If you're in the market for new billiard cue sticks, you might be overwhelmed with all of the options that are available to you today. It's a good problem to have, after all it's better to be overwhelmed with quality, leaving you with a difficult decision, than to be under-whelmed with the selection and forced to settle on something that you don't really love. When you're ready to make a purchase, follow this quick guide to help make the decision process for choosing billiard cue sticks is as easy as possible.

Probably the best place to start is to consider how much money you're willing to spend. Setting a rough budget for yourself will help you immediately narrow down the selection so you can make a more appropriate decision. Billiard cue sticks can cost anywhere from $50 to several thousand dollars, so it's always wise to determine how much you're willing to spend ahead of time so you don't get surprised down the line, or make a rushed decision you won't be comfortable with later.

It's also important that you think about what you're really buying the billiard cue for. You may simply be looking for something durable that you can call your own and play with wherever you are. Or perhaps you will be looking for a real boost to your performance, or even an improvement in a specific area of your game such as consistency, control or performance, or techniques such as trick shots, breaks and jumps. For improved performance, finding a manufacturer with specially crafted shafts will be important, and for trick shots and breaking, you can buy a specialty jump break cue.

Other people that buy billiard cue sticks are looking for design and visual beauty above all else. Therefore you have to determine where you fall amongst these different categories. There's nothing wrong with wanting both performance and style for example, and knowing what you want will lead you in a direction of particular manufacturers and even certain models.

For instance, if you value the design of your cue and want something that improves your performance as well, you may be interested in something from one of the upper echelon McDermott series. Their G-Core Shafts and I-Shafts provide improved feel and accuracy, and their designs utilize the finest materials and construction processes.

If you want a classic or iconic design you may want to jump right into the Balabushka cues. Or if you're looking for durability and affordability more than anything else, something from Cuetec or even the entry level McDermott series will be more up your alley.

You may have already heard about a particular manufacturer or producer of cues that you're interested in. If you already know you want a Viking or a Schon cue for instance, then you can forget about everything else and focus on appearance, materials and price range.

The options are truly endless when you're considering the purchase of a new billiard cue, and you'll love the wide range of choices at your disposal. The smartest way to go about the process is to first determine your budget and then determine your specific wants and needs. Answering those questions for you will make it easy to narrow down the available selection and find a pool stick that's just right.

For players just getting started in the world of billiards, an important decision must be made. You need to learn some pool cue tips because you have to decide if you're really going to take your performance and improvement seriously, or if you just enjoy going out every now and again and shooting a few shots. One of the main factors of this is whether you will purchase a personal billiard cue for yourself, or whether you will just continue to use house cues, or borrow extra cues from your buddies.

There are many different pool cue tips for why you should purchase and carry around your own personal billiard cue. At the top of this list has to be your performance and the quality of your play, and there are actually a few different pieces to that. First of all, when you buy your own personal cue you are going to be using the same stick all of the time. You will be able to learn how it shoots and how you play with it.

In that way you'll be able to wield finer control with your cue, and you'll enjoy more consistent results. Knowing your cue inside and out, how it shoots, how you can best perform certain shots and so forth will provide a huge boost to your game. It's the kind of consistency and performance that you'll never be able to enjoy when you're always switching sticks every time you play. This is one of the best pool cue tips that you could ever know.

Second of all, when you have your own personal billiard cue you are also going to be using something that's simply of a higher quality than what you'll find down at the pool hall. No matter where you play your pool, you can bet that their house cues aren't even close to even the cheapest of billiard cues that you would buy on your own. Not to mention that they have been used and misused for years, and as a result are probably all the worse for the wear.

With your own personal billiard cue, no matter what you buy and no matter how much you spend, you'll be using something that's crafted with finer materials and more precise processes. You'll also be able to control your own cue's fate so to speak. In other words, if you don't misuse your own cue, then you know it's going to retain its quality as opposed to the house cues you pick up that are damaged goods.

Finally, it may not affect your performance but having a great looking or unique cue of your own also has a lot of value. You will have something that you feel proud to take out of its case and use. You'll impress friends and onlookers with what you're using. You can make a statement about who you are, how you play and even how well you play by displaying particular styles, models or manufacturers. Your own personal billiards cue and how it looks is just as much a piece of "you" and what you're projecting to the world as anything else. It might not affect your performance, but who knows you could even psyche out an opponent or two when you're wielding that flashy, high performance new model.

