Does the weight of a cue have an impact on cue power?

[aussie147]

I was wondering whether the weight of a cue has an impact on cue power.

Would a heavier cue allow more cue power?

Does the weight even have an effect on it ?

[cazmac1]

I have heard that with a heavier cue you can shorten your action and get more spin on the cue.:snooker:

[aussie147]

Is it the weight of the cue that has the effect on better cue power or due to technique?

[hegeland]

It does have an impact, but in fact it's the opposite, a slightly lighter cue will enable you to accelerate the cue more. In pool, for example, most people's breaking cues are ½-1 oz lighter.

[aussie147]

so the lighter the cue, the more cue power?

I thought it would be the heavier the cue but i can also understand why it would be a lighter cue.

[checkSide]

This is a completely subjective opinion, but anyway.... My cue is 16.8oz. I think I can hit the ball harder with it than with my mate's 19.5oz cue. The heavy cue feels unwieldy, and I cannot accelerate it through the shot as well as a lighter cue. This may be down to familiarity, I don't know.

However, it is my opinion you can get more acceleration, therefore more power and spin, with a lighter cue.

EDIT:

It does have an impact, but in fact it's the opposite, a slightly lighter cue will enable you to accelerate the cue more. In pool, for example, most people's breaking cues are ½-1 oz lighter.

Maybe there is some truth in my opinion!

[aussie147]

I see where your coming from with the lighter cue more power

If you put this into a situation

say two players with great cue power like Neil Robertson or Mark Allen for example, they would use lighter cues?

Than the likes of 2 players with limited cue power?

or is it more down to technique, cue action etc.

[hegeland]

Well, a wooden log would not give you any cue power, nor would a feather weight cue.

But it's a well-known fact - among pool players, at least - that a lighter breaking cue does give you a more powerful break.

So yes, weight does have an impact, and you should go with lighter for maximum power.

On the other hand, most people find it easier to cue straight with a heavier cue.

[poolqjunkie]

Power depends on weight and als0 velocity of the cue, with velocity being the dominating factor. In order to generate maximum velocity, you cannot have a cue that is too heavy. In order to generate the most power, you need to find a cue with which you can move the fastest with the most weight.

Power is the rate of energy transfer from the cue to the cue ball. If you look at the kinetic energy of a moving object (1/2 *m*v^2) you will notice that kinetic energy will increase much more with a single unit of increase in velocity than an equal increase in mass. So, if you need to choose between getting a super heavy cue, or one which you can move really fast, choose the latter to generate the most kinetic energy.

Having said that, a very light cue is very hard to move in a straight line. After a certain point you may not really see a significant increase in velocity with any further decrease in weight.

[hegeland]

I see where your coming from with the lighter cue more power

If you put this into a situation

say two players with great cue power like Neil Robertson or Mark Allen for example, they would use lighter cues?

Than the likes of 2 players with limited cue power?

or is it more down to technique, cue action etc.

It's a factor that bears some importance, yes. But as always in cue sports technique is by far the biggest factor.

An 8-year old can break the balls ten times as hard with a 22oz cue than an athletic 25 year old with an 18 oz cue.

[hegeland]

@poolqjunkie: Like I said, but in more scientific terms!

[unclevit]

I was wondering whether the weight of a cue has an impact on cue power.

Would a heavier cue allow more cue power?

Does the weight even have an effect on it ?

To my experience, weight has very very little effect on cue power. It's your 'forth' speed hitting the cueball

[poolqjunkie]

@poolqjunkie: Like I said, but in more scientific terms!

I like the point you brought up regarding break cues used in 9 ball.

I guess nowadays you will hardly see anyone breaking with anything over 19oz in 9 ball.

[RGCirencester]

I tried the 16.5oz cue I bought off JRC today and couldn't get on with it at all. Just seems too light, then I switched back to my cue (18.5oz) and I found cueing straight was much easier. Probably partly familiarity but I gave it an hour with the light cue and it still didn't feel right then as soon as I picked the heavier one back up I was potting 10 times better.

Though I'm not exactly renowned for my cuepower

[hegeland]

Indeed, and it's interesting that back in the old days a lot of folks used to have like a 22oz for breaking and a 20-21 for playing, whereas nowadays it's 18-19 for breaking and 19-20 for playing. Times change. But the breaks are undoubtably more powerful now.

@RGCirencester: Most (if not all?) people find it easier to cue straight with a heavier cue. But speed control and sheer power shots (such as a breaking in pool) are easier with a lighter cue for most of us.