How to tell if a cue is springy, whippy or Stiff?

[bigandyg]

WOW.. ppl are being over technical with testing how springy a cue is...

Just grab the end and flex the bugger, if it's very firm there will be hardly any movement, if it bends like a fishing rod, then it's whippy.

And anything in between you can work out yourself...

A man after my own heart.

[cally]

Holy thread revival, batman...

Lol

[64 Cueman]

Has anybody else spotted Ronnie's new cue with the SD joint seems very whippy on the power shots??

[DeanH]

Has anybody else spotted Ronnie's new cue with the SD joint seems very whippy on the power shots??

I have noticed that due to his elbow drop tendencies the tip nearly always flips up away from the bridge grove
now that is not the whippiness of the cue, but the technique of Ronnie :wink:

I don't know if ROS has a new cue, new tips recently definitely but not sure about a new cue.
ROS does like a "whippyish" cue, remember when he miss a shot and whacked his cue on the table and the slo-mo of it was scary

[rimmer10]

I have noticed that due to his elbow drop tendencies the tip nearly always flips up away from the bridge grove
now that is not the whippiness of the cue, but the technique of Ronnie :wink:

I don't know if ROS has a new cue, new tips recently definitely but not sure about a new cue.
ROS does like a "whippyish" cue, remember when he miss a shot and whacked his cue on the table and the slo-mo of it was scary

http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...0&d=1430078927

[DeanH]

http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...0&d=1430078927

ouch
when was this?

[rimmer10]

ouch
when was this?

In the world's 2015. Can't remember the exact game. But I do remember somebody saying this could be caused by digital camera systems getting confused by fast movement and it appears worse than it actually was.

[DeanH]

In the world's 2015. Can't remember the exact game. But I do remember somebody saying this could be caused by digital camera systems getting confused by fast movement and it appears worse than it actually was.

yes I recall at the time people describing the tv cameras not catching clearly what was happening due to their frame-speed (and it all got a bit technical )
but to me I still think it looks cringeworthy for the cue

[Shockerz]

I have noticed that due to his elbow drop tendencies the tip nearly always flips up away from the bridge grove
now that is not the whippiness of the cue, but the technique of Ronnie :wink:

I don't know if ROS has a new cue, new tips recently definitely but not sure about a new cue.
ROS does like a "whippyish" cue, remember when he miss a shot and whacked his cue on the table and the slo-mo of it was scary

That was a great slow mo; it really looked like the cue was gonna break!

Top video

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/ot...ps-video#t=21s

[maximus147]

AFAIK there is no evidence to suggest a springy/whippy shaft has more or less deflection, as far as the evidence goes it appears cue end mass (the weight of the tip end of the cue) causes deflection, the more weight/mass, the more deflection.

I have been told my cue is very stiff and that this makes long pots easier and touch around the balls harder. I'm not sure I believe that, yet.. I guess a very flexible shaft might compress/bend in a uneven way, causing the angle of the white to be off by a fraction of a millimeter, and over 12 foot this might make a big difference for long potting. And, I could believe that a springy shaft would give you a little more 'feedback'/'feeling' on how hard you've hit a shot, vs a stiff shaft which just feels stiff/unyielding on every shot except the very high power ones.

Another aspect to consider is the weight of the cue, I could believe that a heavier cue, which mine is, might make finer power control harder around the balls.. I know I frequently over hit shots around the balls, and find a roll up very difficult, but to be honest I really need more practice at these shots.

I suspect anyone can learn to play with any shaft type, but you don't want to make the game harder for yourself than you have to. So, a good idea is to start with a medium weight shaft which is fairly firm and see how you go.

I am not sure how to objectively test for springiness, so this is a guess.. I suspect you really have to have a range of cues in front of you and play a few shots with each, both low and high power shots and just feel the difference each shaft gives. A springy shaft will feel like it bends/gives more on the higher power shots, and the more difference you can feel between shots of varying powers, the more springy it is.

I think its more down to feel and preference too. Some cues play better on a say a star table but completely different results on a club table. But you can usually find out immediately by testing the flex simply hold the cue in one hand then flex the tip end with the other and see how much the top 18 inches flexes / bends by flexing it gently.
If its easy to flex then id class it as whippy... more resistance then its more likely to be a stiff / medium stiff. Of course theres no substitute for testing it on the table but this little test should tell you most of what you need to know and cant be described over email it must be tested in your own hand. Hope this helps

[maximus147]

Now come to mention it i once played with a mates cue... a peradon 3/4 i think it was years ago. Now the thing was it was super stiff and around 10mm tip bore thick taper but what id class as lighter weight around 17 ish. Beautiful cue though nice balance and unexpected power for a cue at that weight mainly down to factors mentioned previously of the balance bore and taper... rock solid it was and super responsive so i think the weight can play a massive factor as well as balance and of course tip size