As you can see, there are many different pool cue tips and advantages to having your own personal billiards cue. You'll play better, make more improvements and be more consistent. You'll also have something that looks great and becomes a real part of who you are. You will love having the advantage of your own billiards cue no matter where you play or what level you're on.

One of the major decisions you'll have to make when you're ready to buy new billiard cue sticks is what material you want the cue to be made from. The two main options that you will have to choose between are wood cues and fiberglass cues. If you buy your billiard cue sticks from a reputable brand it will be hard to go wrong regardless of what you choose, however you'll find that these materials have different properties and will be available in different price ranges as well.

Fiberglass cues have been gaining some steam in the last few years as more players have been turning to them. They are a cheap and durable alternative to wood cues, and fiberglass or graphite billiard cue sticks have emerged as the only true, viable option outside of pure wood billiard cue sticks. When made properly by a company such as Cuetec, fiberglass cues will be completely resistant to warping and other damage. They will hold up to the test of time, and they will provide a lot of bang for their buck, coming in generally less expensive than mid-range wood cues.

However, the major trade-off that you will be making with a fiberglass cue is that you lose a lot of the fine touch that you enjoy when you use a wood cue. The fiberglass basically dulls the vibrations and feelings that you receive when you strike the ball, so while you won't have any trouble aiming you may have a more difficult time making adjustments. That's why many advanced and highly experienced players avoid fiberglass cues, and instead opt for the refined precision and pinpoint touch that high quality wood billiard cue sticks provide.

For beginners and intermediate players, the difference will probably be somewhat negligible, and the cost savings and durability should more than make up for it. Even many professionals use fiberglass cues once they become used to the difference in touch sensitivity, however upper echelon wood cues are still generally seen as being the best option available at the highest levels.

Of course, just because you purchase a wood cue it doesn't mean that you have to spend a ton of money. While intricately designed cues, featuring extravagant inlays and exotic materials can quickly skyrocket in terms of cost, there are plenty of affordable options that still provide excellent play and performance. Plus, with a wooden stick you will be able to enjoy those inlays featuring different materials whereas with a fiberglass cue you're looking at different colors and designs on the fiberglass itself.

The best wooden pool cues aren't just for performance; they are also unique pieces of art, each one featuring its own characteristics. This is opposed to a fiberglass cue, where every unit off of the production line will be exactly the same, and even good looking cues won't have the level of artistic design or detail that handmade or hand designed wooden cues have.

The bottom line is that different people will prefer different billiard cue sticks. That's the way it has always been and it holds true today as well. For maximum touch and precision, as well as the use of finer materials, a wooden cue is your best bet. To save on some cash and get a high quality stick that will hold up perfectly over time, a fiberglass cue can be a great choice, particularly for beginners and intermediate players.

That is an awesome question. That question has run many people away from improving their game many times in the past. A lot of people just don’t realize how a price tag of a billiard cue stick can affect your shot, and rightfully so, it sounds ridiculous. In this guide to choosing a good quality, well manufactured billiard cue, I will show you the answer to that question, plus many more pool cue tips, that so many people get scared of and run away from without every doing any investigating. Without this investigation, many people are unaware of the opportunity that they are leaving on the table, literally. Either way, it doesn’t cost anything to do research on pool cue tips. If it is something that interests you, well, then it would be considered time well spent.

The price of a billiard cue stick is merely a reflection of the quality that it represents. Different types of woods, butts, tips, and whether it is machine made or handmade, can all add or reduce costs to the manufacturer. The better quality a billiard cue is, well, the more money it is going to be worth. It’s that simple. Now, I understand that doesn’t sound real attractive to you, but this is where it starts benefiting you out on a billiards table, or pool table.

Have you ever noticed that when you see a professional pool player, an amateur pool player, or even a man or woman that just enjoys the game at home, tends to have their own billiard cue stick? It has to be for some reason. Generic pool cues are a dime a dozen, and if you don’t play much, you can pick up a generic billiard stick at your local billiards shop, or even at a large retail show such as Wal-Mart or Target. These are not the type of pool cues that I am talking about. I am referring to the billiard cue sticks that are specially made by some of the big names such as McDermott Pool Cues, Schon Pool Cues, Viking Pool Cues, and CueTec Pool Cues. Each one of these manufacturers makes different styles of pool cues for different ages, or men and women. Each of these manufacturers also makes different billiard cue sticks out of different types of woods and metals. A quality wood/metal pool stick is obviously going to be higher in price, but is also going to be more forgiving to your style of play during a billiards game. With different feels, of the cue, and different weights of cue sticks, you will need to find your personal style of playing, then purchase a pool cue to fit those needs.

