Can snooker be played with an LD shaft???

[TXsouthpaw]

Can it be done or should I just get a snooker cue? what are the pros and cons of using a regular cue with a predator shaft over using a snooker cue. Thanks for the advice.


cant wait to start playing snooker.

 

[Rethunk]

Can it be done or should I just get a snooker cue? what are the pros and cons of using a regular cue with a predator shaft over using a snooker cue. Thanks for the advice.

cant wait to start playing snooker.

There are a few threads that cover this subject; I bumped one of the threads so that you can see it near the top of the list:

"playing differences regular cue vs. snooker cue"
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=2518614#post2518614

"Going from a snooker table to a pool table?"
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=189159

"What cue would you recommend for a true beginner?"
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=187322

"One-piece cue + other advice"
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=186577

At least one of those threads will have links to other threads.


I love my snooker cue. Now that I'm playing snooker almost exclusively, I only bring my snooker cue to the pool hall. When I played in a 9-ball tournament I played with a snooker cue but used a house cue to break; stroking the house cue was like stroking a broomstick--and believe me, I've played with a broomstick.

Switching games and cues feels really weird for about half an hour, which is about how long it takes to get bumped into the loser's side of a double elimination tournament. When changing from one game to another, give yourself 30 - 60 minutes of practice to adjust to ball size, cloth speed, and pocket shape.

For a 12-foot table and the wee tiny snooker balls, a 12.5mm or 13mm tip on a pool cue seems gargantuan to me now. It's all a matter of what you get used to, though. If you end up preferring snooker but will still play 9-ball, 8-ball, 14.1, one pocket, banks, etc., then you might opt for a "universal" cue that'll be good for all games.

I can't justify the money (yet), but I'd really like to try out one of Dieckman's universal cues:
http://www.cuemaker.com/ninemine604.htm

 

[Cameron Smith]

Can it be done or should I just get a snooker cue? what are the pros and cons of using a regular cue with a predator shaft over using a snooker cue. Thanks for the advice.


cant wait to start playing snooker.

If your going to start playing snooker seriously, definitely invest in a snooker cue.

The primary issue here is applying spin. An accurate stroke can spin the ball fairly well with a pool cue, but you'll always be able to get more with less effort using a snooker cue. Best to save yourself the frustration.

I personally believe that cues are made differently for each game for a reason.

 

[OneFourSeven]

Can it be done or should I just get a snooker cue? what are the pros and cons of using a regular cue with a predator shaft over using a snooker cue. Thanks for the advice.

Well if you're going to be playing snooker on a regulation sized table with regulation sized balls, then a pool cue tip is simply too large. Why don't you have a look on Ebay, there's some decent 3/4 Asian cues that come with extension, mini-butt and case, and they seem to play fine. Two of the guys that play in the same Snooker League as I do have them, and I haven't heard any complaints about the cues from either of them.

At around $100 for the whole package (depending on your bidding skills), those cues aren't a bad way to get started in the game of Snooker. And then there's Dunn's Cues, they're Asian too (I think), and they start at around $125. But at least you're going to be using the proper cue for the game you're trying to learn.

Whatever you decide, best of luck to you.

 

[Wity]

Around the £50 / $100 mark is as much as you should pay including delivery for the chinese cues on ebay. They are better value for money than the bce / riley crap you find in a uk high street but remember they are mass produced for 1 bowl of rice per cue They use 3rd rate woods, questionable if it's even kiln dried the splices are rarely even, and "ebony" is more likely to be ebonised meaning dyed or painted.c The finish on them is pretty poor too often merely lacqured rather than oiled as a good cue should be.

Never actually seen a Dunns cue only pictures of them but again be careful they make ebony and ebonised cues, not exactly quality stuff.

Thai made cues offer the best value by far. Take a look at the classic range made for craftsmancues.com of Leeds but better still look for a 2nd hand one whatever the make. Cues dont wear out so why buy new, 99% can be made to look and feel brand new with a bit of linseed oil and wet n dry sandpaper.

