How much of a difference does a cue make?
- Thread starter ru4au2
- Start date
Certain cues perform different and feel different. It can be useful, for some people, to find a cue that fits their preferences and tastes.
Low deflection is a performance metric that some people like and will make a function difference compared to a lower end non-LD cue. That being said, LD isn't for everyone. I have come to prefer smaller diameter solid maple shafts myself.
Beyond that, I think the actual performance difference of a high end cue versus a more basic cue is pretty minimal. Doesn't mean a nice cue isn't worth it, there are other factors at play such as preference, pride of ownership, etc.
Just the other day I decided to stop by my local pool hall after work for an hour. Didn't have my cues but this place is pretty new and they have these simple 2pc low end cues as their house cue and they really aren't too bad. So I grabbed one off the wall and started playing. It was straight, had a decent tip, and really felt pretty solid. I really don't feel like it took my game down any other than simply not being used to the deflection properties of the 13mm shaft vs my 12mm shaft...but given time I'm confident that would go away and I could absolutely play to my level with that cue which is probably $40 or so.
That being said...don't expect to see my Runde posted for sale any time soon. My cue feels better to me, has the weight and balance I prefer, and a shaft in the size I like. It's also the exact design I've always wanted for my cue and to me it has been money well spent and I would do it all over again at twice the price. But I don't let myself be fooled into believing it makes me a better player and I didn't buy it thinking it would.
Low deflection is a performance metric that some people like and will make a function difference compared to a lower end non-LD cue. That being said, LD isn't for everyone. I have come to prefer smaller diameter solid maple shafts myself.
Beyond that, I think the actual performance difference of a high end cue versus a more basic cue is pretty minimal. Doesn't mean a nice cue isn't worth it, there are other factors at play such as preference, pride of ownership, etc.
Just the other day I decided to stop by my local pool hall after work for an hour. Didn't have my cues but this place is pretty new and they have these simple 2pc low end cues as their house cue and they really aren't too bad. So I grabbed one off the wall and started playing. It was straight, had a decent tip, and really felt pretty solid. I really don't feel like it took my game down any other than simply not being used to the deflection properties of the 13mm shaft vs my 12mm shaft...but given time I'm confident that would go away and I could absolutely play to my level with that cue which is probably $40 or so.
That being said...don't expect to see my Runde posted for sale any time soon. My cue feels better to me, has the weight and balance I prefer, and a shaft in the size I like. It's also the exact design I've always wanted for my cue and to me it has been money well spent and I would do it all over again at twice the price. But I don't let myself be fooled into believing it makes me a better player and I didn't buy it thinking it would.
Your cue is a tool......when you have tools that you select which fit you, no doubt you'll perform better.....Nuf Ced 'Bout That.
You can buy a suit off the rack in a clothing store but if/when it is not fitted correctly, you'll never look as good as you otherwise would have.
You can also order a custom made suit made from a bolt of cloth and fitted to your exact anatomy relying upon precise measurements.
When you buy a already finished cue from a cue-maker, or cue seller, you have very little to say about how the cue would turn out.
So the specs on the cue are what they are and hopefully the specs are close to what you like to play with, presuming one knows.
The main thing about any cue is how close it comes to having the features you want in a cue, allowing that you know actually know it.
When your cue has the right tip, shaft size & weight, ferrule, joint type, butt weight, & overall assembly parts, it works best for you.
Whether that cue is a production cue or a fancy custom, the closer it comes to meeting your preferred specs, the better you'll play.
The benefit of a custom is the cue-maker is more careful completing your cue & avoids using heavy bolts to make the target weight.
Your cue gets crafted from the outset to meet your specs & more thought goes into the specific woods selected for your design.
Again, as long as you play with a cue that comes close to meeting your specs, I think pretty much all things become equal.....JMO.
Matt B.
You can buy a suit off the rack in a clothing store but if/when it is not fitted correctly, you'll never look as good as you otherwise would have.
You can also order a custom made suit made from a bolt of cloth and fitted to your exact anatomy relying upon precise measurements.
When you buy a already finished cue from a cue-maker, or cue seller, you have very little to say about how the cue would turn out.
So the specs on the cue are what they are and hopefully the specs are close to what you like to play with, presuming one knows.
The main thing about any cue is how close it comes to having the features you want in a cue, allowing that you know actually know it.
When your cue has the right tip, shaft size & weight, ferrule, joint type, butt weight, & overall assembly parts, it works best for you.
Whether that cue is a production cue or a fancy custom, the closer it comes to meeting your preferred specs, the better you'll play.
The benefit of a custom is the cue-maker is more careful completing your cue & avoids using heavy bolts to make the target weight.
Your cue gets crafted from the outset to meet your specs & more thought goes into the specific woods selected for your design.
Again, as long as you play with a cue that comes close to meeting your specs, I think pretty much all things become equal.....JMO.
Matt B.
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Complete drivel. Indian, not the arrow. Thorsten plays as well with a Lucasi as he did with his Vollmer. One is off the wall. The other is virtually a Black Boar.
Bob made him the KC taper on a shaft. Higher deflection. Now he plays with the Meucci. The original question was regarding high end cues being "better" than mass produced. The answer is a resounding NO. Pros prove it when endorsement deals come along. They switch cues constantly. So obviously...they can play with anything. Absolutely proves the concept of "Indian, not the arrow".
So why do they play with customs or high dollar cues until a production company PAYS them to play with their cues ?
Do you play with a production cue now ? Or your own ?
Just because I play with a Balabushka does not mean it was made specifically for me...by this theory why buy a tascarella why not save the money and buy a lesser known name custom cue
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I play with a Longoni 3C cue. 3 star Barcellona.
