Light weight cues and tip size

chin0

chin0

"Chino Miss-A-Lot"
Silver Member
I first started shooting with a GW1 18oz cue, and recently when I went to the billiard shop, they had a Schmelke Light Weight 16oz cue. Being a newbie, I thought it was a typo in the tag, so I picked it up and went to the table to test out the cue. I shot and made 5 shots in a roll with no problem. Next rack, ran 4 balls. Which is a big improvement for me compare to my usual hit once and sit for 3 shots :grin: . I also like the fact that the shaft is a lot thinner than many other cues. So I took it to the clerk and asked him wether or not it was a typo, and he said no.

I purchased the cue and now it is my main shooter, and I rarely touch the GW1 anymore.

My friend told me that I am eventually going to have to go up in weight etc. because with a light cue like that one, I wouldn't be able to do much english, masse, draw and etc. with it. His explaination was that masse and english requires a lot of power and a light cue just couldn't deliver that sort of power. Are there any truth to this?

--What are the goods and bads of a light cue?

Also, he said that since I have a 12mm tip instead of a 13mm tip I couldn't do much english either. His explaination was, when the contact point to the cue ball is larger, you would be able to put more spin on it. Where as a smaller tip is more of a long shot shooter than an english and masse cue. I don't know much, but it seems like he was blowing smoke up my a$$, so please let me know if he is right about tip sizes.

--What are the main difference in tip sizes, and what are each size from 8mm to 13mm good for?


I mean, I see a lot of snooker players that can draw and put a lot of english on a ball, and in general, a snooker cue is much lighter than a regular pool cue, and their tips are 8mm-10mm. Thanks, sorry for all my questions. Hope it doesn't bug some of the more experienced players here to see newbie questions like this. Any help is very much appreciated.

Happy shooting:smile: ,
Chino
 
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your friend is horribly wrong.

a lighter cue does not mean u cant put english on a cue ball. u dont have to hit with power to produce english since english isnt produced with power anyways...it's produced with a stroke. a heavier cue would allow u a straighter stroke but makes it more difficult to put english since u might end up with more deflection. a lighter cue produces english easier but is hard to be accurate since the lack of weight in the cue means u will have to be able to completely control it otherwise u will end up with unwanted english and hit the ball in a different spot than u intend. also, with a thinner tip u should be able to produce more english or at least the same amount of english more easily. ur accuracy diminishes somewhat since u have to be more precise. the taiwanese players use thicker shafts so that they can minimize unwanted english when they shoot and be more accurate with the thicker tip.
 
Thanks! Glad to get all that cleared up. I'm not going to say anything to him about it anyway, it is just for my own knowledge. Thanks
 
I don't know about the light weight but all of my cues shafts are 12 1/4mm. or less and I have no problem with english (I like to think I can make the cue ball bend) or draw. With the right stroke I can draw nine feet with a little left over. I guess it comes down to what works best for you.
 
Thanks for the reply. I feel much more comfortable with the Schmelke than the GW1 I have. It is lighter, smaller tip makes me more accurate. Maybe it depends on the person and their personal preference. I was just curious, because I don't see much people shooting with a light cue. Thanks all.

Happy shooting!

Chino
 
Next time you see your friend slap him right in the face for me
(hard). Then make him buy you a beer. Your friend = IDIOT! ;)
 
cbi1000 said:
Next time you see your friend slap him right in the face for me
(hard). Then make him buy you a beer. Your friend = IDIOT! ;)
Click to expand...

haha, if he wasn't 230lbs of muscle with 10% body fat, I'd do it :thumbup: I'll let you know how it goes, but he would have to buy me a club soda or something, not a drinker here haha.
 
chin0 said:
haha, if he wasn't 230lbs of muscle with 10% body fat, I'd do it :thumbup: I'll let you know how it goes, but he would have to buy me a club soda or something, not a drinker here haha.
Click to expand...


Yeah, i might not do the slap thing either, i do value my bones in solid states.

Have him buy you a burger with you soda!
 
cbi1000 said:
Yeah, i might not do the slap thing either, i do value my bones in solid states.

Have him buy you a burger with you soda!
Click to expand...

I think I'll just stick to keeping it as my own knowledge. For some reason, body builders have a bit of testosterone excess which makes them aggressive and quite unpredictable :grin: Thanks for the tip.

Chino
 
chin0 said:
I think I'll just stick to keeping it as my own knowledge. For some reason, body builders have a bit of testosterone excess which makes them aggressive and quite unpredictable :grin: Thanks for the tip.

Chino
Click to expand...


Tell him what ever you want, he wont say a word looking at the end of a Kimber Pro Comp II .45!

It's amaizing how much Sh!t i get away with saying that way. :D
 
chin0 said:
I first started shooting with a GW1 18oz cue, and recently when I went to the billiard shop, they had a Schmelke Light Weight 16oz cue. Being a newbie, I thought it was a typo in the tag, so I picked it up and went to the table to test out the cue. I shot and made 5 shots in a roll with no problem. Next rack, ran 4 balls. Which is a big improvement for me compare to my usual hit once and sit for 3 shots :grin: . I also like the fact that the shaft is a lot thinner than many other cues. So I took it to the clerk and asked him wether or not it was a typo, and he said no.

I purchased the cue and now it is my main shooter, and I rarely touch the GW1 anymore.

My friend told me that I am eventually going to have to go up in weight etc. because with a light cue like that one, I wouldn't be able to do much english, masse, draw and etc. with it. His explaination was that masse and english requires a lot of power and a light cue just couldn't deliver that sort of power. Are there any truth to this?

