Most of the makers in this series build to their own name. GBL is different: it's the in-house cue range of Green Baize, a Stockton-on-Tees retailer, commissioned and specified by owner Stu Green rather than built by his own two hands. That distinction matters, and we'll come back to it — but the evidence behind GBL's reputation is some of the strongest and most specific of any maker covered here. Who actually makes a GBL cue By Green Baize's own account, Stu Green doesn't ma

Britannia Cues doesn't fit neatly into either category most of this series has covered so far. It isn't a one- or two-person workshop building to individual order like Robin Cues or Stamford Cuemakers. It isn't a retailer stocking other people's brands under one roof either, the problem we found with a couple of other UK names. It's a genuine specialist manufacturer: a Coventry-based company with its own workshop and showroom, making its own branded cues at real volume, and s

Most of the makers in this series measure their history in decades. Birmingham Billiards measures it in generations. Founded in 1936 and still family-run, now in its third generation, the workshop has outlasted most of the brands it once competed alongside, and it's still making hand-spliced snooker cues from its base in Aldridge, England, today. A table maker that never stopped making cues Birmingham Billiards' primary craft is actually bespoke snooker and pool tables — incl

Ask snooker players outside the UK where the best value in hand-made cues is right now, and Thailand comes up more often than almost anywhere else. It's not a coincidence. The country has built a genuine cue-making industry over the past two decades, one that ranges from individual professionals hand-finishing cues under their own name to operations large enough to sponsor a world championship. We've now profiled three of the country's most established names in detail. Here's

Most of the independent makers in this series are a workshop, maybe two. Niche Cues is a different shape of business entirely: a Thailand-headquartered cue maker that has built out a genuine network of factories, academies and shops rather than a single bench. Its own site lists a main factory in Chanthaburi, a second factory in Bangkok's Romkao area, a third in Chiang Mai, a shop and factory in Rayong, a snooker academy attached to the Chanthaburi factory, and a service fact

If you're choosing a new set of snooker balls, two names come up a lot: Aramith 1G and Dynaspheres. Both are Belgian brands and both make phenolic resin balls. They're aimed at different priorities, though, so here's how they compare. Aramith 1G: The Tournament Standard Aramith has supplied Tournament Champion balls to the professional game for over 40 years. The 1G set looks like a standard Tournament Champion set, but it's built to a tighter spec. A standard Tournament Cham

Search "Maximus Cues" and you won't find a workshop website with a founder's story on it — you'll find the brand's cues stocked by specialist retailers across the UK, and its name attached to two of the biggest events in women's snooker. That's the pattern with several of Thailand's cue makers: the profile is built through who plays the cues and who stocks them, rather than through a polished maker's-own website. Maximus is one of the country's most established names in that

Most cue makers who supply top players learned the trade at a lathe. Sunny Akani learned it at the table. Akani Songsermsawad started playing snooker at eight, turned professional in 2015, and still competes on the tour while running a cue-making business from Bangkok. That combination is the heart of his pitch: he builds cues the way a player thinks about them, and he has been noticed at the very top of the game. One British tabloid, in coverage quoted on his own site, credi

When Mark Selby lifted the World Championship trophy for the second time in May 2016, the cue in his hands needed work before he could pick it up again. The ferrule had worn down from years of use, the shaft showed the marks of a title-winning run, and the people who fixed it were the same family who'd built the cue for him a decade earlier: Stamford Cuemakers, working out of a small Lincolnshire workshop that most of the sport has never heard of. That's the pattern with the

When most players think about upgrading their cue, a handful of names dominate the conversation — Peradon, John Parris, and other big production houses that supply pro shops and sponsor televised events. However, snooker has a quieter, more personal tradition running alongside these major brands: the independent snooker cue maker. These artisans work alone or in small teams, crafting cues one at a time rather than by the thousand. The Value of Independent Cues These smaller o

Robin Cook runs Robin Cues from Carlby, a small village near Stamford in Lincolnshire, England — and despite operating well outside the spotlight enjoyed by some of the bigger-name English cue makers, he's built one of the most loyal followings of any independent snooker cue maker. Cook has been making, repairing and altering snooker, billiards and pool cues for over 30 years, working entirely to individual customer specification from carefully selected timbers. What Players

While the UK dominates the world of independent snooker cue making, Kevin De Roo has built a strong reputation from the other side of the Atlantic, working out of Vancouver, Canada under the Deroo Cues name. He's frequently recommended in cue-sports forums as one of the go-to names for players outside the UK looking for genuinely handmade, professional-quality snooker cues — with a client base that reportedly extends across Asia as well as North America. What Sets Deroo Cues

Mike Wooldridge is one of the most talked-about independent snooker cue makers in the UK, operating out of his workshop and selling under the HandMadeCues banner. His cues are built entirely to order, using ash shafts as standard — Wooldridge has been vocal about preferring ash over maple for the feel it gives players, though maple is available on request through his custom design process. The Cue Range Wooldridge's catalogue runs across several named lines, each aimed at a d

Walk into most snooker clubs and you'll see racks of cues that all came from the same handful of factories. But look closely at the cue in a top player's hand, or ask a serious league player where theirs came from, and you'll usually get a name, not a brand. Someone in a workshop. Someone who spliced that shaft by hand. That's the part of snooker that doesn't show up on a scoreboard: an almost entirely private, word-of-mouth craft, kept alive by a genuinely small number of pe

If you've spent any time around a snooker table, you've probably held a Peradon without even realising it. Founded in 1885, Peradon is the oldest cue manufacturer in the world. Their cues are a staple in clubs, pub leagues, and pro players' collections alike. This guide breaks down who they are, what they make, and which range suits your game and budget. A Quick History of Peradon Peradon has been hand-crafting cues from their factory in Liverpool since 1885. They were the fi

Stepping up from a house cue to your own is one of the best upgrades a club or pub league player can make — and you don't need to spend a fortune to feel the difference. This guide walks through the best snooker cues under £200. What £200 Gets You At this price point, you're typically looking at solid ash cues from established manufacturers — brands like Peradon, Riley/BCE, and John Parris all make well-regarded cues in this range. You won't get hand-spliced joints or premium

Picking a new cue is one of those decisions that feels bigger than it is. Walk into any cue shop, or scroll through an online range, and you'll be faced with dozens of weights, tip sizes, splices and finishes — all promising to transform your game. The truth is simpler: the right cue is the one that fits your hand, your stance, and the way you actually play. Here's some tips on how to choose the right snooker cue Start With Length and Weight Most full-size snooker cues sit ar

If you've spent any time researching the best snooker cue brands, one name keeps coming up among professionals and collectors alike: John Parris. While there are dozens of cue makers competing for attention, Parris Cues has built a reputation over four decades that few can match. For anyone trying to find the best snooker cues for their game, understanding what makes Parris cues special is a great place to start. From Repair Bench to Reputation: The John Parris Story John Par

When the snooker season reaches its peak, all eyes turn to the World Championship. It’s the moment every player dreams of and every fan eagerly awaits. But before the first ball is struck, there’s one crucial piece of the puzzle that sets the stage: the snooker championship fixtures. Understanding the draw is key to following the tournament closely and appreciating the drama as it unfolds. In this post, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the snooker champ

Buying your first snooker cue is one of the most important decisions you'll make as a new player. Walk into any sports shop or browse online and you'll quickly find yourself overwhelmed by choices — ash or maple, one-piece or two-piece, 57 inches or 58 inches, tip size, weight, splice pattern. This guide cuts through the noise. We'll explain exactly what matters for a beginner, what you can safely ignore for now, and which cues represent the best value in 2026. Do You Even Ne