I like pebble firm black leather and have 3 cues with it, something with a little texture to it. Do not like soft / spongy leather wraps or linen. I also have a sneaky pete with no wrap. It really comes down to what you like. The one lesson I've learned (from my friend's experience) is don't get a cue with any kind proprietary wrap, sport or otherwise as once they wear out they are hard to replace as they are not the same "depth" as linen and leather, which is usually interchangeable.
Cue wrap preference
- Thread starter Flakeandrun
- Start date
I prefer no wrap, just wood
g0ds gReeN
Active member
Prefer wrapless but I do own a cue with Spanish bull. Irish linen was on my first cue but I moved away from it after a year because sweaty grip hand (not the wrap's fault.)
Now as long as the air is working wherever I'm playing, it's not a problem anymore. I do miss it a little for sentiments sake.
Now as long as the air is working wherever I'm playing, it's not a problem anymore. I do miss it a little for sentiments sake.
dquarasr
Registered
My local cue maker rewrapped my vintage Adam. It came back very slick. He suggested trying wax paper. Didn’t like that either.
So I barely moistened a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and gently ran it up and down the linen (having tested it on a part of the wrap I would typically use a lot less normally). It came out perfect to my preference for feel. I was able to gradually rough it up until it was just right.
dquarasr
Registered
OMG, rereading this paragraph: yes, I’m still talking about Irish linen ON POOL CUES !!
Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
The diameters of "Irish linen" twines vary, producing, of course, variety in the finished surfaces of the resulting wraps -- this is where "pressing" comes into play and can also change the "feel" of the surface.
My preference is Irish linen with bees wax applied as required to prevent my loosely held cue from being "thrown down the table".
Warning: wax discolors linen wraps and/or causes them to collect dirt, however, in keeping with my philosophy that a cue is, primarily, a tool, I avoid getting bogged down in aesthetics. But, if re-wrapping, choose black.
My preference is Irish linen with bees wax applied as required to prevent my loosely held cue from being "thrown down the table".
Warning: wax discolors linen wraps and/or causes them to collect dirt, however, in keeping with my philosophy that a cue is, primarily, a tool, I avoid getting bogged down in aesthetics. But, if re-wrapping, choose black.
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If the linen is not unravelling, there may be a simple fix. As crazy as it may sound, you can use clear nail polish to "glue" down the frayed part. I tried this on my old Joss and it worked. You don't need to use very much polish. Apply a small drop and press down with your thumb to wipe most of the polish away. This trick also works on leather wraps. I repaired a couple of leather wraps that started to lift up a little at the seam (I suggest trimming your thumbnail so that you don't damage the wrap if your thumb slips).
I prefer a very tight and very pressed Irish linen wrap for the most part. On a sneaky Pete, no finish at all in the handle area. I have had a couple super glue finish cues I really liked that were sneaky Petes. Played a few games with friends cues that were cork and leather as well as other wraps and just didn't like them at all.
Wraps that are covered over with a clear finish is all about looks.
Wraps that are covered over with a clear finish is all about looks.
I like wrapless, always have.
There are two main reasons:
1. they always feel the same all the way as far back as you can go.
There's never that last section where your hand goes off the linen or leather and gets onto the wrapless section which feels very different.
2. The other wraps, speaking of leather and linen, feel too slippery for me. I use a very light grip and the wrapless stays put.
Wrapless all the way for me.
On all the cues.
Play, Jump and Break.
It's simple and there's always the same feel on everything.
Plus a bonus, there's no maintenance or any need to replace anything ever...
There's one more reason that I ran into. If a cue has a wrap it may also have one or two extra, hidden joints. The wood under the wrap is often plain maple or some such. The means the builder can get away with using a much shorter section of the fancy wood for the forearm. A wrapless cue shows all of the wood. The extra joint(s) can fail.
A simple sleeve can reinforce any potential joint failures.
If the cue was built like a bridge, having more joints means longer service due to replacement of parts.
I can survey the number of old time bridges that were not designed for long term use and people are unsure when to end its service.
Choosing a wrap comes down to usage.
Players with problem hands, get a fabric grip plus glove to keep moisture down.
If anyone wants to embed air tags or bluetooth alarms for their cues. This technology is very much available.
Think renting out nice cues and have a GPS tracker and alarm on it. Pool halls renting out high end cues, that would be fun once in a while.
Let me rent the Jedi Knight pool cue, it has a light sequencer and makes noises. It has a Jedi Knight robe wrap. When the front desk gets mad at me, they remote power the pool cue down and then a light blinks and says SEE FRONT DESK NOW.
If the cue was built like a bridge, having more joints means longer service due to replacement of parts.
I can survey the number of old time bridges that were not designed for long term use and people are unsure when to end its service.
Choosing a wrap comes down to usage.
Players with problem hands, get a fabric grip plus glove to keep moisture down.
If anyone wants to embed air tags or bluetooth alarms for their cues. This technology is very much available.
Think renting out nice cues and have a GPS tracker and alarm on it. Pool halls renting out high end cues, that would be fun once in a while.
Let me rent the Jedi Knight pool cue, it has a light sequencer and makes noises. It has a Jedi Knight robe wrap. When the front desk gets mad at me, they remote power the pool cue down and then a light blinks and says SEE FRONT DESK NOW.
Rusty in Montana
Well-known member
I've been a fan of Irish linen wraps on my pool cues but then I don't mind wrap less cues one bit either on my sneaky Pete cues .
The look of elephant ear leather or even lizard skin interest me so in the future I'd like to give one or the other a try .
I've found it informative reading everyone's thoughts on this subject .
The look of elephant ear leather or even lizard skin interest me so in the future I'd like to give one or the other a try .
I've found it informative reading everyone's thoughts on this subject .
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I mean this with all due respect, but are you developmentally disabled?
Flakeandrun
Well-known member
Think I will hassle a few people to let me have a hit with their cues and 'Get a grip' on my thoughts. Thanks to everyone for their input.
I think we have similar thoughts Rusty.
If I coached a baseball team he played on, he would definitely be my left fielder.
I've done a few elephant ear conversions over the past several months and have generally liked the look and feel better than leather. Lizard skin provides a unique feel as well but can be fairly thin sometimes which can cause a hassle with wrap channel depth. In my brief experience, it seems like the wrap channel is always either too deep or too shallow when going from linen to something else. Part of the job I guess.
Rusty in Montana
Well-known member
My interest in elephant ear or lizard skin has gotten worse / stronger since joining AZ and I've got to see pictures of both . The closest I've been is I've got some bull hide and water buffalo boots that I only wear on special occasions .
If I were to get either it would be on a new custom cue which is down the road ata much later date .
Flakeandrun , I agree great minds think alike ha ha
If I were to get either it would be on a new custom cue which is down the road ata much later date .
Flakeandrun , I agree great minds think alike ha ha
Are you talking about physical joints with screws / pins, or are you referring to spliced wood segments glued together? Spliced points typically help prevent warping by distributing stress between different wood layers, while extra joints that connect separate cue pieces tend to develop roll over time.