Maple cues

[Billy]

Just out of curiosity, who of the top 16 use maple cues, aside from Marco Fu?

I love the absence of visible grain.

[thai_son22]

None of them.

[DeanH]

yep as above no others in the top 16; in 32 Maguire and McManus
a few others on the tour but the majority is ash


I recall someone saying once that they sell 1 maple for 10 ash; on my listing I have 70 ash and 8 maple - spooky

[Billy]

Really? That surprises me. I don't know why it surprises me because I know booger all about snooker cues.

So what are the properties of maple that make it so loathed by the pros?

Thanks for the replies.

[DeanH]

properties - I think loathed is the wrong word, probably because it is more of a vicious circle - cue makers make maple 1:10 ratio with ash; buyers see more ash in the shops so chances of buying ash is greater; cue makers see more ash being bought so they make more ash....
:biggrin:

I have both maple and ash have always liked maple for its smoothness and clean shaft.
I find maple tends to be stiffer than ash in general; ash to be more flexible - in general.
I am sure the experts in cue/wood-playability will be along soon to help you

In his interview, Chris Wakelin says that he had always used ash but recently changed to maple and likes it.
I am sure it comes down to personal preference as to what feels right to them.

[Billy]

Yes, I'm no wood expert, but I can certainly imagine maple not flexing like ash does. I wonder if it affects control?

[thai_son22]

Yes, I'm no wood expert, but I can certainly imagine maple not flexing like ash does. I wonder if it affects control?

Control is a very ambiguous term to use in terms of cues I believe as each bit of wood varies from one to the another so to sort of generalise "control" is somewhat very difficulg

[Muneebsarwar]

very few pro's are currently using Maple
marco Fu, McManus, Joel Walker, recently Ricky Walden, Maguire, Anthony Hamilton , Dominic Dale and Peter Ebdon previously

[djax]

Maple tends to drag on the finger - thumb, in humid conditions, I find.

[rdsalt]

Maple tends to drag on the finger - thumb, in humid conditions, I find.

Never had that problem, would that not be caused by the finish on the cue rather than the wood type? I've always found maple is smoother through the hand than ash.

[Erwan_BZH]

It is just a question of feeling, really. No more. You can achieve the same range of shots with either maple or ash. The only difference is how you feel the shot....Ash tends to be sharper on the stroke and a bit more flexible. Maple gives you a solid stroke but it sounds more "dull". But it is down to personal preferences. As said, both maple and ash allow you to achieve the same shots.