Stupid Question?

Jodacus

Jodacus

Shoot...don't talk
Silver Member
I have often wondered why a cue has to be
straight? Why do some people put so much
importance on it? If it is a measure of quality
then fine, but once the tip is lined up on the
ball how does it matter what path the tip takes
on its way to the correct spot?

OR, does a different bend on the wood
make that much of a difference
in how the wood moves the cue ball, but
if the cue is held with the same bend each shot
then this variable is gone.

What do you think?
 
Jodacus said:
I have often wondered why a cue has to be
straight? Why do some people put so much
importance on it? If it is a measure of quality
then fine, but once the tip is lined up on the
ball how does it matter what path the tip takes
on its way to the correct spot?

OR, does a different bend on the wood
make that much of a difference
in how the wood moves the cue ball, but
if the cue is held with the same bend each shot
then this variable is gone.

What do you think?
Click to expand...

It really doesn't matter, you can play with a crooked cue and still make all the balls you want to.

The "straight" thingy is just another excuse. There will be hundreds of posts saying the reason why is has to be straight but believe me, it is all a bunch of BS.
 
I believe we obsess way too much over straightness. I don't think a cue that flops all over the place is good, but if it rolls relatively smoothly on the table then I don't think it'll make one bit of a difference from a performance perspective. While I can acknowledge this fact, I'm still guilty of wanting my cue to be straight.
 
JBB2388 said:
I think you're right. Its a stupid question.
Click to expand...

Actually the question is very relevant and a good topic.
The OP is walking a ledge that the cue world doesn't want to acknowledge.
People indeed put far too much significance into the straightness of their cue.
Aside from a 'selling point' it really doesn't matter that much.
No one and I mean no one has a perfect laser-stroke. If they did, it would matter.
I was told 10-15 yrs ago that Jeanette Lee and ESPN at one time collaborated
to do a documentary on the stroke of the pros. They eventually had to abandon the project.
They couldn't find one pro with a perfect stroke. Some are sweet to look at but none are true.
Players have a tendency to blame their equipment when they miss a shot.
It wasn't the cue's fault, they missed all by themselves.

KJ
 
I am always amazed when a guy goes through half of a dozen cues searching for the perfectly straight cue. And after hearing his lecture of the importance of a straight cue, his stroke is everything but straight. .. i think a straight cue is less complex, the simpler the more efficient. . I perfer straight cues and round tires.
 
You can play with a crooked cue, but you have to be conscious of where the bend is and keep it going down on your shot not off to the side, if you have a straight cue you don't have to worry about it. I work in a machine shop, we also like our bits straight, crooked one with drill a hole, but it won't be precise. It is also a standard for quality
 
juegabillar said:
It really doesn't matter, you can play with a crooked cue and still make all the balls you want to.

The "straight" thingy is just another excuse. There will be hundreds of posts saying the reason why is has to be straight but believe me, it is all a bunch of BS.
Click to expand...

I am not sure the question was really that dumb. So many players are fanatical about their cues and does it really matter or are they just being kind of nuts.
The human eye is amazing at what it can see. If you have a shaft that is crooked enough the eye can see it, it may be a problem. Having said that, Years ago I was watching Lassiter practice at the US open. At one point he laid his cue on the table and left for a minute and it rolled to the side on it.s own. A quick look showed it was as crooked as hell.

When he came back I had to ask him about it and he said the shaft was good but the butt was really off. It didn't seem to bother him at all. I have owned a lot of cues over the years that were not straight and it never really bothered me. If the shaft is like a bow though you can't play with it. You really see it when you reach for a shot with an open bridge, it looks like your not even going to hit the cue ball.
 
