choosing a new cue

[kjozsa]

Hi,

I'd like to ask for some help choosing a new cue. I've been playing occasionally for a long time now (many years), but I'd still qualify myself as a beginner. I know and use different shot types, have a relative stable stance and quite ok sighting, but tend to have problems with straight cue movement. During the last year, I've been playing with the £25 Riley I bought (ash with a 9.5 tip), but my best brakes are still left in the 20-25 points range. Recently a friend of mine acquired a new cue which turned out to be one of the chinese 'handmade' ones (ash, 3/4, 9.5 tip) usually sold on ebay. It's not even too straight.. but once trying it out it still felt as a wonderful step up from my Riley, so it helped making the decision: I need a new cue.

I dont have much experience with difference cues, so I couldn't really list my preferences in all details. My Riley has a terrible finish, it's very shiny and looks varnished which makes it very sticky on my bridge. I got used to applying wooden floor polish spray before each game and sometimes even mid-game to make it slide properly.. The chinese ash cue I tried has a natural wood touch, it's not sticky at all, but it felt very light at the tip side, so top spins often made it scratch over the cue ball. From other cues I tried I felt 1 piece club cues were so-so (hate those thin wide bumpy tips) and a maple £25 BCE I didn't like at all..

These days I tend to play 5-8 hours of snooker each week. I only play with friends (no plans to participate in tournaments even in the future) but I got addicted to this game already. After some consideration, I would be happy to spend about £150-180, maybe even £200 for a quality cue which could help me improve and last for a few years, but I think for my current skills spending £250-300+ would be overkill. Based on my experience I liked a 3/4 cue better than the halfsplitted ones and all cues I played had a tip of 9.5 or 10, but I might try and go with a 9.0 or something in between (please tell me if that sounds too brave..). I'd like to buy the cue online as I have no plans to go to the UK nowadays.

Now for the questions - I'd like to ask for suggestions for specific manufacturers which fits my situation described above. I think a nice quality hand-made cue could fit in this budget, but I'm not familiar with different brands at all. I would also be interested in personal opinions whether it's worth buying anything at this price range with this skill level or I'd better really get my budget up first, maybe plain go back practicing further with my Riley.. Any help from experienced players is much appreciated.

Thanks,
kjozsa

ps. sorry for the long post, I'll make it shorter next time

[thelongbomber]

I don't have a reply to your cue concerns but I know one thing that will help you get better: play someone better than you. You will only be pushed to get better if you see someone beat you. Tournaments are an awesome way to do that as well and if you can find a few local ones, that's where to go.

Regarding cues, The best player I know plays with a house cue he has kept over the years, and the worst player I know just spent more money to get gold inlays. Lesson Learned? It's not the amount you spend, but whether the cue fits you. You usually know if it's the cue for you after just a few shots.

Good luck!

[kjozsa]

I know what you mean and playing with tough players already taught me being humble Anyway, I play for the beauty and fun in the game and I don't think buying a new cue will automatically make me a better player (I do think I could maybe leave my wood polish spray at home though).

[RGCirencester]

Stu at Greenbaize has some very nice cues around that budget.
http://www.greenbaize.com/gbl.htm

There is also WelshPoolTrading (Bitter on this forum) who has some nice looking cues on his ebay currently.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UK-HANDMADE-SN...item1c0d3916fe

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UK-HANDMADE-SN...item1c0d3919b9

(and a few more if you look at his other items)

[vucko117]

And what about Northwest cues? I never had seen one but I have heard some nice things about them.

[RGCirencester]

Specification is really personal preference, length of the cue is not just dependant on your height but the length of your arms. You can for instance be a very tall person with short arms, or a short person with long arms. When the tip is at the address position (ie just at the cueball), your rear forearm should be verticalfrom elbow to grip. So if you go into your club with a tape measure, get down in the address position and adjust your grip so that your arm is vertical, your friend can measure this and you will have the minimum length of cue you require (not sure if I explained that well). In my opinion longer cues are prefererable as if the cue is too short there is not much you can do, however a cue which is too long you can merely move your grip further up the butt.
If you are getting on fine with your Riley then a standard 57-58" would probably be OK.

Weight is really something you can only find out about by trying different cues, but I am guessing this is not possible, so I would personally suggest anything from around 17-18.5 oz would be about average, however many people play with lighter or heavier cues than this.

Standard tip size is around 9.5, which you are probably used to. Personally I play with a 10mm tip, but again this is personal preference. Generally the smaller the tip the more accurate you have to be to not put unwanted side spin on the ball.

I think the standard butt diametre is around 29-29.5mm, however this depends on the size of your hands. If you have big hands you might be more comfortable with say 29.5, or if you have quite small hands you might want to go down to say 28.5mm or so.

A decent cue should come with an oil or wax finish as apposed to the varnish on your Riley which becomes sticky very easily. To prevent your cue getting sticky do not spray polish on it! Simply take 2 towels with you to the club, one slightly damp and one dry. Wipe the cue with the damp towel and then immediately buff dry with the dry one. This should make the cue slide much better.

Remember that a cue is not a magic tool that will suddenly make you into an incredible player, however I do believe it helps. I personally believe any cue above the say 100 pound bracket should not hold you back. The extra money generally goes towards the details, say for instance the pure blackness of the ebony, or the perfect alignment of the splices.

