How does a cue play?

[The_JV]

Heartily disagree…didn’t take you for one of those guys who thinks Doc Holiday went o the OK Corral with a Saturday Night Special.

lots of anecdotal evidence against you

I walk the fence on this one. Speaking for myself only. I can grab nearly anything and be at 80% of full spd within an hour. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll eek that up to 90+.

That said, it wasn't till I recently had a quality shaft turned down a mere .4mm that I have been able to get back to full spd after a year of floundering with an equipment change.

It had nothing to do with the ability of the cue. Just how comfortable it felt while shooting. Comparably speaking my cut down, hollowed out, tapered down mezz wx900 with a Jacoby ferrule. Is wildly different than my old predator Z2. However the tip diameter is now the same and it plays the same to me.

The other differences between the old and new set ups are countless. Couldn't tell you the weight or balance point of either one though. Inconsequential in the grand scheme to me.

Imo, the business end matters and the rest should be easily compensated for. That said, if you take two visually identical cues and convince someone that one has different construction. I'd almost guarantee they'll say they prefer the hit of one over the other.

 

[JazzyJeff87]

Pool cues are personal preference, some work better for one guy and other work better for other guys. I may not like a certain style of a cue (or car, or woman, etc.) but it's their prefrence.

As far as scrapple goes, I had to look it up...seems like a sausage but not packaged, or another form of Spam. I'd try it once.

Composition[edit]​

Scrapple is typically made of hog offal, such as the head, heart, liver, and other trimmings, which are boiled with any bones attached (often the entire head), to make a broth. Once cooked, bones and fat are removed, the meat is reserved, and (dry) cornmeal is boiled in the broth to make a mush. The meat, finely minced, is returned to the pot and seasonings, typically sage, thyme, savory, black pepper, and others are added.[3] The mush is formed into loaves and allowed to cool thoroughly until set. The proportions and seasoning are very much a matter of the region and the cook's taste.[4]

A few manufacturers have introduced beef[5] and turkey varieties and color the loaf to retain the traditional coloration derived from the original pork liver base.

Due to its composition, it is often jokingly described as being made from "everything but the oink".[6][7]

Hey! That’s TMI chili...tmi lol. It really is delicious though. Written out like that it does seem similar to sausage without the casing but the flavor and texture is very different. I think it’s only made in Maryland and the surrounding 4-5 states.

I never knew that until I joined the army and tried to get some breakfast one day in Oklahoma. Luckily I’m a huge fan of bacon as well, and everyone in America has bacon.

 

[ddg45]

This debate gets tiresome. Clearly what makes a great cue is subjective and everybody has their own preference. That said, people who consistently say "a great player could win with a broomstick" and act as if quality cues don't exist are misguided at best. High level pros can win in a bar playing with any piece of crap, but they do NOT take pieces of crap to their tournaments. Some of the price of expensive cues is due to man hours used to put in inlays and points, but still some cues are just built with better craftsmanship, better materials, and better quality control. It escapes me how some people on this site refuse to recognize that.

 

[Poolplaya9]

This debate gets tiresome.

Agreed.

Clearly what makes a great cue is subjective and everybody has their own preference.

You should have stopped there, this says it all.

That said, people who consistently say "a great player could win with a broomstick" and act as if quality cues don't exist are misguided at best. High level pros can win in a bar playing with any piece of crap, but they do NOT take pieces of crap to their tournaments. Some of the price of expensive cues is due to man hours used to put in inlays and points, but still some cues are just built with better craftsmanship, better materials, and better quality control. It escapes me how some people on this site refuse to recognize that.

As long as a cue is turned/tapered to a reasonable precision (if it ends up hexagonal like a pencil it might affect play) and put together in a reasonably solid way, and they pretty much all are, it escapes me how some people believe that the types of things you talk about above will make a cue play inherently better or worse when that is rarely the case, and play is what you are talking about above.

If the inlays or points are a little more precision cut on one cue than another it doesn't affect how the cue plays, only how it looks and how you feel about it. The way the materials in the cue make the cue feel and play, in the context of commonly used and accepted materials (I'm sure if you make a shaft out of marshmallow you can get into some exceptions but nobody is using marshmallow), is entirely personal preference and one material is not inherently better than another when it comes to feel and play.

