Help needed with first cue selection

[robjones1927]

Hi all,

I'm sure you get a lot of posts from clueless beginners but please humour me.

Started player snooker a few months ago and have seriously caught the bug. Working opposite a snooker hall has led to a workmate and me playing almost 5 days a week. We're now convinced that we need our own cues. This is where my problems start.

I've spent countless hours researching cues on the internet but as the only places I seem to be able to find information are cue retailers I'm a bit sceptical of the reviews - i.e. they say every cue is brilliant!

I'm hoping some of you guys will be able to point me in the right direction.

I'm pretty sure I want a 3/4 split (as I understand this allows for more extensions etc.) and I understand that as a beginner I should get a 9.5mm tip. Beyond these two things I'm unsure - and getting increasingly confused!

I'd like to get a case and a cue for around £70. Is this realisitic?

Should I get a handmade or machine cue?

Are there better brands? Or would I just be paying for a name and should I go for one of the many handmade unbranded cues that there are on ebay which are cheaper?

Should I consider a good quality second hand cue and if so where would I get one?

I appreciate that I've asked quite a few questions but I'd be very grateful for any help.

Many thanks,

Rob.

[jaffa.johnson]

If u get a cue, case and extensions for £70 then its either a bargain or cheap chinese crap of ebay. I would up the budget.

At your stage, I would recommend going to somewhere like craftsman when you can try many cues and get the one which feels good for you.

Providing it feels right for you and you can play well with it, I wouldnt worrry to much about the brand etc.

[MattCash]

To echo whats already been said, you would be lucky to find a fairly decent cue & case at your budget. As for your other questions, there aren't really any shoulds when it comes to cues or their specs. Cues are subjective, what you find comfortable and enjoyable to play with might not be the same for another person. If you can, get yourself over to Craftsman cues in Kippax, try out their cues and see what you like, Dave and Simon will look after you.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether your cue is 1 piece, 3/4, 1/2, Handspliced, Machine spliced, a BCE or JP Ultimate. As long as you like how it plays, thats the main thing.

Welcome to TSF btw.

[Terry Davidson]

I agree you will have to up your budget and with a case and a decent cue you might be looking at 200 to 250pounds even for a decent used cue.

ADR147 on here usually has a good selection of used cues and although a lot of his are a bit up-market for your budget you could always ask him if he has anything that might suit you. You would have to give him a bit more on the specs you want, like weight (17oz to 18.5oz), length (57" to 58"), ferrule you have, ash or maple shaft, do you want to buy extensions with the cue (up your budget by another 70pounds or so), butt diameter and maybe balance point.

Now I understand these are all a little bit overwhelming for a beginner, but before looking for your own cue try out different cues in the club and see what weight you seem to like, what length and if there are any try one with a slim butt (28mm) and a thicker butt (around 30mm) and even try different ferrule sizes, perhaps 9.2mm to 9.75mm as you might prefer a different sized tip.

Once you decide on what you seem to like then order a cue to that spec maybe a used one as you will likely get more value for money.

One other point which is important but is hard to quantify is shaft flex. Soem people like a stiff shaft and some like a shaft that's more whippy. When you find a house cue you seem to like ask an experienced player what shaft flex he feels the cue is and you can add that to your list of requirements.

Picking out a snooker cue is no different than buying golf clubs, and there are just as many choices involved

Terry

[hotpot]

Use all your budget on a cue , get a second hand cheap case that does the job of protecting the cue , dont worry abou extentions as you will hardly ever use them , and i would only buy them for a cue i am really happy with .

Conceentrate on the cue for now thats the most important .

[robjones1927]

Thanks for the advice gents.

I've read a lot of threads on here and now realise that my budget was some way off. I think second hand may be the way to go so expect to see me lurking on the Items for Sale section of this site over the next few weeks. I'm going to try and get a good quality cue and not worry about a case or extensions for now.

Taking on board what you've all said about there being no ideal cue and it having to 'feel' right. I'm going to have someone at the snooker hall explain the differences between the rack cues and then pick a favourite and go from there. I do prefer some to others and I think I definitely prefer a heavier cue with a larger tip (this probably means I'm a very clumsy player!) If the ones in the hall are fairly good I might even hold off on getting one until I've been playing a bit longer and can justify spending a fair bit on one.

One thing is for sure, I'm going to have to lie to my other half about how much my cue cost!

[jim evans]

were in the country are you rob

[robjones1927]

I'm in Cardiff. I've looked on the internet to try and find a specialist snooker shop in South Wales but haven't had any luck. This means that in order to try a few cues out I'd have to make a pretty lengthy round trip (not that I'm ruling this out). Its a shame I didn't get into snooker when I lived in Leeds as it seems in that neck of the woods I'd have been spoilt for choice!

[hotpot]

none in our area muck

[jaffa.johnson]

none in our area muck

Room in the market for somebody then.

[jim evans]

ithought there were a few cue makers in wales trev being 1 off them gazza is in wales he might have a few cheapish cues then dans opening back up never know he might have a cheapish cue,ive got some but its to far to travel

[jaffa.johnson]

ithought there were a few cue makers in wales trev being 1 off them gazza is in wales he might have a few cheapish cues then dans opening back up never know he might have a cheapish cue,ive got some but its to far to travel

What I was getting at was there was no shop such as craftsman or greenbaize where you can go and try cues.

I suppose that is the same for other areas though as a lot of the cue makers make to order only.

[ADR147]

your budget is a little tight for my sort of cues but i have just had a lttle look on ebay try one of these.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Snooker-Cue-3-...item4cf857c78f

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peradon-Sandri...#ht_623wt_1139
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cue-Craft-Apol...#ht_500wt_1156
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/hand-made-snoo...item3a67eec678

[Master147]

Buy Peradon. They make excellent cues.

[hotpot]

I have a nice mastercraft here for £100 delevered .