Best Pool Cues (2023 Update)

OUR TOP PICK

We’re going to stop you right there before you make with the questions. Is the Iszy Billiards 58-inch Hardwood Canadian Maple the ultimate cue in the world?

Probably not.

Are there cues out there with finer this, that and the other features, resulting in guaranteed better results?

Probably, there are.

So what is the Iszy Billiards 58-inch Hardwood Canadian Maple doing at the top of our list?

Here’s the thing. There are better cues for hardcore professionals than the Iszy. Guaranteed, take it to the bank.

But the Iszy serves a very particular need in the pool playing world. It serves that moment when you’ve been playing with club house cues and getting results that lead you to think you could do this for more than fun. Maybe, just maybe, you could do this for money. For people. For a cut of the house that has come to watch you make magic with a stick in your hand.

That’s a moment of potential destiny, when you leave the casual nature of the game behind and start thinking about pool as a kind of sport. As something you can be good at, and invest in, and something for which you need particular tools to give you an extra edge.

That is the moment for which the Iszy Billiards cue is made. That moment of stepping up.

The cue is available in 18, 19, 20 or 21-ounce versions. That means at the moment when you’re thinking about stepping up, you can choose the weight that works best for you. Whichever weight you choose, you get a smooth glide and the follow-through you need for assertive, intentional shots.

It has an Irish linen wrap, to give you that sense of build quality and professionalism in your pool playing.

The two-piece cue is screwed together with a steel joint, and the tip is leather for clear, crisp contacts with the cue ball.

The upper shaft is unlacquered, to allow for smooth strokes that help you make the shots you want to make.

It may not strictly be the best pool cue in the world. But the Iszy Billiards 58-inch Hardwood Canadian Maple might well be the best cue for people stepping up from casual play to more serious, shot-making, game-winning pool.

Pros:

• Range of weights to suit a range of players
• Canadian maple makes for a great cue
• Steel joint allows for easy breakdown and transportation
• Leather tip for solid, clear contacts

Cons:

• While it works for a large range of players, it’s best for a particular point in a player’s career

EDITORS CHOICE

The Players C-960 Classic Birds-Eye Maple cue has a trick or three up its sleeve to help ensure the shots you aim for come off, while giving you a cue that feels instinctively professional.

Firstly, like the Iszy, the cue is available in several weights. Unlike the Iszy, the Players Classic is available in much finer increments. From 18-21 ounces, you get no fewer than seven options, going up in half-ounce increments, That means you’ve got a wide range of choices, so you can find the weight that’s perfect for your style of play. It’s the nearest thing to bespoke cue-making you’ll find without paying bespoke prices.

That makes for both a significant playing difference and for a standout offering from Players in a market that often makes players conform to whatever weighting is available.

As with the Iszy, there’s a steel joint collar here, making this 2-piece cue work solidly in play, transferring the force and slide of your shot, but also breaking down easily for uncluttered transportation.

Irish linen wrap? Yep, that’s here too, for easy sliding and – not to get too gross about it – absorption of any sweat-stress when playing pressure shots.

The 13mm tip of the cue is made of real oak and leather, which adds crispness to your shots and ensures more frequent, solid contacts. That means that more often than not, you play the shots you intended to play, with the power you intended to give them.

While it’s true that the proof of a cue is in how it plays, the bird’s eye maple of the Players cue makes for a striking announcement of purpose. It combines a classic, almost leather look with a performance profile that speaks to getting the business of the game done as efficiently as possible.

In performance, users on Amazon claim they can control the draw on this cue and place the balls exactly where they want them much more of the time. Some of that will be down to the look and feel of the cue, straightening their spine and making them feel professional. Some of it is down to engineering, and the construction of a really smooth cue that quickly feels instinctive.

It doesn’t come with a guarantee that you’ll find it your go-to cue – though many players do. It does however come with a lifetime warranty, so if you use it and don’t feel like it’s the one for you, you’re not losing out on a dud cue.

The style, the design that leads to smooth play and crisp contacts, the price point and the warranty all add up to a must-buy cue. The addition of the half-ounce increments makes sure you can get a must-buy cue that’s as fitted to your style of play as it can be for anything like the price.

Pros

• Half-ounce increments allow you to choose the weight that’s right for you precisely
• Gorgeous looks both inspire and, when necessary, intimidate
• The steel collar allows for effortless transfer of power
• The oak and leather tip makes for crisp contacts that are likely to last you for years
• UV coating stops the cue from chipping
• Lifetime warranty for ultimate peace of mind

Cons

• Some users find the cue warps after relatively little (25 games) play

BEST VALUE

The Valhalla is the latest innovation from Viking, combining modern style with some impressive technological design. The result is a cue that gives consistent, pleasing, results that translate your energy and intention into crisp, clear, well-weighted contact with the cue ball.