 

[OneFourSeven]

Around the £50 / $100 mark is as much as you should pay including delivery for the chinese cues on ebay. They are better value for money than the bce / riley crap you find in a uk high street but remember they are mass produced for 1 bowl of rice per cue They use 3rd rate woods, questionable if it's even kiln dried the splices are rarely even, and "ebony" is more likely to be ebonised meaning dyed or painted.c The finish on them is pretty poor too often merely lacqured rather than oiled as a good cue should be.

Well the two cues I've seen aren't bad for a $100, mind you, I gather the shipping is fairly steep. I heard something like $40 to Canada over and above what you get the cue for. By the way, I think Mastercraft charges £35 to get a cue to western Canada. So you've got to factor that into your budget too.

I'm in total agreement with your comments about Riley cues. When I started playing snooker again a couple of years ago I dragged my old one piece billiards cue out of storage to find it had warped really badly during the twenty years I hadn't used it. So I ended up buying a Riley, an "ebonised" Riley. Even after getting completely fed up with the lacquer finish on the shaft, and spending the time and effort to remove it and refinish the shaft with oil, it was still a poor excuse for a cue.

Never actually seen a Dunns cue only pictures of them but again be careful they make ebony and ebonised cues, not exactly quality stuff.

I've no experience with Dunn's other than some good comments from purchasers on another forum. I was just thinking, pricewise, them seem like a good deal.

Thai made cues offer the best value by far. Take a look at the classic range made for craftsmancues.com of Leeds but better still look for a 2nd hand one whatever the make. Cues dont wear out so why buy new, 99% can be made to look and feel brand new with a bit of linseed oil and wet n dry sandpaper.

I don't think I've seen a Thai cue, well other than the pictures that are always getting posted on TSF.

I agree about finding a good used cue (if you can), that's what I'm playing with now. I came across a handmade 3/4 cue by an English cue maker named David White. When I got it, the cue looked liked a club cue - it was filthy. So oiled it and with every coat of oil another layer of dirt came of. Under all the grime there was a nice ash shaft and plain ebony butt with four points. I think it took four of five successive coats of oil before the wood wouldn't take any more oil and the cloth was coming off clean.

Anyway, I got the cue, an extension and Peradon case for $100 and I'm very pleased with the cue. Hits the balls really sweet, and was half the price that piece of ebonised Riley junk was.

 

[Wity]

Think i saw a Dave White cue on ebay probably sometime in the last 12 months maybe that was the one you bought? I remember bookmarking it but i rarely bid till the last few seconds and i wasn't around come the crunch time.
I'd never heard of him but now seem to recall he was from Southend and is now retired.

 

[OneFourSeven]

Sorry for the delay in responding...

Think i saw a Dave White cue on ebay probably sometime in the last 12 months maybe that was the one you bought? I remember bookmarking it but i rarely bid till the last few seconds and i wasn't around come the crunch time.

No, it’s not the cue I bought, but I did find that listing when I was researching David White cues later on. The cue you’re talking about closed at £287, were you prepared to go that high?

I bought my cue locally from one of the people that plays in the same Snooker League as I do. Going by that listing, I got a pretty sweet deal – as I mentioned, I paid $100 for the cue, a Blueray extension, and a Peradon case.

All the cue needed was a bit of TLC. The ash shaft was very dry and the cue was covered in years of grime. If I remember correctly, it took four or five coats of oil to get all the dirt off it, and before the wood stopped taking any more oil.

As you say, you can get a good deal buying a used cue. But it’s good to be able to handle the cue before you pay for it. I’d be a little hesitant to purchase a used cue on Ebay and then hope that when it arrives that the seller hasn’t passed off a crooked piece of junk.

I'd never heard of him but now seem to recall he was from Southend and is now retired.

Yes, thats what I gather too. I posted a query on TSF and one of the members there said the same thing.

Tell me, have you any idea how the butt end was finished on White’s cues? The cue is missing the bumper and I’d like to make sure that what I replace it with is in keeping with the way the cue originally looked. There's about a 1/4" threaded hole that goes into the ebony butt, do you know what'd fit it?

