It may not help you, but it dam sure wont hurt.
Does a good cue matter?
- Thread starter JamesMorreale
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Yes, no, and sort of. First, is there even a benefit to having your own cue? Yes, for the sake of consistency. With very little limitation, what one cue can do, every other cue can do. But with one cue you don't have to adjust for the differences in squirt etc between cues.
Now is any cue better than other cues? Yes, but only for you. Most cues out there are the best for somebody. It really is just a matter of what best fits you and your preferences for size, weight, feel, etc. Evidence for that is that for just about any cue out there there is a top player that has chosen to use it strictly because of personal preference (as opposed to sponsorship etc). Even the cues that are universally denounced as being "crap" such as cheap import cues or Meucci's have been chosen by top players who played top pool with them. Efren's best years were with a $15 import "garbage" cue for example.
98% is the indian and not the arrow as they say, and to get the other 2% all that matters is that you play with one cue and it is the cue that you most like, best fits you, and inspires the most confidence. That cue will be $15 import for one guy, and a $2500 custom for another, and everything else in between for everyone else.
Magic Wand do exist....
The right pool cue is everything. You need the right cue to play your best game.
If the cue didn't matter, everyone would be buying from Walmart.
The right pool cue is everything. You need the right cue to play your best game.
If the cue didn't matter, everyone would be buying from Walmart.
I think a lot of this will depend on your definition of "a good cue." If your definition of a good cue is "expensive," then the answer is "maybe". If your definition of a good cue is "well made," then the answer is "probably." Having a well made cue that you get to know is extremely helpful to most players.
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yes, a good cue helps. but, why???
I believe squirt/deflection or what ever you want to call it is different from cue to cue! Low D vs high deflection changes your aim point and consistency. So, you can select a good low deflection or high deflection cue of your choice. But, going from one EXTREME to another EXTREME is fatal.
Many pro players struggled changing to low deflection! They also struggle changing to high deflection. The best bet is to find something in the middle or something you like and stick with it.
I also believe taper and weight and balance can effect follow through and wrist snap.
kd
I believe squirt/deflection or what ever you want to call it is different from cue to cue! Low D vs high deflection changes your aim point and consistency. So, you can select a good low deflection or high deflection cue of your choice. But, going from one EXTREME to another EXTREME is fatal.
Many pro players struggled changing to low deflection! They also struggle changing to high deflection. The best bet is to find something in the middle or something you like and stick with it.
I also believe taper and weight and balance can effect follow through and wrist snap.
kd
I tend to agree with this statement. I've heard the indian analogy a few times here. A "good" indian will also throw away crooked arrows. All of his arrows will be straight, balanced, and near the same weight and length.
Its all about consistency. How many pros that are sponsored by a certain manufacturers, are sent several cues or shafts....and they go through them till they find the one they like?
The one or two that are just right? Its VERY common. Would they do this if there wasn't a difference....even within the same brand?
What about radial consistency? There are some very fine pieces of wood out there.
But mother nature is never consistent. There are variations that grow into the wood. Some cues will play different when turned 90 degrees. When you play with it with the "sweet spot" up (for instance), the cue seems to come alive.That's why musicians prefer original Stradivarius violins. They were made from wood that was grown in the dark ages. This wood had a tighter grain because it grew so slow. Gave the instrument the sound they are looking for. Could a good musician play just as well with a lesser violin? Yes. So why do they want that Stradivarius?
Yes I agree at the end of the day, its mechanics, form, and fundamentals. But a good cue can enhance those skills. Can Darrel Appleton play well with a wal mart cue? Hell yes! Will he put down his Predator to do so...even if wal mart offered him more money then Predator does? Probably not.
I've seen Darrell on this forum before. Maybe he can chime in. I don't want to put words into his mouth.
Even if it's all in my head, a good enough cue matters to me.
I think it matters to a point, a decent quality piece of wood that is straight and has a good shaft taper is important. Beyond that it's decoration, pride of ownership, etc. I have a $150 Viking that was my first cue 10+ years ago, I think it's a perfectly adequate cue that wouldn't hold anyone back. It's no longer what I play with as I appreciate a nicer cue that's a little more fitting to my current tastes, but I don't believe I play any better with it other than from familiarity and specs that fit me better. From a pure performance standpoint I think $150-200 gets the job done.
