Pool Cue News and Review

Another interesting patent read. The claim made by the manufacturers of Scorpion cues is that their cuemaking process provides protection from atmospheric extremes by their “Armor Effect” technique of coating the shaft with fiberglass, effectively sealing the wood and protecting it from moisture. According to the patent though, the real protection comes from the following:

“A process for manufacturing wooden cues involves turning a wooden stick to obtain a certain diameter cue. This cue is then drilled to form holes, thereby destroying the composition of the wood fibers. Next, a glue and composite material are coated on the cue resulting in a preferred diameter cue size. The cue is then placed in a mold, pressed and heat dryed. The ends of the cue are then cut to an appropriate length and stoppers are added to the ends thereof. The resulting cue will be water-proof and will avoid warping, even over an extended period of use.”

So the coating is part of it, but the other big part is the act of drilling holes in the shaft and filling them with a composite in order to break up the wood fibers. Pretty interesting stuff. This should protect the cue from warping, but the wood does have to be straight prior to the process in order for it to work.

Personal experience, I have a bunch of friends that play with Scorpion cues and none of them have had any warping problems. They can take a pretty decent beating too. I prefer the feel of a more traditional cue to a Scorpion, but that’s just me.