CUES

The snooker cue, billiards cue or pool cue is a sophisticated piece of equipment and the most important part of your armoury.
Before you buy a cue of your own you will have to make do with a cue from the communal rack at the club where you play. The best cues allow you to perform all the functions demanded of them.

Cue length: most cues are produced to a standard length of 4 ft 10 in (147cm).

However, bear in mind that a length of approximately 4 ft 81/2 in (143cm) does produce a more powerful cue.


Materials


The most popular material for the shaft of the cue is straight-grained ash. The grain should not be too wide: about ten grain lines to the inch (four to the centimetre) looks good and is sufficient to supply the required shaft strength. Maple is also a perfectly good material, but because of its density it does tend to push the cue ball off the intended line when side is applied


Parts of the cue


A cue is a tapered wooden stick with a circular cross-section. The end with the larger circumference is the butt, and the narrow end is the tip. A ferrule attached to the tip holds the leather cue tip (this reduces wear on the cue from replacing tips over the years). The large, lower section of the cue is called the cue butt, and the thinner section is the shaft.


Weight and balance

The most popular weight for cues is between 17oz (482g) and 17?oz (496g), with the weight balancing forwards when the cue is suspended on the finger at the top of the butt splicing. The forward weight in the shaft is the key to a well-balanced and correctly glowered cue. A cue that is over-weighted to the back tends to rise off the bridge during the execution of the stroke.


Cue tips

Cue tips are made of elk leather of varying degrees of hardness. There are different diameters of cue tip, but generally speaking a diameter of 0.38 in (9.75 mm) allows the ball to hold its intended line more accurately. However, you should bear in mind that the tip size could vary depending on the stress strength of any particular piece of timber used in the cue.

Cues come in one and two-piece models. The cheaper cues, often found in the communal rack, tend to be one- piece. Two-piece cues have metal joints that can be unscrewed for ease of transport.

Pool Cues

Pool cues in the UK are really not any different to the snooker cues, both have similar tip sizes at 9.5 mm and are usually 57 inches or thereabouts. The trend at the moment for pool cues is to have a different shaft for breaking off and another for the actual game play. See the 3 piece Jimmy White Jump and Break cue

Another innovation is the Smart Extender, which screws into the butt of the cue, to quickly add a further 6 to 9 inches to the cue for those times when you need that extra length. The English pool cue usually comes in a 50/50 split configuration for ease of carrying it around, so you need a 30 inch or so cue case to go with it.

The game of English pool is a relative newcomer to the billiards world and is probably more popular than snooker nowadays with the advent of the pool leagues that have sprung up around the UK. The English pool cue although borrowed from the game of snooker is developing itús own style, with slightly smaller tips of 8 or 9 mm like our Buffalo range of pool cues, although not quite as flamboyant as the American cues yet.

To look after your pool cue just keep it clean with a damp cloth and dry it off immediately and make sure the tip is in good shape and change it often if playing regularly. Never let the cue tip get hard or miss shaped as this will definitely affect your game.


4-Piece English Pool Cue

The Buffalo range of English Pool Cues

Snooker Cues


With cues endorsed by all the greats of the game, Ken Doherty, John Higgins, Jimmy White and the irrepressible Ronnie Oú Sullivan, we have a magnificent selection of Snooker Cues. With prices from £30 to £140 with pearlised inlays (they look terrific, take a look here) we have something for everyone from the beginner to the more discerning player.

Nearly all snooker cues come with the 9.5 mm blue diamond tip, recognised in the sport as the best tip for snooker, and the more expensive models have the Rapid Release Joint, for ease of coupling the 2 snooker cue pieces together.


The Ken Doherty Cue



Pearlised cue from the range

Short Cues

For general snooker or pool use, these are shorter cues (3 foot to 4 foot) for those hard to reach places in the home games room.


Three-foot short cue

Snooker and Pool Cues

For general snooker or pool use, these cues include the shorter cues (3 foot to 4 foot) for those hard to reach places in the home games room, and the single piece maple club cue to the patriotic hand made English snooker/pool cue.


Three-foot short cue


We also have the Mark Selby Shockwave snooker and pool cues



Mark Selby Shockwave Snooker/Pool cue


At the higher end we have Hybrid Cues with Weight Adjustable Cue Technology (WAC)



Riley Hybrid 2-Piece Snooker/Pool Ash Cue With WAC System