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The idea or the illusion that a cue is not straight can really jack you up.
My first experience with the Kamui Clear tips was a real problem. I could see light between the tip and the ferrule and to me that made the tip look like it bent about 90 degrees to the inside and that really bugged me. In a bar or a pool hall it's always interesting to me to watch the folks come in and roll about 5 or 6 sticks on the table until they find one that satisfies their need for a straight cue. The tip is crap (or not there), but the cue is reasonably straight and that's all they seem to need, right up until they shoot.
I have always place more importance on the tip than how straight the cue is. Most cues, when they're made are at least sort of straight, that is, the tip points away from the butt (usually). But if you wind up picking out the cue that the house uses to close the heating vent on the ceiling, or jam down the drain pipe when it's clogged, you may be picking the straightest cue, but it likely won't have a tip or a ferrule. I've never seen a cue that is 100% perfect, though some are close. I think when you select your personal cue you hope for perfection, but you go with what feels best and maybe it's a little bent, but if it has a good tip you'll be OK
 
Celophanewrap said:
The idea or the illusion that a cue is not straight can really jack you up.
My first experience with the Kamui Clear tips was a real problem. I could see light between the tip and the ferrule and to me that made the tip look like it bent about 90 degrees to the inside and that really bugged me. In a bar or a pool hall it's always interesting to me to watch the folks come in and roll about 5 or 6 sticks on the table until they find one that satisfies their need for a straight cue. The tip is crap (or not there), but the cue is reasonably straight and that's all they seem to need, right up until they shoot.
I have always place more importance on the tip than how straight the cue is. Most cues, when they're made are at least sort of straight, that is, the tip points away from the butt (usually). But if you wind up picking out the cue that the house uses to close the heating vent on the ceiling, or jam down the drain pipe when it's clogged, you may be picking the straightest cue, but it likely won't have a tip or a ferrule. I've never seen a cue that is 100% perfect, though some are close. I think when you select your personal cue you hope for perfection, but you go with what feels best and maybe it's a little bent, but if it has a good tip you'll be OK
Click to expand...
I have sold thousands of cues over the years, especially when I was in the pool room business and a McDermott dealer. It would never fail, the first thing they would do is roll the cue. They would look down it examine it from every angle trying to perceive some lack of straightness. If they find anything about the cue that is not straight it is usually a no sale. I am talking brand new cues. For most it is the number one thing they care about.

For a newer player of someone in the market for their first cue I can see asking such a question. They see all these other nut cases and wonder if there is anything to it. There is probably not a cue being played in any pool room that can stand up to a close examination for straightness. There has to be a reasonable tolerance as to straightness.

It is better they hear it here then from the guy tying to sell them a cue who may say "it is pretty straight but not perfect". They need to know what is really important and use their own judgment when buying a cue. Being a little off is not a deal breaker if you like everything about the cue. It can be a bargaining chip though.
 
Usually the first thing people "learn" in a pool room is to grab a cue off the wall and roll it. I guess it makes them feel like they know what they are doing, or that they belong etc. cracks me up when I see guys who cant pocket 2 shots in a row go to the wall 10 times changing cues cause that MUST be the problem.
To answer the question, people worry too much about stuff that doesnt matter. If more people could see the pro players cues up close and personal maybe they would quit worrying about cues.
Chuck
 
pro tapered shafts always have what seem to be a roll, I think its the way it is taken down, to have a dead even taper done by hand, its nearly impossible, but the shaft itself is straight, it has the appearance of a warp., the butt should be straight, and conical tapered shafts should be straight, mostly for mental reasons. if a cue has a true warp, on your follow through the shaft will eventually take a different path while on contact or before contact with the cueball, essentially giving you different english on the cue ball. so yes, the shaft should be straight.
 
KJ Cues said:
Actually the question is very relevant and a good topic.
The OP is walking a ledge that the cue world doesn't want to acknowledge.
People indeed put far too much significance into the straightness of their cue.
Aside from a 'selling point' it really doesn't matter that much.
No one and I mean no one has a perfect laser-stroke. If they did, it would matter.
I was told 10-15 yrs ago that Jeanette Lee and ESPN at one time collaborated
to do a documentary on the stroke of the pros. They eventually had to abandon the project.
They couldn't find one pro with a perfect stroke. Some are sweet to look at but none are true.
Players have a tendency to blame their equipment when they miss a shot.
It wasn't the cue's fault, they missed all by themselves.