 

[Underclocked]

Snooker can be played with a broom handle. I played for years using a 13.25mm tip. Don't give up the idea of using a good pool cue for snooker as well - a familiar cue is a great plus.

 

[Wity]

Onefourseven... I'm surprised linseed oil actually cleaned the cue, i thought it would soak into the wood through the dirt not remove it.

With 2nd hand un's i've bought i always sanded them down to bare wood and refinished them completely getting rid of any dents and blemishes on the way. Yhe leather pads on the end get the dirtiest and i'll replace them by araldite'ing and shaping a womans leasther heel in place. (My uncle is a retired cobbler and i have a carrier bag full of them )

Sandpaper, Wet n dry papers, micropapers (superb for a gloss finish) brasso (as used by the guys at rolls royce on their burl dashboards) numerous coats of linseed oil, although i now use Liberon Finishing oil instead usually bring a cue back to a new state better than on many makes.

Andrew Ramsey might know what thread Dave White used (ADR147 at TSF) as he knows most cuemakers but if I had to i'd take a guess at Peradon. Many a maker has turned to them for threads over the years.

If your in the uk (dunno where your from) and cant find a telescopic that will fit I suggest you get in touch with craftsmancues.com ask them to fit a small spiral female in the butt and have a telescopic from them. They charged me £9 to fit a female in a cue i have as i already had minis and a tele. The small spiral is best imo as its the lightest and if you want a mini butt craftsmancues will supply an ebony one for a tenner, no one else comes close on price and they'll fit o'min cues too.

 

[Wity]

Snooker can be played with a broom handle. I played for years using a 13.25mm tip. Don't give up the idea of using a good pool cue for snooker as well - a familiar cue is a great plus.

Ah but had you got familiar playing with a proper snooker cue you'd be eating them words now.


The typical pool cue....Laminated maple chopsticks attatched to a butt inlaid with bits of coloured plastic by robots wrapped in an irish womans knickers. The whole lot then covered with layer upon layer of thick varnish.

No wonder the pool played wear poncy whacko jacko gloves and use bucketfulls of talc.

 

[OneFourSeven]

I'm surprised linseed oil actually cleaned the cue, i thought it would soak into the wood through the dirt not remove it.

Actually, as each coat of oil was absorbed into the wood, it seemed to loosen the dirt that was right into the grain of the wood. By the end of the process the cloth(s) I was using came away clean. There was some residual dirt that I ended up using alcohol to remove. I know that's probably a no-no, but until now, I've never heard of using Brasso to clean wood. Live and learn, eh.

Yhe leather pads on the end get the dirtiest and i'll replace them by araldite'ing and shaping a womans leasther heel in place. (My uncle is a retired cobbler and i have a carrier bag full of them

Yeah, a leather heel might work, I was thinking of using a bit of old leather belt. But that's a good idea, I'll see what the local cobbler has.

Sandpaper, Wet n dry papers, micropapers (superb for a gloss finish) brasso (as used by the guys at rolls royce on their burl dashboards) numerous coats of linseed oil, although i now use Liberon Finishing oil instead usually bring a cue back to a new state better than on many makes.

Aye, I couldn't really sand it though - even with wet and dry paper. Somebody who owned the cue previous to me had been at the shaft with sandpaper and managed to take enough wood off the shaft so the ferrule is (very) slightly larger than the shaft is. I didn't want to make it worse.

Andrew Ramsey might know what thread Dave White used (ADR147 at TSF) as he knows most cuemakers but if I had to i'd take a guess at Peradon. Many a maker has turned to them for threads over the years.

Maybe I'll put another post on TSF and see if the same guy that responded to me before (and said he'd owned a David White cue) will remember how the butt was finished.

If your in the uk (dunno where your from) and cant find a telescopic that will fit I suggest you get in touch with craftsmancues.com ask them to fit a small spiral female in the butt and have a telescopic from them. They charged me £9 to fit a female in a cue i have as i already had minis and a tele. The small spiral is best imo as its the lightest and if you want a mini butt craftsmancues will supply an ebony one for a tenner, no one else comes close on price and they'll fit o'min cues too.

