Choosing Snooker Cues

How to choose the right snooker cue?

Tips and tricks for choosing the right snooker cue to buy

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Hey everyone, in this blog post we will be going through some tips and tricks on how you can go about buying the right snooker cue for yourself.

We understand that buying a snooker cue is a big investment. Cues have a wide price range and forking out hundreds of dollars for a cue might not be feasible for everyone. Hence, this blog post is dedicated to helping you find the right cue for yourself.

Here are 5 important factors that you should consider before buying a cue

1. Material

Cues are generally split into 2 different sections. The shaft and the butt. Typically, these 2 sections are made of different materials. For the shaft, it is usually made from ash while the butt is made from ebony or some other exquisite wood that is comfortable to the touch.

Hot tip: Some budget cues might have the shaft and butt made of the same material but have decals or overlays to give the impression that they were made of different materials. Be sure to keep a look out for such details when choosing.

2. The tip

There are typically two different types of tips for a snooker cue. A stick on tip is usually made of leather and is about 1 cm in diameter. A screw on tip on the contrary is made of metal and is screwed on to the shaft of the cue stick. Screw on tips are usually inferior to stick on tips, hence, keep this in mind during your decision making. There are many different quality and grades of cue tips available in the market. Be sure to test these out before choosing your cue stick as they can greatly impact your performance.

3. Your experience

There is a common misconception that the higher the price, the better your game play. I am here to debunk that myth right now. Higher priced cue sticks do not possess any magical qualities that magically make you gifted in snooker. It takes a certain level of professional skill before you can fully utilize the potential that a very high quality cue stick can bring you. And even then, the benefits they offer is minute compared to taking time to actually perfect your skill and knowledge of the game. For people choosing a cue for the first time, it is more important that the cue is comfortable in your hands and has a sturdy build rather than just be expensive.
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4. The case

Many people fret over choosing the right cue and completely overlook buying a case for their cue stick. Cues are generally made of wood and these do not tend to last long under negligent care. One would expect a $200 investment to go a long way and hence protecting and maintaining your cue stick is equally as important as choosing the right one. Be sure to buy a case that is waterproof and can sustain some pressure applied to it. Also, try to negotiate a deal with the shop to throw in a free good-quality case with your purchase to save money.
Check out this wpa website to see cool cases:
https://www.wpa-pool.com/

5. The splice

The splice refers to the way the butt of the cue is formed into the shaft of the cue. For cue sticks that were machine made, these tend to have a more inferior quality than one that was made from hand. It is clearly evident that the cue was machine made when the wood of the butt tends to be sharper at the four corners. Do not pay a high price for machine made cues as it is a rip off. 

Before buying a cue, be sure to have a budget on how much you want to spend. Budgets below $200 would mean that you can only afford to buy a machine made cue. Make sure that whatever cue that you buy, it is comfortable in your hands and sturdy enough for your shots to be true.
https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-choose-a-pool-cue-before-you-buy-368516

I hope this was a useful guide to many of you choosing a cue for the first time.

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