Pool cues are subtlety different depending where you play your pool. English pool cues have small tips of 8 or 9 mm, whereas American pool cues have tip sizes of 12 -13 mm. Even the shaft of the cues have subtle modifications. Cues in the UK gradually decrease in diameter from the butt to the tip while cues used in the States frequently are the same diameter for two feet or so before increasing to the butt end.
This is to accommodate the different styles of playing the game. Whilst aficionados of the game in the UK adopt the “snooker” style of addressing and hitting the cue ball, whilst the American style players like to wrap their forefinger around the shaft forming a ring around it so having the same diameter near the tip makes it more comfortable for playing. nnOther differences between the two codes of pool, is the material the cue is made from that is favoured by the 2 types of players.
Cue sticks from the UK tend to be made of ash and American players prefer the whiter maple. Ash and maple will feel the same to play with, it is simply what you like the look of. Also the butts look different, the American pool cues tend to have linen wraps around the butt and English pool cues usually decorated with wood inlays and no cloth. Again it makes no difference to the playing quality, just a matter of style.
A very old form of billiards originating in Europe is called Caramboule, use shorter fatter cues because the carom balls are huge in comparison to the balls used in the US and UK. Carom balls are nearly two and a half inches across.nThere have been some notable pool cue makers down the years, perhaps the most famous of which is probably, Balabushka, who is thought of as one of the best cuemakers that ever lived. An immigrant from Russia and set up shop in New York and supplied cues to the best pool players at the time.
The few remaining cues are worth a lot of money these days, one story says one changed hands for a staggering $45,000. You can buy copies of his cues these days , but they are expensive, and they certainly look the business, all shiny and covered in an expensive linen wrap. nThe tip is made of animal hide, even elk and water buffalo are popular, but basically leather and some are made from multiple layers of pigskin. Just make sure the tip is well chalked before playing to give the cue tip the best chance of a good contact with the cue ball.
There are different coloured chalks these days so it does not show up so badly on the cloth. As well as the traditional blue you can get yellow, brown and burgundy to match whatever cloth you have.nA popular pool cue type is the jump and break cue which is basically a cue with 2 different shafts, one used for smashing the balls with on break off and the other is a more sensitive shaft used for normal play. nThe cue you should choose obviously depends on the version of the game you play. Really it makes little difference as long as you get a cue with glue on tips and a nice metal ferrule at the top of the cue to protect the tip, the type of wood and whether you have a linen wrap etc is not important.
After about $60 or $70 the rest of the price is for decoration and brand, and the type of cue you have will not improve your game, that is down to practice, practice practice.n
Popularity: 1%
Related posts:
Loading ...
