I'm watching snooker on matchroom and I wondered, why don't they use wrap?

S

smoochie

NotLikeThis
Any snooker advocate can enlighten me on this, Ive been watching snooker for the past 3 weeks on matchroom and suddenly it hits me, why are all snooker cues are wrapless, is there a specific reason for this?

I mean have they not discovered leather wraps, lizard wraps, linen wraps, or do they just prefer the handle of real wood? I mean, please forgive my ignorance here, but if you want to stroke very hard or draw the length of the snooker table, you need to grab that cue very hard at the end of the shot so that the cue doesn't fly off, doesn't leather wraps help with that, and did any snooker pro player ever tried a wrap and didn't like it and then went back to sneaky pete type of wood handle?
 
smoochie said:
Any snooker advocate can enlighten me on this, Ive been watching snooker for the past 3 weeks on matchroom and suddenly it hits me, why are all snooker cues are wrapless, is there a specific reason for this?

I mean have they not discovered leather wraps, lizard wraps, linen wraps, or do they just prefer the handle of real wood? I mean, please forgive my ignorance here, but if you want to stroke very hard or draw the length of the snooker table, you need to grab that cue very hard at the end of the shot so that the cue doesn't fly off, doesn't leather wraps help with that, and did any snooker pro player ever tried a wrap and didn't like it and then went back to sneaky pete type of wood handle?
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Can someone please tell me the difference in hit between cues with a rubber bumper, a leather bumper, and no bumper? Is it easier to make balls with no bumper since rubber can be a shock absorber?
 
boogieman said:
Can someone please tell me the difference in hit between cues with a rubber bumper, a leather bumper, and no bumper? Is it easier to make balls with no bumper since rubber can be a shock absorber?
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The rubber bumper is there in the event one launches their cue when attempting to draw the length of the table.
Considered reduntant if the cue has a lizard wrap.
 
It's tradition. Snooker cues are usually 3/4 or single piece, have brass ferrules and don't have wraps. Pool cues are usually 1/2, have plastic ferrules and often have a wrap. For spontaneous pool in bars or clubs, whether or not a house cue has a wrap is secondary to me to the weight of the cue and the size of the tip. It's of little consequence. My pool cue has a wrap simply because I like my cue. My snooker cue is a custom made 1/2 - people roll their eyes that I didn't get it made 3/4 but with modern joints 3/4 holds no advantage over 1/2. I just like it that way.

Short answer - tradition.
 
boogieman said:
Can someone please tell me the difference in hit between cues with a rubber bumper, a leather bumper, and no bumper? Is it easier to make balls with no bumper since rubber can be a shock absorber?
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My snooker cue has a rubber bumper glued on like a tip. About once a year it would fall off....
...it felt like driving a car with no muffler.
 
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Still not one logical answer as to why snooker players never use wrap, while in pool we use so many types of wraps, lizard, snake, cork, linen...etc, I mean both sports use cues and shoot balls, so make no sense to me.
 
jimmyco said:
The rubber bumper is there in the event one launches their cue when attempting to draw the length of the table.
Considered reduntant if the cue has a lizard wrap.
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I always thought the bumper was there to prevent damage to the floor or, in a pub where there is just about enough room for a pool table, the windows.
 
smoochie said:
Still not one logical answer as to why snooker players never use wrap, while in pool we use so many types of wraps, lizard, snake, cork, linen...etc, I mean both sports use cues and shoot balls, so make no sense to me.
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The next conundrum to resolve is why carom players nearly all use rubber sleeve wraps. Maybe it has something to do with function, as opposed to the reason for most wraps on pool cues.
 
smoochie said:
Still not one logical answer as to why snooker players never use wrap, while in pool we use so many types of wraps, lizard, snake, cork, linen...etc, I mean both sports use cues and shoot balls, so make no sense to me.
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Reverse the question. Why do you use any of those?

There’s a snooker tournament final tomorrow. Even the loser is going to win more money for 4 hours of playing than top American pool players using ‘wraps’ are going to make in a season.

Those ‘things’ add no value to performance except in the mind of a player. Familiarity? Comfort? Perhaps. However, they don’t help pot a ball at 12 feet into a 3.5 inch difficult-shaped pocket.

If you go on a snooker forum, 95% of the discussion is on the game, strategy, tournaments etc. On an American Pool forum it’s half about the latest cue, tip, tables and even the latest space age chalk...bling, marketing, etc. That’s all fine as it’s just the American way. ‘What wrap do you use? What pros use a CF cue? Etc.

Billiard suppliers are small business in the scheme of things. The exceptions were a few companies like Brunswick at one time. Cue makers, chalk suppliers, etc. can market products on tv at at Pro Pool tounaments, In contrast Snooker sponsors are large corporations not involved in the game. They aren’t pushing a billiard product. If a pro has a pocket label it’s for a bank or a national betting institution...they aren’t pushing CF cues, chalk, mystical tips or fancy wraps.
 
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Swighey said:
It's tradition. Snooker cues are usually 3/4 or single piece, have brass ferrules and don't have wraps. Pool cues are usually 1/2, have plastic ferrules and often have a wrap. For spontaneous pool in bars or clubs, whether or not a house cue has a wrap is secondary to me to the weight of the cue and the size of the tip. It's of little consequence. My pool cue has a wrap simply because I like my cue. My snooker cue is a custom made 1/2 - people roll their eyes that I didn't get it made 3/4 but with modern joints 3/4 holds no advantage over 1/2. I just like it that way.

Short answer - tradition.
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What he said... Tradition. Plus an extreme resistance to change (not just in cues).
 
smoochie said:
Still not one logical answer as to why snooker players never use wrap, while in pool we use so many types of wraps, lizard, snake, cork, linen...etc, I mean both sports use cues and shoot balls, so make no sense to me.
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They need one as much as the dog needs a fifth paw ... and there is so much sense in your question;).
 
I can’t stand a wrap on my snooker or carom cue...but I love Irish linen on my pool cues...
...not defending it...I just like it.
 
smoochie said:
Any snooker advocate can enlighten me on this, Ive been watching snooker for the past 3 weeks on matchroom and suddenly it hits me, why are all snooker cues are wrapless, is there a specific reason for this?

I mean have they not discovered leather wraps, lizard wraps, linen wraps, or do they just prefer the handle of real wood? I mean, please forgive my ignorance here, but if you want to stroke very hard or draw the length of the snooker table, you need to grab that cue very hard at the end of the shot so that the cue doesn't fly off, doesn't leather wraps help with that, and did any snooker pro player ever tried a wrap and didn't like it and then went back to sneaky pete type of wood handle?
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I really hope this is some lame form of sarcasm. ;)
 
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What makes you think a wrap improves grip? I have used Irish linen wraps, finished over linen wraps ala Meucci, smooth leather wraps, exotic animal leather wraps, and still prefer the feel of a no-wrap cue. Does that make it better? No. It's MY preference. The OP needs to get out more. There are a lot more pool / billiards players who use cues w/o a wrap than he thinks. It's all about choice. As far as snooker goes, a sport which I admittingly know little about, I can only assume it's tradition, just like the lengths of their cues and the snooker-specific tips and ferrules.
 
smoochie said:
... if you want to stroke very hard or draw the length of the snooker table, you need to grab that cue very hard at the end of the shot so that the cue doesn't fly off
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No, you don't.

People (mostly instinctively) "clench" their grip on hard shots to keep the hand from sliding forward when the stick is momentarily stopped at impact - and it's not even necessary for that.

pj
chgo
 
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