Who are the best snooker cue makers in the world? It’s an interesting question to pose.
Ultimately, the answer is going to depend on what you’re looking for. Even the professionals don’t all use the same brand of cue.
However, your choice will also depend on how seriously you’re playing the game.
Professionals may well spend thousands getting what they feel is the best cue for them (which might include several customisations).
Meanwhile, if you’re only playing friends down at the club once a fortnight, you’ll probably want a much more affordable cue.
That means the best snooker cue makers for you will depend on your preferences AND your budget!
Here are our picks for the best snooker cue makers around at the moment for different types of players.
Best Snooker Cue Makers For Professionals: John Parris
This pick will come as no surprise to the vast majority of professional players. John Parris cues are still one of the most popular choices of cue makers for the top professionals.
In fact, we estimate that around 50-60% of players on the pro circuit use a John Parris cue.
That’s pretty significant given the wide choice of cue makers available to professionals.
Of course, many are using custom-made cues, but John Parris allow anyone buying their cues to customise the length, weight, tip size, ferrule type, and much more in order to get the perfect cue.
As you might expect, this all comes at a cost, with the cheapest cues still costing around £500!
Still, what you get for that is pure quality. John Parris himself hand selects the wood that is used and there are strict manufacturing standards throughout.
Founded in 1984, John Parris has been making cues for the world’s best professionals (include the likes of Steve Davis, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan) for decades.
For that reason, they are a pretty safe pick as the best snooker cue brand for professional players.
Best Snooker Cue Makers For Amateurs: Peradon
Don’t get us wrong, there are lots of well-known premium snooker cue makers other than John Parris.
Any one of them could have been a contender for our best snooker brand for amateurs.
However, we’ve opted for Peradon cues because of their combination of quality and value.
A good Peradon cue will set you back around £200-£300. Naturally, if you have dreams of making it onto the pro circuit, you may prefer to opt for a more premium cue brand.
However, if by ‘amateur’ you mean you play a few amateur tournaments but your dreams of hitting the pro circuit are long gone, a Peradon offers a good compromise between quality and price.
- A truly unique and beautiful 2 piece cue made in the UK by Peradon that features an Ash butt with a matching Ash shaft - measures 58"
- 58" 2 piece matching Ash snooker cue; Full Ash cue - butt and shaft are made from 1 piece of premium North American Ash; Silky smooth shaft
- Real Rosewood front splice; Genuine Plum and Sycamore veneers; Brass ferrule - 9.5mm Elkmaster leather stick-on tip
The other benefit is that they are readily available, so you don’t have to join a waiting list to get your ideal cue.
As a cue brand, Peradon is very well-known and respected in the industry. In fact, it’s been around since 1885 – pretty much the same time the game was invented!
That means you’re getting over a century of experience and a high quality cue at a very reasonable price.
Best Snooker Cue Makers For Hobbyists: PowerGlide
Our pick as one of the best snooker cue makers for people who consider playing snooker as just a hobby, is PowerGlide.
Let’s fact facts, you’re unlikely to ever see a professional yielding a PowerGlide cue. They are very much what you might consider an ‘entertainment’ brand.
That said, they are a very well-known brand and have a wide range of options to suit virtually any budget.
That makes them a solid choice as the best snooker cue makers for people who take the game less seriously, but still want a decent cue at a fair price.
- FOR ANY PLAYER: this beautifully made Ash shaft with a hardwood butt and attractive decal design.
- THE CUE: 2 piece cue, Ash shaft and hardwood butt with decal design, The cue measures approximately 145cm (shaft length 72cm excluding the protruding male joint, butt length measures approximately 72cm), Cue weights available 18oz and 19oz
- THE TIP: High grade monolayer 10mm natural leather tip
As a brand, PowerGlide have been making cues for over 50 years, so you get a certain level of reassurance that the cue you select is well made and will stand the test of time.
As with any cue though, the more you spend, the better the quality tends to be. Even with a brand like PowerGlide, you can’t spend £30 on a cue and expect it to perform and last for years to come.
However, they are perfectly suitable for the majority of hobbyists who perhaps only play snooker with friends once every week or two.
Best Snooker Cue Makers For Beginners: CUESOUL
We like to throw something into the mix that many people wouldn’t have considered here at Snooker Expert. This pick as our best snooker cue makers for beginners is one good example of this.
This isn’t the best snooker cue brand on the market, yet it also isn’t the cheapest. So why exactly is it our top pick for beginners?
To answer that, you need to look at the overall package. They do some great value combination kits that help to fully kit out any beginner with everything they need.
You’ll get a pretty good quality cue no matter which option you choose.
But, you can also choose various packages that add things like a case, cloth, mini-butt, extension, and other bits and pieces you probably need if you’re just starting out.
- Price include VAT
- 3/4 Jointed Snooker Cue:Weight 18oz;57 inch;9.5 mm Cue Glue on Tip
- Walnut Butts with Four Splices and Maple Veneers + Front Burl/Maple/Kempas Splice Decorated
Naturally, you don’t want to spend a fortune until you’ve completely fallen in love with the game. CUESOUL gives you the opportunity to get good quality equipment without breaking the bank.
That’s why they are our pick for the best snooker cue brand for beginners.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Figuring out who the best snooker cue makers are for your particular needs is only one part of the equation to finding a good cue.
Even once you’ve chosen a brand, you’ll still need to consider a number of other factors to find the best cue for you. Here are some other commonly asked questions about snooker cues.
Who is the best cue maker?
The best cue maker for you depends on a number of factors, not least how seriously you’re taking the game and what your budget is.