What makes for the best cue, for you, is a cue that meets all of your personal preferences, and the only reason it plays any better for you is precisely because it met your personal preferences, that's it. It wouldn't play as well for some other people, and in fact would play horribly to some. The cue that plays best for the next guy will be different from yours, perhaps dramatically so, because it will be the one that meets their personal preferences.

There has yet to be a person who can explain how a certain construction technique, or a certain precision in the inlays, or a certain type of wood or joint or ferrule material is inherently better than the rest, meaning objectively and for everybody. If you think you can be the first then have at it but I think you are mistaken in your belief.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

My Cue played great TWICE today, it was Second & last game of One Pocket, I won two games.

Cue gets all credit for wins.

 

[Guy Manges]

I bought my first cue from a guy in Julians in the early 70's. He wanted $50 but I only had $25 on me so he gave it to me. It was an early Adam and my girlfriend is still using it,

You in the Volcan, Best garage still there... ?

 

[Guy Manges]

Agreed.

You should have stopped there, this says it all.

As long as a cue is turned/tapered to a reasonable precision (if it ends up hexagonal like a pencil it might affect play) and put together in a reasonably solid way, and they pretty much all are, it escapes me how some people believe that the types of things you talk about above will make a cue play inherently better or worse when that is rarely the case, and play is what you are talking about above.

If the inlays or points are a little more precision cut on one cue than another it doesn't affect how the cue plays, only how it looks and how you feel about it. The way the materials in the cue make the cue feel and play, in the context of commonly used and accepted materials (I'm sure if you make a shaft out of marshmallow you can get into some exceptions but nobody is using marshmallow), is entirely personal preference and one material is not inherently better than another when it comes to feel and play.

What makes for the best cue, for you, is a cue that meets all of your personal preferences, and the only reason it plays any better for you is precisely because it met your personal preferences, that's it. It wouldn't play as well for some other people, and in fact would play horribly to some. The cue that plays best for the next guy will be different from yours, perhaps dramatically so, because it will be the one that meets their personal preferences.

There has yet to be a person who can explain how a certain construction technique, or a certain precision in the inlays, or a certain type of wood or joint or ferrule material is inherently better than the rest, meaning objectively and for everybody. If you think you can be the first then have at it but I think you are mistaken in your belief.

Pool ( pocket billiards, Needs all the mfg. it can get, This i believe is as important as the game it's self. All our sports need mfgs. inorder to survive. I've never known anyone with the money to try all the custom cues, but I have known some Cue Makers that put their all in the production of a great pool cue and this does exist... Thankgoodness for all our quality mfg's... Pool can go on forever as long as there is one... Guy

 

[Bobkitty]

There has yet to be a person who can explain how a certain construction technique, or a certain precision in the inlays, or a certain type of wood or joint or ferrule material is inherently better than the rest, meaning objectively and for everybody. If you think you can be the first then have at it but I think you are mistaken in your belief.

Great post. There must be an explaniation why SW cues are so more expensive than other (just as good or even better) pool stick manufactures. Maybe it's the waiting list everyone wants to be on? If it took you 12 years before your cue was produced, maybe that makes it more valuable?

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

There has yet to be a person who can explain how a certain construction technique, or a certain precision in the inlays, or a certain type of wood or joint or ferrule material is inherently better than the rest, meaning objectively and for everybody. If you think you can be the first then have at it but I think you are mistaken in your belief.

Thanks for the chuckle.

 

[Poolplaya9]

Thanks for the chuckle.

I've seen you make comments indicating you are one of the people who believe that that some cues inherently play better (inherently meaning for everyone) than the others that are within the mainstream spectrum, but what I've never seen from you is any cognizant explanation about what exactly makes a certain cue play inherently better than all others from a play standpoint, nor any evidence to support the assertion. I think the reason for that is that there is no evidence to support that belief, which makes having the belief silly. I'm betting you aren't going to try to offer any explanation and evidence this time either since you can't offer what doesn't exist.

