Billiards cue weight
Your pool cue weighs 540 g (or 19 oz). We cannot guarantee the exact weight of your billiards cue. We must allow for a margin of 10% since the density of wood varies (even within the same timber species) depending on the forest, its exposure to sunlight and the section used (truck, crown, treetop).
Cue dimensions
The BC 500 UK/SNK is 145 cm long (57 in): this is the most common billiards cue length. Its length helps you adopt the right stance while shooting.
For longer shots, you can add an extension on the cue's butt end with the fastener to get an extra 10 cm. This lets you extend your billiards cue from 145 cm to 155 cm in just a few seconds.
Billiards cue balance point
Your billiards cue has a 43 cm balance, which means that the balance point is 43 cm from the butt end.
If you're using an open bridge, the balance point should be in front of your grip hand, if not, the cue will raise up off your bridge.
The balance point is generally of low importance, except if players have a personal preference.
The further away the barycentre, the heavier it will feel. A closer barycentre will make your cue feel lighter.
Why can't we guarantee the straightness of our billiards cues?
All of our billiards cues are manufactured. Straightness is checked individually, cue by cue, as they leave the factory. Nevertheless, changes in temperature and humidity during the transportation, storage and selling stages can affect their straightness over time.
This consistency problem affects all billiards cues on the market, at least all wooden cues (maple, ash, poplar, ramin).
Why ash?
Ash is a particularly solid, robust wood. It's therefore a great option for manufacturing thin shafts that are better suited to the size of the white ball in blackball.
Traditionally, snooker and English billiards cues have been made from ash because it was (and still is) a common wood species in Europe. While originally due to the accessibility of the raw material, this manufacturing choice for English billiards cues has remained the same.
Ash: physical properties and technical information
Ash has a density of 0.68, a hardness of Monnin >5 and is categorized as a semi-hard wood.
This species has a breaking stress of 51 MPa and a static flex of 113 MPa. Its Young's modulus is 12,900 MPa. These are average measurements that can be consulted, for example, on the CIRAD reference site.
Ash is a solid, robust wood whose characteristics make it the perfect choice for manufacturing billiards cues.
How to maintain your billiards cue
Your billiards cue is made from wood and is therefore sensitive to changes in temperature and moisture. That's why our team recommends that you store it in a dedicated case or cover, or store it vertically in a cue rack. Do not lean it against a wall, this may cause it to warp.
DID YOU KNOW?You need to maintain the tip of your pool cue.
After some time, your tip may become unglued, but don't worry! Repetitive impacts with the ball cause wear on your billiards cue.
You just need to change the tip, which is very easy: 1/ Remove the worn tip
2/ Rough up the new tip with sandpaper
3/ Glue on the new tip
4/ Work the new tip with a Stanley knife
Our product engineer goes more in depth on our support page.
Why is the cue jointed?
Your pool cue unscrews into 2 parts halfway down the shaft to make it easier to transport.
The reinforced steel joint provides high-quality tightening and masks the impression that you are playing with a 2-part cue.
And with its quick screw thread, you can assemble and disassemble your cue in just 4 turns.
What's the purpose of the bumper on the butt end?
The heel of the butt (the part that you place on the ground!) is made of rubber: no chance of damaging the cue or the floor when waiting to take your next shot!
Tip from the team: how to make a hand bridge
Successful billiards shots start with a proper hand position. It's called the "bridge". There are many different hand positions you can use depending on your shot or the layout of the balls on the felt. Nicolas Henric, coach for France Blackball (English billiards) teams and Maeva Brionne, international player, explain how to make a billiards bridge
What is snooker?
It is played with 22 balls: 15 red balls and 6 coloured balls.The snooker table is the largest billiards table, measuring 3.80 m long and 1.80 m wide. And to make things even harder, the pockets are small. Very small. As you have probably guessed, accuracy is the key to this game. Good to know: score points by playing defence! Want to find out more?Go to our website.
What is blackball (English billiards)?
It's definitely the most compact billiards game. Also called blackball, pool or eight ball, this game is played with 7 red balls, 7 yellow balls and 1 black balls.How do you win?Players must pocket all of their balls and then lastly the black ball. This sport is known for its defensive, strategic play.
To find out more about this sport, go to our website.