What Cue Specs do you prefer?

jlrowe

jlrowe

Billiards,Boxing & Babes
Silver Member
Just wondering what cue specs do you prefer? Are you still trying or purchasing cues to find your perfect specs? How long did it take you to come to the conclusion this is what fits my playing style and preferences?
Well It has taken me 30 years to come to a conclusion. I have owned about 50 different cues in my 30 years on the table and have tried numerous other cues that i did not own. So here goes:
I do not like smaller diameter shafts....12.5 mm and up to 13.25. Less error getting off center cueball hit and have better control for position.
I like a longer pro taper than normal.
I do not like 19" or more balance pt. I like to have 17.5" to 18.5"
I like my handle area thinner and i cant lie i don't like big butts. I like smaller diameter butts and like a thinner handle area.
I like cortland linen or irish linen. I love to have my linen sanded super smooth and slicker than a minner lol. Thats why i prefer Cortland because you can get it super smooth.
I never liked longer shafts or cues. I played with standard 58" cues for almost 30 years. I tried couple 57" did not like it for all those years but started shootin with a 57" cue for about a year now. I realized that i now have better cueball control. I dont overrun my position as much.
Pin or joint doesnt make a difference to me. If you blindfold me and hand me cues to hit with im not going to tell you which cue has what pin and joint material.
Oh yeah weight 18 to 18.6 prefered no more than 19.6oz
 
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Butt weight 14.5 ozs. & shafts weighing > 4 ozs. with a diameter 12.75-13mm (one of each)
with a taper length of 15-16”, ferrule length 1” ivory and big pin flat ivory joint & Cortland #9.

Preferably no weight bolt but if one is used, it should not weigh more than 1/4 oz. & headless.
Tips: Kamui Black Clear -Soft & the design is unimportant if these specs are used. (58” cue)
 
Since you seem to like Cortland as much as me, here’s mine Cortland linen wraps.
 

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Anything between 19-20 I can adjust to.prefer 19.25. That weight feels right. Cue weighted towards the butt more also because of the way the stroke feels. My grip is a lot of times at end of wrap which might be a factor. Not always intentionally. I’m not that tall. I like a white with specks wrapped cue, and don’t like the wrap less cues much. Between 11.5mm and 12mm tip. No LD. Taper is not that important to as long as it isn’t conical. My ferrule needs to be an inch to 1-1/4” The short ones throw me off and I think they are fugly anyway.

Prefer a stainless joint but like the hit of phenolic better. That makes no sense to most, but I still prefer stainless. I also have wood density preferences for the pieces of the bottom half. Rosewood is personal favorite wood for forearm. Up until about a month ago I thought I preferred a soft leather tip. Now I’m going back to lepro and going to try out a milk dud one day.
 
Sweet...Yeah love them. Love the feel but only downfall seems like on Cortland is its easy scratched.
 
Oh and sorry. It actually took a long time to figure out my preferences. Like 20years of playing. Never thought about it when I used to play constantly. Just hand me a stick! Now I’m getting back and have been a bit more nit picky on equipment. Guess with pretty much starting over ive started focusing on all the small details a bit more. And also the bad habits I used to get away with. I want to be in the best position to get the most out of my game. Or something to that effect.
 
jlrowe said:
I do not like smaller diameter shafts....12.5 mm and up to 13.25. Less error getting off center cueball hit and have better control for position.
Click to expand...
Sorry to interrupt, but tip size doesn’t affect this, only tip shape - flatter is (slightly) more forgiving.

pj
chgo
 
For English pool, pretty much what the specs are in my signature - though my next cue (should I get one) will have an 8.75mm tip.

For snooker, it's 57", 9.5mm tip and about 18oz.
 
Patrick Johnson said:
Sorry to interrupt, but tip size doesn’t affect this, only tip shape - flatter is (slightly) more forgiving.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Patrick Johnson said:
Sorry to interrupt, but tip size doesn’t affect this, only tip shape - flatter is (slightly) more forgiving.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...
True, but if you are used to larger diameter shafts your perceived tip offset is completely different when applying sidespin. Give someone a 11.75 that's used to a 13 and I can guarantee will missing shots and not getting position and saying wow the whole time...this smaller diameter shaft really gets more English. It is not. It is because of the perceived offset from the center of the cueball being different.
 
jlrowe said:
True, but if you are used to larger diameter shafts your perceived tip offset is completely different when applying sidespin. Give someone a 11.75 that's used to a 13 and I can guarantee will missing shots and not getting position and saying wow the whole time...this smaller diameter shaft really gets more English. It is not. It is because of the perceived offset from the center of the cueball being different.
Click to expand...
If two tips of different widths with the same curvature are offset the same amount from center (measured to the shafts' centerlines), they'll hit the same point on the CB. For that too it's the curvature, not the width.

pj
chgo
 
Keep in mind it’s not only # tips off center but the number of remaining revolutions upon arrival, i.e., actual contact.
That involves the speed of your stroke creating rotational spin & the distance the cue ball travels to the object ball.

