Best Pool Cues (Reviews)

Is your current pool cue letting you down? Are you looking to upgrade to a more serious cue that can help you perform to the best of your abilities or even more? Or maybe you're eyeing for a brand new cue.

Whatever be the case, I can help. You see, I have been playing pool for over a decade and have competed in a couple of APC leagues as well. Over time I've tried and played with all sorts of cues from $10 ones to $5000 custom cues. Some of them were exceptionally good, but most of them did not justify the price and were poorly made.

I would be honest - Choosing a pool cue is an extremely personal decision. A cue which feels right in your hand and compliments your playing style can do wonders for you.

But the question is, how do you find a cue like that? If you're a beginner or an intermediate level player, I strongly suggest choosing a middle-of-the-road option which offers a fine balance between performance and control. As you develop as a player, you can fine-tune the cue as per your liking.

Without further ado, here are the best pool cues out there. Check them out.

After trying and playing with over two dozen cues, I feel the Players C-960 is the best cue for most players. The cue offers excellent all-round playability letting you play controlled and accurate the shots while still being reasonably priced. This cue is a no-brainer for any starter or intermediate level player.

Best Pool Cues For Beginners & Intermediates

I have been playing billiards for well over 10 years. When I started, warped cues, joints busting open or cracked cues were a common sight. But over the years, the quality of the cues has vastly improved to a point where it's hard to choose a bad one these days.

Nowadays, it's all about choosing a cue which compliments your playing style. But how do you know that? There are millions of cues across every price point, making it difficult to make the right selection. This is where I come in.

To help you out with the selection process, I have laid down this buyer's guide highlighting exactly what elements you need to consider.

Types of Cues

Broadly all the cues can be grouped into three categories:

1) Professional cues - Used by professional players; such cues can cost anywhere from $500 to $2000+.

2) Intermediate cues (max value) - Great starter cues to learn the ropes of the game. Ideal cue for beginners and serious players. Offers maximum value and can cost anywhere from $80 to $500.

3) House cues - These are the cues you find at the bars and clubs. They are cheap (less than $30) and are usually one-piece with no fancy inlays.

There is a huge difference in the performance across the three categories. Professional cues are more accurate and precise and let you put an extreme amount of spin on the ball. They also come with fancy inlays and a better grip. Most cues in the category come with low deflection shafts (more on this below).

Intermediate cues are ideal for most players. They do a pretty decent job in every aspect. However, you might struggle with putting a precise spin on the ball.

House cues are good enough for casual games with family and friends. But if you’re any serious about pool, avoid them at all cost.

How much Should you Spend on a Cue?

As you would already know, pool cues come in all sorts of price ranges from twenty dollars to a couple of thousand dollars. As far as cues are concerned, a higher price means better quality holds true till a certain point only. Beyond that, you're paying just for the aesthetics parts, not for added performance.

Having said that buying a cue is more of a solid investment which is going to last for many years to come. The cue isn't something that degrades over time; on the contrary, it gets better. So, it's a good idea to get a better-quality cue rather settling for something average.

If it's your first cue, a sub $100 cue is an excellent option. More serious players can opt for a high-performance cue under $200.

The difference in the pricing of the cues primarily comes from the material used. The quality of the shaft, tip, joints, wrap and finishing all accounts to the pricing.

Functionality

In pool broadly there are three types of strokes: Jump, break and your typical playing shots.

As jumping and breaking are specialized shots, you need a specific type of cue. It's not recommended to Jumping or break with your playing cue. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the performance isn't the same as the specialized cues, and secondly, you might end up damaging the playing cue.

I've covered how to choose a jump and break cue in a separate guide. You can find the link below:

1. Choosing a Jump cue
2. Choosing a Break cue

Simple or Ornate

This is more of a personal choice and does not impact performance. Some players like cues with exotic designs with fancy inlays while others like to keep it simple. It boils down to personal preference.

Some players feel more confident playing with a fancier cue, but it's more of a psychological thing. Then there are few who use it as a scare tactic.

Low Deflection – Do You Really Need One?

Low deflection simply means the deviation of the cue ball from the stick line whenever you use sidespin. This happens only for off-centre shots whenever you use left or right sidespin. For centre hits, you would not see any deflection no matter what type of cue you use. The reason this happens is that for all off-centre shots, some part of the force is still applied at a side angle resulting in deflection. To curb this effect, manufacturers have come with low deflection shafts which are very stiff and produce low vibration.

Professional cues produce the least deflection, intermediate cues produce slightly more, and house cues produce the most.

You might wonder how does it impact the play? Well, with high deflection cues, you would find it difficult to hit accurately and struggle at getting the cue ball at your preferred position after the shot. Within all the options, always choose the one which produces the least deflection.

Also, there is nothing like zero deflection cues, and all cues would produce at least some amount of deflection.

Factors To Look For

Next, let's look at individual items that make the cue and how they impact the performance. 

Broadly a cue consists of a cue tip, ferrule, shaft, shaft taper, joint, butt, wrap and a rubber bumper. Each of these elements interact with one another and ultimately decides how the cue performs and feels. Out of all, the cue tip and shaft are the most important. You also need to consider the overall weight, balance point and length of the cue, but that's more of a preference.

