Buying Your First Cue

[will2k1]

Hi, I'm just wondering if I should start thinking about buying a cue. I am 14 and have been playing for 4 months. My highest break is 23 and need some advice. Should I buy a cue or not? If so, which one and where from. I would be able to shed out about £90 for the cue and buy the extensions and case etc. Help!

[Dodge]

will2k1


Here...try this. If you do have 90 quid to spend this is not a bad deal for all your bits

http://www.snookerstuff.com/offers.html#SP05

There are a few other special offers on there but the one I am thinking of is SP05
I have seen a better cue in a deal somewhere on the internet but I am damned if I have been able to find it.

I found another deal here that looks good value

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/cuecaseman/p416.htm

[will2k1]

Cheers. I was looking at www.thecuedoctor.co.uk and the special offer TCD-0125. Its £84.99 on offer and usually £109.45 with all the stuff you get normally.

[will2k1]

That is a good question, and that is why we are discussing it! Has anyone got any good websites to buy a cue? Like i sed before, I have £90 for the cue and extensions and £30 for the case.

[cueman]

Ebay is probably as good a place as any to find a good quality cue. Particularly Adam branded cues that are made to a very high standard and would make an excellent playing cue. For instance this offer which will possibly have ended by the time you read this but it shows the quality you can get : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...157993964&rd=1

The guy selling is well trusted and often lists similar quality cues up, you can get some real bargains.

Most important thing really when getting a cue is the weight and tip size and the quality of the wood used for the shaft. As a rule you want a cue thats about 17-19 ozs in weight, have a 9-10mm tip size and be around 57" in length. Also should point out that the more you spend on a cue should mean the quality of woods and finish to the cue is better. I'm sure for £90 you can get a good quality cue but if need be try and spend that little bit extra to ensure a quality cue.

[will2k1]

I have not heard a lot of good things about ebay. How can I be sure of the quality of the cue or that it is not just a rip off?

[cueman]

Unfortunately as with all things in life, including buying anything of the Internet, it can be a risk. However if you check the sellers feedback, you will notice that he has 100% positive response and therefore it almost guarantees you won't get ripped off. That's not to be confused by someone selling you something that you can't get on with though, as can be the case with buying a cue you haven't tried out first. Buying a cue is probably the biggest lottery of all, unless you can try before you buy. Only you can decide whether the cue/s suits you, for instance, you could use my cue and hate it, yet to me its the best cue in the world!

[will2k1]

You have a good point. However, I have not had the best experiences with eBay. Do you know any online shops that sell decent snooker cues? I have said what I can spend and just need to know an online shop to buy from for there are no snooker shops near where I live.

[cueman]

There are a few around such as www.greenbaize.com or this one, which few of you may have heard of www.snookershop.com. I have bought all sorts from this guy and he does have a great range of equipment and cues in stock and I haven't seen anywhere cheaper. The only drawback is that they don't have any images or pics of the stuff they sell on their site, but you can usually do a search for the item on the Internet and find a pic if needed.

[GreenBaize]

For a starter cue pack the handspliced adam cue , case and extension are not bad they are on offer at http://www.greenbaize.com
£85 that includes delivery and any problems you know where to go

[will2k1]

Cheers a bunch! I would much rather buy from a proper shop than eBay. I was looking more at CueCraft Buxton Cue pack for £75. The cue looks nice. However, I might buy the Adam starter pack for £85. I cannot tell form the picture but is the cue a 3/4 split? How much would the cue and extension be on its own - I am not to keen on that tubular case. Should I be getting a 3/4 cue with extension or a 2 piece cue with two extensions?

[calvinwang]

my 1st cue

I bought my 1st cue from one of my friends. I haven't even seen the cue before the cue was delivered to me from the factory. But it's really helpful. I think 90pounds is enough for the 1st cue becasue we don't know what kind of cue is most comfortable for us, do we? After 1 year's using 1st cue, I think I might have some ideas of what I should buy next.

[cueman]

Thats a very good point, my first cue was a Powerglide which I got out of a catalogue. It was £40 I think and I used it for about 2 years before moving on to a Parris cue. Whilst you are learning how to play the game and developing a cue action and learning potting angles etc, it really doesn't matter what cue you use, so long as it is fairly decent. Chances are, after a year or so you may decide that you want to try a better quality cue. £90 isn't going to get you a quality cue such as a Parris but spending that much you will probably want this cue to last you a long time. I just think its too much to spend without trying it out first.
I'm sure Stu at Green Baize will give you some good advice, personally I'd stay clear of any cues that have both a centre and 3/4 joint as the Buxton appears to have. The Adam cue looks the better of the two in question.

[will2k1]

Thanks again. i found aother special offer last night: www.thecuedoctor.co.uk -then click special offers, I like the look of the TCD-0125 Plus Silver Aluminium Case. It seem to have everything i want in a cue; 3/4 split, single lightwood splice, two extensions and a case. Normally the cue is £69.99. Does this indicate that it is fairly good?

Thanks for your advice cueman. I will only look at 3/4 split from now on but I am curious as to why 1/2 and 3/4 jointed cues are so bad. My dad has one of them and I have played with his cue. I love it! But it does get annoying when the 1/2 joint comes lose and ruins your shot.

I looked at www.greenbaize.com it is very good however it is still quite expensive. www.snookershop.com is good but the prices are still in the higher range. www.absolutesnooker.com is pretty good even though you need to work out all of the VAT However, it does not have any cues which really appeal to me and so I am still open to any suggestions.

By the way does anyone know of an online catalog of snooker cues which I can download?

[cueman]

The special offer at the cuedoctor is saying sold out! It looks a very good deal and obviously others feel the same way, probably why it has sold out. Perhaps you could e-mail them to see if they will have any more in stock. I'm sure you will find what you are looking for, there comes a time though when you just have to go with your instinct, no one can tell you what will be best for you.