Below we have detailed the various attributes of an English Pool cue, what the different options are, how they affect the cue and what you should take into consideration when buying a new cue. This is not an exhaustive list but it should cover most of the options. If you have any other questions about choosing a pool cue please contact us via the website linked below.

Tip Sizes
The recommended tip size for English Pool cues is 10 mm and tips can go down to 8.5 mm but we wouldn't recommend going below that for two reasons (1. The cue becomes too whippy 2. The cue shaft could break with a miscue). The smaller tip you have the harder it is to play but if you can control the cue you will have more control over the cue ball with spin. We normally recommend doming your tip to get more spin before moving to a cue with a smaller tip. Club cues will often have 11 mm tips.

Cue Weight
With the weight of the cue 17 oz to 20 oz is the normal range of weights with 18 oz to 19 oz approximately being a medium weight, 16 oz to 17 oz being light and 20 oz upwards being heavy. The heavier the cue is the easier it is to play with (like a larger tip) and the lighter the cue is the more control you have over the power you put in to the shot (although it is easier to miscue). We normal say stick to a weight you are used to but with all changes your body will eventually get used to it.

Joints
Pool cues are normally 1/2 jointed (commonly known as 2 piece cues) but you can get one piece or 3/4 jointed (commonly known as 3 piece cues). The 1/2 joint and 3/4 joint refer to how far down the cue has been cut and had a brass joint inserted to make the cue more practical to carry around. One piece cues are thought to be better than 3/4 jointed cues which are thought to be better than 1/2 jointed cues due to the cut being made in the denser hardwood butt (all to do with how the vibrations transmit through the cue). Again how much of a difference the average player will notice is another matter but obviously the 1/2 jointed cue is the more practical one. 1/2 jointed cues and 3/4 jointed cues do feel quite different from a playing point of view due to the different position of the denser brass joint. If you have been using a 1/2 jointed cue we usually recommend sticking with a 1/2 jointed cues.

Splicing
The butt can either be hand spliced to the shaft, machine spliced or straight cut and painted to look hand or machine spliced. Prices increase from painted to machine spliced to hand spliced due to the amount of work involved in making the cue and the cue is supposed to have a better feel as you go up this price range. Beginners are unlikely to notice the difference from a playing point of view for the different quality cues and some professional players have been quoted as saying that they did not notice any difference between machine spliced and hand spliced pool cues from a playing point of view. Most people will be happy with a painted cue (cues are painted black to look like Ebony which is a lot more expensive) but you will need to pick a cue based on your budget, how nice you want the cue to look and how well you want the cue to play. It is very common for pool cues to be painted and they often have more decorative designs on them that you wouldn't find on a snooker cue.

Woods
English pool cues are usually made from Ash for the shaft and a hardwood for the butt, although some cheaper club cues will be made from Ramin. Machine spliced and hand spliced butts are commonly made from Rosewood which needs to be weighted with lead (so the cue doesn't have to be so thick that you can't grip it comfortably, to give the same weight) and Ebony which doesn't usually need weights as it is such a dense and heavy wood. The Ebony cues having less or no lead weights added gives then a more even density and a more natural feel to the cue that is desired by a lot of players. Because of it's rarity Ebony is a very expensive wood and thus normally only used on the finest pool cues. You can also have decorative wood splices, decals or painted designs on the cue but these add nothing from a playing point of view and will only add to the price. The coloured splices are usually coloured Sycamore. Other hardwoods can also be used for the butt like Thuya Burr wood or Walnut and other exotic woods (like the very expensive Snakewood) can be used for decorative splices or inlays.

Extras
English Pool is commonly played in pubs on 7ft Pool Tables and most players actually use snooker cues or pool cues with Ash shafts. Pool cues can also have cotton wraps or supagrips for extra grip, this is all down to personal taste. The main consideration to make when choosing a new cue is budget, it's features and which cue you like the look off (taking into consideration if you want any grip on the cue or not). You don't normally need to consider extensions for pool cues. English pool cues are normally 1/2 jointed but you can choose your preference as per the above criteria.

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Below we have detailed the various attributes of an American pool cue, what the different options are, how they affect the cue and what you should take into consideration when buying a new cue. This is not an exhaustive list but it should cover most of the options.

Cue Weight

With the weight, American Pool cues are normally around 20 oz. They are heavier than English Pool cues due to the balls on the American tables being larger and heavier. You can of course get different weight cues but the heavier the cue is the easier it is to play with (like a larger tip) and the lighter it is the more control you have over the power you put in to the shot (although it is easier to miscue). We normal say stick to a weight you are used to but with all changes your body will eventually get used to it.

Joints

Most American pool cues are 1/2 jointed (commonly known as 2 piece cues) which refers to how far down the cue has been cut and had a joint inserted to make it more practical to carry around. You can get one piece cues but these are rare. Joints can either be made from stainless steel or brass joints covered in a fibre or plastic cover. American pool cues don't normally have plain brass joints like snooker cues.

Woods

American pool cues predominantly have Maple shafts as the Maple is a slightly stiffer wood than Ash and is supposed to be more warp resistant and translate less vibrations during shots. Cheaper club cues can be made from Ramin wood. Butts will either be made from a cheaper hard wood that is stained or painted or made from Maple. More expensive cues will have decorative decals and very expensive cues will have intricate wood decals on the butt. These decals don't improve the performance of the cue and merely demonstrate the craftsmanship involved in making it (they are purely aesthetic).

Tip Sizes

American Pool is played on 8 ft pool tables with larger balls than English Pool hence American Pool cues commonly have 13 mm tips but again according to preference you can have smaller tip sizes (whatever you can still control the cue ball with). They also have white fibre ferrules as brass ferrules are often banned on American Pool tables (with large break shots there is a fear that the brass ferrule will snag the table cloth).

Extras

American cues also commonly have grips, either cotton wraps or Supagrips, again this is a personal preference.

The main consideration to make when choosing a new cue is budget, then balancing how you want it to look compared to how you want it to play. You basically get what you pay for with a pool cue and you need to choose which features you want and which features you don't need.