What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a wood pool stick vs a fiberglass pool stick?

Question

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a wood pool stick vs a fiberglass pool stick?

I plan on buying a pool stick around the price of 20-30 dollars and I was wondering if there are any advantages or disadvantages betweeb wood and fiberglass pool sticks

Answer 1

Wood has a much better feel when you hit the ball.  Fiberglass doesn't warp.  I carry a walmart fiberglass in my trunk, but if I know I am going to play in a tournament, I bring my wood Meucci.  Actually, for the price, the fiberglass is a much better buy.  I only play about 2% better with my Meucci, if even that.  I don't like the feel of the fiber, but it plays well.

My advice:  start out with a fiberglass.  I used sandpaper to scuff the shaft and keep it from sticking on my hand.  The shaft will look horrible, but it plays much better if it is sanded lightly.  I changed the tip on my cheapy walmart.  Go to a pool supply store and get the soft tip for about $1 and use that tip on your cheapy.  It makes a difference.  

If you start winning a few "B" tournaments, you can then figure out if you like wood better.

Answer 2

Fiberglass is lighter, won't wear down as easy or break/splinter. Disadvantage... more expensive.

Answer 3

The only good thing I can say about fiberglass cues is that they won't warp.

You can pick up a basic McDermott cue for well under $100.00.  Wood strokes better and feels more comfortable than any other cue. It will be better balanced and can vary in weight, and you can add and detract weight(s) from a wooden cue.

Answer 4

One thing that I didn't see mentioned, is that most of the cues I've seen in the 20-30 dollar range have s***w on tips.  s***w on tips = junk.  Don't do it.  You'll just end up throwing it away in a couple of months.  if you really want to get a cue there are a few decent ones in the $60 - $80 by people and companies that make pool cues, not companies that make sports equipment and decided to come out with a pool cue.

four things to look at when buying a cue:

1.  The Tip, is it a s***w on? if yes go to the next cue in line.

2.  The Ferule, this is the piece the tip attaches to, is it cheap plastic?  I saw a play kit you could get when with sticks balls racks etc, it came with spare ferules, Junk!  cheap plastic ferule, go to next stick.  in over 20 years of playing and breaking with my own sticks, I've only broken ONE ferule, and it was Ivory.

3.  The Shaft.  Look at the grain of the wood in the shaft, is there a line that runs all the way up from the bottom to the middle of the top?  Cheap cues will sometimes have a grain that cuts all the way across a stick.  If the stick fails catastrophicly, this will be where, then you have firewood.

4.  The joint, this is where the stick attaches together.  is it a good tight connection?  does the stick feel like a single piece once it's put together. or does it seem a little wobbly at the joint?

One more thing on the difference between wood and fiberglass.  Wood is more forgiving of misuse and abuse.  I watched as someone didn't set their cue well against a table and it fell down as they were racking, the fiberglass cracked down the lenght of the shaft when the cue hit the floor.  That and I've tried a couple of fiberglass cues that people I know had, I just didn't like the way the felt in my hands.  They didn't seem balanced particularly well, and seemed to drag on my hand more than my wood sticks.  I own 7 sticks, ranging in price paid from $70 - over $800.  They all play as good or better than the day I bought them.  How could they play better?  New tips, I'm using Moori Medium on all the sticks I have except my breaker and jump cue.  I still have hard tips on those.

Answer 5

If I were you I'd save up another 20 bucks and get yourself a Players brand cue. I usually don't recommend a certain cue to anyone because it is such a personal choice, but for 30 bucks your just getting a piece of junk , really. For another 20 bucks a Players cue would be a whole lot better. As far as fiberglass sticks go I've never used one but all I've ever heard is bad things about them as far as a good hit goes.

Answer 6

as long as you are not planning to play "roadhouse" with it, there are no real differences between the two, other than appearance., and price. try to play a couple of games with different kinds, but imho, you really do get what you pay for. my only real recommendation would be to get one with a cork tip. i know that leather lasts longer, but the grip provided by cork for "english" is the best.

Answer 7

wooden ones break a lot easier in a good bar fight! but theres usually a lot of them hanging on the wall! fiberglass costs more and can bust a few more heads before breaking, but never rule out a sturdy bar stool!!

Answer 8

The only marginal advantage of any non-wood cue is a that it won't really warp, but this is often overblown by lower level players since the only way your standard wood cue will really warp is if you keep it in the trunk of your car or totally abuse it in some other way.

On the other hand, many non-wood cues, especially cheap ones, will start to absorb the oils in your hand very soon after purchase, and it will become very difficult or impossible to regain their slickness. So a few months after you buy it, it will be trash.

99% of serious players prefer the feel and performance of wood shafts. Non-wood cues play "weird" and just do not feel right.

Any cue you buy for under $30 is going to be a piece of c**p, but at least a wooden piece of c**p cue won't have to go in the trash 3 months after you buy it.

Answer 9

fiberglass won't warp as easy