Cue weight.....

[dpdubai]

Again I know this is personal preference but why do you go for the weight of cue you go for?

I use a peradon thats around 19oz had it for years and never thought as much about it since joining this forum, part of me says that the heavier the cue the more cue power your likely to have but then i remember from physics that speed x mass equals power, so basically the more speed the better which would be to the advantage of the lighter cue.

Do you find it easier to cue straighter with a heavy cue?
Or do you prefer your nimble light and accurate cue?

[imrananwar]

I had a 22oz cue before and just ordered another with the same weight, I prefer heavy cues, I think it helps me to twitch less.

[samad]

I love my 18oz cue , i think it strikes a perfect balance as you arm doesn't feel tired after long practices and you dont feel its too light either

[ChatLag]

I prefer 17 to 18 oz as it feels more like the natural weight and balance of wood.

[nelson]

Just curious, are all the cues need to infill with lead or steel to achieve the required balance and weight? or only adjust the taper to achieve?

[Wimm]

.... then i remember from physics that speed x mass equals power, so basically the more speed the better which would be to the advantage of the lighter cue.

It's not all about striking the ball as hard as possible. It is also about acceleration and how you go through the ball. Real professionals can get a great amount of spin on the ball without striking it hard. Spin is about maximum acceleration when you go through the ball.

A train is heavy but doesn't accelerate as quick as a car....

A heavy cue would probably be better for long potting as cueing straight should be easier.

[dpdubai]

It's not all about striking the ball as hard as possible. It is also about acceleration and how you go through the ball. Real professionals can get a great amount of spin on the ball without striking it hard. Spin is about maximum acceleration when you go through the ball.

A train is heavy but doesn't accelerate as quick as a car....

A heavy cue would probably be better for long potting as cueing straight should be easier.

Are speed of delivery and acceleration not one in the same thing?

Having a perfect scientific theoretical moment:

Assuming your playing the same shot with the same amount of backswing, same balls, same table, same player, same cue action all the variables the same.

First shot is played with a light cue
The other a heavier cue

Now, Newtons laws of motion dictate that if you move both those cues at the same speed (acceleration, whatever you want to call it) there is one cue which has more mass effecting the cue ball. (If the train COULD accelerate as fast as the car its always going to have more power at point of impact.)

In my mind I can't see how a lighter cue is going to produce more spin at the same speed, however I can see someone not being able to move a heavier cue at the same speed so they will have a better result with the faster moving lighter cue. So its a balancing act of personal preference and natural cue action that dictates the preferred weight of someones cue.

I think thats what I was trying to say in my original post anyway.

[Wimm]

Speed != acceleration. You will be able to hit the ball harder with a heavier cue. But when you play a screw shot you are hitting the ball over a short timespan (that's why everyone is telling the importance of going trough the cue ball ==> longer timespan). If you are at that time at max acceleration you will produce spin which has little to do with how hard you hit the ball or the weight of your cue....

I am very intrested in other opinions!

[Wimm]

Let me add this fact

F = m * a
Force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma) (or alternately, force equals the rate of change of momentum with time).

Which implies that F/m = a

So if you have a heavier cue, you will have to use more force to achieve the same acceleration...

[Krypton]

... and if you lose or gain a little accuracy in controlling the specific amount of acceleration by using a heavier or lighter cue depends on personal technique and is therefore not the same, or not physically "correct" or "wrong", for two different players.

[Wimm]

True!

Although many people agree with a lighter cue giving you more control amongst the balls.

As the topicstarted indicacted aswell as yourself, it is a personal preference.

[1lawyer]

I prefer 17 to 18 oz as it feels more like the natural weight and balance of wood.

same thought here

[sunny3909]

I totally agree with Wimm and Chatlag.playing with a cue heavy would not increase the power ,the power depends on the hand speed and acceleration which can be achieved better with a lighter cue.17-18 oz weight is more like the natural weight of the wood.

[Dragonsye]

As much as one would be temted to try and figure out which cue weight will give better control and (more importantly!) more power, i feel this is misleading. in my opinion it boils down whether a particular weight feels right in YOUR hand. Because, if it does, then you will be able to 'feel' the shot, and thereby impart as much (or as little, as the case may be) spin as required.

So, in my very humble opinion, the cue weight with which any person in particular can get the most spin would be the weight which feels best in that persons hand!! So, unfortunately, it boils down to the least enlightening "personal preference" once more!!

I would also go further to say that in my view what is more important is to have tip with the correct amount of "spring" to it. Because if the tip isn't springy enough to push the cue ball, whatever the weight of the cue, you will never be able to get enough spin. So just get a cue that feels right, and make sure you get the right tip for it (softness, shape and thickness)!!

To add further to the long pot thing, i think that here again its the feel of the cue which is important. The weight and the balance that is right for you will give you most confidence and control, and therefore the ability to make the difficult pots with confidence.

Just my two cents worth!!
(hope i didnt go too much off topic!!)

[unclevit]

It's not all about striking the ball as hard as possible. It is also about acceleration and how you go through the ball. Real professionals can get a great amount of spin on the ball without striking it hard. Spin is about maximum acceleration when you go through the ball.

A train is heavy but doesn't accelerate as quick as a car....

A heavy cue would probably be better for long potting as cueing straight should be easier.

10/10 I play 17.5 and can't play long on 20