wrap vs. wrapless

Wrapless or lizard here...got an elephant wrapped cue coming soon, but I've never used one, so I can't really comment on that...

Irish linen just isn't for me...don't like the feel at all...:duck:...way too slippery for my taste...
 
asbani said:
I really sweat alot in my hands, so wrapless is a no-no for me
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Mine sweats too..thats why i prefer clear coat..the more my hands
get moist..the less my cue slips..and then just take a cotton rag
and shine it right back up..SA
 
Add me too to the list of wrapless. I'm a mechanic by trade. And linen wraps feel like sandpaper in my hands. Standard leather wraps just feel wrong to me. I kinda like stacked leather though. The 3 wrapped cues I own that I want to keep will be converted to stacked leather in the future. And a clear coat over linen is just fine by me as well. But when I buy new now it is wrapless all the way.

Mark Shuman
 
strokerace said:
Mine sweats too..thats why i prefer clear coat..the more my hands
get moist..the less my cue slips..and then just take a cotton rag
and shine it right back up..SA
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Of the various reasons I've heard or read over the years why folks choose wrapped over wrapless cues, the sweaty hands issue comes up again and again.

My hands are quite dry, which may help contribute to my preference for wrapless cues (Starkey, Schuler, Scruggs SP, Wooldridge traditional snooker cue). That Hugo Patino model looks cool.
 
A player who employs either a slip stroke or its reverse -- a stroke slip or throw -- is apt to prefer either (a) a fairly slick wrap of linen or leather or (b) a wrapless cue with a slick oil finish (as contrasted with a more "sticky" gloss clear coat).
 
I have relatively dry hands (not always, depends on the weather), and like wrapless, but ultimately prefer a nicely used Irish linen wrap (agree new is slippery). Wrapless depends a lot on the varnish, however, there is at least one (water-soluble) type of varnish that gets so sticky I've burnt myself. Doesn't look nice when it gets sticky either, and a dry towel won't do to clean, need e.g. window cleaner with a little ammonia in it (same as for shafts). The mention of elephant wrap has aroused my curiosity, never seen nor tried that...

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
A friend of mine and I have the same exact cue with the exception of the wrap. Everything about the cues is identical otherwise. His has a linen wrap and mine does not. I can't even play with his cue. It actually slides through my hands when I stroke. On both the back and forward stroke. I don't own and won't buy a linen wrap cue unless it were for an investment.
 
sidepocket7 said:
Hello everyone. I just purchased my first wrapless Sugartree cue ( the 2008 TAR cue) and I must say that although I have played with a SW with a wrap for many years, I feel that, apart from this being the absolute best hitting cue I have had to date, that I get more feel and a better "connection" to my cue that I ever did hitting with a cue with a wrap. I was just curious other players preferences concerning wrap vs wrapless. Thoughts? Comments....
Thanks!
-Dave
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Duplicate post, sorry.

James
 
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oldplayer said:
percentage wise, more or less, how much cheaper is a wrapless custom cue?
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oldplayer:

I wouldn't quantify it that way. You can spend as much as you want on a wrapless cue. In general, it's a tiny bit less work to make a wrapless cue (i.e. the cuemaker doesn't have to cut the "channel" in the butt that the wrap installs in, nor install the wrap itself). However, the cuemaker cannot get away with installing bad or unattractive wood in the grip area. Like it or not, some cuemakers reserve bad or unattractive cuts of wood for use in their wrapped cues, and the next time a customer orders a wrapped cue, there that bad/unattractive cut of wood goes -- under a wrap. Wrapless cues are more or less a "consumer's window" into all of the cue, save the core itself. In a wrapless cue, everything is exposed -- you see just about everything. Nothing hidden under a wrap. Thus, the cost difference in labor in not having to cut the "channel" that the wrap installs into (as well as the cost savings of not having to install the wrap material itself) is effectively neutralized by the cuemaker having to use his/her best cuts of wood in that wrapless cue.

Hope that helps!
-Sean
 
s, has answered my question regarding wrapped cues. It is to hide an unattractive piece of wood used for the handle.
There are a few exceptions to this, however, and my current cue is one of them.
One of the specifications I asked for, in wood selection, was as dense (high ring count) a straight grain maple as I could get, not only in the forearm, but in the handle as well. I did this because I wanted the same hit throughout the entire butt of the cue.
So, in my case, the wrap is purely decoration in as much as the maple handle could have been finished over just as it was. :)
 
Another vote for wrapless here!

Regarding the "unattractive" wood comments, I think Doug Patrick found a good piece of lumber for my handle.

Quilted Curly Bubinga Burl:

P1011961.jpg

P1011986-copy.jpg
 
Rotarded said:
Another vote for wrapless here!

Regarding the "unattractive" wood comments, I think Doug Patrick found a good piece of lumber for my handle.

Quilted Curly Bubinga Burl:

[...snip...]
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Wow! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I'd say that's a good piece of lumber!

-Sean
 
AtLarge said:
A player who employs either a slip stroke or its reverse -- a stroke slip or throw -- is apt to prefer either (a) a fairly slick wrap of linen or leather or (b) a wrapless cue with a slick oil finish (as contrasted with a more "sticky" gloss clear coat).
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Add me to this school of thought. I like smooth leather the best. I like the look of wrapless cues, but cannot play with one at all.

-dj
 
s....thank you for the answer on the cost variance, or really lack of any, on the wrapless cue versus wrap. i think i will proceed with having a custom cue maker use the piece of teak from a shipwreck i found years ago. the search will begin. thanks again!
 
All my cues are wrapless. For one I get a better feeling with no wrap. I also think they look sharper as a whole. Both of these points are subjective so take it for what its worth :grin:

To me the only downside is that if its hot or you are sweating it might seem slick. Keep a towel handy.

If you want to get the best of both worlds you can't go wrong with a stacked leather wrap. I had one and thought it was awesome. Felt like wrapless but with a little texture. Good stuff.
 
I'm in the wrapless camp as well. I currently own my fourth wrapless cue. No clear coat either, just a glass shine. Don't have to worry about cracking that clear coat.
 
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