Best hit vs. most playable or best playing cue

KCRack'em

KCRack'em

I'm not argumentative!!!!
Silver Member
I tend to split hairs when it comes to words in part because it's my job to do so. Clarity is especially important when documents are likely to end up in front of a judge.

Having said that, I'm not sure I really get the discussions about the best hitting cues. When you discuss a great hitting cue, should I assume that it also is a great playing cue? Is it possible that a cue with a great hit doesn't play well or do these things go hand in hand? I'm always inclined to wonder just how well a great hitting cue plays....

Some cues move the cue ball with less effort and just play well (usually for a particular person). I'm not convinced that a cue is right for me just because it has a great hit, although I do think it is pretty universal just like some cues are duds no matter whose hands they are in. Some cues that I think play great may not light someone elses fire.

I guess what I really am getting at (or trying to get at) is that a cue can be very compatible to a player's stroke and physical traits and therefore play very well while not necessarily having a "great" hit. I think, balance point, weight, diameters, material (wood type), and more factor into this.

I still think that cues could be customized to the same or similar to the extent that golf clubs are (flex, length, and a whole lot more--I'm no golfer) and would be by now if there was enough money in the game and therefore demand for it.

Another question, how do you test drive a cue to determine if it works for you?
 
This relates to very personal experience. FYI, in Vietnam, where Predator and Mezz dominate, most players test cues by how it pocket balls, with extreme english, so I can say it's the low deflection factor that influence them.

to me, I need a cue that:
- has strong shaft, shaft don't vibrate when play with extreme power and english
- sends true feedback to the back hand, this is the way I "feel" my shots, my power of each shot and also how I get on with the cue. I need to feel the weight and impact of each shot.

I don't bother deflection, so when test cues, I don't test with much english, just play some stunt shots with true and precise center ball and see how the cue ball moves. I also test with follow shots. But of course I need the tip to be similar to my preference to test the cue. I play with fairly hard tip.

My playing cues (sugartrees) generates very good cue ball action with ease, and also send great and true feedback to my backhand that I can feel the difference when I play different shots with different power and english. So I say they are very best hitting cues for me.

I feel really hard to get used to low deflection shafts that are constructed like Mezz and Predators, as they don't transfer ALL impact weight to the backhand, even after some time play with Mezz and Predator, I could not get to a satisfactory level of consistency, and I think that is because I don't feel TRUE about the shots when playing with those shafts/cues.
 
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i beleive the conventional use of the terms great hit implies great playability
you make a good point about spillting hairs and you could have a cue that "plays great" meaning the allows you to perform at the table easily
that doesnt give you the feedback ie hit you like
sort of and im sorry this may not be a politically correct analogy
you can have a women be very sensually pleasing to you if you keep your eyes closed
but be unattractive to look at
(and vice versa)
but usually if the woman is pleasing to you to look at your sensual experience is enhanced
 
It's all silly salesman speak. "Great hit" and "playability" are meaningless terms.
Even f they had any meaning they'd still be subjective opinions and other people may not agree with the opinion.

Nobody selling a cue will ever say "I love how it feels when I hit the ball but it's impossible to play with"
...what on earth would that mean? It's 40 ounces? The grip is electrified? It's covered in spiders?

You'll never know if you like a cue until you try before you buy.
How to make that happen? I dunno any way other than the seller being willing to let you return it
(less the cost of shipping) within a week for a full refund. Or else buy cues locally.
 
Sure why not ?

You can have virtually any piece of equipment that fits you properly or performs well but you don't like the sound, feel, feedback or whatever. Whether you use it or not is up to you for your own reasons but usually it comes to confidence and trust.

Run into this alot in Golf and Tennis equipment for example as well.
 
I played as well with an old Mali as any cue since. It was ugly, and I didn't like the feel - but I seemed to make more balls with it that with any of the other cues I had. I played terrible with an old Meucci Hustler till I had john Guffey make me a shaft. Loved the feel of the Meucci shaft - but couldn't make squat...

bes
 
I'll have to vote for my Valley Supreme. It plays "a ton"! It plays sober, drunk and anything in between. From the dings, dents, scratches and aged smokey wood, it has accumulated more character than, well, something else. It also has a nice hit, I'd say somewhere in the range of 1/2-ton to 3/4-ton. :thumbup:
 
I think OP is looking to parse minutia without actually having to play wiht a bunch of cues and come to his own conclusion.

I suggest this is the improper course.
 
I have tried a number of cues from customs to production and various 1 pc. cues, its kinda my thing, "hey can I hit a couple of shots with your cue"? Most guys seem happy that you have shown interest in their cues, one even took it back out of his case and was eager to do it. I have yet to find a cue that seems to move the cue ball around easier or one that is more difficult to move cue ball around with, assuming the tips are all in decent shape. These do not include bar cues with the slip on tips that are squared off of course, but they are not all that bad for center ball breaking with. I do notice a huge difference in feedback from the cue as far as sound and vibration goes though.
 
MitchAlsup said:
I think OP is looking to parse minutia without actually having to play with a bunch of cues and come to his own conclusion.