Recently I disagreed with a thread about English that referred to this as cue ball travel time whereas I said distance.
English does not need to be used on many shots but so many players like to use it, maybe it’s because they know it.

In actuality, there are several factors that come into consideration with the application of English. Tip diameter is one
of the first that comes to mind because there is instant visual feedback when you sight align your aim on the cue ball.

So folks can apply more English with a smaller tip but keep in mind only a small portion of the tip actually does make
contact with the cue ball and the majority of the tip never makes contact. This is true of a 12mm vs a 13mm due to
the contour shape of the tip? Dime, nickel or is there anything in between? However, the sight picture is very different.

Maybe I’m in left field on this but that’s how I view it. Example: if 3% of a tip’s surface remains in contact with the cue
ball, the difference between 3% of a 12mm shaft & 3% of a 13mm isn’t significant but it does affect how you view it.

(3% is just my guesstimate. I really don’t how to measure or estimate tip contact for either nickel or dime shape.)
But I also think there’s less room for error playing with thinner cue shafts using English on long shots on a 9’ table.


As always, whenever I’m in trouble, I look for Batman but since Gotham City is only fictional, in this instance only the
revered Dr. Dave can elaborate about tip contact. He has a great tutorial on Sidespin percentage & “Tips” of English.
 
Wrapless or a very smooth stacked leather. Both for looks and for feel.

Thin butts. Thin, long taper shafts. Wood, no plastic. Nothing on my maple shaft except for sweat, hand oils, and chalk. Oh, maybe the blood of the opponents I've slain. No wax, no cueslick.

Light. 16oz. or so.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Keep in mind it’s not only # tips off center but the number of remaining revolutions upon arrival, i.e., actual contact.
That involves the speed of your stroke creating rotational spin & the distance the cue ball travels to the object ball.

Recently I disagreed with a thread about English that referred to this as cue ball travel time whereas I said distance.
English does not need to be used on many shots but so many players like to use it, maybe it’s because they know it.

In actuality, there are several factors that come into consideration with the application of English. Tip diameter is one
of the first that comes to mind because there is instant visual feedback when you sight align your aim on the cue ball.

So folks can apply more English with a smaller tip but keep in mind only a small portion of the tip actually does make
contact with the cue ball and the majority of the tip never makes contact.
Click to expand...

Bavafongoul said:
As always, whenever I’m in trouble, I look for Batman but since Gotham City is only fictional, in this instance only the
revered Dr. Dave can elaborate about tip contact. He has a great tutorial on Sidespin percentage & “Tips” of English.
Click to expand...
Now you are getting confusing Bava. You mean to tell me the cb gains/loses english off an object ball and cushions? That gets really confusing really fast for most players. I think that’s why they, myself included apply our own.!!!

I prefer the smaller diameter tip for the feel in my bridge not the tip per se. put a 12mm next to a 13mm and there isn’t much difference in size. Especially when the middles are lined up. But they do look different when aiming. Good write up.
 
Patrick Johnson said:
If two tips of different widths with the same curvature are offset the same amount from center (measured to the shafts' centerlines), they'll hit the same point on the CB. For that too it's the curvature, not the width.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...
Definitely, that is actual offset but the demon of changing to larger to smaller tip diameter or vice versa is the perceived offset. This is why players need to focus on contact points on the cueball and aligning the contact point with center of the shaft.
 
WildWing said:
Cortland is Irish linen.

All the best,
WW
Click to expand...
True, but Cortland was manufactured different much finer and smoother as compared to modern irish linen. Think it was 9 fine strands rated a 3lbs per strand. Modern irish linen is basically just that... linen. Best comparison i could explain is Cortland is like fine worsted billiard cloth and modern irish linen is like the nappy carpet they put on old valley barboxes back in the day. lol
 
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