wrap preference

rchawks

rchawks

Helmsletter and Lucasi
I had the opportunity to shoot a bit with a Predator tonight. The Ikon series using both shafts for the 314-2. I must admit I liked the Z2 with the 11.75 mm shaft. But my wife hated the leather wrap. She complained it made her hand sweat too much. I liked the feel of the grip, but it did make my hand sweat as well. Has this been an issue for anyone else?
 
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I have cues with no wrap, linen wrap and leather wrap and I don't see a difference affecting hand sweat. The animal is dead, ie, source of the leather, I don't think it gives off any heat anymore. I can understand a linen wrap maybe absorbing some hand sweat. Do you have the same problem with no wrap cues?
 
cesarmorales said:
I have cues with no wrap, linen wrap and leather wrap and I don't see a difference affecting hand sweat. The animal is dead, ie, source of the leather, I don't think it gives off any heat anymore. I can understand a linen wrap maybe absorbing some hand sweat. Do you have the same problem with no wrap cues?
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This is exactly why I only choose linen wrapped cues. I have found that my hands sweat excessively when playing, so much so that after a while, (months) you can actually see from the wrap where I generallly hold my cue. The wrap will actually turn a different shade from the moisture.
 
Stack leather wraps significantly different from standard leather wraps

Wrapless or stack leather wrap for me.

I've encountered some of the issues the OP has had with standard leather wrap, but usually only under very stressful (i.e. tournament) conditions, or else a pool room with poor air circulation / poor environmentals.

It's not an issue with the animal "being dead" (i.e. the animal whose hide was used for the wrap). Rather, it's an issue with the inherent properties of the skin/hide itself -- heat retention from any source, in this case, the player's hand. If you think about it, an inherent property -- and *purpose* -- of skin itself, is to help the body either retain heat, or release heat, depending on what the body needs. The skin is an actual organ, and is the body's interface to the outside world. If the body needs to retain heat in cold conditions, the skin is an obvious barrier to heat loss (e.g. the skin pores close, and the body moves to shift and consolidate heat to the "core"). If the body needs to release heat, the pores open, and the sweat glands -- living cells -- exude perspiration, which evaporates and dissipate the excess heat.

In the case of standard leather wraps, the hide/skin is dead, and thus doesn't "operate" as an organ anymore. So with no "living" regulation (e.g. pores, sweat glands), the hide is forever stuck in a heat retention mode. This is why some folks experience excessive sweating issues with standard leather wraps.

Stack leather wraps are different from standard leather wraps, in that the stack leather is a continuous leather cord (ribbon, actually) that is wrapped with pressure and heat (from friction, from the tools used to apply pressure onto the cord/ribbon as it's being installed). The hide actually "melts" (it becomes viscous) so that each layer bonds together with the previous one. The heat regulation properties of the natural hide are therefore destroyed, and you're left with a non-porous material that is continuous (no seams), no pores, and repels water. It's as close as you can get to a polyurethane-coated or wrapless cue, without actually being one. I've experienced no issues with excessive sweating with stack leather wraps, as I've experienced with standard leather wraps.

If you get the opportunity to try a cue with a stack leather wrap, you should take it. I think you'll like it.

-Sean
 
I like linen. I like the look and the feel. I always have mine pressed to just before it feels like silk. I like a little texture to keep from slipping as I use a very light 3 or 4 finger grip counting the thumb.
Sean-I read your entire post and call me dense but do you like stacked leather or not? :thumbup:
 
I like no wrap and no clear coat on the handle. If my hand sweats I just wipe it off. A linen wrap with sweaty hand stains doesn't do anything for me.
For me, the feel of bare wood gives the most feedback. Plus, when I try to shoot with linen the cue wants to fly out of my hand.
 
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I have irish linen on both of our cues.

The leatherlux wrap on the predator cue has a good feel to it. I play at a couple of places around town with good ac, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. My friend with the cue mentioned his hand was sweating some using the cue the next day and said there was alot of humitiy in the air that added to the moisture in the air.

I'm ready to order a couple of Z 2 shafts for cues we have for an upgrade. I'd like to order a complete predator stick soon, but will probally wait a bit to make sure that's what I want.
 
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