Weight of cue question

poolandpokerman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Every once in a while I get the feeling that buying a new cue will help my game. I have a 19.5 oz cue, I tried a 19oz last week at my 1p league, and it felt really good, I just bought my cue 6 months ago and like the looks of it, my question is; realistically, will 1/2 oz make that much difference in the feel and playablility of a cue, if everything else is the same, shaft, tip, etc. Thanks in advance for your feedback.
 
sure it does. different makers use different woods and different techniques during construction. different shaft taper

different cues with different woods also matter. i never pay attention to numbers. it all about balance points and feel.

im sure your cue and a weight bolt that can be changed with household tools. screwdriver or allen wrenches. take the bumper off and see how it feels they usually weigh around .4 or .5oz
 
you hold a 1/2 oz or a 1 oz weight in your hand and it doesn't feel like much but it sure makes a difference in how a cue feels.

And size of the person doesn't correspond to the weight of the cue used. Everyone is different.

Just look at how much difference 1 mm makes when it comes to tips.
 
I have a Schon LTD and the weight bolt is alum. so there is not much weight there, I email Schon, they said not much could be do, hollow out the cue, but that would not take much weight off, maybe 1/8oz then you would have a larger hole in you cue. I guess it comes down to taking a loss on my cue and having to buy another cue for only a 1/2 oz diff. Again, this might just be all "in my head".
 
poolandpokerman said:
Again, this might just be all "in my head".

It may be "all in your head," but that doesn't mean it's not important. I am wondering what the rubber bumper on the end of your cue weighs. I just weighed the bumper on a Lucasi cue I have and it weighed .3 ounces. And it is a pretty small bumper. Yours might weigh .4 ounces or more. If you removed the rubber bumper, you might get the weight reduction you need. Now I don't know if you really need that bumper; if you play in a carpeted pool room and are careful with your cue, you can probably get away with removing it. My theory on pool cue weight is that you should NOT notice it when you play. If the cue feels light, then it's too light. If it feels heavy, then it's too heavy. I believe the cue should disappear from your consciousness if it is the right weight and balance point for you.
 
Thats a good idea Bill, I will take off the bolt and bumper tonight and weigh the cue and see what it weighs and how it feels, that just might give the the feel I want, a lot less expensive then buying a new cue. Thanks for the advice.
 
poolandpokerman said:
Thats a good idea Bill, I will take off the bolt and bumper tonight and weigh the cue and see what it weighs and how it feels, that just might give the the feel I want, a lot less expensive then buying a new cue. Thanks for the advice.

You may like the feel of the cue with the bumper removed and you may not. A bumper, or lack of one, affects the way a cue feels when contacting a ball.

There used to be a very good one-hole player from Detroit, George Fleetwood, known as George the dog to many. He ordered a cue from Gus Szamboti requesting 19 oz. I believe. At any rate when it arrived it was much heavier than what he had ordered. He called Gus explaining this and he told me that Gus jumped down his throat and told him that 19 oz was to light of a cue for one-hole, that he needed a heavier cue because in one-hole there is so much banking and holding the cue ball. He told George to use the cue every day for 40 days to acclimatize to the new weight and that if after forty days he thought it was to heavy to give him a call then. I asked George if he did acclimatize to it and he said he didn't know as the cue was stolen a couple of weeks later.

Chris Bartram has been using my cues since he was 17 and his cues are built to odd specs. He uses a 31" butt and a standard 29" shaft. He always used a 19oz cue but the last two that I built were ebony and with the extra weight in the back I couldn't get under 20oz. I am finishing a new one today that is Birdseye. While building it I told him that it will be no problem reaching 19oz now. He told me to keep the weight the same as his present cue as he has found that now that he is used to it that is what he prefers.

To many, if not most, people anything different than what they are used to feels foreign to them being weight, shaft diameter, shaft taper or any other change. Often I have people come into my shop and ask to weigh their cue. I ask them "why, does the cue feel bad" and they always say no but they just want to know if it weighs what they were told. I weigh the cue and if it's different they often will ask if I can change the weight as that is not what they use. Excuse me? Weight should not be a large factor in choosing a cue. Feel should. The taper of the butt and the balance point of the cue both contribute to the perception of weight. A well balanced cue will feel much lighter than a butt heavy cue. Bottom line is - forget weight and play with what feels good.

Dick
 
dave sutton said:
im sure your cue and a weight bolt that can be changed with household tools. screwdriver or allen wrenches. take the bumper off and see how it feels they usually weigh around .4 or .5oz

i said that in post #2 :D :D :D :D :D :D

it will change the hit like dick said but u can get a feel for the weight.

you can also try a lighter shaft
 
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Many things are "all in your head".

BillPorter said:
It may be "all in your head," but that doesn't mean it's not important.....
.
.
....My theory on pool cue weight is that you should NOT notice it when you play. If the cue feels light, then it's too light. If it feels heavy, then it's too heavy. I believe the cue should disappear from your consciousness if it is the right weight and balance point for you.


Well put! So much of the game is mental!
 
If I can't get used the 19 .75 oz, I might try and trade my Schon butt for another Butt that is less weight, I weighed mine last night and it was 15.75, I might need a 15, but I will play with it tonight and give it a month or two to see if I can get use to it. I really love the cue.
 
poolandpokerman said:
If I can't get used the 19 .75 oz, I might try and trade my Schon butt for another Butt that is less weight, I weighed mine last night and it was 15.75, I might need a 15, but I will play with it tonight and give it a month or two to see if I can get use to it. I really love the cue.
Tom as long as your ready on October 23, 7:30 Ivory room:) Charlie D
 
Tom as long as your ready on October 23, 7:30 Ivory room Charlie D



That is going to be my doom Charlie, the night I lose every game......
 
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