The strike on the cue ball before it ever makes contact with any other balls on the table is the first step to a successful shot and if your cue stick is sitting in your hands and you are not comfortable, chances are you are already making it much more tough on yourself than it really has to be. If you are comfortable, you will most likely “feel” good and be able to make a better shot. These higher quality pool cues can give you that edge.

If you ever happen to find yourself inside a pool hall or billiards club… take a moment to look at all the billiard cues that they offer to let just anyone use. You will notice that sometimes the rubber piece at the end of the butt is missing, the cue doesn’t take chalk well, and my favorite, the cue stick is bent. How well do you think you will shoot with a bent billiard cue stick? These higher quality pool cues have parts built in to resist against thing like that (bending, falling apart, etc.). This is another reason why a price tag of a billiard cue stick can affect your shot and understanding the pool cue tips will benefit you.

Chances are, if you have read this far then you are already considering a new, high quality pool stick. As a billiards player myself, I can tell you, the quality of your pool cue definitely makes a big difference. Now that I have been playing for awhile with a good pool cue, if I happen to go out without my personal cue and we end up at a pool table somewhere, I would rather act as a spectator than play with an old generic bar room pool cue. Something that you should know… Although many manufacturers make good quality pool cues, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would be good for your personal style.

Know your style, then research all of the different billiard cue sticks available and once you find the perfect match, then you can come back here and tell me about how much you love you new billiards cue because I guarantee you will see an immediate improvement with your new cue stick!

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Understanding how the weight of a billiard cue sticks affects play and performance will help you figure out the appropriate weight that you should be using. Billiard cue weight certainly isn't a cut and dry, one size fits all debate. More than anything else, it's about personal preference, individual ability and your specific touch and feel. However, there are some standards that you can use to help guide your decision, understand the basics and end up with a perfectly weighted billiard cue sticks for yourself.

The general range for full-size pool cues these days is between 18 ounces and 21 ounces in weight. Different manufacturers and even different makes and models from the same manufacturer will have their own weight within that range. Many pool cues even have weight adjustment abilities which make it easy to add or remove weight in half ounce or ounce increments by unscrewing the butt of the cue.

So the question remains, how does the weight of your billiard cue sticks really affect play and performance? Well, to those who think equipment affects performance in sport, from snooker champions to PartyPoker legends, it's obvious, but it's still worth explaining to those who wonder.  Starting with the most basic information, a heavier cue is going to deliver more force and a stronger impact when you make a shot. This added force also adds more instability and movement to your shot, which can lead to inaccuracy, particularly when you don’t hit your shot perfectly.

That's why professionals and advanced players typically use lighter cues, topping out at 19 or maybe 19.5 ounces. A lighter cue delivers less force, however it will therefore be slightly more accurate. That force can be made up for, and a lighter cue will offer finer control. This includes more than just where you hit the cue ball, but also how fast you make the cue ball move, where you plan to bring the cue ball to after you hit your shot and much more.

One of the big areas that the weight of billiard cue will make a difference in is in the balance of the cue. The largest share of the weight of a cue lays in the butt, and when weight is added or removed from a model its done so on that side. The shaft will be whatever it's going to be. Therefore, as you add or remove weight from a cue you are shifting its balance in terms of its weight distribution and therefore how it feels in your hand.

As mentioned, there is no one "correct" weight for billiard cue sticks, there is only what feels best for individual players. Beginners won't need or truly even be able to manage the more precise control of a very light cue, and therefore heavier sticks are preferable. Once you improve your game, you will want to fine tune your abilities and to do that you'll need a lighter cue.

Whatever weight you ultimately settle on though is a matter of personal preference. Keep in mind that the difference in weight comes from the butt, so pay attention to the balance of the cue and how it feels. Also keep note of the kind of precision you have, and if your shots are going where you want them to.

After playing with different weights you'll soon learn what you prefer and what you play the best with. Remember, you can always keep your options open by buying a pool cue with an adjustable weight system which makes it easy to make your cue as light or heavy as you please depending on how you're feeling at any particular time.

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