In the next section, we'll be discussing in details about each of them.

1) Cue Tip

A cue tip is the only part of the cue that actually makes contact with the ball, so obviously, this plays a very crucial role. Your control on the ball, accuracy, or how much spin you can put on the ball, more or less depends on the tip. A well scuffed and shaped cue results in maximum contact with the cue ball, helping you achieve the desired stroke.

Cue tips come in varying degree of hardness from hard to soft. The most commonly used material is leather, but lately, phenolic tips are also catching up. A softer tip gives you a better feel and allows you to put more English on the ball. However, softer tips mushroom out easily and need regular maintenance. On the other hand, a harder tip gives you more power in your shots, but you have to compromise on the control part.

Generally, professional players prefer harder tips. For beginners and intermediate level players, it's best to stick with a medium-hard cue tip as it lets you experience both control and power.

11 to 14 mm diameter is the legal range of cue tips, but most players tend to use 12 to 13mm tip.

Note: Cue tips are easily replaceable, so even if the cue does not come with the tip of your liking, you can always replace it. 

Summary: Softer tip gives you more control while a harder tip gives you more power. For most players, a medium-hard tip would work out perfectly.

2) Shaft

The shaft is the section below tip and ferrule. It's generally made out high-grade North American maple. The diameter of the shaft plays a vital role in deciding how comfortable you're with the cue. Most cues come with 12 to 13 mm diameter shaft. I personally recommend using a 12.75mm diameter shaft. 

Thinner shafts allow to put more English on the ball but are difficult to control. Bigger shafts are easier to control but struggle to put English on the ball.

If you have smaller hands, choose a thinner shaft as it would be easier and more convenient to create a bridge. 

Summary: Look for 12 to 13mm shaft.

3) Shaft Taper

Taper simply refers to the special shape of the shaft. Traditional cue shafts are conical, but a tapered shaft is straight till a point before bulging out.

Shaft with 10 to 15-inch taper is referred to as Pro-table. However, not all cues come with a pro-taper but still mention it in their product description. Pro-taper is especially helpful when playing with a closed bridge. 

So, a 12-inch pro taper on a 12.75mm shaft means from the tip to 12-inch below, the shaft remains straight at 12.75mm. After which the shaft bulges out towards the joints. Long taper results in more flex while shorter taper is stiffer and firmer.

Summary: Look for at least 12mm taper.

4) Joint Structure

The shaft and butt are connected together by the joint. It's also the most fragile parts of the cue and is always under stress. So, you would need to look for a cue with high-quality joints, preferably made of steel.

Broadly there are two types of joints: wood to wood and metal collar joints. Wood joints have a softer feel, and it gives good feedback while metal joints are stiff and direct. Durability wise metal joints are far better than the wood joints.

Metal joints come in varying pin size. 5/16 and uni-loc are the most common and popular. Given an option always choose uni-loc as it's a universal joint and you can easily upgrade your shaft or butt later on.

5) Joint Collar

The joint collar is the circular ring just below the joint. Its primary role is to absorb the shocks and prevent the joint from bursting open. The collars are generally made of stainless steel or implex.

Stainless steel is better and is commonly used in costlier cues while you'll find implex collars on intermediate quality cues.

6) Butt

A butt is a lot like a handle of the knife. No matter how good your knife is, if the handle isn't right, it wouldn't feel right. Similarly, how the cue feels in your hand depends on the butt. The thickness of the butt and the wrap decides how comfortable your grip is.

Smaller hands would not be comfortable holding larger butt and vice versa. The butt also affects the balance point of the cue.

A rubber bumper is attached to the bottom section of the cue. It safeguards the cue from any damage during accidental fall. Also, adjustable weights to increase/decrease the weight of the cue are put right below the bumper.

7) Wrap

Besides the aesthetic factor, the material of the wrap decides how comfortable you're holding the cue.

Broadly there are three types of wrapping material: Irish linen, nylon and leather. If you sweat excessively its best to buy a cue with Irish linen wrap. On the other hand, leather gives a smoother and natural feel. And if you're old school like me, you can always opt for no wrap. The feel of the natural wood is nothing like the artificial wraps.

8) Cue length

Cue come in varying length from 38" to as long as 66". But most common cues are in the range of 57" to 60".

One-piece cues which you generally find at bars measure 57" while two-piece cues are mostly 58" long (29" shaft and butt). Taller players usually play with 60" + cues while 38" to 42" cue is ideal for junior players.

9) Weight

There is no correct weight of the cue. Some like their cue to be heavy while some like it to be lighter. That said, most cues are 17 to 22 ounce in weight. Heavier cues allow for more power strokes but might be difficult to control and are easy to miscue. Lighter cues are easier to control but require you to use your arm strength to generate the required power.

19 to 19.50 ounce is an ideal weight for beginners as it gives a fine balance between control and power.

10) Balance Point

The cues can be top-heavy, bottom-heavy or completely balanced. To check the balance point of the cue, place the cue on your two fingers around the collar joint. If the cue bends forward, its tip heavy. If it bends backwards its butt heavy, otherwise it's balanced.

This is more of a personal preference, but most players prefer tip-heavy cues.