to stay with the desire to try things!!

I think you are right, if you always have that nagging thought in the back of your mind then it's something you need to tick off the list. I remember feeling the same when I started playing again back in 2015 I had a cheap 3/4 Chinese cue and it played really well but then I got into the same thought process as you and thought it was about time I got something decent quality.

Long story short, I ended up going through 5 different cues till I found one I liked and stuck with ever since, I do feel it improved my game and my mind was satisfied that I had found something that suited me and my game. It's been great ever since to only admire other cues but never want to change again.

[Sandripool]

I think you are right, if you always have that nagging thought in the back of your mind then it's something you need to tick off the list. I remember feeling the same when I started playing again back in 2015 I had a cheap 3/4 Chinese cue and it played really well but then I got into the same thought process as you and thought it was about time I got something decent quality.

Long story short, I ended up going through 5 different cues till I found one I liked and stuck with ever since, I do feel it improved my game and my mind was satisfied that I had found something that suited me and my game. It's been great ever since to only admire other cues but never want to change again.

What happened to you is just what I'm looking for! Lucky!

[robbo mcs]

I am in Australia, and in my location there are not really any decent shops. So I have various cues I accumulated over the years, online, or when visiting places with shops. I now have my main cue which I use virtually all the time. However, sometimes at home when I am practicing I pick up a couple of the other cues for short periods. I actually find it useful. Even though they are similar specs, they are all subtly different, different tips, weight, balance, thickness, taper, feel etc. I find picking up one of the other cues makes me concentrate on technique for a period. I might do that for 10-20min, and then go back to my main cue.

[OscarTheFish(pak)]

This is a highly theoretical question. An important point is that there are no two identical queues. They feel different, at least in nuances.

I tend to play American Pool and, out of great interest, have bought different cues and try out different, sometimes extreme, specifications. During training it helps me a lot to change cues as the body receives different stimuli that improve concentration on fundamental technical aspects. I benefited greatly from it.

Big names in the snooker manufacturing sector are often just smoke and mirrors. The only way to find out which cues are right for you is to try them out. In fact, cheap cues can be better for you if the characteristics are right.

In Spain there is also a custom cuemaker: Jose Remón https://www.facebook.com/jose.remon.777

[OscarTheFish(pak)]

I am in Australia, and in my location there are not really any decent shops. So I have various cues I accumulated over the years, online, or when visiting places with shops. I now have my main cue which I use virtually all the time. However, sometimes at home when I am practicing I pick up a couple of the other cues for short periods. I actually find it useful. Even though they are similar specs, they are all subtly different, different tips, weight, balance, thickness, taper, feel etc. I find picking up one of the other cues makes me concentrate on technique for a period. I might do that for 10-20min, and then go back to my main cue.

Zaks Custom Cues is an australian custom cuemaker. You can find him also on Facebook, if you're interested.

[vmax]

Right now I have one that I bought for about £170 (case+mini butt+extend) and it works quite well for me, but I have always believed that my game would improve with a good hand made in UK one like the ones used by the professionals...

Trying them and playing only with the one that gives me the best feeling is what I will do, but I rule out selling the other one. The snooker market in this country is very small, I would have to practically give it away, and for that I keep it and see how beautiful it is :-)

It would be funny to invest more than £1000 in this operation and realize that I play better with a £90 one (I know the history of Hendry, Doherty, etc., and I know that this topic is very subjective.).

Life is too short to stay with the desire to try things!!

As a beginner you don't yet know if you prefer a stiff or flexy shaft with a forward or rearward balance to it because it's all new to you so stick with what you have and get used to it. Searching for a cue that will improve your game is a minefield you don't need to be walking across until you know what you're used to and once you're used to certain general specifics then you can fine tune them with something bespoke and even then that may or might not work.
My cue was made for me in 1985 and I still only use that one and nothing else, it reaches the tip of my shoulder when touching the floor so is long enough for my height, has a stiff shaft for which I use medium soft tips so it doesn't deflect the cue ball more than I'm used to when using side and I know the response I get when I strike the ball well so positional play is not hit and miss.
Even so I can still play very badly at times but that's nothing to do with the cue as it's the same cue when I'm playing at my best.

Before looking for another cue to improve your game, film yourself practising using your smartphone and look for the obvious faults.

[Sandripool]

As a beginner you don't yet know if you prefer a stiff or flexy shaft with a forward or rearward balance to it because it's all new to you so stick with what you have and get used to it. Searching for a cue that will improve your game is a minefield you don't need to be walking across until you know what you're used to and once you're used to certain general specifics then you can fine tune them with something bespoke and even then that may or might not work.
My cue was made for me in 1985 and I still only use that one and nothing else, it reaches the tip of my shoulder when touching the floor so is long enough for my height, has a stiff shaft for which I use medium soft tips so it doesn't deflect the cue ball more than I'm used to when using side and I know the response I get when I strike the ball well so positional play is not hit and miss.
Even so I can still play very badly at times but that's nothing to do with the cue as it's the same cue when I'm playing at my best.

Before looking for another cue to improve your game, film yourself practising using your smartphone and look for the obvious faults.

I have been playing for almost 1 year, an average of 20 hours a week. I do what you tell me, I record myself continuously. There are days when I play very well, and days that are absolutely horrible..

What I have been able to observe is that I notice that on long shots and some powerful ones, the cue is weak in the bridge, it even lifts up without control, so I understand that a greater balance will give me more weight towards the bridge. 59" length and 17.25 " balance point now, so if I advance to 18" I will have more firmness.

I think the rest of the things I do wrong have nothing to do with the cue or the tip. I would like to continue improving but with my head believing that I have a great cue in my hands. The cue I have has what appears to be a varnish, and the filing on the bridge sometimes gets very stuck due to humidity, and I refuse to put on a glove!

I also see a slight drift/twist in the final part of the cue, so I hope these things with a "prestige" cue don't happen.


Thank you all for your messages!!

Sandra