If your budget for a new snooker cue is between £50 and £100 then we would consider this to be within a price range that would allow you to get a cue just above the economy cue range. Most cues under this price range will have painted butts with little or no hardwood splices. It is important to realize that the hardwoods in snooker and pool cues are not only for cosmetic reasons but that is also contributes to the feel and balance of the cue. If your budget could stretch to £100 then it would enable you to get a wider choice cue from our cue and case deals that would include a cue, cue case and cue extensions which are now an essential part of most snooker players equipment,

The package above is one of our most popular cue and case deals in this price range. It includes the Lynton hand spliced snooker cue, and good solid case with all the extensions a player will need. For any player who wishes to play with a good quality cue cue without paying very high prices this is certainly one we would recommend. You can see this package and others on our snooker cue and case deals page.

If you already have a case and extensions and do not require a full cue and case package then you will have a bigger range of cues to choose from and simply have to look at the cues in your price range from our website.

A WELL MADE CUE IS NO GOOD WITHOUT A GOOD TIP !

As we have previously mentioned in our coaching DVD’s, the tip is the only part of the cue permitted to strike the cue-ball, so it is one of the most important parts of the cue. There are many different kinds of tips, but we recommend `Blue Diamond` or `Elkmaster`, both are good quality tips which will hold the chalk well, and also `bite` into the cue for the more difficult `Side` and `Backspin` shots.

On many of the cheaper cues, the tips are hard and you will not be able to get the same ball control, so one of the first things you can do to improve your cue action and win more matches is to change the tip. We often get asked for advise on how to do this, so we have included below some simple instructions. There is more then one way to re-tip a cue, some players use `cue clamps`, but beware, some clamps can damage your shaft, and they are not really necessary, so our instructions below does not include them.

1. What you will need; A sharp knife, a piece of sandpaper, some glue. With regards the glue, we supply `Tweetens` tip glue if you prefer, but to be honest, we fit hundreds of tips and use Loctite Super Glue. If you can find the `gel` format it will be easier to apply, and will help avoid putting on too much which might soak into the leather tip and make it harder then it should be.

2. Remove the tip with a sharp knife and rub the top of the ferule with some sandpaper so remove any of the old tip and leave a good surface to apply the new tip to. Try not to use a file in case you file the brass ferrule at an angle.  (See fig’s 1 and 2)

Fig 1 – Cut off tip

Fig 2 – Clean ferule

3. Rub the part of tip you are going to glue (flat part) gently on the sandpaper to make sure it is nice level and clean for glue application.

4. Apply the glue to the top of the ferrule on the shaft, and spread so that it covers the full surface. (See fig’ 3)

Fig 3 – Apply Glue

5. Apply the tip centrally so that part of the tip is overlapping the ferrule. (See fig’ 4)

Fig 4 – Position cue tip

6. Turn upside-down and apply some pressure for about a minute. Do not do this on a good surface like a kitchen top, but on a small piece of wood. The wood will also be useful when we trim the tip later. If you are not in a particular hurry you can leave the tip for a while for the glue to set fully, but it should be okay to trim sooner if needed. Very often we have to trim the tip within a couple of minutes because customers are waiting.

7. Turn the shaft upside down and with the sharp knife cut a slice with the side of the knife against the ferrule. Turn the shaft around very slightly with each cut to take off a small piece at a time. This way the tip will fit your cue perfectly. Be careful not to cut into the shaft or ferrule when trimming tip. (See fig’ 5)

Fig 5 – Cut cue tip

8. Smooth off with the sandpaper and dome to your required (or favoured) shape.  The picture in fig’ 6 below shows the most commonly shaped tip, but some players do play with `mushroom shaped` tips, which leave part of the tip overlapping, similar to fig’ 4.

Fig 6 – Finished cue tip

 You can use sandpaper to shape the tip, or you can buy one of our tip shapers like the one below by clicking here.

Tip file for snooker and pool cues

1. Bill Morgan October 6, 2013 at 3:00 pm

   Hi, I purchased a bluemoon leisure cue plus 57 several years ago. I play in amateur tournaments where I live in  Ontario Canada. Several players have challenged the legality of my using a telescopic cue  in tournaments.  Is there a problem with this in the U.K and more specifically  in Ontario Canada.   BILL

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   1. admin Post authorOctober 6, 2013 at 6:59 pm

      Hi Bill, thanks for the e-mail I shall answer your question to the best of my knowledge. Certainly there are no rules in the U.K that state you are not able to use a telescopic cue at any level or in any tournament. Telescopic cue extensions have long been established within the world Billiard and Snooker Association, in fact to the point where the old style long tackle is no longer even part of the table equipment in major tournaments. Nearly all snooker players use the telescopic table rests and cue extensions that we make and it has been the case for so long now I can not ever see the situation changing. The equipment has been endorsed by the worlds best players and officials alike.

      With regards to pool, I know there are many of our telescopic cues being used worldwide but in particular within my own league in Devon, England. They are just a part of equipment that any player can buy and use so it is not giving any particular player an unfair advantage, they are available to everyone!

      You do not state whether it is snooker or pool tournaments you are playing in so I can not therefore vouch for the particular tournaments in Ontario you are playing in. There are so many different rules for various billiard and pool associations it would not be possible to confirm the legality within them all, but I can say that I am not aware of this equipment being banned within any snooker, Billiard and pool governing body.

      It is the case in nearly all modern day sports that new technology has changed the way equipment is made. From Athletics to Tennis to Golf, although it has to be said Golf is bringing in a ban on the `Long Putter` some time in the future. They have made it known in advance though, so if I were you unless there is a rule the players can quote to say otherwise in the tournaments you play in I would carry on using the Cueplus57 and use it to good effect and win as many matches as possible.

      Let us know if you win any tournaments with it! Good Luck, Rob

The main difference between a machine spliced cue and a hand-spliced cue is simply the way they are built. 

The cue on the left is a Machine Spliced cue, and though it might have some decorative splices, it is a solid piece of wood, normally Rosewood, Mahogany, or Ebony.  You will see that the ends of the splices are pointed where the machine has cut it. Note; I am referring to the black ebony wood and not the splices and veneers below which are hand-spliced on to the machine spliced butt.

They are not so time consuming to produce so they are not as expensive as Hand-Spliced cues.  Never-the-less, top players have been seen on the T.V. playing with Machine Spliced cues.

The cue maker often uses more exotic timbers to enhance the appearance of Hand-Spliced cues, though it must be said that it won’t make you play any better.

A Hand-Spliced cue is made from several different layers (or splices) which are individually glued to the cue.  Some of these splices can be quite thin, so you can imagine, it is a more skilled and time consuming job, which is reflected in the cost.  

You can see from the cue on  the left that it is a Hand-Spliced cue because the tops of the splices are rounded and not pointed.  Many imported cues that have this feature and are not expensive are sometimes painted in a style of a hand-spliced cue. The quality and feel of a painted butt can not be compared with a true Hand-Spliced cue.

On our website we sell some hand-spliced cues for under £50 and some for over £150. Why such a difference in price? One is that there might be cheaper materials used in the manufacture. Not only in the hardwoods that might be used, but also in the quality of the ash in the shaft. Let’s be honest as well and say that some of the cheaper manufacturers in China will also produce cheaper cues because of labour costs. Do not think that `all` hand-spliced cues are better (or will make you play better) then `all` machine spliced cues. Some machine spliced cues may in fact be made from better quality timbers then cheaper hand-spliced cues. It is definitely true to say that in some cases machine spliced cues are made better then some hand-spliced cues so will in fact perform better.