i thought i have to mention this...i have been experimenting on my cue weight and after watching your video i copied your weight cue to 20.30 oz and it impoved my game A LOT.thank you
The weight is a weird one for me. I used to be a snooker player and played with a 16.5oz cue. Then I switched to pool and used a 16.5oz cue for a good while which was basically a snooker cue with an 11.75mm tip, I could play well with it mostly but I lacked shot power obviously. I used to play quite "loose" with it. Then I ended up switching to a Chinese 8 ball cue, 20.5oz and 11.8mm tip, and at first I HATED it, the heavy weight felt weird. After about a week of playing with it, though, I noticed it worked a lot better for me to use a more compact and plain stroke, now I love it. Tried playing with the 16.5oz cue again the other day and it felt absolutely horrible lol!! So I'm well adjusted to the heavier weight now. I've got an 18.75oz cue coming in the mail to try out and see how well I get on with that because, as was said in the video, sometimes I struggle with cue ball "feel". So yeah, in short, changing cue weights can feel weird at first and you might find that you need to adjust your stroke to play well with different weights of cue, but playing with a certain weight and deciding you don't like it instantly isn't a good idea. Stick with it for a while. If you play a few sessions with it and still don't like it, then fair enough. Though of course, if whatever weight you're using now is working, then obviously stick with that!
I just raised the weight and wow is my game better. It's the weight I grew up practicing with. 20 ounce. The extra weight makes it easier to move the cue around.
Yes that is very true. Extra weight will make it easier to add spin, easier to pocket the balls (more weight means cue travels straighter with momentum- think of a battering ram), and you can hit less hard to make balls thus often times keeping your form easier.
Cue weight is all personal preference. Shane used to use 22 or 23 oz cue, ephren used to use 21 oz, but the vast majority use 18.5-19.5 oz cues. The lighter the cue, the better cue ball control and better touch you will have. This is super important, especially for advanced players where cue ball placement needs to be perfect. Additionally, I have noticed that the more weight you have, the easier that my arm personally gets tired. If I play for three hours with a 21.5 oz cue, my arm is much much more tired than if I play three hours with a 20.3 oz cue (my current weight, don't forget my cue is 66 in though!).
When your arm gets tired from the extra weight, you will lose form. But like I said it is all personal preference. My cue feels like an 18 oz cue despite being 20.25 or 20.3 oz in reality due to its extreme length. I personally like it lighter like that because I place a lot of importance of touch and feel, where I need to hit the cue ball just perfect. If you get really good with 20oz, try adjusting the weight bolt to 19.5 or 19.7 and see if you play even better! I recommend buying a weight bolt kit if you havent yet!
Hey Buddy, thanks for the movie. I am a tall guy so also I spent a lot of time to make my cues longer. I tried a typical extension and "balance rite" extension. I have stayed with :balance rite, I had a luck because I have two and it fits well with my playing cues (cue is straight) What is interesting it doesn't fit with some more expensive cues of my friends (joint is correct and the same 5 16 18 - cues with that are not straight). Of course without that these pro cues are straight. So balance rite may be good with one cue and not good with another, when joint is the same. My opinion - due to diameter of butt and shaft - (even 0,5 mm makes the difference). I noticed that diameters of cues are different when I started use this extension. I chose that because it has 2,5 inch (10 cm) and the 160 cm lenght is perfect for me. I found one big mistake in your video. I thought about it a lot before I saw your video, so at first I thought the same as you, but it is wrong. Where is the point? "Ballance rite" doesn't move balance point to the tip (shaft). If we have the same standard extension and "balance rite" type extension - I mean leght and weight - ballance point is the same. Why? Because you hold the cue in different points on the butt, but egarding distance from the top of cue (bumper) - it is the same e.g 10 inches. Your note makes sense if you hold butt in the same point with balance rite and without (e.g. the end of the wrap) - but the distance from the tip in this case is different. It makes no sense in practise because you hold the cue automatically, as you noticed. So in the result no matter if we use balance rite or standard extension - always point of balance goes to the bumper - because cue is longer. Please analise that, if you don't agree, please analize again :))) Do you agree with me? Cheers from Poland mate!
Hi Michael, you bring up a very interesting point. In actuality, balance rite really does shift the balance point forward and a standard butt end cue does shift the balance point back. You can actually tell quite a bit when holding the cue. If you use balance rite, your cue will feel lighter but when you strike the ball, you will get more cue ball deflection while also having an easier pendulum stroke as the cue tip will more easily end downward due to the slight extra weight. Despite it sounding like it shouldnt make a difference, it actually does. When I use balance rite, I can immediately tell. Also when I add one .2 oz I can immediatelly tell too, so it all depends on what you prefer.
