I notice there are quite a bit of difference between the US pool cue and snooker cues (e.g. 2 piece vs 3/4, ash vs maple, brass ferrule vs white ferrule...etc) but the most interesting difference I have noticed, is the splicing technique.
It seems that a rounded prong is considered more expensive than a sharp end point, and the splices are usually made up of several pieces rather than one single piece as seen in US pool cue.
What I want to say is that with a snooker cue it seems like each prong is an individual piece, and then they are glued together in a special fashion. The glue lines joining the splices are rather obvious, and I do believe it is not considered as a flaw in workmanship in the UK. it is not something the cue maker tries to hide.
I have also noticed that adjustable weight system does not seem to be as popular with snooker cue, and hardly any snooker cue comes with 2 shafts.
Richard