I may be way off base, but I 'think' it may be the difference between pool cues & snooker cues. I have personally never seen a red leaf snooker cue, or a green leaf pool cue. I have seen small diameter red leaf house cues, but they are still normal house cues but cut thin. All the green leaf cues I have seen were not even maple, but ash, and were snooker cues. Again, I may be way off on that but it's what I have seen so it's an assumption. I'd like to know for certain as well.