Cue & tip choice dilema

[ninefooter]

Hi,

My wife has offered to buy me a new cue for Xmas. I only took the game of billiards up 2 years ago so I just simply bought a cheapish cue to get started, not knowing what would be ideal for me or for playing the game of billiards. I've had varying advice over the last 2 years, some saying that I should play with a cue having an 11mm tip, some that I should only consider one with a blue diamond tip and others, that a 16 oz one piece cue would be ideal. Also that I need to have a longer cue as I'm 6ft 1" tall. Others say that I'll just have to keep buying a cue until I find the one that feels right, (That's easier said than done and could take years never mind the expense). The cue I have is a 3 piece, 57" Pro Cue with a 9.75 mm tip, (don't know the make or grade of tip) and weighs 20 oz. I notice that the other leaque players choices range enormously and I have steadily improved my handicap playing with this cue although I have struggled with it at times, and would like to have a new one now. My dilema is what to buy for billiards. Has anyone got any recommendations? I would appreciate any helpful comments before getting my wife to part with her cash.

[jaffa.johnson]

I think the best thing to do is to visit somewhere which has a table to try out cues such as craftsman or greenbaize.

[ninefooter]

Yeah, am considering going to one in Sheffield which is the nearest to us, (about 40 miles), but they only have a 6ft table and am concerned that advise is usually for snooker & not billiards. Does everyone use the same cue for both sports? I would be interested to know what everyone uses.

[hotpot]

Not a billiard player myself but i would have thought that the specs would be the same for snooker as the same balls are used .

[barrelz]

Hi there Ninefooter.

i'm just wondering. Do u need a cue for Carom(3 cushion) or Snooker Billiards(3 balls) ?

For Snooker, because of the smaller balls we use a snooker cue.. ;)
For Carom, because of the bigger balls we use a carom cue.... 11mm tip. shorter cue


World apart in feel and specs.. u could ask a Dutch, Belgium or German suplier,
because both the games are popular in those countries.

I would go for a Ceulemans - Artemis - Longoni ! - Buffalo - Adam ... etc. etc. ...

greetings from the netherlands.

Barry

[old school]

Although they are expensive ,relatively speaking, Robin cues do make Mike Russell replicas and Geet Sethi cues.These are or have been World Champion Billiards players so I would have thought that if anyone could give help and advice about what makes a top class billiard cue, it would be Robin.His cues are pure class and excellent players and always get good reviews on TSF as I am sure you would find out by running a search on the forum.Hope this helps.

[ninefooter]

Hi there Barry from the Netherlands.

I'm playing English Billiards with 3 full sized balls, (2,1/16"), on full size tables, (12ft x 6 ft). Knowing my wife, she'll only afford a reasonable amount and buy from as near possible supplier here in England, but I don't mind that as long as I find a decent cue that will help me to continue improving my handicap, then perhaps next Xmas she might buy me a more expensive one! (LOL), Anyway, thanks for the advice.

[ninefooter]

Thanks for the advice, although I don't think I'll aspire to World Class Status, even with the best of cues. However, I'm grateful for the input and will take up your advice. Cheers

[old school]

You never know what you can do,until you try.Robin is very easy to deal with and happy to talk and pass on his experience.Even if it only points you in the right direction,you wont be disappointed.You could also look at Craftsman ( Kippax nr Leeds),Chesworths ( Sheffield) or Green Baize ( N.E. England) all the aforesaid have facilities ,in house, for you to try a cue on a table to help you decide on your purchase or to help you decide on your perfect cue specs.There is no substitute for actually taking a prospective cue (or a cue of the correct specs) for a turn around a table,instead of "buying blind".Good luck in your search.

[ADR147]

20oz would be very heavy for a billiard cue - its a touch game.

[ninefooter]

Yeah, I've made contact with Martin Chesworth and am going to Sheffield to try some out. Indication so far is probably a 59", 18oz cue with a 9.5 tip. Will post the end result when finalised, meanwhile if anyone else has anything to add then would be pleased to hear.

[jim evans]

hi ninefooter i agree with adr billiards is generally a touch game you dont often send the ball round all cushions ,martin will help you might be a few quid but will help used him myself before started messing with cues myself,i would have thought even 18 oz might be more than enuf,not sure if martin carries anything in the 59 ins range if he dont gisa shout know a few people what might be able to help if your that close to sheffield

[ADR147]

the length is more about how compactly you play i would not focus on that - try and find a cue that feels good for you don't look at the specs - specs lie!

[jim evans]

be alright with a old billiard cue whippy as hell 13-15 oz then andrew lol

[ADR147]

be alright with a old billiard cue whippy as hell 13-15 oz then andrew lol

never did walter lindrum any harm!

[jim evans]

got a couple of his,ime on about the early 1900 with the last 2ft of cue been parallel nearly bend in two lol,by the way ninefooter ive got about 4 cues round about them specs if you want to take to 1 of the working mens nearby to try

[ninefooter]

Hi all,

Made it through to Martin Chesworths and after 2 hours of trying out cues with frindly advise my wife parted with her cash on a Pheonix 2 piece Master Cue, 58 3/4" long, 9.65mm tip, 18.7%, which felt very nice to handle. She also forked out for a 6" mini butt and a Peradon Halo case to house it all in. Aren't I a lucky boy? Mind you I then had to treat her to something special, (and even more expensive). The other prob is that I,m not allowed to use my new cue until Xmas day! Martin Chesworth offers to swap it for another one until I find the one that really works for me. Can't complain about that can you?

Well Xmas day is here and I've had 2 practice sessions with pleasing results. I was more consistent and acheived shots that I'd not managed before. The extra length enabled me to get down a lot more without my hand being right at the very end of the cue. I therefore was able to sight up more accurately, felt more comfortable and more in control of things. A very enjoyable Xmas day. Thanks for all the advice, particularly about trying out before buying. Merry Xmas to everyone and hope to have an improved handicap in the new year, with progess also in the open tornament we run.

[roykay]

Don't forget to get Martin Goodwill's book English Billiards for Snooker Players for your next present.
Great for learning the game.

Roy Bacon

[franksandellsnooker]

Great advice as usual from Roykay. Get the book, use it in partnership with the finest coaching website ever produced for our great game www. English billiards.org and also check out world-billiards.com site. Nice forum is English Billiards Forum http://e-bos.proboards.com/ Enjoy your new cue. F.

[ninefooter]

Hi Guys,

My wife has now ordered me a copy of Martin Goodwills Book for my birthday next week, (hope it arrives in time). Everyone seems to be temporarily out of stock so had to search around and finally came up trumps with "The Snooker Scene". Am enjoying my new cue but would like to point out that with it having an harder tip,(Phoenix),to what I've been accustomed to,(Blue Diamond), that I sometimes get more spin on the cue ball to what I would normally get on certain shots, so am having to adjust to get used to it. What is the reason for having different grades of tip? Is it a preferential thing again, just like having to find a cue that feels right for you?

[holyman1]

You need to check the specifications of the billiards cue.The dimensions of the pool,snooker and carrom cues varies differently.
The pool cue weighs around 17-21ounce in which 19ounce is the most common.Its length is 58inches(150cm) and the tip diameter is between 12.75-13.25mm.
The range for snooker cue is different.It weighs around 18ounce and is 55inches(140cm) long.The tip diameter is 8.5-10.5mm.
Carom billiards cues tend to be shorter and lighter than pool cues.Typical dimensions are 54-56inches long and it weighs between 16.5-18.5ounce.The tip diameter is between 11-12mm.
These are the exact specifications of the billiard cues.So make sure you go for specifications before buying it.