What makes a cue a GREAT cue?

[sharkster63]

Good Day,
I played with allot of cue's, the most memorable was a Brunswick Trophy that I picked up at a pond shop for 60.00 dollars. I loved that cue, it did not matter what kind of tip i had on it or what game I was playing I knew that it would produce anything I could imagine, it was a dream to play with. I lost that cue because of a few drinks and a lady caller, i would have never of lost it if it was not for the later I could never get drunk enough to leave her behind. Lol. Told the story to my Cousin who is also a snooker buff, he called me last year and asked me if I put my initials on the but, I asked him if there were dots between the initials, he said yes. I could hardly beleive it. 10 years later and 3000 miles away from where I lost it and my baby was able to say good bye, she was picked up at a value village for 5.00 dollars, I am sure that the ebony that was salvaged from that great cue will make a great cue.
One of my cue stories.
Cheers,

[thelongbomber]

Good Day,
I played with allot of cue's, the most memorable was a Brunswick Trophy that I picked up at a pond shop for 60.00 dollars. I loved that cue, it did not matter what kind of tip i had on it or what game I was playing I knew that it would produce anything I could imagine, it was a dream to play with. I lost that cue because of a few drinks and a lady caller, i would have never of lost it if it was not for the later I could never get drunk enough to leave her behind. Lol. Told the story to my Cousin who is also a snooker buff, he called me last year and asked me if I put my initials on the but, I asked him if there were dots between the initials, he said yes. I could hardly beleive it. 10 years later and 3000 miles away from where I lost it and my baby was able to say good bye, she was picked up at a value village for 5.00 dollars, I am sure that the ebony that was salvaged from that great cue will make a great cue.
One of my cue stories.
Cheers,

WOW! Now THAT is one heck of a find! Too bad you lost it for all those years! Those original Trophies are worth a lot now!

[deant1982]

Based on the answers from this forum, I would have to say.....
Mike Wooldridge
Trevor White
Dave Coutts
Robin Cook
Robert Osborne
John Parris (himself)
Airin (Aurora)
Tony Glover
Dan Shelton (when he can make them)
Jason Owen.........
The list goes on.
A player can't make a cue a great cue. Look at Stephen Hendry or John Spencer. Both used crap old bent cues, and look what they did. The cue worked brilliantly for them. Problem is, if anyone else used either of their cues, they would struggle, because the cue itself was rubbish, they just got used to that rubbish.
Dean

[nrage]

The cue worked brilliantly for them. Problem is, if anyone else used either of their cues, they would struggle, because the cue itself was rubbish, they just got used to that rubbish.
Dean

Which just goes to prove (to those people who are continually searching for the 'right' cue) that it's not the cue, it's the player and sticking with one cue (no matter how flawed) is better than changing cues all the time.

[deant1982]

Which just goes to prove (to those people who are continually searching for the 'right' cue) that it's not the cue, it's the player and sticking with one cue (no matter how flawed) is better than changing cues all the time.

Agreed. I have used other peoples cues and made 40 breaks with them, but wouldn't like to change my cue. I dread to think what I would be like if mine ever got lost/stolen/broken. I would endlessly be searching for another to the exact feel of it, which no doubt would be an extremely expensive and exhausting search. If Stephen Hendry can't find one to his requirements with all his money, I get the feeling I'd be f**ked!

[mchpddl1]

It has got to be the balance point of a cue that determines what is a great cue for me. Then hardness of tips.

All other parameters are of secondary to me.

[vmax4steve]

The person holding it.

[Straight strike]

I like your view very much, cazmac1, some people seem to have placed too much of their focus on cues in the first place. How many young and talented players have an ideal cue but they are still making progress with speed.

[wildJONESEYE]

The late great John Spencer won two of his three world titles with a cue that was as bent as a dogs hind leg with the butt held together with a nail. Now if you fork out five hundred smackers for a handmade John Parris or Trevor White you'll get craftmanship for sure, but what you won't get is that feel, that extension of your arm feel that you get with a cue that you have grown with.
I've had my cue now for twenty five years, last year I had a copy made, same length, balance point, weight and tip size, yet it's dead straight so it should be better, and while I can play o.k. with it, there's an edge missing. If my cue gets damaged or stolen the new one will do, until that day it's two hundred quid wasted.

Stephen Hendry won 7 WC with a **** bent Rex Williams Autographed Cue. it is All in the mind yes they play differently but all you need is practice with it and you will Conquer it the problem is you cant get it out of your mind its not THE CUE.

[poolqjunkie]

A great cue can be a great playing cue which you feel like you cannot do anything wrong with; a great cue can be a cue which is perfect in terms of craftsmanship and material selected and so on. Of course in an ideal world we would all be playing with a great cue which is both, but in the real world, these two may not be the same thing at all.
As a cue maker, when I look at a cue I would look at the finish, the quality of wood selected, the shaft quality, craftsmanship and so on. For me, if I see a cue that is really good in these departments I would call it a great cue.
As a player, however I would try a cue out and see how it performs and whether it suits my game. If it plays really well and I feel like this cue is like an extension of my arm then it is a great cue.
A very well crafted cue could play really well but it is not always the case. As a matter of fact craftsmanship, wood selection, finish and all those things really does nothing to ensure that a cue would suit a certain player.
On the other hand, a rubbish cue could feel really good if it just suits the player and makes him feel right.
Therefore, a cue maker needs to know how to deliver what the customer is looking for in terms of hit, balance, and feel--and hopefully he can build a cue that does not just look fantastic but also suits the players perfectly--that would be a great cue for this particular player.

[Raldon]

IMHO:

1. Straightness
2. Tip
3. Finish
4. Shaft
5. Balance, weight, butt dia, length (well, this is the most individual point)
6. Qualitiy of hardwoods used
7. Quality of Joints and extensions
8. Precision of joints, ferrule, splices, veneers
9. Design
10. Story of the cue


A very important thing beyond this list is the service of the cue maker/seller.
Service is always important to be satisfied with a product, whatever you buy.

[andy carson]

sod all getting technical and worrying about wieght, balance points, butt size etc

its how the gut feeling feels when you go down and hit a few balls with a cue, if it feels good and right then it could be a broom handle with a bit of ebony tied with string to the end, or it could have solid gold inlays.......

[deant1982]

sod all getting technical and worrying about wieght, balance points, butt size etc

its how the gut feeling feels when you go down and hit a few balls with a cue, if it feels good and right then it could be a broom handle with a bit of ebony tied with string to the end, or it could have solid gold inlays.......

I agree and disagree. A great cue for one person doesn't have to be anything special, just something that player can use to devastating effect (see Stephen Hendry's Connie), BUT, that doesn't make it a great cue. It is all about feel and how it plays. As mentioned about Spenny's cue, it was bent as Elton John, with a nail holding it together, but he won 2 world champs with it. I would bet more people who play snooker would rather use my cue to play a match than his, and I bet they would all say it "felt better", but I know which one he would have picked to use in a match, and who would have had the better results.
There will always be one player that would rather have his lifeless, old, ugly and falling apart cue than the new super duper bells and whistles offering from a top cue maker, as their cue feels right to them.
As Andy says though, it is sod all to do with the technical points. They are just personal opinions, and you know what they say about opinions!