In the case of shopping for snooker cues, the choice to select from is infinite in right this moment’s market, from John Parris snooker cues, Stamford cues, Peradon cues, cue craft, Jason Owen and different snooker cues case packages one can find on eBay. And that is solely the tip of the iceberg with rising Chinese language cue makers. Lets check out what we have to know when we wish to know the way to decide on a snooker cue.
To start with, understanding how to decide on a snooker cue will largely depend upon the funds you’ve got put aside. A snooker cue on eBay can value from as little as £20, nonetheless a John Parris cue can vary wherever from £320 to £1400 relying on what sort of snooker cue your searching for. So what’s the distinction between all of the cues? The reply is, it tons and nothing!!
A snooker cue is only a piece of timber reduce a tapered to a particular size and many others. That’s all it’s in actuality, nonetheless the forms of wooden, the craftsmanship and the eye to element differ extensively and so the play potential of the cue differs considerably.
Low cost snooker cues and cue packages might be made on a mass manufacturing scale while the upper finish of the market cues will greater than possible be customized made to your private specs. A lot of the high skilled snooker gamers play with John Parris cues, thought of by many, to be the perfect cue maker of this period. How to decide on a snooker cue largely is dependent upon what they participant feels most snug taking part in with.
For me personally, the 4 snooker cues that I’ve had to this point in my life had been a Lewis and Wilson cue, a Dunns cue, an eBay cue I purchased for £18 and my present cue, a John Parris cue www.parriscues.com. My favorite cue from these was my Lewis and Wilson that I had till I used to be about 18/19 years previous, which my dad and mom acquired me one 12 months for my birthday. I used to depart it within the snooker locker in my native membership however sadly, someday it was stolen on me. However that cue wasn’t the perfect cue I ever performed with!! After I was in my teenagers, one of many native center aged males, who performed with a maple cue which was a modified home cue was taking part in me someday. I instructed him I by no means performed with a maple cue earlier than, so he handed me his cue and instructed me to play together with his for a few frames. I knocked in three again to again centuries with that snooker cue, which I by no means did earlier than. It felt like a implausible snooker cue. Sadly I needed to hand it again, and to this present day I’ve by no means picked up a cue prefer it once more. I discovered it very troublesome after this to find how to decide on a snooker cue for me. So the ethical of the story is, the worth of the cue may be fairly irrelevant in the case of selecting the best snooker cue for you.
So what does matter when choosing a snooker cue on the market? Nicely, there are just a few basic items that the customer wants to consider first earlier than selecting. These embody the size of the cue, the load, the tip, the wooden we want, jointed or 1 piece and machine or handcrafted.
Its essential we do our homework on ALL of those components earlier than choosing a snooker cue to purchase.
Cue Size
Take firstly the size of the snooker cue. Most snooker cues are made about 57″ to 58″ lengthy. The rule of thumb is, that typically, a smaller cue will provide you with a larger contact across the balls in shut quarters as a result of they have a tendency to shorten the bridge hand to cue ball. This implies the cue might be good for break constructing however lack accuracy in lengthy potting and spin photographs. A barely longer cue will provide you with higher lengthy potting capabilities. That’s to not say that when you purchase a 58″ cue, you wont be capable of break construct! I’m simply stating robust and weak factors for each even when they’ve minimal influence.
Cue Weight
The load of the cue is subsequent on our listing to have a look at. Snooker cues are typically weighted in or round 16oz to 18oz. Some gamers like heavier cues resembling Jimmy Whites cue, which is in extra of 20oz. Lighter cues give a pleasant contact as a result of we have now extra management over the cue ball, which is nice across the enterprise finish of the desk, nonetheless heavier cues give us way more stability and due to this fact a barely straighter cue motion might be noticed which is sweet for lengthy potting and deep screw photographs. I recommend a cue weight of 17oz for a 1 piece cue and 18oz for a 3/4 jointed extra most gamers. After we wish to know the way to decide on a snooker cue, weight appears to be an essential problem for folks. On the whole an 18 ounce cue is an ideal all spherical weight.
Tip dimension
The tip dimension we select may be fairly essential. We will play snooker with a tip dimension from 9mm to 11mm. The smaller tip sizes will provide you with the flexibility to play some nice spin photographs, nonetheless you’ll have to be way more correct together with your cue ball hanging. Bigger ideas will provide you with larger accuracy, nonetheless you’ll be compromising in your potential to play spin photographs. When your researching how to decide on a snooker cue, take into consideration what tip most closely fits your type of play. When you’ve got buckets of cue energy, do you want a small tip? In right this moment’s recreation, bigger ideas are not an issue as a result of the tables are sooner and spin is generated rather more simply than years in the past. I recommend a tip from about 9.5mm to 10mm greatest for enjoying snooker.
The Wooden
The wooden we select comes down to non-public desire and the way it feels to you personally. Most gamers play with an ash cue while others play with maple. When your out discovering how to decide on a snooker cue, decide the wooden that feels greatest for you. Should you just like the look of the grain in ash then strive look out for good high quality ash. Search for issues like a straight grain, arrows which level in direction of the tip and test the hardness of the ash. Maple cues are inclined to have microscopic grains, however search for a cue that has as few imperfections as doable. In the case of the butt of the cue, most snooker cues have an ebony butt due to its stunning look and since it provides pure weight to the cue. Once more like different woods, ebony additionally has grades, so strive decide a very good grade wooden so far as your funds will permit. Snooker cue splicing is the stunning ornamental half down the underside of the cue. The selection is infinite in the case of splicing however simply keep in mind, splicing is not going to impact the playability of the cue, solely the look of it. The most well-liked is the Ronnie O’Sullivan type splicing, which has been copied again and again by a number of cue makers.
1piece or jointed?
Do we would like a 1 piece cue or a jointed cue? Whereas discovering out how to decide on a snooker cue this tends to be an essential issue for folks. Once more that is one other private alternative that doesn’t impact the way you play an excessive amount of. Myself personally, I want 1 piece cues, though they’re harder for transportation, so strive preserve that in thoughts. Jointed cues are made so effectively now, that splits within the wooden are very unusual these days so the selection is as much as your self.
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Low cost, low high quality cues are made on machines, and higher high quality cues are handmade. Personally, when you can afford it, purchase a home made cue. You’ll be able to even get low-cost handmade cues on eBay for £40/50 from China and many others.
With all of the components in thoughts that I’ve mentioned above, shopping for snooker cues can now appear much more difficult. For these of you available in the market for a brand new cue, purchase the perfect you’ll be able to afford, whether or not it’s a customized made cue, mass manufacturing cue or perhaps a home cue. Earlier than shopping for it, ensure you have examined all my ideas I’ve given above. Attempt some home cues in your native membership, see what size you want most, weight, tip dimension and wooden. Don’t go spending £500 on a cue you “suppose” you’ll play effectively with. Do your homework and I want you each success find the suitable cue. Try to be effectively on the street now to discovering how to decide on a snooker cue for you.