anyone out there rely on/love using light cues- 18 or under...
what do you feel the advantages are?? disadvantages?
Murf
what do you feel the advantages are?? disadvantages?
Murf
real light cues- good or bad - why?
- Thread starter CueJunkiee
- Start date
The trend now toward 18oz is due to the better equipment. With good balls now (compared to what they once where) and Simonis or equally fast felt being used now by most rooms...the heavier cue isn't needed. In the older days with bad rails, slow felt, poor balls, etc......a heavy cue was often needed to help move the cueball. Watch an old match on ESPN Classics with the legends...you'll be amazed how slow/dead the tables played.
different in the extreme
I have played with cues from 12 to 26 ounces. The 26 ounce was ridiculous but a 22 ounce was a fine playing cue for a beginner who needed all the help he could get with his stroke. I had the finesse of a bull moose with it though.
As I progressed in skill I passed down through weights to a seventeen or eighteen, as light as I could find in a two piece and often using fifteen or sixteen ounce bar cues.
Then I got aholt of one of the old one piece twelve ounce snooker sticks. Put a good tip on it and played very poorly for about two months. Had to change grip, stroke, the force I used to hit the cue ball, changed everything about my game a lot. However, once I got used to doing all the work instead of using stick weight to do more of it, I shot super with that little stick. Cue ball control after the hit was taken to a level that I have never matched before or since.
Hu
I have played with cues from 12 to 26 ounces. The 26 ounce was ridiculous but a 22 ounce was a fine playing cue for a beginner who needed all the help he could get with his stroke. I had the finesse of a bull moose with it though.
As I progressed in skill I passed down through weights to a seventeen or eighteen, as light as I could find in a two piece and often using fifteen or sixteen ounce bar cues.
Then I got aholt of one of the old one piece twelve ounce snooker sticks. Put a good tip on it and played very poorly for about two months. Had to change grip, stroke, the force I used to hit the cue ball, changed everything about my game a lot. However, once I got used to doing all the work instead of using stick weight to do more of it, I shot super with that little stick. Cue ball control after the hit was taken to a level that I have never matched before or since.
Hu
My theory is people who like dropping their elbows prefer lighter cues.
Those who don't and the slipstrokers/strokeslippers prefer the heavier cues.
Those who don't and the slipstrokers/strokeslippers prefer the heavier cues.
Used to use a 21oz cue. I always had a rather heavy hit, and tended to overhit often.
In 1998 I bought a 17.5oz (maybe 18oz) to compensate for my heavy hit and it really helped. Because of the lightness I tend to stroke slower and smoother - now rolling more balls in rather than pounding them in.
I still prefer a stiff shaft.
Jim
In 1998 I bought a 17.5oz (maybe 18oz) to compensate for my heavy hit and it really helped. Because of the lightness I tend to stroke slower and smoother - now rolling more balls in rather than pounding them in.
I still prefer a stiff shaft.
Jim
rackem said:I use a 17oz to play barbox. I feel I have more control over it on the small table and I can get it moving faster to pop the break.
I also know right away to grab something heavier if a fight breaks out.
Interesting that you said this. Not many people are aware that a light cue works well on a bar table. You have to play a lot of delicate little nip shots, and yet be able to thrash the balls once in a while. It took me years to figure out, to look for a 17 or even 16 oz. cue when I went into a bar. Seems to work much better than coming off the wall with a 19 or 20.
As far as fighting I prefer to leave that to my partner, Strong Arm John.
Lighter cues have a couple of advantages that have not been touched on by other posters.
First of all, in a long session of play, with equally matched players the player who gets tired first will lose. For those who have played for 24 hrs or longer, the weight of the cue can affect how you stroke the ball, the heavier the cue, the more the weight will effect your stroke.
Second of all, the heavier the cue, the less effect a player will get when breaking or applying english. This effect is due to a cues weight having a overall deadening effect on the imparted action that results when the cue ball strikes a rack of balls or a individual ball.
Most 3-cushion Billiards players are aware of this effect, and due to the table size and the additional weight and size of billiard balls Billiard players use lighter cues. Billiard players do not prefer to use cues heaver than 18 oz for this reason. This is where I first saw this concept work, however I am uncertain how light you can go before this effect is nulled. I use a 17.8 oz cue myself daily, I have built and shot with cues as light as 15 oz and the effect was not intensified with the reduction in weight, so I am not certain that going below 15 oz will have any effect other than feeling comfortable to some people.
If anyone questions what I have said here, please test my idea's. Try breaking / shooting with differently weighted cues, and you will see the effects that I have outlined above.
Exactly why it works, I do not completely understand, however I am certain that anyone who tests this concept in a subjective manner will see the results and then maybe someone can explain further why this works.