To comment on the length and balance point changing in respect to your hand it all has to do with the extension that you use. The balance rite is decently heavy and is in a short length, so when you add this, there is more weight placed closer to your planter hand thus shifting the balance point forward. Now when you lengthen the cue, you (either thru balcne rite or a classic extension), the length at the end behind your back hand will automatically shift the balance point back a little, thus compensating for the earlier discussed point of the balance point moving forward. So overall, I would say that balance rite compared to a normal length cue will likely have very similar balance points and similar feel. whereas balance rite compared to a class extension will be very different will balance rite having more forward balance point and the classic extension having balance point shifted backwards. Note that the heavier and longer the classic extension, the more the balance point will be shifted backwards. With this in mind, I always like having a lighter rather than heavier extension as if the extension is too heavy or long, the balance point will be shifted back so far that the cue tip will have trouble ending downwards (like it is supposed to in the pendulum stroke) meanign that the cue tip will just stay up at its current height or worse yet, it will move up during the shot and end elevated even higher. Note that this same thougth process occurs when you add weight bolts to your cue, so keep that in mind when adding weight. This is a big reason why I recommend players do not add too much weight as the balance point is shifted so far back, plus the cue will feel so much heavier as all the weight added is being felt diurectly under your back arm.
So in short, I believe the balance point is shifted slightly for the balance rite extension (possibly the same compared to a classic cue or very mimimal change in balance point) but for a classic extension, the balance point is definitely shifted backwards, and much more than the balance rite. So if you do decide to get an extension either get a short and/or light extension on the butt of the cue or get the balance rite. Honestly, I do not like the balance rite as the connection between the shaft to balance rite to butt of the cue is not perfectly flush so when you roll the cue on the table, you can see the cue has a slight banana curve now. Lol Im not going to take my perfect expensive cue and make it slighlty warped so I can use balance rite! Also, I think I have just gotten used to having the end extension. Also note that no pros that I know of use balance rite, but many use the classical extesnions. Just try to get one that is light and not too long. Interestingly, my friend and I both have the predator QR2 extension, mine weighs 2.8 oz and his weighs 3.3 oz. A .5 oz difference is a ton! Especially when it is at the back of the cue, the balance point will take a big hit with such a heavy extension. So try to get a light one, or one that is not too long. I think the perfect extension would be 6". The QR2 is 8", but like I said, I have just gotten used to it and have grown to love it. Shane uses 6" and Earl uses something like 10"+. Efren uses a 4" or 6" I think and Jayson uses a 6" i think. Its all personal preference. Play with a few, try different weight bolts too and then pick the one combo that gives you best results. But you got to play with all of them for a few days atleast or you won't be able to tell truly which you prefer.
I'm 6'2'' and I play just fine with a 57 inch cue, but it depends on your stroke. I use a fairly compact stroke so it works fine for me. My bridge arm is pretty straight as well where I use a snooker stance.
Hello BD. Need advice on a cue. Never had a cue in my entire life. I borrow my friends or settled with what pool halls has to offer as I was growing up. I started playing @ a very young age. About to pull the trigger on a predator. Still trying to put all the pieces together i.e. size of tip? I don't like the standard 13mm tip and I can go 12.25 or smaller but don't know how small. Cue?. As for the shaft I already know shaft that I want :) Length? what is a standard length on a stick? I like length and I can go longer than the standard, and lastly weight? I like it heavy but not too heavy. Please advice. I am 5'6" 115 lbs, TIA
Have you ever played with a Schon cue before? I'm looking to get either a Schon cue or the predator predator maestro 2-2 limited edition. I'm playing with a $600 Mcdermott and want to get something a little better and I do really like the predator maestro 2-2 limited edition. I've only hit with a Mcdermott before and how does the hit from a Mcdermott compare to a predator or a Schon if you tried a Schon before, Thanks.
I'm sorry, I have never shot with a Schon cue before. If you plan to spend a lot of money on a nice cue, I recommend considering predator for the Revo shaft. I really like Revo and that shaft alone has boosted my game more than having a better butt end of the cue. But that is just my opinion and I have heard of some people who dislike it, so I'd try to find a friend at the pool hall and give it a few shots before purchasing as its very expensive!
