Cue length - curious Ray Reardon fact

[fkhan]

I usually place the cue parallel to the floor on my index finger. At the point where the cue does not fall is I believe it's balance point.

[DeanH]

I usually land the cue parallel to the floor on my index finger. At the point where the cue does not fall is I believe it's balance point.

...to me?
I know that finds the balance point; my question is what determines the "perfect balance" of a cue

[fkhan]

...to me?
I know that finds the balance point; my question is what determines the "perfect balance" of a cue

Not sure. I would think 16-18" from the butt end is common. Too up or down the shaft and the cue is lighter or heavier at the shaft or butt end which affects the cue's feel.

[Starsky]

...to me?
I know that finds the balance point; my question is what determines the "perfect balance" of a cue

Is there a perfect balance point of a cue ?.
It’s the same as tip size , is there a perfect size ?.

It’s just what the individual player prefers isn’t it ?

[DeanH]

Is there a perfect balance point of a cue ?.
It’s the same as tip size , is there a perfect size ?.

It’s just what the individual player prefers isn’t it ?

This is what I think, hence me asking vmax is the "perfectly balanced" cue is perfect for him - or the holy grail of cues

[itsnoteasy]

I think there is a place to add weight on a cue that let's it play its best. I have seen Andy Hunter play with a turned shaft and a weight he could slide up and down to find where he needed to place it for the cue to be able to play all the shots. Because all pieces of wood are different I think the weight is placed in different spots, which obviously changes the ballance point.
So it's the perfect balance point for the cue and you just pick a cue you like with the ballance point you prefer. That's my understanding of it anyway.

[vmax]

You can be anal about balance point like Andy Hunter or simply get it somewhere near enough where the cue doesn't feel either butt or tip heavy with a very light grip but simply feels even along the stroke and follow through and this of course depends upon many variables including density of timber, length of cue along with the players dimensions and set up.
This why I don't make cues to order as you can't please an average player looking for something to improve his game, the cue you learned with is usually the best cue for you unless you've outgrown it and then you'll need something a bit longer that is very close to it's optimum balance for it to feel 'right' no matter what the weight.
As I tend to specialise in longer cues for the taller player I make sure the cue is properly balanced for its length and weight and therefore the butt splices and balance point will be longer than the standard 18 inches as well as the placement of the weight to bring the balance point up around the 20 inch mark.

Last cue I sold was to a bloke of six foot four, a century breaker who had a ten year lay off from the game, a 60.5 inch ash 3/4 that weighs 19 oz's, he messaged me that it suited him as soon as he picked it up and went out and knocked in a 50 break first poke. He didn't mention, length, weight or balance, just that it felt 'right' and I felt that I'd done my job
When one considers where a cue is balanced between grip hand and bridge it varies between all players as set up, arm length, height all differ so a general balance point according to length and weight is what all cue makers do unless creating something for a certain individual who has specialised certain specs. Even then you can bet the cue will be sold on as these players are generally average and are looking for some kind of silver bullet, it doesn't exist.

[Starsky]

You can be anal about balance point like Andy Hunter or simply get it somewhere near enough where the cue doesn't feel either butt or tip heavy with a very light grip but simply feels even along the stroke and follow through and this of course depends upon many variables including density of timber, length of cue along with the players dimensions and set up.
This why I don't make cues to order as you can't please an average player looking for something to improve his game, the cue you learned with is usually the best cue for you unless you've outgrown it and then you'll need something a bit longer that is very close to it's optimum balance for it to feel 'right' no matter what the weight.
As I tend to specialise in longer cues for the taller player I make sure the cue is properly balanced for its length and weight and therefore the butt splices and balance point will be longer than the standard 18 inches as well as the placement of the weight to bring the balance point up around the 20 inch mark.

Last cue I sold was to a bloke of six foot four, a century breaker who had a ten year lay off from the game, a 60.5 inch ash 3/4 that weighs 19 oz's, he messaged me that it suited him as soon as he picked it up and went out and knocked in a 50 break first poke. He didn't mention, length, weight or balance, just that it felt 'right' and I felt that I'd done my job
When one considers where a cue is balanced between grip hand and bridge it varies between all players as set up, arm length, height all differ so a general balance point according to length and weight is what all cue makers do unless creating something for a certain individual who has specialised certain specs. Even then you can bet the cue will be sold on as these players are generally average and are looking for some kind of silver bullet, it doesn't exist.

Exactly Vmax.

A cue has always been about feel for me . Yes you can have preference for specs but without that ‘feel’ which is about balance and how the cue plays when you play the shot the specs mean nothing . I’ve picked up rack cues when I was a kid and immediately felt comfortable with the cue even though the spec wasn’t what I normally play with . I played with a rack cue for a couple of years in the 80’s as it felt right . I got the cue altered to suit my spec for tip etc as this made no difference to the feel of the cue .

[mikee]

I think what Vmax says is totally right ,my mate Dave Coutts says the same ,he has a certain customer that has a new cue all the time ,lives abroad ,loads of cash but is average at best ,never knocked a ton in I don’t think either ,always thinks there’s a cue around the corner that’s gonna make him great .Weight is a funny thing on cues and as mentioned it’s all about balance ,my old one was 18.75 ,new one is 19.25 but doesn’t feel heavy ,58.50 inches long ,I’m 6 foot ,it’s a lot stiffer than my old one and a bit thicker too it doesn’t feel the same but after a couple of weeks felt great and my old cue that I used for 20 years feels alien and whippy to me now .As long as the cue is well made and feels good you will soon get used to it .I’ve never seen the point of changing cues all the time ,theres no Holy grail for anyone out there .

[vmax]

I think what Vmax says is totally right ,my mate Dave Coutts says the same ,he has a certain customer that has a new cue all the time ,lives abroad ,loads of cash but is average at best ,never knocked a ton in I don’t think either ,always thinks there’s a cue around the corner that’s gonna make him great .Weight is a funny thing on cues and as mentioned it’s all about balance ,my old one was 18.75 ,new one is 19.25 but doesn’t feel heavy ,58.50 inches long ,I’m 6 foot ,it’s a lot stiffer than my old one and a bit thicker too it doesn’t feel the same but after a couple of weeks felt great and my old cue that I used for 20 years feels alien and whippy to me now .As long as the cue is well made and feels good you will soon get used to it .I’ve never seen the point of changing cues all the time ,theres no Holy grail for anyone out there .

Tell that to John Higgins

[Cue crafty]

Tell that to John Higgins

Or Maybe Maggs who is even worse in this respect!

[mikee]

Or Maybe Maggs who is even worse in this respect!

yes he does seem to ,funny thing is he’was doing really well about a year and changed his cue anyway