Advice
Cue Types
There are three basic cue types
- The one piece cue – as the name suggests this cue is a single unit without any joints. The advantage is (according to some) that the cue gives a better strike of the cue ball, suffers less unwanted feedback and transfers the players stroke power more consistently. The disadvantage being that the cue cannot be split for transport.
- The ¾ cue – This cue has taken over from the ½ cue in the last decade or so as the most popular type of snooker cue on the market. The cue is jointed around ¾ of the cues length (measured from the tip) usually via a quick release mechanism that requires less than a single turn to lock or release. The advantage of this cue is that it can be used with various screw in extensions and when split and cased it will happily fit in your boot or on the back seat of your car. The possible disadvantage being unwanted feedback caused by the joint, however this is all but eliminated using modern computer designed jointing systems.
- The ½ cue (or half n’ half) – This cue as the name suggests splits into two equal parts making it the most compact when transported. The major advantage being that it’s compact size when cased makes it the perfect pool cue to carry down to the local for the weekly pool league or for players relying on public transport. The disadvantage is that you will have less flexibility with extensions for reaching those hard to reach shots when playing snooker.
Cue Anatomy
The cue is divided into two areas; the shaft and the butt. Both are made from different materials and joined to form a single solid unit. The traditional method used to join the shaft to the butt is called splicing and can be done by hand or by machine. Machines can produce very accurate splices that are uniform in appearance and tend to have sharp pointed ends to them. Hand splicing can give all manner of different splicing designs which tend to be more rounded at the tips and are less regular in appearance.
There is little difference between a quality machine splice or a quality handsplice in terms of playability but it can have a marked impact upon the asthetics of the cue. At the end of the shaft there is a brass ferrule designed to protect the tip of the cue from splitting and protect the cue when the tip needs changing. This tip is usually made from leather and is glued to the end of the shaft.
Cue Materials
The shaft is usually made from either Ash or Maple both of which are strong hardwoods with high strength and resilience. Ash has a noticable grain structure that some feel adds a certain beauty to a snooker cue whereas maple is almost devoid of grain at all. The cue butt is formed from various hardwoods with ebony being a favourite species for snooker cues. This can be combined with other species of hardwood and combined with colourful veneers to produce intricate cue designs.