I'm in western Canada, just north of Vancouver. To be honest, I'm curious how the cue ended up here.

You've hit on the only thing I don't like about the cue. The extension that came with it is adjustable - it'll extend so I can play a shot at the other end of a snooker table. The problem is, it's fitted so the extension attaches to the shaft of the cue. So in order to use it, I have to unscrew the butt, fit the extension and then reverse the process when I'm finished. I'd much rather have an end-joint so don't have all that fiddling about to do.

Snooker can be played with a broom handle. I played for years using a 13.25mm tip.

13.25mm is a broom handle, isn't it? :wink:

 

[Underclocked]

No, my broom handle was almost an even 25.4mm. Never strung together any great runs (breaks) with that handle but won a lot of games. Tried to play with needle shafts a few times, never saw the gain but felt there was lots of control to lose.

Wity, if only you could have been exposed to my cheap excuse for a cue back then. You might well have fainted.

ps: I NEVER use talc.

 

[Wity]

Glad to hear you dont use talc, do so over here and the gaffer will have you thrown out instantly as it ruins the cloth.

ps I actually like the look of some pretty pool cues, couldnt play with one if my life depended on it thiough.

Satill waiting for the gaffer at my club to get the two yank tables out of storage my riley tombstone (11mm) aint been used in ages and i fancy some straight pool.


Onefourseven.. Get a push on tele then mate, they are just as good as any screw in ext. Just the postage of the cue there and back will cost you as much let alone the alteration,Only problem is they dont fit most cue cases.

 

[acura9418]

i sometime play with a z2 which has a 11.75mm tip, my snooker cue has a 9mm tip, and i can do just about the same with either cue. hope this helps and good luck with snooker

 

[Keith Buck]

i sometime play with a z2 which has a 11.75mm tip, my snooker cue has a 9mm tip, and i can do just about the same with either cue. hope this helps and good luck with snooker

I don't have any problems playing with my 11.75mm OB2 either. If I was going to play tournaments I would probably get a thinner snooker cue but since I just play snooker for a change once in a while I prefer to just use the pool cue I am used to using.

 

[Qstix]

I don't have any problems playing with my 11.75mm OB2 either. If I was going to play tournaments I would probably get a thinner snooker cue but since I just play snooker for a change once in a while I prefer to just use the pool cue I am used to using.

Agreed, unless you are playing professionally, just use the cue that feels the most comfortable. Your more likely to make better shots if your more comfortable with a certain cue instead of forcing yourself to use a traditonal cue.

 

[Wity]

Do you realise what you have just said there

.... Your more likely to make better shots if your more comfortable with a certain cue instead of forcing yourself to use a traditonal cue, but if your playing for money play with a traditional cue

 

[pdcue]

Ah but had you got familiar playing with a proper snooker cue you'd be eating them words now.


The typical pool cue....Laminated maple chopsticks attatched to a butt inlaid with bits of coloured plastic by robots wrapped in an irish womans knickers. The whole lot then covered with layer upon layer of thick varnish.

No wonder the pool played wear poncy whacko jacko gloves and use bucketfulls of talc.

No wonder we revolted...

only children who use those silly radially lamminated bs shafts wear
gloves to play pool. And, no one who can run a rack of 6ball would
be caught dead using talc, you don't need to, my pool cue shafts
are smooth as glass with no finish of any kind<only a sealer>

On a serious note - custom made US cues are as hand made as anything
can be that is machined with precision tooling - and certainly as skillfully
executed as any snooker builder's product.

Speaking of poncy - lets talk about those charming 'maker's mark round
insets' you seem to adore in your cues - can you say t-a-c-k-y?
Whatever happened to the high class engraved brass name plates
as on antique cues?

Dale<proud member of the colonial rif raf>

 

[Qstix]

Do you realise what you have just said there

I must be crazy, because when I look at what your quote of my post says and compare it to my post I see two different things. Either I'm imagining things or the forum just did something funny.