KJ
Click to expand...

Yes, lets give every pool player who has gone and purchased their own cue in the past two different cues. One with a straight shaft and one with a warped shaft and lets scientifically observe and document how much less often you can CONSISTENTLY contact the tip squarely at your aiming point with the bad shaft. I'm guessing there would be quite a disparity in the results. Could most decent players play well with a bent shaft?? Yes. Could they play at the top of their game consistently? No. The question should be why would any player want a bent shaft on their cue? Seriously?
 
Because it's a huge pain in the ass to "tune" the tip to the same position every time
before I can even think about shooting.

Wanting it straight is not 'overthinking' anything, or just an excuse,
as some on here are implying.

Read Mark Wilson's book. One things pro do better than the rest of us is to hit
an exact spot on the cue ball, consistently, to within a couple of millimeters.
With a crooked cue, that's not going to happen.

Even if you try to rotate it before every shot, it'll bite you in the ass...
Your slight stun draw that needs to come back two inches just stops dead,
or you get too straight and have to drill something at warp speed,
and your tip hits a little off to the side and deflects the cue ball a bit.

Why put yourself through that stress? Even if you're positive it's all in your head
and a crooked cue is fine (it's not), why not just use a straight one
and remove all doubt?
 
Obviously most players would automatically prefer a straight cue but it certainly
does not have to be perfect. I have played for 55 years and learned a long time ago
to focus 100 percent on the situation directly in front of me. Too many times I have seen
players that had potential but were more focused on having an excuse ready when
they missed a shot or played a bad safe. I had a Balabushka that had a couple of
dings in the shaft and a good friend borrowed it one night at the Rumrunner in Las
Vegas and after a few shots asked me how I could shoot with dings in the shaft and
my reply was that I either didn't ever notice them or that they just never bothered me.
I saw Keith play one night at the Rumrunner and he played flawlessly with an old
bar cue off the wall. He gave up the 6 and the break and robbed a decent player for
about four hours. When it was over he laid the cue on the table and it was about
as crooked as a cue can get and the tip was almost non-existant. Somebody picked
it up and asked Keith about it. His reply was and I quote- "That's why you dweebs
can't get out of your own way. It's not the bow- it's the indian."
 
As far as cues go, I look at it this way:

Easiest to play with:
  • Nearly Straight
  • Consistently Shaped, Well Chalked Tip
  • Relatively Low Effective Deflection (due to low end mass and/or well-placed pivot point for BHE)
  • Smooth Shaft

Harder to play with:
  • Noticeably Curved
  • Assymetrically Shaped, Poorly Chalked Tip
  • Relatively High Deflection
  • Dinged-Up, Sticky Shaft

Seriously difficult to play with:
  • Bent mop handle

Nearly Impossible to play with:
  • Wet Noodle

That said, a pro can beat the average league player using the bent mop handle. I don't think that they'd care to play another pro that way though...
 
CreeDo said:
Because it's a huge pain in the ass to "tune" the tip to the same position every time
before I can even think about shooting.

Wanting it straight is not 'overthinking' anything, or just an excuse,
as some on here are implying.

Read Mark Wilson's book. One things pro do better than the rest of us is to hit
an exact spot on the cue ball, consistently, to within a couple of millimeters.
With a crooked cue, that's not going to happen.

Even if you try to rotate it before every shot, it'll bite you in the ass...
Your slight stun draw that needs to come back two inches just stops dead,
or you get too straight and have to drill something at warp speed,
and your tip hits a little off to the side and deflects the cue ball a bit.

Why put yourself through that stress? Even if you're positive it's all in your head
and a crooked cue is fine (it's not), why not just use a straight one
and remove all doubt?
Click to expand...

I don't see how anyone could disagree with this, great reply
 
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