--What are the goods and bads of a light cue?

Also, he said that since I have a 12mm tip instead of a 13mm tip I couldn't do much english either. His explaination was, when the contact point to the cue ball is larger, you would be able to put more spin on it. Where as a smaller tip is more of a long shot shooter than an english and masse cue. I don't know much, but it seems like he was blowing smoke up my a$$, so please let me know if he is right about tip sizes.

--What are the main difference in tip sizes, and what are each size from 8mm to 13mm good for?


I mean, I see a lot of snooker players that can draw and put a lot of english on a ball, and in general, a snooker cue is much lighter than a regular pool cue, and their tips are 8mm-10mm. Thanks, sorry for all my questions. Hope it doesn't bug some of the more experienced players here to see newbie questions like this. Any help is very much appreciated.

Happy shooting:smile: ,
Chino
Click to expand...

i wouldn't take any more advice from this friend of yours. it sounds like he doesn't know what he's talking about
 
I too like a lighter cue when i order a new cue i get it at 21 oz play with it and slowly take weight out of it and always wind up liking it best without the weight bolt in probably not the thing to do but ??. my break cue is 16 oz of course I'm one of those I'm right handed right eye strong and the only thing i do lefty is pool
 
cbi1000 said:
Tell him what ever you want, he wont say a word looking at the end of a Kimber Pro Comp II .45!

It's amaizing how much Sh!t i get away with saying that way. :D
Click to expand...


I have a H&K USP .45 fullsize, a fine way to deal with a situation :D jk he's a friend, so I wouldn't just trip him, slam his head on the table and stick the iron to his head, lean in close to his ear and calmly say, "Hey you jerkoff, the information you gave me about a lightweight cue and a smaller tip was completely false. You trying to blow smoke up my ass!?" jk jk (Disclaimer: I am in no way prmoting violence. :D)

I'm not going to take anymore advice from him. The reason I took advice from him before was because he shot better than me. Now, it is hard for him to win one game against me. Guess it is time for me to start looking for better players to play with. Someone who knows what they are doing and knows what they are talking about.
 
cbi1000 said:
Next time you see your friend slap him right in the face for me
(hard). Then make him buy you a beer. Your friend = IDIOT! ;)
Click to expand...

I totally agree!!!! It should be more like an upper cut, right hook, straight and than a case of beer!!! LOL
 
Danktrees said:
your friend is horribly wrong.

a lighter cue does not mean u cant put english on a cue ball. u dont have to hit with power to produce english since english isnt produced with power anyways...it's produced with a stroke. a heavier cue would allow u a straighter stroke but makes it more difficult to put english since u might end up with more deflection. a lighter cue produces english easier but is hard to be accurate since the lack of weight in the cue means u will have to be able to completely control it otherwise u will end up with unwanted english and hit the ball in a different spot than u intend. also, with a thinner tip u should be able to produce more english or at least the same amount of english more easily. ur accuracy diminishes somewhat since u have to be more precise. the taiwanese players use thicker shafts so that they can minimize unwanted english when they shoot and be more accurate with the thicker tip.
Click to expand...


If anybody could tell you what a cue is capable of, its my friend Cedric. He has enough top shelf cues to experiment with to back it up!
 
So Danktrees is Cedric? Or are you talking about a different person? I am new to the forum, so I don't know everyone's names yet. :embarrassed2:
 
Both your friend and Danktrees are wrong.

1. A light cue can deliver all the power you need and can spin the cue ball as much as you want.

2. The size of your tip has nothing to do with how much spin you can produce.

3. The size of the contact area has nothing to do with how much spin you can produce.

4. The size of the contact area is the same for bigger and smaller tips anyway.

5. English isn't produced with "a stroke". It's produced by hitting the cue ball accurately off center - any stroke that allows you to do that consistently will work.

6. A heavier cue doesn't produce a straighter stroke (although it might help psychologically to do that).

7. A heavier cue doesn't produce more squirt (a wider tip does, but a heavier cue doesn't necessarily have a wider tip).

8. More deflection doesn't make it harder to produce cue ball spin.

9. A lighter cue doesn't produce english easier.

10. A thinner tip doesn't produce english easier (except it might help you hit the cue ball more accurately).

11. You don't have to be more precise with a thinner tip.

12. A thinner tip doesn't produce more unwanted english or cause you to be less accurate.


The only real differences that a smaller tip makes are:

1. It produces less squirt because there's less mass (weight) in the tip area.

2. It makes it more obvious exactly where you're hitting the cue ball (the contact area is much smaller than the whole tip, and you can see better on a smaller tip exactly where on the tip it is).

Both of these differences are good. Smaller tips are good (unless you just don't like them).


The only real differences that a lighter cue makes are:

1. You have to move it a little faster to move the cue ball at the same speed. This can make it harder to stroke straight, but not necessarily.

2. It might not give you as much "feedback" about how straight your stroke is (you might feel a little more easily when a heavier cue doesn't go in a straight line), but not necessarily.

All-in-all, I think both things (tip size and weight) are matters of personal preference. Use what feels good to you.


Some advice:

Read several opinions here before deciding what's right, especially about technical stuff.

pj
chgo
 
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PJ,
Thanks for the advice, that breaks it down much better for me. I appreciate you taking your time to reply with such detail and lengthy message.

Happy shooting! :smile:
Chino
 
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