Pool cues vary depending which country you are in. English pool cues for example have small tips of 8 or 9 mm, whereas American pool cues have tip sizes of 12 -13 mm. Other differences between pool cues come in the shafts. English pool cues have a small taper from tip to the but while American pool cues often have straight shafts with no taper until halfway down the shaft. This is to accommodate the different styles of playing the game. English pool players adopt the “snooker” style of addressing and hitting the cue ball, whilst the American style players like to wrap their forefinger around the shaft forming a ring around it hence the straight shaft so the finger does not have to open up as the cue is moved through it.
Other differences between the two codes of pool, is the type of wood favoured by the 2 types of players. English pool cues tend to be made of ash and American players prefer maple. There is no playing difference it is just a matter of preference. Also the buts are decorated differently, the American pool cues tend to have linen wraps around the but and English pool cues more often have spliced but ends. Again it makes no difference to the playing quality, just a matter of style.
In contrast Carom billiard cues used in playing Carambole, which is a form of billiards originating in France, use shorter fatter cues reflecting the fact the balls used in carom are quite a bit bigger than either American or English pool. The balls are 2 7/16 in size being bigger even than the American game which uses 2 1/4 inch diameter balls and the English game which use a mere 2 inch size balls.
There have been some notable pool cue makers down the years, perhaps the most famous of which is probably, Balabushka, who produced what are considered the best pool cues ever. He came to the US from Russia and set up shop in New York and the legendary Minnesota Fats of the Hustler movie used a Balabushka cue. There are few of them left now and collectors will pay thousands of dollars for an original, one story says one changed hands for a staggering $150,000. Even today, Balabushka replica cues fetch a premium price, over $400 depending on the model, and they certainly look the business, all shiny and covered in an expensive linen wrap.
The tip is made of animal hide, elk and water buffalo are popular, but basically leather, there are different levels of hardness of the tips, depending on taste and frankly the differences are only noticeable by the playing professionals, the rest of us mere mortals would probably never notice the difference. Just make sure the tip is well chalked before playing to give the cue tip the best chance of a good contact with the cue ball, you can even get different coloured chalks these days so it does not show up so badly on the cloth. For example you can get red coloured chalk for use on red clothed tables and even black chalk for playing on tables covered in black cloth.
A popular pool cue type is the jump and break cue which is basically a cue with 2 different shafts, one used for smashing the balls with on break off and the other is a more sensitive shaft used for normal play. It is a good idea and widely used on both sides of the Atlantic.
So which cue do you go for? Really it makes little difference as long as you get a cue with glue on tips and a nice metal ferrule at the top of the cue to protect the tip, the rest is basically decoration and preference for which wood type you prefer. After about $60 or $70 the rest of the price is for decoration and brand, and the type of cue you have will not improve your game, that is down to practice, practice practice.