This another cue innovation from Liquid Weight cues. This is a completely different breed of cue from their traditional brand of moving weight cues. This is a fixed weight, ultra light playing cue that range in weights between 13.5 oz and 16.5 oz.
The cue in this review weighed 14.5 oz with a balance point of approximately 21 inches from the Butt end of the cue. The butt end of the cue measured 29 1/4 inches and the shaft measured 28 1/2 inches.
According to the manufacturer
The Vapor Lite (ultra light) Cue is a proprietary system of maintaining the cue structural integrity while lowering the weight significantly. The company uses a specific coring technology and a honeycomb and foam support structure to maintain the solid hit even though the cue is light. These cues are designed to allow greater control of the cue and more speed through the shot. You will give up some power, but should gain some precision.
My general observations of the cue
The cue has a well made feel to it. The design is relatively plain, but appealing, the balance felt good, the grip felt comfortable and the pin and collar screwed together easily and fit nice & tight. It has a nice hit and the cue gives nice “feedback” when striking the cue ball. Overall, I feel the cue is on par with mass produced cues in the market at a similar price point.
My experience playing with the cue
The cue in this review weighed 14.5 oz. My typical playing cue is 19 oz. The lightest cue I have ever played with was 18 oz. The cue felt extraordinarily light compared to my regular playing cue. I could not believe what a weight difference 4.5 oz makes. If you have ever had someone hand you a 24 oz break cue after you have been using your 19 oz playing cue, you will get some kind of understanding of the difference I am talking about in terms of weight.
The first thing I noticed was the manufacturer was right. You do give up some power. For me, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing because I felt it really allowed me to let my stroke out without over-hitting the ball. So if you are one of those players that has two extremes – either you baby the ball or you hit too hard, this cue might help you with that problem. Having said that, the notion of “letting the cue do most of the work” feels a bit more true with the heavier cue.
One specific stroke I was not able to overcome however, was power draw. I found a power draw shot difficult to execute with this cue & never quite mastered it during my time reviewing the cue. I feel like over time I will find the right stroke with this cue, but it will take more time to get accustomed to it.
I did switch back & forth over the course of my review between my 19 oz playing cue and this 14.5 oz cue and I can tell you that the experience is vastly different in terms of speed control. Going back and forth between these significantly different cue weights wreaked havoc with my speed, so I would suggest sticking with one or the other for consistency in your game.
As for whether this lighter cue gave me more cue control than my regular playing cue, I felt it did offer a slight advantage. I felt I had a tendency to cradle the Vapor Lite cue more lightly than my typical playing cue, which helped to minimize the unintended steering you get with a grip that is sometimes a bit too tight.
My overall summary
This cue really won me over and I did purchase the cue in this review at full retail price. Overall the Vapor Lite is a good cue for the money and I really liked the lighter weight of the cue, how it played and how it felt. I think it represents a good value for the money and is a cue I really wanted to have in my stable.
If you are in the market for a lighter playing cue, I would definitely give these cues a look, especially over simply removing the weight bolt from a traditional cue. Liquid Weight Cues offers a 60 day money back guarantee which makes it a very low risk proposition to give this cue a try.