[unclevit]

Hi,

I'd like to ask for some help choosing a new cue. I've been playing occasionally for a long time now (many years), but I'd still qualify myself as a beginner. I know and use different shot types, have a relative stable stance and quite ok sighting, but tend to have problems with straight cue movement. During the last year, I've been playing with the £25 Riley I bought (ash with a 9.5 tip), but my best brakes are still left in the 20-25 points range. Recently a friend of mine acquired a new cue which turned out to be one of the chinese 'handmade' ones (ash, 3/4, 9.5 tip) usually sold on ebay. It's not even too straight.. but once trying it out it still felt as a wonderful step up from my Riley, so it helped making the decision: I need a new cue.

I dont have much experience with difference cues, so I couldn't really list my preferences in all details. My Riley has a terrible finish, it's very shiny and looks varnished which makes it very sticky on my bridge. I got used to applying wooden floor polish spray before each game and sometimes even mid-game to make it slide properly.. The chinese ash cue I tried has a natural wood touch, it's not sticky at all, but it felt very light at the tip side, so top spins often made it scratch over the cue ball. From other cues I tried I felt 1 piece club cues were so-so (hate those thin wide bumpy tips) and a maple £25 BCE I didn't like at all..

These days I tend to play 5-8 hours of snooker each week. I only play with friends (no plans to participate in tournaments even in the future) but I got addicted to this game already. After some consideration, I would be happy to spend about £150-180, maybe even £200 for a quality cue which could help me improve and last for a few years, but I think for my current skills spending £250-300+ would be overkill. Based on my experience I liked a 3/4 cue better than the halfsplitted ones and all cues I played had a tip of 9.5 or 10, but I might try and go with a 9.0 or something in between (please tell me if that sounds too brave..). I'd like to buy the cue online as I have no plans to go to the UK nowadays.

Now for the questions - I'd like to ask for suggestions for specific manufacturers which fits my situation described above. I think a nice quality hand-made cue could fit in this budget, but I'm not familiar with different brands at all. I would also be interested in personal opinions whether it's worth buying anything at this price range with this skill level or I'd better really get my budget up first, maybe plain go back practicing further with my Riley.. Any help from experienced players is much appreciated.

Thanks,
kjozsa

ps. sorry for the long post, I'll make it shorter next time

Play with different specs house cues, note on the one you like most, then go for custom. It will help improve your games. And if I were you I would go for 9.5-10mm tip, with quality cue tip. More cueball gripping surface. Personal experience anyway

[cantpotforshíte]

Whatever you do, ditch the Riley. A cue that slides well in your bridge hand WILL improve your game. Riley cues, with that gloss varnish finish, are unplayable. Sanding the varnish off isn't really an option as the wood is such poor quality. They are meant to look nice in the sports shops and nothing else. As far as I am concerned, they look bloody awful anyway, and shouldn't retail any at more than say £2.99 - £3.49. I'm still half expecting cues to appear in my local pound shop that will be an improvement on the Rileys.

Remember that a decent machined spliced cue is much better than a cheap hand spliced cue.
As unclevit has recommended, try out house cues and friend's cues until you find one that you like, and measure it. (balance point, tip size, butt diameter and length and weight, and the closeness of the grain in the shaft) then get one that matches that spec.
spend more than £100 and stick with a reputable maker (Mastercraft, Mastercue, O min) and you won't go far wrong.

[Mr O]

If I were you I'd buy one of those Wooldridge shark cues(the snooker spec) You can't go wrong with that in my opinion. That will play as well as pretty much any other cue you can buy. The specs are ideal for snooker (17.5-18oz, 58" and 9.5mm tip) They cost about £165, and will keep all its value, especially abroad

[kjozsa]

Do you think the Wooldridge shark is a better choice than Mastercraft or Mastercue? They seem to be in about the same price range.

Meanwhile, thanks for all the helpful tips from you all!

[unclevit]

Whatever you do, ditch the Riley. A cue that slides well in your bridge hand WILL improve your game. Riley cues, with that gloss varnish finish, are unplayable. Sanding the varnish off isn't really an option as the wood is such poor quality. They are meant to look nice in the sports shops and nothing else. As far as I am concerned, they look bloody awful anyway, and shouldn't retail any at more than say £2.99 - £3.49. I'm still half expecting cues to appear in my local pound shop that will be an improvement on the Rileys.

Remember that a decent machined spliced cue is much better than a cheap hand spliced cue.
As unclevit has recommended, try out house cues and friend's cues until you find one that you like, and measure it. (balance point, tip size, butt diameter and length and weight, and the closeness of the grain in the shaft) then get one that matches that spec.
spend more than £100 and stick with a reputable maker (Mastercraft, Mastercue, O min) and you won't go far wrong.

In addition, if you want a 'Genuine' Omin Cue please pm me. They are in the good mood to offer me, these days, their cues at wholesale price. Visit omincues.com and pick the model you like. That easy

[kjozsa]

ok I see MW cues are rated among the best ones around here. Also, I saw some pics of a white shark and it looks absolutely gorgeous.. hmmm.

[Wonkidonki]

Personally I dont think it matters how much you spend, you just need to find something you are comfortable with. I have spent hundreds on a cue from one of the top named manufacturers but it just wasn't for me. I found one in a rack in a club once that was not in the best state but could play absolutley fantastic with it. You need to go somewhere with a large range of cues where you can try them onsite

[jonnylovessn8ker]

ok I see MW cues are rated among the best ones around here. Also, I saw some pics of a white shark and it looks absolutely gorgeous.. hmmm.

i believe by saying this, i represent the ppl tsf as well.
mike wooldirdge is one of thee Best cuemakers today. no kidding about that (back me up people! :P)
yes. his custom cues can be pricey

but his sharks are very good.no reason not to get one of those.

i personally think you should go for the following:

mike wooldidrge shark
mastercraft

[RGCirencester]

the only thing to think of with mike is the extensions, mini butt etc. Are quite expensive compared to the price of the sharks