@@TheBilliardsDoctor thanks but I went with a custom gina pool cue. Omg amazing cue!! I will never go with a production cue again no offensive to predator or other production cues.
Videos very helpful wanted to ask you just ordered and can still make changes a predator 8k4 with a 30 inch shaft was really undecided about going with that extra 1 inch. As far as balance and so forth it is 19 Oz I am 511 what do you think in your opinion you think I will be okay with 59 length thanks appreciate any feedback
I personally love the extra inch I got on my 30 inch shaft. I had a 314-3 predator 30 inch and I thought it was amazing. Absolutely loved it. I think you made a good choice with the 30 inch shaft. Honestly, the extra inch will only help you as it will allow you to be more comfortable in your stance and not be holding on the very end of the cue all the time.
I actually loved the extra length so much that I moved to an extension on the butt of my cue plus the 30 inch shaft. I have felt that having more mass behind the butt of the cue allows the cue to travel in a straighter line due to the momentum from the weight of the cue behind where my back hand is gripping. This allows me to be extra accurate at long shots. My cue was 67 inches. I just got Revo 12.4 which is only made in 29" so I now have 66" cue, which I think is perfect for me. Shane who is around 5'11" or 6'0" uses around 64" cue, Earl who is 6'0" uses 70" cue and Jayson shaw who is also around 6'0" uses around 66" cue. Although there are not a ton of players using the longer cues, I think it is a trend this is coming up through the generations. One of the best players in Boston who is a Freshman in college and played on Mosconi Cup juniors team also uses an insanely long cue. I feel that many of the professionals do not want to tamper with what they are used to so they do not try the longer cue. But for an amateur, I highly recommend giving it a try. The extra inch on your cue will allow you more relaxation during your stroke. If you get extra excited, try out an extension on the butt of the cue too. You may like having the extra length! It definitely improved my potting game, especially distance shots! If you do add on the extension, I recommend taking out some weight bolts from the butt. My cue is 20.3 oz, but 66". I like it a little lighter than what Shane (22 oz) and Jayson (somewhere around 21 oz) I heard because I feel I have more cue ball control with the lighter cue.
As far as the balance point goes, the balance point itself will literally not change - It will shift like a cm forward but you wont be able to tell. I have tested this and the change is almost impossible to detect. However, you will now be positioning your bridge hand more forward on the cue, which is a good thing because this will move your back hand forward too. Overall this means that the butt of the cue will now have a slight more weight behind your hand, since you will now not be gripping the very back of the cue. This is a good thing!! If you are tall, a 58" cue is not made for you. 59" lets your grip be more comfortable and now you can comfortably grip the cue on reach shots too! As a comparison, watch the 6'2" Karl Boyes hold the cue (he holds the very end of his 58" cue) vs Dennis Orcollo who is about 5'6" or 5'7" who holds the cue in the middle of the grip. For the traditional player, you want your grip hand to comfortably, and still following correct elbow form, gripping towards the back of the grip of the cue, but not the very back. And that extra inch will do that for you! And for players like me and Jayson and Shane, we like to have the extension to add on even more weight! Hope these answers help!
TheBilliardsDoctor thanks a lot really appreciate the feedback and all the advice I was having a real hard time deciding what to go with .. getting into forums reading this and that finally ran into your video and saw your cue really liked extension as well might be trying that later on love the videos keep up the great work thanks again can't wait to get my cue...
What's up bro just saw that Revo really nice cue.. starting to like that Revo more than the cue i ordered feeling confused.. should get Mine next week Predator 8k4 with a 314 3 shaft 30 in.. will you be making a video on that Revo you got?
Yes, it is now 66 inches since I switched to revo shaft. That is a great name! 57 inches is pretty short. Sounds like a custom cue or a snooker cue. for 5'5" that may be the perfect length cue for you. I'm 6'3", so the 66 inch cue feels comfortable for my height.
TheBilliardsDoctor Not a custom cue but the norm here in the Philippines were 5'5" is average. It's the perfect length for me. I've had it for 17yrs now. It has a good quality maple wood shaft, is perfectly straight, and has a great tip. Hasn't seen much action since I got married in 2004 but I want to get back in the game. Recently found new friends who are almost in love with the game as much as I am.
Yup, most of the cheap one piece house cues at pool halls are 57". The nicer cheap cues at pool halls are 58" and almost any pool cue (not carom cue) you buy that is more than 15 dollars, will be 58". I did not know that about Carom cues where 56". Very interesting!
