Balanced in snooker cues

[GabrielOng]

Hi there. Can anyone explain the meaning of 'a cue which perfectly balanced'. What is mean by this ? Is this something related to the balance point & length of cues or arms ?

[mattyshinobi22]

not heavy at the back or front. as if a cue is not balanced correctly, it will seem all the weight is in one part of the cue,
as i the term ' back heavy.'
also can seem light even if its an heavy cue

[ADR147]

generally people want a cue where the balance point is between 16" and 18" from the base.

[GabrielOng]

OK. But this also depends on where we grip the cues, right. If let say some short people holding a 57" cues, sure they need to hold the cues somewhere around 4 to 5" from the butt end. And in this situation, will the cues be in a balanced state, not heavy at front or back ?

[mattyshinobi22]

a cue held in normal postition should have a fair amount of forward weight to keep cue on bridge, if it feels like its dropping down at back. its badly balanced in my opinion

[Gerry Armstrong]

Balance is down to personal preference, same as the weight of the cue.

One man's perfectly balanced is another man's back heavy etc. etc.

[cazmac1]

my view is that most people shorten the cue when bridging with the white ball under the cushion. If the weight is to far back the cue will want to lift and cause a bad contact or miscue. so as long as your cue is weighted forward when cuing in this position your should be ok.

[eaoin11]

OK. But this also depends on where we grip the cues, right. If let say some short people holding a 57" cues, sure they need to hold the cues somewhere around 4 to 5" from the butt end. And in this situation, will the cues be in a balanced state, not heavy at front or back ?

Yes I think gripping position is a factor, which is determined by your ideal cue length.

When using a 58" 18oz cue I'm gripping 2-3 inches from the butt and don't like it if the balance is less than 18" because it feels too close to my grip. If the cue is 56" long the balance at 17" is ideal for me.

In the example you gave, if I were that person the cue would feel 'backweighted'.

[GabrielOng]

thanks for all the comment. thinking of constructing a custom cue.

[damienlch]

thanks for all the comment. thinking of constructing a custom cue.

Hi Gabriel, are you considering to make a cue or get one made for you?

[GabrielOng]

Sorry Bro Damien. I should get one made base on my spec. Haha.

[damienlch]

Sorry Bro Damien. I should get one made base on my spec. Haha.

No worries dude, I was just curious...

Have you decided which cue maker you are going for?

[sanman]

my understand of balance is this
the cue is made up of different types of wood with different densities and tapers thus affecting where the balance point is. now the issue of balance is not so much where the actual fulcrum/balance point is but how the cue feels in your hand when you hold it to play. what I am trying to say is that a well balanced cue would not feel like it had a chunk od lead stuck in somehwere just to bring up the weight of the cue but rather feel almost like the cue was a single piece of wood with no weights attached. Even a heavy cue can be well balance if it feels this way

[damienlch]

...now the issue of balance is not so much where the actual fulcrum/balance point is but how the cue feels in your hand when you hold it to play...

Hi sanman, that's something I suspected and until recently quite convinced, i.e. cues having the same weight and fulcrum point can actually feel heavier or lighter when cueing. All other factors remaining constant, I can only imagine that it is due to the wood density or how the cue is built.

All other cue specs, for e.g. tip size, butt diametre, length etc can be precisely measured and constructed but the balancing of a cue (not just achieving a certain fulcrum point) is probably an art form. That's why I'm so impressed with cue makers who seem to be able to get the cue to play "right".

I read previously that you have quite a few UT cues. I got one too and although it's not heavy at 17oz, I am very pleased with the balance/feel of the cue and quite confident when playing a variety of shots with it. Good cue maker that.

[sanman]

Hi sanman, that's something I suspected and until recently quite convinced, i.e. cues having the same weight and fulcrum point can actually feel heavier or lighter when cueing. All other factors remaining constant, I can only imagine that it is due to the wood density or how the cue is built.

All other cue specs, for e.g. tip size, butt diametre, length etc can be precisely measured and constructed but the balancing of a cue (not just achieving a certain fulcrum point) is probably an art form. That's why I'm so impressed with cue makers who seem to be able to get the cue to play "right".

I read previously that you have quite a few UT cues. I got one too and although it's not heavy at 17oz, I am very pleased with the balance/feel of the cue and quite confident when playing a variety of shots with it. Good cue maker that.

The entire idea to balance is to get the weight or extra weight added to the cue to be distributed as evenly as possible. Very much like u wouldn't feel a 1kg objects weight if it was thin and long but the moment thgat weight is concentrated in a lump one would immediately feel it. As for the UT cues yes they were exceptionally well made and as yet I still haven't seen or held any cue that I am more comfortable with. I have an 18 ounce and a twenty ounce UT cue that I play with regularly and to be frankly honest I don't notice much difference in the weight between the both cues. But there is an almost 60 gram difference in them when I weighed them.