Our cues:

Wood type and splicing:
The ash shaft is mainly made of maple or Ash wood. Maple wood provides a smooth surface with no grains, and when hitting balls a more rigid and denser reaction is felt when compared to ashwood shaft. We use Canadian high grade maple. Ashwood consists several arrows on the shaft that could assist a player's shot alignment; and each cue has an unique grain pattern. Realistically speaking, grains do nothing when you are aiming, since your eyes are focused on cue tip, white ball and object ball during a shot. Some players prefer uniform looking arrows, some prefer the wildness, it is up to individual. There is no real correlation between grain pattern and cue playability, as strength is determined by uniformity of the inner shaft core. We don't want you to get a cue with good looking grain pattern but without good feel, since shaft qulaity and playability is main focus.

Ash shaft is more flex in nature thus create a more reactive feel when compared with maple. In general, ebony is used as the butt, as it gives strength, rigidity, weight, good thermal expansion and warmth when gripping. Rosewood can also be used for the butt but the weight is lighter and the grip feel is not as great as ebony. All our cues use African Gaboon ebony or Indonesian Macassar ebony, which are both expensive exotic woods. There are many cues in market that do not use real ebony wood, they use other wood materials and dyed black, or even sprayed with black paint, so please be awared when purchasing your next cue. All our cues use authentic ebony, and the two main ebony woods used are:

1) Gaboon ebony - intense jet-black in colour, mainly from Africa
2) Macassar ebony - brown with distinctive strips of black and white natural grain, mainly from India and Celebes islands of Indonesia. Rarer and more dense than Gaboon

Gaboon Ebony
Macassar Ebony

Both ebonies are beautiful, exotic and expsenive timbers ideal for butt, and they display similar properties. Splicing and veneers provide extra eye pleasing features, although not really a necessity. We are focused on shaft quality and the overall build-up of the cue, not just trying to build a fanciful piece of art.

Balance:
All our cues are balance at around 17" from butt, with or without joint. For 3/4 cues, joint is at around 14 inches from butt end. Weight should not be too forward weighted and most of the weight should be resided at around 17" from butt end. This balance point is designed for players with orthodox stance, with chin on cue. Unless a player has a more unusual stance (eg standing up), the balance point designed is optimum for traditional stance. This facilitates smooth cue actions for shots such as deep screws shots and enhances efficiency when cueing amongst the balls. Most professional players play shots that look easy and effortless because their cue actions are as ideal as possible and the cue's balance point is right for them and allow them to use the cue efficiently and swiftly, a great example is Ronnie O Sullivan. A proper stance and cue action will give you a better chance to improve your overall game in the long run.

Weight:
Its a matter of personal feel. But most cues should be around 18Oz, this weight allows your arm to swing quick enough for effortless screws and sufficient power. A cue that is too heavy, will not allow your arm to swing fast, and a screw shot can becomes a stun shot. A cue that is too light, will make shots become less solid and needs more power to move the white, which make shots deviate. Also, dependant on what type of table cloth you are playing on; and the quality of balls are available. Table clothes vary from clubs to clubs on standard tables. The more experienced player will be able to detect change in clothe material; change in nap directio. And for snooker balls that have been used for years, their sizes can get smaller due to friction, especially the white ball, that is the ball being hit most. Hence difference in cue balls weight can make ball reaction different at some shot angles. On one extreme, you might be playing on a championship clothe with new set of balls; on another extreme you might be playing with old balls and old clothe. All these inconsistencies may affect the way you cue; and cause inconsistency in your game. A cue weight of around 18 oz gives you a better chance to settle down quickly on any tables.

Length:
57 inches is the length that suits most players with average height. This length allows a player to provide sufficient follow through to punch through a cue ball such that maximum power is delivered from a player's cue action. All our cues are including a 6 inch mini-butt made in ebony.

Tip size and materials:
Tip diameter of around 9.5mm is a good balance for both accuracy and amount of spins. Cue tip size less than 9.5mm, provides more feel when cutting balls and back spin; whilst tip size bigger than 9.5mm allows more tolerances to error on cueing, so accuracy is improved and minimises unintentional spin. But due to larger tip size, cutting and back spin becomes less sensitive. Though it sounds negligibly small, even half a millimeter has an effect on the overall ball control. Hence an optimum size of 9.5mm is chosen. Both blue diamond and elk master are typical tips used. All cues are hand fitted with blue diamond.

3/4 piece or 1 piece?
In the past its more preferrable to use one piece as the feel of wood is greater than with joints fitted. But nowadays, joints made at 3/4 point is of high quality so energy transfer is efficient and the feel of wood during a shot is still very good. Our 3/4 joint is at 14 inches from butt end. Further it is easier to carry on a public transport. Centre jointed cues are no longer made as they tend to make a cue more forward balanced; easier to warp; and much less feel of wood. Our 3/4 cues use the latest vacuum joints, which removes air after tighten up and prevents loosening during play. A much better contact between shaft and butt compared with traditonal screw on type.

Comment
When you are purchasing a new snooker cue, normally you have several cues to choose from. Even with a standard size table in front of you and a bunch of cues to try, it is natural to get confused with which cue is suitable for you. In fact the difference between the cues might be small, you can naturally adapt to all of them anyway. There is no right or wrong answer. New cues always has a new tip on, which can be rock hard, and different thickness etc, so when someone is trying out he/she may not be able to get the real feel. All our cues are aimed for optimum physical dimension, such that a player can adapt to the cue quickly and feel great when playing. Once you have your own cue, try to play without thinking too much of it. Focusing too much on the cue rather than the game will only affect your game; the biggest enjoyment you get from snooker is potting, breaking building, safety play etc. We believe the fact that "good tool, good technique, great enjoyment".

Please be reminded that, your cue should not be exposed to heat sources (sunshine, radiator etc) at all. This causes the wood to expand, may cause cracks and warp. Always store the cue in a cool, dry place in a cue case. Also, sometimes it is easy for players to tap their cues onto the floor, try not to do that as this increases chance of damaging.

All our cues bear a serial number that identifies the model and its production number as follows, Your cues can now be authenticated through our website, please visit cue products to view our cues :