Bumper question

puckdaddy

puckdaddy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I recently had a new cue built for me. One of the additions was a quick release extension for the butt. He designed it so all I had to do was remove the bumper and screw it on. It works exceptionally well and wonder what I did before it.

When I remove the bumper, the cue feels different and I like it. So my question here is, has anyone else experienced this or is this all in my head?
Thanks
 
Yes I have felt the same with my Tad. If I take the bumper off it hits harder and sharper. The rubber bumper must act an absorber in some way as the cue hits smoother with it on.
 
Yup. In addition to changing the way the hit rings, the bumper can actually add a noticeable amount of weight and mind you this weight feels a little different because it's at the very end of the cue and not rigidly attached to the rest of the cue. Some of the bumpers on my cues weigh between 0.3-0.5 ounces.

I've seen cues where the bumper has been missing for years and the cue has been kicked around a rough bar with no ill effects (to the butt's integrity anyway, of course it picked up dings on the rest of the cue) and most snooker cues are made without a bumper at all, and people keep those for a lifetime. Of course, depending on all the splices, inlays, materials, and construction method, some cues may risk damage from missing their bumper but I've never seen one split, particularly if it has a solid buttcap (hard wood, phenolic, polycarb, metal).

So if it balances and feels better for you, play without the bumper. If you want to protect the buttcap/butt end from dings you may want to devise a temporary fix like electrical tape on the edges.
 
Last edited:
puckdaddy said:
I recently had a new cue built for me. One of the additions was a quick release extension for the butt. He designed it so all I had to do was remove the bumper and screw it on. It works exceptionally well and wonder what I did before it.

When I remove the bumper, the cue feels different and I like it. So my question here is, has anyone else experienced this or is this all in my head?
Thanks
Click to expand...
That's the reason why some player prefers the bumperless hoppe style cues, the cuefeels more lively and when striking the ball, you get a sharper "ping"
In the beginning, bumpers where called dampers...
 
Kim Bye said:
That's the reason why some player prefers the bumperless hoppe style cues, the cuefeels more lively and when striking the ball, you get a sharper "ping"
In the beginning, bumpers where called dampers...
Click to expand...

Good point I was thinking about that as well, such as the Tascarella hoppes with just the weight bolt showing at the butt end.
 
Thanks for the replies. It's good to know that I'm not going crazy. I'll try to be extra careful as to not slam the cue.

This does make me wonder though, maybe I can get the same effect from some of my other cues by removing the bumper.
 
There was a product that Grady endorsed that was just extra long bumper, it did what you observed but in reverse.

Limbsaver I think.
 
The Limbsaver was a gimmick that was proven to have no significant effect on the cue striking the CB. Grady endorsed this for a reason...$$$. Loved Grady (30+ year friendship), but he was way off on this one.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

hang-the-9 said:
There was a product that Grady endorsed that was just extra long bumper, it did what you observed but in reverse.

Limbsaver I think.
Click to expand...
 
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