Cue for 1 7/8" balls

[vjmehra]

I currently have an off the shelf 8.5mm, 2 piece cue from eBay (literally the cheapest I could find, just to get an idea of where to start).

On the off chance anyone plays / used to play Bar Billiards, what tip size / weight etc. did you go for?

The balls are the same size as an English Pool cue ball (i.e. 1 7/8"), so English Pool players may be able to help with this too.

My main concern is about getting through the balls, in that, if I'm playing a 'normal' game (pool or snooker) then obviously I would aim to follow through properly, however Bar Billiards is very tip tap and I find myself getting a lot of bounce outs when I hit what intuitively feels like a good connection. I can counter this by changing my cue action a bit, but I wondered if a different weight would help here. If so, what is the general consensus here, lighter or heavier (I've seen arguments either way, but mainly focused around breaking in pool).

I also find myself holding the cue relatively far forward (I'm 5' 7.5") , so a 55" English Pool Cue would be about right, has anyone else switched to a shorter cue and noticed any difference (good or bad)?

Also, on a completely unrelated note, could anyone recommend someone who could fit a new uni-loc joint and tip to an American Pool cue?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

[Mark187187]

I use a 57 inch cue for english pool, which is a little shorter than I use for snooker. I'm 5' 10" and think 55 inch would feel short with my stroke, but bar billiards is a different setup so maybe it would be okay. I use a 9mm tip. I wouldn't go any bigger, but lots of players would go smaller. 8.5mm is probably the standard for english pool, if there is such a thing. But, again, I'm not that sure what range of shots bar billiards requires.

For your American cue, try Mike who runs the pro9 website. He does tips either by post or is based on the south coast if you are local. For the joint, he probably can't do that, but will know someone who can. If it's a Predator cue, you can also check their website for an authorised dealer/repairer. There used to be a couple in the UK.

[vjmehra]

I use a 57 inch cue for english pool, which is a little shorter than I use for snooker. I'm 5' 10" and think 55 inch would feel short with my stroke, but bar billiards is a different setup so maybe it would be okay. I use a 9mm tip. I wouldn't go any bigger, but lots of players would go smaller. 8.5mm is probably the standard for english pool, if there is such a thing. But, again, I'm not that sure what range of shots bar billiards requires.

Ha I’m not sure either! 90% of the game seems to be very short pots with a tiny bit of side to force the angle. The difficulty is that the pockets are just holes and not much bigger than the balls.

For your American cue, try Mike who runs the pro9 website. He does tips either by post or is based on the south coast if you are local. For the joint, he probably can't do that, but will know someone who can. If it's a Predator cue, you can also check their website for an authorised dealer/repairer. There used to be a couple in the UK.

Now that you mention it, he did give me a name a while back actually, hopefully I can dig that out (not a Predator in this case).