But...I do believe that nicer custom cues offer a lot in the way of custom specs, feel, quality that doesn't relate to playability, etc. I love playing with my nicer customs and haven't had my Viking at a table in many years.
But...I do believe that nicer custom cues offer a lot in the way of custom specs, feel, quality that doesn't relate to playability, etc. I love playing with my nicer customs and haven't had my Viking at a table in many years.
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...says the guy with a Searing in his avatar pic...
LMFAO!!! I didn't catch that.
I am right in the middle of this argument. If your a truly amazing player then you should be able to perform with any decent cue. At the same time pool is a very mental sport as well. Given that having a cue that gives you more confidence would also help.
AHHHH... OK, maybe this thread should be about what constitutes a "decent" cue?.. Here We Go!! :grin:
This is a topic where you will get a whole lot of different opinions, some of which are based on a person’s personal experience and others which are simply opinions. I’m sure you’ll be able to sort them out without too much trouble.
I’ve seen, over the years I’ve been playing, a number of the greatest players in the world at any given time. None of them have perfect basics, some have too long a bridge, others too short. Some grip the cue too tight, others too loose. Some hold the cue back near the end of the wrap or on the butt cap, others nearer the balance point. Some have a text-book stance and other stand with their feet wide apart, some bend a knee, some don’t. The point is, they all play different and all still play great. Some, but by no means all or even most, are paid to play with the cues they compete with. Some have changed cues frequently over the years.
You think the cue doesn’t make any difference? Well, many years ago now, a well-known player won the World Straight Pool Championship. When asked about his achievement, he attributed his win to the cue he had recently acquired. Today that player makes cues himself.
Ask the players who use low deflection shafts it they make a difference. Some think they do, others do not. I thought it was all hype myself for years but now I play with a cue with ld shafts and believe it does, indeed, make a difference. I don’t, however, play with laminated shafts, I subscribe to the same theory about shafts as the guy who built the cue.
Any number of people will tell you that certain cues, shafts, tips, etc. will make it easier to do certain things for them. Ask some of the pros why they play with the cues that they do, if they are not paid to play with them. Their answers may surprise you. I personally have two cues that I currently play with. I play well with both but they are different in the way they perform. I’ve been playing long enough to know there is a difference in the way I play with either one of them. Is that all in my head? I don’t think so and neither do a lot of other people. I’ve had one of these cues for almost twenty years and the other for about three years. You may play well with a house cue off the wall but come in the next day and pick one entirely different off the wall and see how well you play with it. You WILL play better using the same cue every day. Most of us are like that. There may be a very few who will play about the same using any cue day after day but, believe me, there aren’t many. I don’t know anyone who can. And, why do most, if not all, the pros play pretty much with one cue day in and day out? It’s all up to the individual and we’re all different.
I’ve seen, over the years I’ve been playing, a number of the greatest players in the world at any given time. None of them have perfect basics, some have too long a bridge, others too short. Some grip the cue too tight, others too loose. Some hold the cue back near the end of the wrap or on the butt cap, others nearer the balance point. Some have a text-book stance and other stand with their feet wide apart, some bend a knee, some don’t. The point is, they all play different and all still play great. Some, but by no means all or even most, are paid to play with the cues they compete with. Some have changed cues frequently over the years.
You think the cue doesn’t make any difference? Well, many years ago now, a well-known player won the World Straight Pool Championship. When asked about his achievement, he attributed his win to the cue he had recently acquired. Today that player makes cues himself.
Ask the players who use low deflection shafts it they make a difference. Some think they do, others do not. I thought it was all hype myself for years but now I play with a cue with ld shafts and believe it does, indeed, make a difference. I don’t, however, play with laminated shafts, I subscribe to the same theory about shafts as the guy who built the cue.
