Are Cues Less Than 58" Better........

Darth

Darth

Cyber Fox 4/8/96-7/1/09
Silver Member
I had a pro player friend of mine mention that a cue under 58 inches is more acurate and easier to control. His cue is 55 inches long and 19oz. He says that anything over 55" is wasted because if you are gripping the cue on the wrap area, you aren't getting the full weight of the cue on the cue ball. Any thoughts?
 
i dont think it matters. balance point and cue weight matter much more, and i'd rather have extra length and not need it then need extra length and .. you know wha ti'm sayin.
 
I use a 57.5 inch cue. I don't really know why, I'm just more comfortable with it because I played with nothing but house cues for the longest time. The house cues are usually shorter than 58" at the places I've played at.
 
It would be funny to see me with my 76" reach shooting with a 55" or less cue. I grip at the end of the butt with a 10" address already.
 
Darth said:
He says that anything over 55" is wasted because if you are gripping the cue on the wrap area, you aren't getting the full weight of the cue on the cue ball. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

What the hell does that mean???

Where you grip has nothing to do with the weight of the cue... the weight is the weight. He may be a pro but I'm not impressed with his rationale.
 
tjlmbklr said:
It would be funny to see me with my 76" reach shooting with a 55" or less cue. I grip at the end of the butt with a 10" address already.
Click to expand...
I think this was meant for players under 6 feet tall. I have a 72" reach and shot with his 55 inch Danny Janes cue and never missed a ball for an hour. For the shots you have to stretch for, use either a bridge or a cue extension. I'd like more input guys. Thanks for the quick responses so far.
 
cigardave said:
What the hell does that mean???

Where you grip has nothing to do with the weight of the cue... the weight is the weight. He may be a pro but I'm not impressed with his rationale.
Click to expand...
I've asked a cuemaker who is also a great player about this and yes it does make a difference. The amount of the cue weight getting through the cue ball has everything to do with forward momentum of the cue vs. where you are gripping the cue. Try breaking a rack gripping the cue at the joint. The more weight you have going forward from your hand position the better.
 
Darth said:
Try breaking a rack gripping the cue at the joint. The more weight you have going forward from your hand position the better.
Click to expand...
But all you're talking about is where you grip relative to the balance point, I believe.

Yes, if I were to grip at the joint, the cue would be poorly balanced in my hand... it would be highly butt heavy... but as long as I grip below the balance point, I am of the opinion that exactly where I grip has no influence by itself on how the cue ball behaves. It only responds to the momentum and acceleration of the cue... and is not influenced by how much of the cue is below my grip.
 
I would like to know what the majority of pros play with. I would assume that 58" would be the standard and most popular.

Then you would have players like Mike D who uses a 62" cue.

I am 6' tall and use a 60" cue and love it, but I'm no pro.

Russ.....
 
A pro said that? hmm I think it is a personal preference, and 55 inches is his preference. I think it is what you can play with well and comfortably is the most important. People can tell you and give you as much advice and thoughts, but it is always what feels the best to you, not the person who is giving you advice. This is all based on my personal opinion. I very well could be wrong.

Happy shooting! :)

Chino
 
Varney Cues said:
Ask Joe Gold his thoughts. :D
Click to expand...

Just what I was going to say! Joe Gold makes his cues 57 inches, I think. I've been considering this in regard to myself for a while now and may have my next cue made 57 inches. I have short arms and it could be that the now standard 58 inches may actually be too long for me.
 
i also was gonna say joe gold. they are 57.5'' i believe.

as a maker i tried everything.

57
58
58.5 modified
59
59" modified

i never make the shaft longer. always equal. a few times i made a 29.5 or 30'' butt and 29'' shaft. just to make the balance more up front.

long story short is i tried everything just about and it is all pref..

ask efren plays with a 60'' cue or more. not very tall
 
57" cue

57" cues were the standard for many years. Almost all cm's now use 58" as their todays standards. If properly balanced, length is not critical. On barboxes 57 is good. On 9 footers 58 is better to most. Some tall players with loger arms like 59 or 60 inch cues. Just like the weight, or the joint configuration, balance point,etc., we all have different opions as to what we like in a cue. A quality made cue is a quality made cue irregardless of length, weight etc. Its all in what you prefer. my 2 cents
 
Darth:
The amount of the cue weight getting through the cue ball has everything to do with forward momentum of the cue vs. where you are gripping the cue.
Click to expand...

This doesn't make any sense. If you grip the cue at the joint (or even in the middle of the shaft) but hold the tip down with your closed bridge so you can hit the cue ball squarely, you'll get just as much of the cue's "weight through the cue ball" as any other method. Where you grip the cue has nothing to do with it.

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
This doesn't make any sense. If you grip the cue at the joint (or even in the middle of the shaft) but hold the tip down with your closed bridge so you can hit the cue ball squarely, you'll get just as much of the cue's "weight through the cue ball" as any other method. Where you grip the cue has nothing to do with it.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Gripping the cue far up would just make it hard to control the tip of the cue because of torque the weight behind your hand would put on the cue if you weren't cueing dead straight.

FWIW... a local player (who breaks better than 90% of ALL players) often breaks with his jump cue for fun... and hits them better than most do with their BK1 or similar cues.
 
I've tried gripping forward, middle, back of the wrap, and off the back of the wrap at the rear of the cue.....while the very back is a little extreme, it feels like I "feel" more of the weight and control at the back of the wrap, whether on my break or playing cues, both being 58.....my breaks have been so poor recently, I've been doing some experimenting :D

It seems to lean towards personal choice......watching other players, they go from forward to almost off the back, so it would seem there is no magic spot.....so to speak....
 
I don't think the question is valid. It largely depends on the player, and that player's physical measurements (i.e. wingspan). And then there's the stance issue - everyone has a different stance, everyone holds their bridge arm differently (some straight out, some bent at the elbow to varying degrees), etc.

It's like saying "Are size 14 shoes better for basketball than size 13 shoes?". Sure they are - for basketball players with size 14 feet. :P
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top