Standard pool cues are too short

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derangedhermit

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pool cues were 57"-58" in 1900, the same as they are today. People (in the US, at least) are, on average, 3" taller today than people were in 1900.

Wingspan is about the same as height. If the ergonomics of a pool cue were about right in 1900, pool cues today should have a standard length of 61".

I changed to the only production cue of 60" or more I could find, an Elite extra long (62") cue. It is much more comfortable for me to play with.

The only problem I have found is that very few cases accommodate 31" shafts and butts. I think modern-length cues are a market opportunity for someone.
 
derangedhermit said:
The only problem I have found is that very few cases accommodate 31" shafts and butts. I think modern-length cues are a market opportunity for someone.
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The standard length of a case from JB Cases will accommodate 31" butt/shaft lengths with cue caps on. You can add mid cue extensions and/or butt extensions to customize the length of a 58" cue. If you add a 4" mid cue extension and an 8" butt extension you can increase a 58" cue's length to 70".

ShortStopOnPool has a video where he advocates for longer cues:

 
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I actually prefer a 57" cue. Im 5' 11. I don't think it is to short. Maybe players that prefer a long cue actually likes the rear weighted balance. I shoot with a long bridge 13.5 to 14.5" with my bridge arm fully extended and a 57" cue still puts me holding my cue with my middle finger at the edge of the wrap. The cue's forearm is really forward weighted and has a stainless steel joint and by holding the cue further back it makes the forward weight do more of the work without the extra overall weight of the cue.
 
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jlrowe said:
I actually prefer a 57" cue. Im 5' 11. I don't think it is to short. Maybe players that prefer a long cue actually likes the rear weighted balance. I shoot with a long bridge 13.5 to 14.5" with my bridge arm fully extended and a 57" cue still puts me holding my cue with my middle finger at the edge of the wrap. The cue's forearm is really forward weighted and has a stainless steel joint and by holding the cue further back it makes the forward weight do more of the work without the extra overall weight of the cue.
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You've got the right idea. The longer the cue, the longer your bridge! You want to be closer to the cue ball, not further away. 8-12 inch bridge is good. I prefer a 57" cue and hold the butt at the back of the wrap.

All the great old time players used 57" too. Only exception being real tall guys. For them 59-60" is fine. 58" became the new standard about 25-30 years ago.
 
jlrowe said:
I actually prefer a 57" cue. Im 5' 11. I don't think it is to short. Maybe players that prefer a long cue actually likes the rear weighted balance. I shoot with a long bridge 13.5 to 14.5" with my bridge arm fully extended and a 57" cue still puts me holding my cue with my middle finger at the edge of the wrap. The cue's forearm is really forward weighted and has a stainless steel joint and by holding the cue further back it makes the forward weight do more of the work without the extra overall weight of the cue.
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I played with a 58 for many many years.
Since returning, I use a 3" extension.
Wonder how I ever played with that 58" !! 🤦🏻‍♂️
 
I’m 6ft tall and never had a problem with a 58inch standard length.
I have one 30 inch shaft, does not seem to make a big difference.

One thing to consider when getting a longer cue is the added weight.
I don’t get how players use a back extension at all times, it adds weight and changes the balance of the cue.
I prefer lighter cues, 18 to 18.5 oz but can manage up to 19.5 if the balance is right (a bit forward).
A lot of the custom cues have butts that are over 15oz, adding length to it will get them to be over 16oz and a longer shaft will be over 4oz, I find such cue impossible to shoot with.
 
JABSolstice said:
I have a 59" cue and I always have a 3" extension on. After testing many different cue lengths and weights that feels the most comfortable to me.
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Same here. I am 6'4" and I use a standard Ed Prewitt. I had my local cue guy made a special bumper screw together with a 3" extension that is extra light. I feel better than holding the cue at the very edge of the end now. Plus I enjoy the extra reach.
 
jay helfert said:
You've got the right idea. The longer the cue, the longer your bridge! You want to be closer to the cue ball, not further away. 8-12 inch bridge is good. I prefer a 57" cue and hold the butt at the back of the wrap.

All the great old time players used 57" too. Only exception being real tall guys. For them 59-60" is fine. 58" became the new standard about 25-30 years ago.
Click to expand...
Bridge distance depends on where you grip the cue, wingspan, how upright your posture is, and how much you bend your bridge elbow.
 
derangedhermit said:
The only problem I have found is that very few cases accommodate 31" shafts and butts. I think modern-length cues are a market opportunity for someone.
Click to expand...
I’ve played with 60” cues since the late 80’s. 2 of them are 30/30 even splits and one is a standard 29” butt with 31” shafts.

Finding a standard case that fit them has always been a problem, especially when you add length of joint protectors. I had Dan Whitten make my original case when I made the switch to longer cues, he just charged a little extra to make it longer, the same with Jack Justis when I had him make one. I got a Dinko in the past year. Not only a top quality case, but long enough standard to fit my cues and shafts with joint protectors.

Edit: after reading the other posts in this thread it seems there’s fallacies regarding weight and balance of longer cues. It all depends on how you have them made. The two 30/30 split cues I have are 18.3 and 18.5 oz with a very even balance.

The one with a standard 29” butt and 31” shafts is 19.2 oz and only slightly forward balance to it.
 
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