Cue Guide

So you’re after a new cue and not sure what you need?

Hopefully this Cue Guide and Ball Size information will give you a better understanding what to look for when you’re purchasing your cue. I have a large variety of Cues from both Peradon and other resellers all made to a high specification and to my requirements.

  • The first things you need to consider is know what you’re using it for.
  • are you playing English Pool? ( 2 inch balls and a 1 7/8 inch white ) use English pool cues. -8mm – 10mm tips sizes can be used
  • are you playing American Pool ? ( 2  1/4 inch balls cue ball the same size) use American pool cues. -11.2mm – 13mm tip sizes

I’ll explain the differences below but the first thing I would recommend is purchasing a quality cue from the start as they will last a lifetime if you care for them.There’s also a few other things to consider such as a one piece cue, two piece cue or a ¾ and that really depends on convenience and what cue sports your playing.

For American pool they are mainly just made in two piece in the quality cues of which I recommend McDermott as the number one choice.

Snooker Cues:

Most snooker cues you will find are now all made to 58 inches in length and vary between 16.5 to 20 ounces. You can get a variety of tip sizes from 9 to 10mm generally with the most popular being around the 9.5mm to 10mm and not many players using below unless they have had the cue for a long time. When you go below 9mm you can lose strength in the shaft and also being a smaller tip side will also affect the cues performance. We can also offer a custom cue range of cues made to measure to your specifications using cue wizard and then you can email me the specifications and I can get the freight for free on my account when purchasing from Sharp Snooker.

Most professional players use a ¾ cue which has a joint around the 16 inch mark with a balance point of the cue between 17-18 inches from the butt making it slightly forward balanced rather than a butt heavy cue.

The ¾ cue is more of a convenience factor than a 1 piece and two piece in the professional ranks hasn’t been around since the early 80’s. I don’t think it makes much difference but some feel the weight and shaft responds better in the ¾ and 1pc cues.

American Pool

With this game 2 ¼ inch balls are used which are much bigger than the snooker balls and heavier and if you used a snooker or English Pool cue you would either snap the shaft or damage the joints. With this game you need at least a 11.2 mm to 13mm ferrule and tip due to the size of the balls. The American cues also have another type of ferrule which at the start of playing I thought was a gimmick but it really does seem to make a major difference.

You will also notice various different types of tapers with these cues and although they seem like they are whippy or move around a lot it is used in the cue action which is slightly different to that of snooker.

Most American pool cues are very technical in their construction with computer matched cross laminated shafts, inner cores and who knows may have a self potting button soon! ( i hope) If that does come out im not going to tell anyone.

You really just need to pick a cue you like the look of in this range and expect to pay $500+ to $1000 after that it’s really just decoration rather than being a better cue. This is in the better cue range.

There are other cues below this mark but if you do go below $500 for a playing cue you will notice a difference in quality so try staying above $300 at least.

Pool Cue Drawing

USA Pool Cue and Descriptions of Parts

English Pool Cues:

English pool cues cover the use of 2 inch Object balls and a 1 7/8 cue ball and are mainly played format in Australia and as well as England of course. With this game there are specific cues using 8mm to 8.5 mm tips and in both three quarter and also 3 piece. The 3 piece has a center joint like a 2 piece cue and also a quick release on the butt for awkward areas or certain shots.

The Peradon cues for this are the best on the market or look for a modified snooker cue with a tip size lower or equal to 9.5mm. These cues offer various heights from 55 inches to 57 inches.

  • Get yourself a break cue as well for English pool. You need to protect your main playing cue and have a proper break tip which you can break the pack well with.
  • These cues are a great option for lady snooker players as you could purchase a 57 inch pool cue and i could have it lowered to 55 inches and a ferrule fitted which would make it around 9.5 – 10mm.

cue ball guide and cue selection

cue ball guide and cue selection