Does size matter?

[Stew boo]

No, I'm not talking about shafts. I'm referring to the butt of the cue. Personally I prefer a large butt diameter for a cue. I've noticed most modern cues have skinnier butts and I was wondering why that is. To me it's easier to grip a cue with a large butt. What advantages are there to a thinner one?

 

[smiling_Hans]

I like thinner butts on a 13 mm shaft.

For some reason the butt will feel smaller than the shaft with a closed bridge. It’s a weird feeling. I do notice it’s a lot easier to keep your stroke as parallel to the table as possible.

 

[GoldCrown]

No advantages. Zero. It's how the cue feels ... like any sporting equipment... golf clubs, bats, tennis racket, etc. I have a treasured collectable custom... I never liked it. The butt is on the thicker side.

 

[straightline]

I prefer slimmer cues. TS for me mostly. The Vicks and McDermals - actually the Valhallas and Luckys are all too obese. Found an Action that passes so that's the player now.

Diameter, besides affecting grip shape and swing transfer, also seems to have a friction vs cue weight coefficient. IOW fat butt is easier to swing hard (you have dirty minds) and thinner butts require smoother cue acceleration.

Oh, and psis does matter.

 

[evergruven]

 

[Willowbrook Wolfy]

My Viking cues stop sliding into some tight cases before say the Viper I’ve been breaking with. But I can’t tell the difference holding them. Then again I also have no clue how I grip a cue. So in turn. 1 vote of size not mattering. Unless it was like a baseball bat sized butt. That would be unplayable. Maybe if your hands are on the smaller side the butt would be a factor though.

 

[mikemosconi]

My feeling is that cue butt circumference preferences relate mostly to how relaxed the grip hand feels during the cue stroke. Some feel that a thinner cue butt forces them to apply too much pressure with the grip hand and some feel the thicker butt allows them to cradle grip the cue in a more relaxed mode.
It is entirely individual choice and the opposite of the above grip feelings apply to the other 50% of pool players

 

[RickLafayette]

Everybody's anatomy is different. You can get dozens of different answers and they'll all be correct.

 

[GoldCrown]

I bought a Dale Perry when he had really good customs...It has the best feel of any of my cues. The butt is on the thin side. I ordered it from him at the first SBE... was close to $1000. Got a nice nick in the finish ...had Proficient Billiards refinish it. It's been a Queen for years...never used it again. It's one the nicest looking, best playing cues that I do not use

 

[boogieman]

I prefer thinner. It just feels right in my grip hand. I've played with cues on the thicker side and they're find but the thinner butts just seem to disappear in my hand, like an extension of my body. Almost like they are floating instead of having to be actively gripped.