Any number of people will tell you that certain cues, shafts, tips, etc. will make it easier to do certain things for them. Ask some of the pros why they play with the cues that they do, if they are not paid to play with them. Their answers may surprise you. I personally have two cues that I currently play with. I play well with both but they are different in the way they perform. I’ve been playing long enough to know there is a difference in the way I play with either one of them. Is that all in my head? I don’t think so and neither do a lot of other people. I’ve had one of these cues for almost twenty years and the other for about three years. You may play well with a house cue off the wall but come in the next day and pick one entirely different off the wall and see how well you play with it. You WILL play better using the same cue every day. Most of us are like that. There may be a very few who will play about the same using any cue day after day but, believe me, there aren’t many. I don’t know anyone who can. And, why do most, if not all, the pros play pretty much with one cue day in and day out? It’s all up to the individual and we’re all different.
I also believe taper and weight and balance can effect follow through and wrist snap.
kd
I agree with this , hard to find a house cue with forward balance , mostly butt heavy. Taper doesn't matter much to me since most house cues are 13mm , and i like that . Don't think it matters except for the factors KD mentioned .
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batalarms
Ebony Hoppe Fanatic
Originally Posted by batalarms,
Doesn't matter if it's a house cue or a Balabushka.No difference at all.I play with a tomato stake from my garden with a rubber chair leg protector on the end of it.
Marc
I am surprised that after all day, you are the only 2 guys that picked up on my little bit of humor :rotflmao1: Have a great night.:rotflmao1:
Marc
Doesn't matter if it's a house cue or a Balabushka.No difference at all.I play with a tomato stake from my garden with a rubber chair leg protector on the end of it.
Marc
...says the guy with a Searing in his avatar pic...
I am surprised that after all day, you are the only 2 guys that picked up on my little bit of humor :rotflmao1: Have a great night.:rotflmao1:
Marc
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Does the cue matter
Ive seen good players with house cues and ive seen bad players with custom cues
all in all if you can shoot with a broom handle you shot with a broom handle, if you shot with a Custom cue you shoot with a custom, I feel its a mind thing nothing more nothing less JMO
Ive seen good players with house cues and ive seen bad players with custom cues
all in all if you can shoot with a broom handle you shot with a broom handle, if you shot with a Custom cue you shoot with a custom, I feel its a mind thing nothing more nothing less JMO
not at all
u need something straight with a half decent tip
of course you could choose not to let logic and physics dictate this and be part of the sheep crew
u need something straight with a half decent tip
of course you could choose not to let logic and physics dictate this and be part of the sheep crew
hehookedme
Registered
I've won a lot of money and a lot of tournaments playing with a house stick straight off the wall in whatever place I happened to be in. Warped, straight.. didn't matter as long as it had a good tip. Just turn the warp down. I've also owned several quality cues (Meucci, Viking, Pechauer, etc.) and done well with those too.
A decent player is going to play decent with anything they grab. However, I'm here to tell you that in my opinion, having a quality cue makes me and anybody else at least a ball better. The difference may not even necessarily reveal itself every single rack, but rest assured it will reveal itself.
For me personally, the difference shows up with specific shots. Particularly straight shots that are the length of the table with the CB snug against one of the short rails...exposing only the top of the CB. A house cue will almost always deflect the CB off line on these long, straight shots. Bottom line is I'm a firm believer in a shaft with low CB deflection. That one shot I just described that shows up every now and then has cost me more times that I care to count with a house cue. I'm subject to miss it with darn near anything, but it's a coin flip even if everything is done correctly with a house stick due to CB deflection. Just my $.02.
A decent player is going to play decent with anything they grab. However, I'm here to tell you that in my opinion, having a quality cue makes me and anybody else at least a ball better. The difference may not even necessarily reveal itself every single rack, but rest assured it will reveal itself.
For me personally, the difference shows up with specific shots. Particularly straight shots that are the length of the table with the CB snug against one of the short rails...exposing only the top of the CB. A house cue will almost always deflect the CB off line on these long, straight shots. Bottom line is I'm a firm believer in a shaft with low CB deflection. That one shot I just described that shows up every now and then has cost me more times that I care to count with a house cue. I'm subject to miss it with darn near anything, but it's a coin flip even if everything is done correctly with a house stick due to CB deflection. Just my $.02.