Category: Customers Questions

Just a selection of some of the questions we have been asked by our snooker and pool customers that may be of interest to other visitors of our website. There are many things that a snooker player or pool player may wish to know when considering buying a new snooker or pool cue and over the years we have answered all sorts of questions from customers all over the world.

What cue tip sizes are best for snooker and pool?

What is the best tip size for my cue?

The tip sizes for cues are normally determined by the size of the cue ball you are playing with so the smaller the cue ball the smaller the tip.

Generally speaking most  pool players prefer and 8mm to 8.5mm tip for a 1 & 7/8 pool cue ball, and most snooker players prefer a 9.5mm to 10mm tip for a full size 2 1/16 snooker cue ball. American pool uses an even bigger cue ball so the tip sizes are normally between 12.5 mm and 13.5mm.  American 9 ball cues also use bigger white ferules to give the cue more strength when hitting the bigger ball.

The standard cue ball for English 8 ball is 1 7/8 because it has to go through the ball return. With a table that has no ball return (not coin operated) then all the balls, including the cue ball will be the same size.

English 8 ball cues and snooker cue shafts are most commonly made with ash and American Pool cues are made in maple with a straight taper. It is important to realize English 8 ball and American nine ball are only called those names because those are the countries in which those cue sports are mostly played and developed.  9 Ball is very popular in many other countries around the world, especially Canada. Likewise English 8 Ball is popular worldwide and is especially very popular in France.

Of-course there are also many different sizes of table which also use different size balls but the above tip sizes are the most commonly used. We do supply snooker and pool cues with many other tip sizes as well if required.

Sometimes we get some inquiries for 7mm tip cues, and though we can supply these at an extra cost we do not recommend for most players. Some players believe that a small tip size gives them more cue ball control but you need to be a very good player indeed to be able to get any extra benefit from a tip of this size as it can sometimes cause miscues.

Also, the wood beneath a 7mm ferule would be very small and this can more easily cause the ferule to snap off completely, especially when playing power shots. Certainly we could not guarantee this would not happen on any cue purchased from us with a 7mm ferule / tip and this is why we recommend 8mm to 8.5mm for pool cues.

In truth you can play all pool sports with a bigger tip if you wanted to, that is why most pub cues have a 12 or 13mm tip. However it is more difficult to play snooker with a very small tip. Remember, as well as the increased chance of miscuing the strain of a heavy impact on a bigger heavier ball will increase the chances of the ferule breaking off altogether.

Are butt-jointed cues more stable then 2pc mid-joint cues and what length should a cue be?

Question

Arlington butt-jointed snooker cue and case deal.My name is Evgeni Govedarov and I want to ask a couple of questions related to one of your snooker cues. I am particularly looking at this one https://www.snookercues.com/product/arlington-butt-jointed-snooker-cue-cue-extensions-case-deal/. From what I know the butt-joined cue is more stable than the middle-joined one. Can you give me some more insight about this? And I want to ask how big is the case of the butt-joined Arlington compared to the middle-joined Arlington cue. Also, I was wondering if the cue will be a bit too short for me because I am around 180cm tall and from what I read it might be a bit short. Can you give me some more information about ration if you have any availabe? And last but not least I live in the Netherlands and I was wondering what is the delivery going to cost and if you can give me an estimation of how long it might take to arrive.

Best Regards,
Evgeni Govedarov

Answer

 Hi Evgeni,  thank you for your e-mail, I will try to answer all your questions.

Firstly on the stability of a 2pc mid-joint cue as opposed to a ¾ butt jointed cue. You have heard this somewhere so perhaps that is the opinion of some players and cue suppliers but it is not the opinion of ours. Many years ago when jointed cues were first introduced there were some problems with joints coming loose but we have been in this business for over 30 years and generally speaking this problem is now almost none existent. Better joints have been designed (wooden joints were once very popular) and many different types of glue have since been developed. In fact I often tell my customers that the glue is stronger than the wood itself. There may be some truth that in the event of an accident such as the cue being dropped on the floor, the joint would be the area which would most likely get damaged. Obviously a bigger joint may be able to sustain a bigger impact, but make no mistake, any cue that takes a sharp impact could possibly be damaged so the best course of action is prevention by looking after your cue and keeping the cue and your equipment in a good protective cue case when not in use.

It is worth also noting that the Americans have always favoured 2pc (mid-joint) cues for American 9 ball pool. Granted, the shafts are thicker but we have supplied some customers in the USA and Canada and know they take their pool quite seriously so I do not think they would use a cue in a format that was less stable. To sum up I would say that each player has to buy a cue that suits their own individual needs in playing ability and convenience in transit. Another reason some butt jointed cues are preferred is because in some tight playing venues (particularly in pool) removing the butt sometimes helps in tight places. We have actually developed Telescopic cues which are useful in those situations.

Regarding cue length, it has long been considered as a good guide for the correct cue length that the tip of the cue should reach the players shoulder. Of-course player heights vary considerably but unless you get one custom made (which is expensive) then you will almost certainly have to settle for a standard cue length which is 57 to 58 inches long. You are about the same height as I am, and either of those lengths should be okay for you. I do have some other models which may be just over 58 inches, but they might be much more expensive then the Arlington model you are looking at.

The good news is that we deliver all over the world. In recent weeks we have sent to Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Latvia and Cyprus as well as many other countries. I can only calculate postage costs when I know exactly what products you are buying as cost is based on weight and box size and there could be a difference in cost between the 2pc model and the butt-jointed model. I would also require your full address including any post codes in order to get the best quotes. Delivery time would be based on the carrier used, and that could be from a couple of days to a week.

I hope this helps, but please contact me for any further assistance.