Evidence that within the mainstream cues that one isn't inherently better than the others for everybody as far as play goes is that there has never in history been a cue that everybody who played with it ended up playing better. Quite the contrary actually. The highest levels of pool that can possibly be played have also been played with every type of cue that exists. All the evidence as a whole strongly suggests that there isn't one that is inherently better, but rather that matching the cue's characteristics to the player's personal preference is of some importance.

 

[Quesports]

I have decided to completely change the hit and sound of my cue. Going to install a harder tip.....

 

[maha]

unless there is something wrong with the cue that makes it not usable or imperfect in some way that alters the shot;.

the cue is all a mental thing.

 

[Island Drive]

I have been looking at cue reviews and come across "This is a beautiful playing cue!" many times! I have invested lots of money in low deflection shafts and most of them are good to their word BUT all play a little differently. I am now playing with regular shafts and once learned do the same thing with some adjustments on my part. Once learned a house cue can play "beautifully"

Isn't it the player that "plays beautifully" and if knowledgeable about the fact that all cues need to be learned can make any cue work?

I think the big difference may be in the cue being a beautiful work of art, not how it "plays" I love cues and have more than I need but can adjust to any of them.

I am serious about what is being talked about when one says a cue plays great.

Thanks.

A cue playing great, and a beautiful playing cue. hummm. I've heard it hit's a ton....which to me is vague, and a cue hitting beautiful, I'm unable to comprehend beautiful hit.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Cues is a tool, the person with skill can do thing with any Cue.

A Banger can not.

 

[maha]

a few times ive seen top players come in the pool room and take a cue, any old one off the wall and run a hundred balls.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

a few times ive seen top players come in the pool room and take a cue, any old one off the wall and run a hundred balls.

Indian v/s Arrow. Trust me if I bought great wood carving tools, I could turn find block of wood to wood chips.

 

[spin-right-round]

I've been fortunate enough to be able to afford and try out a fair variety of cues/shafts in the last 6 years, so I'll put in my 2c:

Everyone starts out playing with a house or a basic cue, at whatever age. Some people realize they may have some potential and they like the game, so they decide to join a league, invest some money into the hobby. You get a beginner cue, you start to learn about cue maintenance, tip shape & hardness, balance of the cue, all the variables that you think are affecting your game. The brain analyzes these factors subconsciously when you're practicing. You practice more, continue to get better. Few years down the line, you decide it's time for an upgrade. You put in some more money into getting a "nicer" cue, which has something "better". Instantly after the cue arrives, you feel your game is elevated. You continue practicing with the cue, but of course there are better players who still beat you, so you start to realize that the cue can only get your game up so much.A couple more years go by, maybe you've owned and tried or ended up collecting some more cues. At some point, you finally come to the realization that there is no "better". With time, you can adjust to playing with any cue of your choice... By that I mean that as long as you've figured out and perfected the grip, stance, and stroke mechanics, you could be playing with a $100 snooker cue (I know someone who does) and be a decent 500-550 rated player.

All that matters is practice, and that the person shooting with the cue gets consistently better. All the other things w.r.t. equipment are factors that give an edge when fine tuned, but nothing that would drastically affect skill level.

 

[Cornerman]

Getting back to the original question, what makes a good hitting cue..............


I have a good collection of cues, some high dollar, some not so much. among them I have a couple of favorites.

They feel right in your hands. When you hit the cue ball, a combination of the sound, vibration, and report simply feel good. put a smile on my face. Cannot say that I make shots with my favorites that I would not make with my other cues but when I pocket a ball with one of my favorites, I am anxious to get the next ball that is shaped perfectly because my last shot was so good.

If I find myself having to slow down because I am enjoying the play so much, the cue is a good hitting cue.

Regards,
Crankster

 

[Cornerman]

Very well said!

And Chicago has the best pizza!

Best
Fatboy

I must protest! LOL (all personal opinions of course). Pizza in Boston and Pizza in NYC, I like both better than Chicago. My hometown (Greenfield in western Massachusetts) has a Boston Greek Pizza, and remains the best pizza I’ve ever had. And I’ve been to Italy 20 times.

Best overall pizza I’ve had as far as region goes: New Haven, CT. I think it’s because of the fusion of NYC and Massachusetts cooking!

 

[spin-right-round]

View attachment 641865

You could replace “Tascarella” with anything in that sentence and it would still make no objective sense.