I suggest this is the improper course.
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Not quite ... but I wholeheartedly agree with the second part.

I came back to the game in the fall of 2010 after a layoff of about 5 years and very little play for the previous 3 years. I still had my cues, including a Capone kingwood merry widow that was magical before I quit the game. It was one of those cues that would light up faces when I let others test hit it. When I came back, it was just an ordinary cue. I traded the Capone a while back, by the way.

The real question is, "Did the cue change or did I?" I'm inclined to think I changed. I had carpel tunnel syndrome primarily in my right hand that started near the end of 2000. Using a variety of treatments (especially acupuncture), I avoided surgery for a long time. I eventually had the surgery (in 2011) when I couldn't shake the numbness after moving some slate by myself.

I don't think I can feel a cue's feedback the way I used to. I try to listen to the hit and pay attention to how well I pocket balls instead. Since I appreciate craftsmanship, I amassed a nice little collection after joining the AzB community. I can play pretty well with all the cues that I own, but right now I have a Libra that I can't seem to put down. My game is better with it.

Of the cues I own, I like these the most: the Libra, my Barnharts, a McDaniel, and Sly. I would submit that they are very different cues.
 
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KCRack'em said:
Not quite ... but I wholeheartedly agree with the second part.

I came back to the game in the fall of 2010 after a layoff of about 5 years and very little play for the previous 3 years. I still had my cues, including a Capone kingwood merry widow that was magical before I quit the game. It was one of those cues that would light up faces when I let others test hit it. When I came back, it was just an ordinary cue. I traded the Capone a while back, by the way.

The real question is, "Did the cue change or did I?" I'm inclined to think I changed. I had carpel tunnel syndrome primarily in my right hand that started near the end of 2000. Using a variety of treatments (especially acupuncture), I avoided surgery for a long time. I eventually had the surgery (in 2011) when I couldn't shake the numbness after moving some slate by myself.

I don't think I can feel a cue's feedback the way I used to. I try to listen to the hit and pay attention to how well I pocket balls instead. Since I appreciate craftsmanship, I amassed a nice little collection after joining the AzB community. I can play pretty well with all the cues that I own, but right now I have a Libra that I can't seem to put down. My game is better with it.

Of the cues I own, I like these the most: the Libra, my Barnharts, a McDaniel, and Sly. I would submit that they are very different cues.
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i think that the term how a cue hits is entirely subjective and is simply based on the way a cue feels in your hand .

playability is an entirely different matter either you can make balls with a cue or you cant. to me the tip determines playability. the reason i say that is because i have went through several cues trying to find the holey grail that would transform me into the next efren reyes.

some cues felt good but did not play good and vice versa. what i did find was every time i put a different brand of tip on a cue changed the playability but not necessesarily the hit.

take my curent player for example. it came with a moori slow on it and played terrible for me. but since it was my most expensive cue to date i was bound and determined to learn to play with it. after several months i changed to a moori medium. it played a lil better but i have had better playing cues.

several months later i wanted to try a kamuii but my repair guy was out of them i had read a thread on here during that time about tips and several people were swearing by triangles so i put one on. the worst mistake i ever made in purchasing a tip. i miscued 3 times that night during a match.

the next day i was pondering about what to do. i thought back to different tips i had used on other cues and decided to go with a buffalo. the difference in playability is night and day compared to how i played with it when i bought it.

so i say if you have a cue that you like the way it hits or feels but dont like the way it plays, change tips before changing cues.

btw i have went through about 50 cues, probably still have 10 or 12 in the closet and have never come across a cue that hits a ton. how do all the guys in the for sale forum get all these cues that hits a ton? if i ever come across one believe me i am taking it to my grave with me.
 
lorider said:
i think that the term how a cue hits is entirely subjective and is simply based on the way a cue feels in your hand .

playability is an entirely different matter either you can make balls with a cue or you cant. to me the tip determines playability. the reason i say that is because i have went through several cues trying to find the holey grail that would transform me into the next efren reyes.

some cues felt good but did not play good and vice versa. what i did find was every time i put a different brand of tip on a cue changed the playability but not necessesarily the hit.

take my curent player for example. it came with a moori slow on it and played terrible for me. but since it was my most expensive cue to date i was bound and determined to learn to play with it. after several months i changed to a moori medium. it played a lil better but i have had better playing cues.

several months later i wanted to try a kamuii but my repair guy was out of them i had read a thread on here during that time about tips and several people were swearing by triangles so i put one on. the worst mistake i ever made in purchasing a tip. i miscued 3 times that night during a match.

the next day i was pondering about what to do. i thought back to different tips i had used on other cues and decided to go with a buffalo. the difference in playability is night and day compared to how i played with it when i bought it.

so i say if you have a cue that you like the way it hits or feels but dont like the way it plays, change tips before changing cues.

btw i have went through about 50 cues, probably still have 10 or 12 in the closet and have never come across a cue that hits a ton. how do all the guys in the for sale forum get all these cues that hits a ton? if i ever come across one believe me i am taking it to my grave with me.
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Thanks for the insight. Rep sent your way!
 
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