Will switching from Irish Linen to a leather wrap make the grip feel thicker, thinner or the same?

Sir Scratchalot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a 21yr old Steve Kornele cue that I'm thinking about sending in to Proficient Billiards for a refinish and I'm thinking about fancying it up with a leather wrap. The thing is that the current grip is a little thicker than I've come to appreciate in my cues. I don't really want to spend the extra dough if the leather is going to feel even more substantial.
 
I think it would need to be turned down and maybe that's something that would necessarily include the refinish. A thinner material will leave a ridge at the upper/ lower ends

Gonna cost though and I think it likely proficient may inform it isn't responsible for what happens to it whet they stat taking material off.

You need to have the conversation with the proficient folks. They know their cue poop.
 
i think they can make the groove deeper or add to it so the leather is flush with the butt
best to discuss this with them before sending the cue
 
Leather wraps are thicker. They might take a few thousandths off under the wrap to make it flush. These are questions you need to be asking the person doing the job not a forum.
 
Maybe you are not talking about the physical thickness. I think you are asking about perception of the grip feel at equal diameters.

I think linen feels lighter than leather at the same butt thickness. I think it is because leather has more grip, which could be mimicking the way you your hand would feel around a larger butt. Linen also feels cooler on my hand. I am comparing Linen to luxe leather, which is not stacked leather. I imagine stacked leather would feel more like Linen that has been freshly burnished.
 
First off will be your choice of leather- some smooth leather wraps feel sort of spongy and are definitely going to add a thickness feeling to your cue handle area. You will have to discuss this with Proficient. Second, they will very often have to cut a linen wrap area channel a bit more shallow just to make the leather wrap flush with the rest of the cue butt above and below the leather wrap. Third, your choice of a leather wrap when going from linen will also depend on how slick or tacky you want that leather wrap to feel in your hand - some leather wraps are much more slick feeling than others.

As folks have mentioned here, your discussion is really not here, but with the installer and Proficient has enough leather wrap install experience to guide you as to your desires. They will charge extra if your needs dictate a further cut into the wrap channel of that cue butt -- he may say that he cannot judge whether to cut into the channel area until he has the cue in hand. - in which case perhaps clarify both price points up front with him- with or without a channel cut.

In many cases, leather wraps are, in fact a bit thicker than linen wraps- bc whenever a customer wants to go from leather to linen ( opposite of your desires) Proficient will say that he may have to do a build up under the new linen wrap to make it flush with the rest of the cue butt.
 
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I had a old-school smooth 'bushka style leather wrap put on my Jensen by Cody Cash. Its fkng PERFECT. Dead nuts flush fit and feels WAAAAY better than any leather wrap with some funky fake embossing. http://www.superiorcues.com/Leather.html its the George smooth cow. awesome feel to this wrap.
 
I had leather wrap installed on my Tiger sneaky over 10 yrs now, no problem it's flush and feels good i really like it. The feel is the same to me my opinion only for what it's worth.
 
I don't think I've ever really noticed a "perceived" difference in thickness.

What I have noticed amongst wrap options:

Irish Linen is slippery in your grip.
Leather is a bit more tacky.
Wrapless is the stickiest.
3 cushion rubber condom wraps are another level of sticky.
 
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