Length

Remember that 99% of cues are mass produced and that they are made to a certain length because that's how the machines are set up. Not because the law states that you must use this length!

We are all different shapes and sizes, so the 'standard' length may not feel comfortable to all of us. Think about buying a pair of trousers - the average leg size may be 32" but what about the rest of us? Either taller or shorter. The principle here is - get what feels comfortable to you.

The average length is around 57"-58" but I have been asked to make cues longer than this. However, I don't recommend going longer because a cue is already quite long and thin and, although it might not sound much, just an extra 1" can make a cue feel much whippier and less solid.

You can easily go much shorter and I have made many cues as short as 53"-54". There is a school of thought that says that a shorter cue feels more compact and helps with a better 'touch' around the pack. But others say they struggle with long pots. I blame the cue action… :)

Try to keep an open mind and don't listen if someone tries to tell you that your cue is too short. If you like the feel of it then it is right for you. End of story.

As a general guide, some people say that the cue should be around shoulder height. But there are other factors to consider here, mainly your arm length. If you have longer arms than average then your reach will be longer than average, and vice versa. You could be tall but with short arms and so the distance between your bridge and the hand that holds the cue butt will be shorter than 'expected'.

Length Summary

Try to stick within the 'standard' lengths, it will be easier/cheaper to find a cue! When all is said and done, you can easily adjust the position where you hold the cue butt or increase/decrease the length of your bridge to suit your body and get the cue 'feeling' the right length.
However, if you really feel you need it different then it is not a problem. You must feel happy with your cue, so have it longer/shorter if that's what you really want.

Tip size

Like everything else, there are no hard and fast rules here. But there are general guidelines, and it is probably best to stick to them...

Snooker - I have to say that the most commonly requested size, and my personal preference, is 9.5mm. I particularly like this size because I use a 10mm tip, which fits perfectly for a nice 'mushroom' effect.

However, most people still prefer to have the tip fitted flush to the ferrule and 9.5mm is a good size, not too small and not too big.

9mm is as small as you need to go but I know of many players who use even smaller tips. But remember that snooker balls are quite heavy, and the smaller tip you have, the less wood you have, so you will increase the chances of the wood under the ferrule breaking.

Going the other way, 10mm is plenty big enough for those who prefer a 'full size' tip. You can go bigger of course, but I'm not sure there is any benefit.

8-Ball English Pool - 8.5mm is my preference for 8-ball pool, but you can get away with even smaller tips because the balls are much smaller and lighter, so there is less strain on the wood under the ferrule.

But you really don't need to go less than 8.5mm and you are only risking damage over time by going smaller.

9-Ball American Pool - For 9-ball you need around 12-13mm, some even use 14mm.

The balls are much larger and heavier and you need a bit of 'meat' at the tip to handle them.

You may get away with a smaller tip in the short term but over time, a 12mm tip is probably as small as you want to go.

Tip Summary

If you have a good cue action, and cue the ball well, you can play the full range of shots with virtually any tip size.
But if you stick between 9-10mm for snooker, 8.5-9mm for 8-ball, 12-13mm for 9ball, you won't go far wrong.

Weight

Most snooker and pool cues today weigh between 17-19oz and anywhere in between will be fine.

However, there are some cues, generally butt jointed, that weigh 20oz or more, and a lot of the older, mainly one piece cues, weigh slightly less at between 16-17oz.

Players today generally ask for a little more weight. That's not to say that 16oz is too light, it's just that most players prefer it a bit heavier.

Having a heavy cue can help give the cue a 'more powerful' feel. The fact is that you don't need to swing a heavy cue as fast to play a power shot because the weight helps the momentum. Power = mass x velocity. This is a basic law of Physics.

But power without control is useless and you may find it difficult to control those 'touch' shots in and around the pack with a cue that is too heavy.

The key is to strike a balance and not blame your cue's weight, either too light or too heavy, on your lack of cue power/cueball control.

As always, this is down to your cue action. I know of at least two extremely good players with phenomenal cue power, who use cues that weigh between 15-16oz!

I have to say that I believe this is a little light for the majority of players but it goes to prove that it is not the weight of cue itself that will give you cue power.

Probably a more important consideration than just the actual weight of a cue is the balance of a cue, i.e. how the weight is distributed.

Let me give you an example - you can have two identical cues, both weighing, say, 17oz but they will 'feel' completely different when playing shots due to the balance being different. One may be butt heavy and the other may have a forward balance.

Two piece (centre join) cues tend to be balanced well forward, sometimes more than 19", due to the fact that there is a metal weight (the join) halfway up the shaft.

Weight Summary

Like everything else about cues, there is no right or wrong. You may prefer the feel of weight in your hand and like a butt heavy cue, or you may prefer to feel more weight on your bridge and like forward weighted cues.
Either way, it's not just the weight alone that makes the difference, it's the balance as well.

Butt size

The butt size is the diameter of the butt at the end of the cue, the thickest part.

The way you grip your cue butt is THE most important factor in achieving cue power and control.

You should always grip the cue lightly and this is possibly easier to achieve with a slimmer butt which is probably why players tend to prefer slimmer butts nowadays.

The average size of a mass produced cue is probably around 29.5-30mm. You might think that 0.5 mm does not sound like much but believe me, it feels very different when holding the cue and playing a shot.

I have been asked to make cues thicker than 30mm, and you will find that older one piece cues have fairly thick butts, sometimes as thick as 32mm or 33mm. There's nothing wrong with that, and if that's what you prefer then go for it. But it's a fact that most players prefer a slimmer butt these days.

I think that 28mm is about as slim as you need to go but I have made cues with 27mm or less butt sizes.

28.5mm - 30mm are the sizes I get asked for most, and you should realise that, like the balance point, the butt size can make identically weighted cues 'feel' different. A slimmer butt may 'feel' heavier because the butt of a slim cue is denser than a thicker cue, i.e. the weight per square inch is more. Another physical fact.

Butt Size Summary

When you pick up a cue, it should feel immediately comfortable in your hand. If it does not 'feel' right for you, try something a bit different next time.
Do not listen to someone else telling you the butt is too fat or too thin. If you like it, you like it. Simple as that.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it is 'all in the mind'. A good player can pick up any cue and play reasonably well with it.
In time, you will get to know the sizes you feel most comfortable with.
If possible, stick to standard sizes because you will have much more choice.

Finally, if you really want to improve your game, don't worry so much about sizes but pay attention to how you grip the cue - it is the key to cueball control and cue power!