Manwon
First of all, in a long session of play, with equally matched players the player who gets tired first will lose. For those who have played for 24 hrs or longer, the weight of the cue can affect how you stroke the ball, the heavier the cue, the more the weight will effect your stroke.
Second of all, the heavier the cue, the less effect a player will get when breaking or applying english. This effect is due to a cues weight having a overall deadening effect on the imparted action that results when the cue ball strikes a rack of balls or a individual ball.
Most 3-cushion Billiards players are aware of this effect, and due to the table size and the additional weight and size of billiard balls Billiard players use lighter cues. Billiard players do not prefer to use cues heaver than 18 oz for this reason. This is where I first saw this concept work, however I am uncertain how light you can go before this effect is nulled. I use a 17.8 oz cue myself daily, I have built and shot with cues as light as 15 oz and the effect was not intensified with the reduction in weight, so I am not certain that going below 15 oz will have any effect other than feeling comfortable to some people.
If anyone questions what I have said here, please test my idea's. Try breaking / shooting with differently weighted cues, and you will see the effects that I have outlined above.
Exactly why it works, I do not completely understand, however I am certain that anyone who tests this concept in a subjective manner will see the results and then maybe someone can explain further why this works.
Manwon
I play with an 18 oz.,i used to play with a 21 oz. cue and it seemed like it tired my stroke out over time.
A heavier cue helps to make those long slow rollers, but I don't want to change cues for every shot.
I've thought of shaping a two or three oz. piece of lead into a "U" shape to fit around the butt, holding it in my grip hand, when I need to shoot one of those.
Hey, it might even work with a piece of clay, then you could mold it to fit your grip.
Thoughts?
I've thought of shaping a two or three oz. piece of lead into a "U" shape to fit around the butt, holding it in my grip hand, when I need to shoot one of those.
Hey, it might even work with a piece of clay, then you could mold it to fit your grip.
Thoughts?
20.25 is my ideal weight with forward balance.
My break cue is 20.55 and I love it. To each their own.
I wonder if those who feel that a heavy cue becomes tiresome are playing with a very butt heavy cue. My shaft weighs in at 4.5 ounces so there is quite a bit of weight distributed to my bridge hand.
My break cue is 20.55 and I love it. To each their own.
I wonder if those who feel that a heavy cue becomes tiresome are playing with a very butt heavy cue. My shaft weighs in at 4.5 ounces so there is quite a bit of weight distributed to my bridge hand.
I use to play with a 17 oz. cue. Figured out that I don't have the stroke to put everything necessary on the cue ball. I look good when I play, fundamentals, stance, bridg, etc. but I was never the able to really juice the cueball when necessary. I changed to a 19 oz cue and it helped alot. But a lighter cue did help me get my fundamentals down straight. Made me bear down. A heavier cue kind of keeps you in line. So you never know what you are doing wrong.
Tony
Tony
thanks for all the replies...
alot of stuff is what i had thought....
especially the 'get tired after 12 hours of play' =swinging 3oz more all day has to make an affect on fatigue... i also noticed with my 17.4 oz cue that the stroke needs to do more of the work... i usually play with 19-19.2
thanks again for all the very informative replies... weight and cue is a 'you' hing but the info never hurts...
alot of stuff is what i had thought....
especially the 'get tired after 12 hours of play' =swinging 3oz more all day has to make an affect on fatigue... i also noticed with my 17.4 oz cue that the stroke needs to do more of the work... i usually play with 19-19.2
thanks again for all the very informative replies... weight and cue is a 'you' hing but the info never hurts...
CueJunkiee said:
Very true but also realize that balance has a lot to do with how well you play and how the cue feels. Whether you like rear, neutral, or forward it does make a difference to find the right one to suit you.
If you've never messed around with it I think you would be surprised that a lot of times, what you consider now to be an ideal setup really is not.
yep- that's why i have 15 cues LOL explain that one to my wifey though 
I use a light cue with a small butt, mainly to increase hand speed, plus, I am vertically challenged. 
My husband also uses an 18 oz.
My husband also uses an 18 oz.
BVal said:
Same here, break with an 18, play with 18.5 or so... I like the speed of an 18oz break cue, but lighter does not equal better breaks... I tried breaking with a 14oz and it is terrible--there IS a happy medium that you must find. Take out your weight-bolt if your cue has one and see for yourself.
rackmsuckr said:I use a light cue with a small butt, mainly to increase hand speed, plus, I am vertically challenged.
Small butt? Smaller than mine? I use a Schon, one of the reasons is I LOVE the butt diameter of 1.25 rather than 1.3.