We’ve picked John Parris as the best cue maker for professionals, Peradon as the best cue maker for amateurs, PowerGlide as the best cue maker for hobbyists, and CUESOUL as the best cue maker for beginners.
There are many people who say the choice of your cue isn’t that important. That’s partly true. A top quality cue won’t turn a bad player into a good one, and a bad quality cue won’t turn a top player into a bad one.
However, the cue can impact your game on a more subtle level. In particular, it can affect your confidence.
For that reason, it’s always best to get the best quality cue you can afford. Not only might it give you a psychological edge, it might last longer too.
What cues do the top snooker players use?
We estimate that around 50-60% of the world’s top snooker players use John Parris cues.
While there are many other good snooker cue makers, John Parris cues appear to remain the dominant choice among professionals. That indicates they still command a lot of trust and respect at the highest levels of the game.
Does that mean they are worth the price tag? That all depends on your attitude to cost and how much you’re playing the game.
If you’re participating in tournaments and dream of making it on the professional circuit, you may well be able to justify spending upwards of £500 to get a good John Parris cue.
What brand of snooker cue does Ronnie O’Sullivan use?
Ronnie O’Sullivan has been known to use a John Parris cue as well as a Hunt & Osborne cue.
Typically, Ronnie will use a cue around 58.25 inches long and weighing 18.3 ounces.
However, it’s important to note that the choice of cue is very much a personal one. The size is dictated by your height and how you prefer to hold the cue. The weight should be dictated by your preference for shot types with heavier cues favouring those who like more power in their shots.
How much is a decent snooker cue?
A decent snooker cue can cost anything from £100 to £1,000 or more. It all depends on what you define as ‘decent’.
For instance, what is considered ‘decent’ to an average club player might not be considered ‘decent’ to an elite professional.
We would say that around £100 is probably the minimum to spend if you want a decent cue that will last for several years as you improve. If you already consider yourself a good player, you might need to spend upwards of £400 to get a cue you consider ‘decent’.
However, if you’re just starting out, don’t feel you HAVE to spend £100+ to get a decent cue. There are many good quality cues for under £100 that will be decent enough to get started playing the game!
Does a good snooker cue make a difference?
Ah the old debate, does a good snooker cue make a difference? Can it make you a better player?
Some people say a good cue will lift your game, others say any half-decent cue is fine, everything else is down to practice and technique.
In truth, both are probably correct. There is a minimum standard of cue you need.
It needs to be perfectly straight and retain its shape. It needs to be nicely weighted and feel smooth while cueing.
However, for most people, any decent quality cue will do this. The benefits of upgrading to an expensive, professional-level cue is far outweighed by the cost. You’re talking a marginal gain in performance for a significant increase in budget.
Yet, professionals will happily spend thousands getting the perfect snooker cue crafted. Why? Because their career comes down to fine margins.
Each frame can be won or lost on the slightest mistake. If that frame is the deciding frame of a World Championship final – paying top dollar for the best cue available makes perfect sense.
But, for most people, the game isn’t about fine margins. Most people have more to gain by improving their technique than they do from improving their equipment.
What are professional snooker cues made of?
It’s estimated that around 95% of professional snooker cues are now made of ash wood. The remaining 5% is made up mostly of maple, a wood that is more commonly seen used in pool cues.
Why is ash wood so dominant? It’s the perfect balance of density and weight.
Ash isn’t so heavy that it knocks the relatively light snooker balls flying off the table, yet it’s not so light that getting any significant reaction from the cue ball is tough.
Plus, ash is very hard-wearing. It will last for many years, despite being thrust at hard snooker balls day in, day out! Though, of course, only if you take proper care of it!
The good news is that it’s not just professional snooker cues that tend to be made of ash. Most snooker cues you can buy online or in-store are also made of ash.
Sure, there are variations in quality among the different priced cues, but the type of qood remains the same as the one the professionals tend to use.
Do snooker cues have to be made of wood?
No. Snooker cues do not have to be made of wood. Some modern variations include fibreglass and graphite. However, wooden cues, in particular ash wood, is still by far the most common.
The most important factor is ensuring you feel comfortable playing with your chosen cue.
How long does a snooker cue last?
A good quality snooker cue should last a lifetime if properly cared for. That means replacing the tip regularly and oiling or waxing the shaft from time to time to keep the moisture in the wood and prevent warping or cracking.
When cared for in this way, it’s not unknown for snooker cues to still play relatively well after more than 100 years!
Of course, for a cue to last this long you need to start off with a good quality cue in the first place. A cheap low quality cue might only last months, or a few years at best.
Is a lighter snooker cue better?
A lighter snooker will be better for some players than it is for others.
A lighter cue makes it easier to play delicate shots, while heavier cues help generate more power and can also make it slightly easier to cue in a straight line.
Typically, people who already have a good cue action and tend to cue smoothly and accurately will get on well with a lighter cue. Those who are still perfecting their cue action will find a heavier cue easier.
What is the heaviest snooker cue?
While there is no maximum weight, the heaviest snooker cue you’ll find is likely to be around 19-20 ounces.
A heavier cue is well suited when you don’t yet fully trust your cue action and want to feel a bit more security in your shots. However, some players just prefer heavier cues with top players like Barry Hawkins known to favour a heavier cue.
What is the best weight for a snooker cue?
The best weight for a snooker cue is an entirely personal thing. Some prefer lighter cues around 17-18 ounces as they provide more control over finesse shots.
Others prefer heavier cues around 18-19 ounces (or higher!) as they provide more stability during cueing and make it easier to generate power.
Many people will decide the best weight for them is somewhere in the middle, giving a good mix of control over delicate shots but more power and stability than the ligher cues.
