The differences in Pool Cues explained - By: George Pennwood

Pool cues vary depending which country you are in. English pool cues have small tips of eight to nine millimetres, whereas American pool cues typically are 13 millimetres. Other differences between pool cues come in the shafts. 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 pool players in the US like to crook their finger over the cue hence the straight shaft so the finger does not have to open up as the cue is moved through it.

Other differences between the two styles of pool, is the material the cue is made from that is favoured by the 2 types of players. Cue sticks from the UK are made from heavy grained 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 are decorated differently, the cues from the States often 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.

In contrast Carom billiard cues used in playing Carambole, which is a form of billiards originating in France, use shorter fatter cues reflecting the fact the balls used in carom are quite a bit bigger than either American or English pool. The balls are 2 7/16 in size being bigger even than American pool which uses two and a quarter inch diameter balls and the English game which use a mere 2 inch size balls.

Some cue manufacturers are famous, like Balabushka who made excellent cues that are prized items today, he was a genius at making cues. An immigrant from Russia and set up shop in New York and supplied cues to the best pool players at the time. There are few of them left now and collectors will pay thousands of dollars for an original, one story says one changed hands for a staggering $45,000. Even today, Balabushka replica cues fetch a premium price, over $400 depending on the model, now they may not improve your game, but at least you will look the part.

The tip is made of animal hide, even elk and water buffalo are popular, but basically leather and there are different levels of hardness of the tips, depending on taste and frankly the differences are only noticeable by the playing professionals, the rest of us mere mortals would probably never notice the difference. 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. You can even get different coloured chalks these days so the pool table cloth does not show the chalk marks so much. For example you can get red coloured chalk for use on red clothed tables and even black chalk for playing on tables covered in a black cloth.

A cue that is being seen more often is the so called 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. It is a good idea and widely used on both sides of the Atlantic.

The 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 rest is basically decoration and preference for which wood type you prefer. 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.

Pool cues vary depending which country you are in. English pool cues have small tips of eight to nine millimetres, whereas American pool cues typically are 13 millimetres. Other differences between pool cues come in the shafts. 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

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