Is a heavier or lighter pool cue better?

Koop said:
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What is the best weight for a pool cue stick?
What weight cue do most pros use?
Is a heavier cue better for breaking?
How heavy is the average pool cue?

I'm curious to hear why you think this is?
I prefer a 19.7 oz cue and the "no matter what" has piqued my curiousity.

Regards,
Koop
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A whole lot depends on your game of choice. If your game is usually One-hole or Bank pool you are probably better off with a heavy cue 20.5 - 22.0 oz. Reason for this is you are drawing or stopping the cue-ball more often and is easier to do with a heavier cue. A heavier cue does a couple of things. It imparts juice to the cue-ball easier and it straightens out your pendulum some so that making balls becomes easier. The downside of a heavy cue is that it is harder to feel the energy transmitted to the cue-ball. It makes playing precise shapes harder than with a lighter cue. A lighter cue takes more effert to move the cueball so you have better control.

A friend of mine, who is an extremely good one-hole and bank player ordered a 19 oz. cue from Gus Szamboti years ago. When the cue arrived it weighed 22 ozs. George called Gus and told him the cue was great but that it was way to heavy and that he had ordered a 19 oz. cue. He told me Gus jumped all over him and told him to use it as it was because he was a one-hole player and that's the weight he should be using. Gus told him to use it daily for 40 days and if it still felt to heavy to then call him. Before the forty days was up and apparently before he acclimatized to the weight the cue was stolen at a tournament and Gus wouldn't build him another for being so careless with one of his cues.

Dick

Salamander said:
Conversely I have heard that a lighter cue is better for one pocket since the majority of shots are hit with delicacy. Supposedly the lighter the cue, the more touch...

I generally gravitate to 19 oz cues. But have recently been playing with a 20oz cue. I find that I play good straghtpool with it, but feel like a lighter cue is better for 9ball. Just my two cents.

Regards,

Doug
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The cue in question is the Jensen. It weighs just under 20 but the balance point is still way forward. I pulled the weight bolt out (it wasn't that heavy a bolt) and so it probably still weighs 19.4. I'll play with it both ways.

For what it's worth - it seems to me that if you are playing a game that requires one to "roll" a lot of shots (straight pool - one pocket) or spin a lot of shots - a heavier cue makes more sense.

But - just like in golf - there probably is really not one answer for everyone.

rhncue said:
A whole lot depends on your game of choice. If your game is usually One-hole or Bank pool you are probably better off with a heavy cue 20.5 - 22.0 oz. Reason for this is you are drawing or stopping the cue-ball more often and is easier to do with a heavier cue. A heavier cue does a couple of things. It imparts juice to the cue-ball easier and it straightens out your pendulum some so that making balls becomes easier. The downside of a heavy cue is that it is harder to feel the energy transmitted to the cue-ball. It makes playing precise shapes harder than with a lighter cue. A lighter cue takes more effert to move the cueball so you have better control.

A friend of mine, who is an extremely good one-hole and bank player ordered a 19 oz. cue from Gus Szamboti years ago. When the cue arrived it weighed 22 ozs. George called Gus and told him the cue was great but that it was way to heavy and that he had ordered a 19 oz. cue. He told me Gus jumped all over him and told him to use it as it was because he was a one-hole player and that's the weight he should be using. Gus told him to use it daily for 40 days and if it still felt to heavy to then call him. Before the forty days was up and apparently before he acclimatized to the weight the cue was stolen at a tournament and Gus wouldn't build him another for being so careless with one of his cues.

Dick
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Your logic makes perfect sense to me.....great minds think alike (or travel the same rut!)

cue weight...heavy vs light

SirBanksALot said:
Knowing that this subject must have come up many, many times - I did a search and didn't come up with anything... so

In the recent past I have noticed that I tend to pocket more balls with a heavier cue (than I usually use). I didn't think much of it until just very recently - I purchased a cue that I planned on immediately removing or at least cutting down the weight bolt because I thought it was too heavy. I've been playing with that heavier cue now for about a week and the balls keep dropping

As a young man, first starting outplaying the game, (and I'm going to date myself now-ha), my Palmers and my were all 19.75 and 20 ozs. I have gone with the trend and tried to stay around 18.9 - 19.1 ozs.

What are the yeas and nays of heavier cues vs light cues???
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I recommend you play with as heavy a Q as you feel comfortable with. That may be 18 oz. or it may be 21 oz. The reason is that with a lighter Q, on long shots, you will have to hit HARDER. That tends to make the Q tip go to the right (for a right hander). That puts unwanted spin on the Qball. That means you don't hit your aiming point. With a heavier Q, the weight of the Q does the work for you...JER

Salamander said:
PS...Don't listen too much to the people that say you should not play with a cue that weights over 20oz. Efren Reyes and Steve Mizerak both play with cues that weight over 20 and they don't play too bad.

Regards,

Doug
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Hey Doug....

I don't usually buy into "conventional wisdom" unless it makes sense.

As I said in an earlier post - I tend to roll balls a lot and it seems like a heavier cue just lets the cue do more of the work.

It would also seem that a lighter cue would be more subject to the inconsistencies of a flawed stroke or the "yips" of stress.

I pulled the weight bolt out of the Jensen and it still feels a bit "heavier" than what I'm used to but it does indeed feel very smooth. What a great playing, great looking cue it is

)

Also - I put a weight bolt back into one of my other cues and the heavier weight immediately felt better in that cue.

Thanks for your input and looking forward to heading up your way.

Keith

Jack Madden said:
Keith
Just more food for thought. I have a customer from New Orleans. Wanted 20oz cue and also built him a 22 oz break cue - said he needed that weight to play well. I think it may have something to do with the humidity, maybe moisture content of cloth slows down the action. Heavier cue moves the balls easier?? Since I haven't played in New Orleans I don't know. You ever have a chance to play there? But in Phoenix you have been dry for 140+ days?
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
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I have lived in Louisiana most of my life, played down around New Orleans. I live in Knoxville now. It definitely is humid in Louisiana, and in general the tables definitely play a little slower. That is an interesting thought, and maybe that is why your customer likes a heavier cue, but I have never considered players in LA choose heavier cues on average. Mike Johnson in Baton rouge might know if players around New Orleans generally like them heavier.

Kelly

What is the best weight for a pool cue stick?

Pool, snooker and billiard cues range from 17 ounces to 21 ounces, and we recommend a cue between 17 to 19 ounces for snooker and standard English and Australian pool playing. A heavier cue (between 20-21 ounces) is often recommended for American Pool as the balls and table are bigger.

What weight cue do most pros use?

A: The pros use cues which weigh 19 to 19.5 ounces. Available pool sticks range from a low of about 15 to as much as 27 ounces, an extra half-pound over the pro cue.

Is a heavier cue better for breaking?

the bottom line is that a heavier cue will not always mean a more powerful hit or break. In some cases, it may even create less power depending on how much force you can create. So, when selecting a cue, go for the weight that feels the most comfortable to you.

How heavy is the average pool cue?

Pool cues average around 59 inches (150 cm) long, are commonly available in 17–21 ounces (0.48–0.60 kg) weights, with 19 ounces (0.54 kg) being the most common, and usually have a tip diameter in the range of 12 to 14 mm.