How much of a difference does a cue make? Quite a lot, I'd say.
As a matter-of-fact, like Chopdoc says, I challenge anyone here to try and play a game of pool without one.
i played a guy once with a claw hammer in 9 ball and won ten bucks......just saying tramp ole buddy ole pal
Simple answer is that no, in no case whatsoever does the cue make you a better player.
Any cue you buy, no matter it's price, you will get use to using and it will hit the cue ball and make the cue ball go where you aimed it at 100% of the time.
Highend cues serve 2 purposes. 1.) Collectors 2.) Ego strokers
So for those saying the cue makes no difference. Price wise I agree. Production vs custom I agree. What I don't agree on is playability. Some cues achieve a desired result with less effort. Less effort mean higher consistency. The more effort applied to a stroke the less accurate we are. That being said. I think what someone can do with their cue can be changed to meet their individual stroke. Whether adjusting weight or trying different tips. That may be why some like this tip, shaft etc and others don't. Different strokes, body type, finger size etc.
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ru4....the OP's thread question was...."How much of a difference does a cue make?
Folks....it's no different than custom fitted golf clubs. Even the pros' game suffers when they play with standard loft and lie clubs.
When the cue matches well with your cue profile, you will enjoy the cue more & unless you're the haphazard type, play better.
Just get a cue that matches what you like.......the cue-maker name is far less important than "anything" else....pretty simple.
When the cue matches your specs, it feels & performs more consistently & your game might still suck but it's not the cue's fault.
Folks....it's no different than custom fitted golf clubs. Even the pros' game suffers when they play with standard loft and lie clubs.
When the cue matches well with your cue profile, you will enjoy the cue more & unless you're the haphazard type, play better.
Just get a cue that matches what you like.......the cue-maker name is far less important than "anything" else....pretty simple.
When the cue matches your specs, it feels & performs more consistently & your game might still suck but it's not the cue's fault.
Well you hear the old saying you can't buy a better golf game ,, to them I say go grab a set of hickory shafts woods and irons and get back to me , you most certianly can buy a better golf game and you can do the same in pool to a lessor degree
I bought a old black boar wanted to get some work done on it so I called Toney first thing he told me was I need to take that Volkswagen shaft off it and add his Ferrari LD shaft to it , so happens that I had a 314 with the same thread on it , I put that on and it was amazing how much better it played with that shaft on it
So yes the cue matters but it's not a magic wand it can't make you a A player if your a D player there is no substitute for practice
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I bought a old black boar wanted to get some work done on it so I called Toney first thing he told me was I need to take that Volkswagen shaft off it and add his Ferrari LD shaft to it , so happens that I had a 314 with the same thread on it , I put that on and it was amazing how much better it played with that shaft on it
So yes the cue matters but it's not a magic wand it can't make you a A player if your a D player there is no substitute for practice
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Have you ever golfed with a pro? I'm guessing not. I was out on a local course with the house pro one time on a demo day. Cleveland was in with their new clubs. He was playing off the rack clubs. He shot a 2 over for the course, with clubs that were 1/2" shorter, and 2 degrees down from his clubs. He just adjusted to the clubs after hitting about 6 balls.
I have borrowed teammate's cues to play matches in league. I played just fine. I play as a 7/9. I didn't fall to a 5 level when I was using my captain's AE custom, or when I borrowed another's Poison VX. Heck, I could still beat the 5s on my team with a cue from the wall. There is a level of comfort from using a cue that you feel fits your dimensions, but if you have this belief that a particular cue can actually make you "better", it's a mental issue, not a physical issue or equipment issue.
Let me get this straight.....you bought a Boar, only to stick a 314 shaft on it....? Did Tony ask for you to give him his cue back?
Not at all his shaft cost is 500 Iv shot with many although far better far better than his long ivory Ferrell shaft it's pretty much the same as the 314 in my tests
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Ok...I've read on here that Black Boar charges close to 1000 dollars for a shaft. Now, bearing in mind that opinions may vary, the Predator 314 hits like a pile of puke IMO. It performs ok, but the hit is terrible. Try to compare the hit to a Mezz or a proper custom shaft, and it's not even in the same league. I'd expect the hit of the Black Boar to run circles around the Predator, otherwise you should get your money back! Especially since the Predator is made from wood that was rejected at the matchstick factory and Black Boar uses wood that has been blessed by angels (I'm guessing, based on the price).
I don't think I could be a cuemaker, based on what I'm reading here. These guys are spending months selecting woods, taking shafts down in tiny increments over long periods of time, then people reject the shaft and put on something that 14 year old slaves in some sweaty hell-hole slapped together in an afternoon..If that's not an insult, I don't know what is! I own several Predator shafts and used to be a big time fan (before I knew what quality is) Still use the shafts on occation, but even I must admit that the quality is ABOMINABLE! The wood is porous and spongy and all around terrible. The lamination is prone to splits and cracks and the ferrule is made of such inferior plastics that it would make a toy manufacturer blush. I mean putting these on a fancy custom is pretty much the same as going to a fancy restaurant and then smothering every dish in ketchup. You get kicked out for that, some places.
Buying a 5-10 k cue, the shafts should be nothing short of FANTASTIC. If not, you were ripped off. I'm a huge fan of BB's designs, and think they are among the nicest cues around, when it comes to aestetics. If any of that attention to detail is applied to shafts, they ought to be great as well. Since it is a "CUSTOM" cue, YOU should be the one to specify the taper/diameter/ferrule to your liking, also. Otherwise, what is the point? If you can't specify the shafts to outperform a 314, or the cuemaker can't deliver on that, then you should not buy that cue. Buy a Predator, no wait, don't. Buy a Mezz. You won't be sorry.
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