Buying your own pool cue can be a confusing business as there are so many different brands on offer. Because of this it is important that you do not jump straight in and buy
first cue that catches your eye. I agree that most people will purchase a cue first of all because of its aesthetic appeal but you don’t have to be a cue maker to realise that aesthetics do not reflect playability of a cue.
Players who want to improve their game all come to conclusion that they require their own playing cue. This is very important to a pool player’s development, a player builds a bond with a particular cue and get used to way it feels and way that it plays. A player that is playing regularly cannot get this same consistency from a standard house cue. You cannot guarantee that a house cue is straight or that tip will do a proficient job.
When buying a cue it is important to try and get right feel as if you just buy first thing you come across then you could be spending hard earned cash on an instrument that you are not happy with in long run. My advice to anyone purchasing a cue is to try as many different types before you buy. Ask friends, family or other regular players down at your local pool hall if you can play a few racks with their cue. This will give you a better understanding of what suits you and what doesn’t.
When ordering a cue make sure that it is correct weight for you, not only should it be comfortable, but also having wrong weight can make a huge difference to feel of cue. I have had many players in past that have come to me to purchase a cue and have just ordered weight that I have in stock rather than waiting couple of weeks whilst it is ordered.
The next thing to consider is shaft; majority of pool cue shafts are made from Maple, this is a very hardwearing wood. You have to decide whether you are going to go for a plain Maple shaft or one of name brands like Predator or Meucci. The name brand shafts are excellent for what they offer but it is also reflected in price, both of manufacturers mentioned claim to have least cue ball deflection when playing with side English. The predator has a very stiff hit created by laminating of ten pieces of maple in a cylindrical pattern. The Meucci has quite soft whippy feel to it, which is caused by flat lamination of 32 thin pieces of maple. Both cues are excellent but there are a whole host of other manufacturers out there whose cues would suffice. Another thing to look out for is shafts layered with fibreglass. These cues do have extra strength through design but feel of shaft can get very sticky and jerky through your bridging hand, main brands that use this are Cuetec and Scorpion.