Viking is a company with a serious reputation in the cue-making business going back to the 1960s. It knows how to put winning cues in the hands of players, so when it develops a new range of cues, it’s a range of cues worth looking at.

The Valhalla is aimed squarely at the intermediate pool player. The players who know the ropes, aren’t averse to the odd lucky gamble, but can be relied on to finish games when given the opportunity. Players who need a reliable potting machine with a smoothness, a weight, and a relentless ability to translate will into precision and power.

Available in one-ounce increments from 18-21 ounces, there’s less precision in the weight gradient in the Valhalla than you’ll find in the Players C-960, but more certainty and purpose.

Made of maple, it comes in an almost unimaginable range of colors for that touch of personal style, and has all the things you’ve come to expect. Irish linen wrap, steel joint to let the cue move as a single coherent piece through the length of the shot, etc.

All in all, what the Valhalla provides is good weighting, smooth glide, consistent performance and effective potting from shot #1. If you need repeatable results, it’s definitely worth considering in one or two weight versions. And it’s priced to let you buy those couple of weight versions without breaking the bank.

Like several other cues on our list, it also comes with a lifetime warranty, so if you need to return it, there’s no hassle in the process.

Pros:

• Reliable cue-maker
• Range of weights to ensure you get the cue that suits you best
• Color options to reflect your personal style
• Irish linen wrap
• Consistent performance, leading to reliable game-winning

Cons:

• Some users reported the color wasn’t as vivid as reported and shown online
• Other users were concerned that the cue wasn’t US-made

RUNNER UP

The CUESOUL 58-inch 19-ounce cue is another cue where unless you’re at a very particular stage in your pool playing journey, you might struggle with its inclusion on this list.

It’s a niche instrument, and that niche in this case is players who want to move up in their skills and ranking, but who have a limited budget.

It’s made of maple, has a steel joint and an Irish linen wrap, so in some fundamentals, you’d struggle to pick it out from some of the higher-ranking cues on our list.

Where it loses out to them is largely in terms of the customization offered. Sure, there’s a reasonable selection of colors you can order, and you can choose between ordering just the cue or the cue and a case to carry it round in. You can even choose it in different width settings – it comes in a 13mm and an 11.5mm option. But compared to the usefulness of availability in a range of weights, the CUESOUL has a single weight option – the 19-ounce version, which many players will find too light.

For all its one-weight-fits-all failure though, the CUESOUL has a good transfer of energy to the cue ball through its leather tip. It delivers smoothness and fluency of potting action, so you won’t tire of using it in a hurry. And its price point makes it attractive because it combines a lot of high-tech elements from other cues in a bundle that costs less than they do.

Like some other cues on our list, it also offers a lifetime warranty, so if you’re not entirely satisfied when it arrives with you, you can return it and choose again.

Pros:

• An ideal cue for less experienced players
• Irish linen wrap
• Delivers a firm contact smoothly
• Lifetime warranty
• Price point makes it an attractive cue for less professional players

Cons:

• Several users found the cue warped after relatively little play

RUNNER UP

Flying the flag solo for one-piece cues in our list is the Viper Commercial/House Canadian Maple.

Like many others on our list, the weight of the cue is customizable between 18-21 ounces. Notably at just 37 inches though, it’s a significantly shorter cue than the two-pieces on our list, so be aware of its intended uses and limitations. It’s designed to be down and dirty for long-time house use, rather than to become your trusted companion on the competition circuit. It’s in the list as the best of its type, rather than the best when compared to, for instance, the two-piece cues here.

As an example of its type though, the Viper Commercial/House Canadian Maple is pretty triumphant. Canadian maple wood makes for good cues – you’ll have noticed the presence of maple significantly higher up our list, so as a cue-wood, it’ll deliver. The Viper cue is encased in nine – count them, niiiiine! – layers of varnish too, so what you get is a kind of Canadian Popeye. Hard as nails and more durable than trust in a frat house.

Featuring a similar leather tip to some of the more hardcore cues on the list, the Viper doesn’t sacrifice everything to durability. It still delivers good glide and at least reasonably good contact. It just happens to be built to last forever, and to cost very little compared to individual, personal-use cues.

That’s what you need in a house cue. You need it to deliver average-to-strong reliability of contact, and you need it to do that for a very long time.

If that’s what you’re looking for, Viper has your cue right here.

Pros:

• Canadian maple body
• Leather tip
• Nine layers of varnish for extreme durability
• Price – you can stock up on this cue and not break your budget

Cons:

• Short cue for less professional play
• Weighted towards the middle of the pack for general use