No question that when we buy a nice cue we expect it to be straight, butt and shafts. However, when we get down to playability, and not loss of playability in that few inches between our ears, how straight does a cue need to be?
The real answer is not very straight at all. We generally position the tip in relationship to the cue ball with it less than two inches from the cue ball, many of us with it less than an inch. The shaft passing through the bridge for that distance needs to be straight. Add another inch for the distance the tip is in contact with the cue ball and the shaft needs to be reasonably straight for maybe three inches. When using spin the shaft will move sideways or vertically in our bridge a lot more than any crookedness in our stick for that short distance.
Other than pride of ownership and the effect on that space between our ears, how straight our stick is may be the least important issue affecting our play. When gambling in strange places I usually played with one of the crookedest sticks in the wall racks. The reason was simple, the shaft area where my bridge made contact was usually less abused and the tip was usually in better shape, both more important to me than how straight the stick was.
My present playing shaft warps a little with the seasons and returns to straightness. My first impulse was to replace it, my second to reseal it when it was straight. Then I remembered all of those crooked house sticks that played just fine and forgot about it. My cue's shaft is a little warped, my eyesight is a little warped, maybe they will offset each other!
Hu
The real answer is not very straight at all. We generally position the tip in relationship to the cue ball with it less than two inches from the cue ball, many of us with it less than an inch. The shaft passing through the bridge for that distance needs to be straight. Add another inch for the distance the tip is in contact with the cue ball and the shaft needs to be reasonably straight for maybe three inches. When using spin the shaft will move sideways or vertically in our bridge a lot more than any crookedness in our stick for that short distance.
Other than pride of ownership and the effect on that space between our ears, how straight our stick is may be the least important issue affecting our play. When gambling in strange places I usually played with one of the crookedest sticks in the wall racks. The reason was simple, the shaft area where my bridge made contact was usually less abused and the tip was usually in better shape, both more important to me than how straight the stick was.
My present playing shaft warps a little with the seasons and returns to straightness. My first impulse was to replace it, my second to reseal it when it was straight. Then I remembered all of those crooked house sticks that played just fine and forgot about it. My cue's shaft is a little warped, my eyesight is a little warped, maybe they will offset each other!
Hu
