Cue butt performance?

K

Kurt

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Two main questions here...

First of all, who has experience with the Predator P3 cue stick. How do you like it? Is it worth it?

Secondly, how important is the cue butt in the performance of a stick? I always thought how well your cue hit had everything to do with the shaft..and the butt was just something to hold. So in essence, if you liked the 314 shaft..you could use that, and use a mop handle as the butt, and it would still give you the same performance. Am I right or wrong in this regard? How does the cue's butt effect its shooting performance?
 
Don't know anything about the P3.
As for the 2nd part of your post... you couldn't be more wrong.
 
Kurt said:
Two main questions here...
. . .

Secondly, how important is the cue butt in the performance of a stick? I always thought how well your cue hit had everything to do with the shaft..and the butt was just something to hold. So in essence, if you liked the 314 shaft..you could use that, and use a mop handle as the butt, and it would still give you the same performance. Am I right or wrong in this regard? How does the cue's butt effect its shooting performance?
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I think you are close to the target here. . .but missed it some. Neither has much impact on play. The player is the biggest impact, maybe tip second, then shaft and then butt. Still, to me the butt, especially the wrap area is very important because that is the part of the cue you hold and direct at the cue. The confidence the wrap gives you helps you cinch those tough shots.
 
Kurt said:
Two main questions here...

First of all, who has experience with the Predator P3 cue stick. How do you like it? Is it worth it?

Secondly, how important is the cue butt in the performance of a stick? I always thought how well your cue hit had everything to do with the shaft..and the butt was just something to hold. So in essence, if you liked the 314 shaft..you could use that, and use a mop handle as the butt, and it would still give you the same performance. Am I right or wrong in this regard? How does the cue's butt effect its shooting performance?
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Kurt,

My experience is I can take a shaft I like and move it around from handle to handle and still play OK with it. I might not like the way it feels on different handles, but I can still pocket balls. Most of this has to do with tip size, squirt, and the flex of the shaft.

Handles have a lot more influence on how a cue feels overall because they have much more to do with the weight, balance and general "heft" of a cue. Thpically they are 3 to 4 times as large and heavy as a shaft. To me, the thickness of the handle and overall weight and weight distribution greatly affect the feel of a cue.

So for me, shafts are very important in the performace and feel of the "hit" on a cue, while the handle impacts the grip, stroking feel, and follow-through of the cue.

The idea is to match a handle you like to a shaft you like, then you have a cue you might love.

Chris
 
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I think this is a very important question that everyone seems to answer... at least to me incorrectly... sigh

I've had his question once before, and I still kind of do... no one ever really gives you a straight out answer.. they just say it helps the feel of the hit...

The question was does the BUTT affect your shot... as in deflection most likely... that's a yes or no question really, not that having a sexy looking cue butt makes you more confident.. sorry if I offend anyone but honestly why go into an answer that isn't completely directed to the question.

Also don't just say no, your wrong, and leave.. that defeats the entire purpose trying hard enough or caring enough to want to know the answer...
 
TheVirus said:
I think this is a very important question that everyone seems to answer... at least to me incorrectly... sigh

I've had his question once before, and I still kind of do... no one ever really gives you a straight out answer.. they just say it helps the feel of the hit...

The question was does the BUTT affect your shot... as in deflection most likely... that's a yes or no question really, not that having a sexy looking cue butt makes you more confident.. sorry if I offend anyone but honestly why go into an answer that isn't completely directed to the question.

Also don't just say no, your wrong, and leave.. that defeats the entire purpose trying hard enough or caring enough to want to know the answer...
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My thoughts exactly...

Does the butt effect the PERFORMANCE ...i.e. the deflection, etc. of the cue stick? I really don't care about looks, I just want a cue butt that will give me the best performance.

And, seeing how everybody is saying the tip is the most important...what is the best/most highly recommended tip nowadays? I hear a lot of people saying kamui black.
 
I don't believe the butt has any impact on deflection, so in that regard, no, a butt is not going to increase the "performance" of a cue. But I have a Lucasi and a Joss, both with Predator 314 shafts, and the two have a very different feel to them. The Joss butt is more forward-weighted, which provides a better balance point and makes the cue easier to cleanly stroke through the ball with. The Lucasi is more rear-weighted, with a balance point closer to the wrap, which makes me feel like I need to grip the cue slightly lower and play with an extended bridge more frequently. It's a minor thing; I can play almost equally well with either cue. But I like the feel of the Joss more, and that's solely based on the balance point of the butt of the cue.

So, while the butt is certainly not the most important piece of a cue in regards to its playability, it is a factor in how the cue will feel to you when you play with it. And since pool is such a mental game, the "feel" of a cue can improve your confidence in your stroke, which will have a positive impact on your level of play.
 
The joint material, the size of the pin, the wood that the butt is made of... all affect the feel of the hit. The wrap used and the diameter of the butt itself also affect the "hand feel", the feedback of the hit, and the comfort level when you shoot.

Can you say "this butt is low deflection" ... of course not. But to say the butt of the cue doesn't matter at all? Why aren't more people putting LD shafts on balsa wood mop handles to save money?
 
PaulieB said:
The joint material, the size of the pin, the wood that the butt is made of... all affect the feel of the hit. The wrap used and the diameter of the butt itself also affect the "hand feel", the feedback of the hit, and the comfort level when you shoot.

Can you say "this butt is low deflection" ... of course not. But to say the butt of the cue doesn't matter at all? Why aren't more people putting LD shafts on balsa wood mop handles to save money?
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Because anyone that has enough money to buy a $200 shaft figures they might as well shell out for a sexy cue too? XD

Kurt said:
My thoughts exactly...

Does the butt effect the PERFORMANCE ...i.e. the deflection, etc. of the cue stick? I really don't care about looks, I just want a cue butt that will give me the best performance.

And, seeing how everybody is saying the tip is the most important...what is the best/most highly recommended tip nowadays? I hear a lot of people saying kamui black.
Click to expand...

Well that's a trickier question than the butt lol... it depends what you want out of the cue... do you want to use English a lot or not, if so a softer or medium soft tip is probably what your looking for... there are tons of different tips... I've only ever used a Tiger Sniper.. but I just bought a new Predator cue that should be coming in today and I got it with a Kamuii Black Soft tip... so yea what do you want to do with the cue haha..
 
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