Cheap snooker cues can be found throughout the internet, from dedicated online stores to huge outlets selling cheap snooker cues along with a mass of other products, but the question is, are cheap snooker cues worth it?
Some of the best snooker cues I’ve ever played with have been cheap rack cues found in local clubs. At the same time, the best cue I’ve had was a Parris cue, which are by no means cheap.
But lets say your in the market today for a new cue and your budget is tight. Which budget cues should you be looking at?
For me, i’d steer clear of the endorsed cues which have some of the professional players named on them. I personally find most of these cues to have poor playing quality. Centre joined cues and cues with a glossy varnish tend not to play as well.
Now if you go to Ebay, you will find literally thousands of cues to choose from. It’s a difficult minefield of options to choose from, which makes it far more difficult for the perspective buyer to pick a cheap snooker cue.
Complete sets (including 3/4 jointed cue with extensions and case) can be bought for as little as £50. As an experiment last year, i bought one of the Ebay cue sets for £60 from a company named LP cues based in China.
Believe it or not, but this cue was actually a very nice cue. It was lovely and smooth, good joint and played very well. It was clear however, that the ash was poor quality, as it had no arrows etc, but none the less solid. The ebony butt was questionable as i really doubt it was ebony at all.
The extensions are good and i still use them on other cues but the case wasn’t great quality at all.
But was this package worth my $60?
Absolutely!! I played some brilliant snooker with this cue, it looked the part and was well worth my £60. Not only this, but 8 months after buying the cheap snooker cue, i sold it on making a nice profit on it too!!
Cues are very personal. What works for one person, might not work for the next. We all know the story of Stephen Hendry winning 7 world titles playing with a warped cue that he found in a club rack.
Find out what type of cue suits you (weight, length, tip size etc) and don’t be afraid to buy a cheap snooker cue from Ebay, because some are very good quality!!
Ok we know these cues are cheap, but sometimes you get what you pay for. I recommend you take a look at this article from an experienced cue expert at snookercrazy.com who goes analyses a cue.
