The PowerGlide CueClub — We make the cues. We know the game.
Ask a player why they trust their cue and most won't mention specifications. They'll talk about how long it's lasted, how it's never let them down, how it still feels the same as the day they bought it.
That kind of trust doesn't happen by accident. It's built into the timber long before a cue ever reaches a table — and for generations, North American ash has been the material players have quietly relied on to deliver it.
New materials come and go, each promising something better. Ash has simply kept doing its job. In this article we'll look at where that trust comes from, and why heritage, in cue making, isn't nostalgia — it's evidence.
In this article you'll learn
- ✓ Why ash became the trusted standard in the first place
- ✓ What "heritage" actually means in cue construction
- ✓ How traditional preparation methods still shape modern cues
- ✓ Why familiarity matters as much as performance
01 A Timber With a Track Record
Cue making didn't adopt ash on a whim. Generations of players and makers tested it against the alternatives available at the time, and it kept winning — not on paper, but on the table, shot after shot.
That kind of track record is hard to manufacture. It comes from decades of real use, in real conditions, under real pressure. Few materials get that chance; ash earned it.
When a cue maker reaches for ash today, they're drawing on that accumulated confidence — not just a specification sheet.
Four-time World Champion Mark Selby on his material choice...
"I've only really had three cues ever - a cheap one my dad bought me as a kid, then one made for me in 2005 or 2006 that I kept for 20 years. I've won everything with that cue, so I'll never get rid of it, but it needed replacing.
I like ash because I always like to look down the same bit of my cue every time, whereas with maple, there's hardly any grain on it at all, just little specks here and there, nothing really to look down at.
When I got my latest cue, I wanted the grain cue to be very, very similar to my old one, and the arrows look identical."
02 What Heritage Actually Means Here
"Heritage" can sound like a marketing word, but in cue making it describes something practical: methods refined over time because they consistently produce better results.
Selecting timber by eye and feel, seasoning it patiently, shaping it by hand — none of these are done because they're old. They're done because faster shortcuts still haven't matched what they produce.
That's the real meaning of tradition here. It isn't resistance to change. It's the survival of what actually works.
03 Why Familiarity Builds Confidence
A cue that behaves the same way today as it did last season lets a player stop thinking about equipment and focus entirely on the game.
Ash's long history means makers understand it deeply — how it ages, how it responds to different climates, how it should be cared for. That knowledge reduces surprises.
For a player, that translates into something simple but valuable: a cue that feels dependable, season after season, without asking for constant attention.
Liam Highfield's take...
"Yeah, I've always been ash. I've never changed - I don't think I've ever even hit a ball with maple. Some players are really like, 'You've got to have a certain amount of arrows, the arrows have got to finish on the ferrule.' I'm a bit like, 'That looks nice.' It's not too in-depth. I've never used carbon either - I'm still on the tip that's like the tip of the 80s and 90s. That seemed to work! You know, some of the greatest players haven't been playing with the greatest cues. It's all a question of taste."
Liam Highfield is a talented left-hander who fought back from a severe wrist injury to reach his first-ever ranking event semi-final at the 2026 British Open.
04 Respecting the Past Without Standing Still
None of this means cue making has stopped evolving. Preparation techniques, seasoning control and quality assessment have all improved significantly over the years.
What hasn't changed is the underlying material of choice for players who value feel and reliability above all else. Innovation has refined how ash is prepared, not replaced why it's chosen.
That balance — respecting what works while still improving how it's delivered — is what keeps heritage relevant instead of outdated.
PowerGlide Insight
Heritage only means something if it keeps delivering. Every piece of ash we select is judged against the same standard players have relied on for generations — not because it's traditional, but because that standard still produces the most trustworthy cues we can make.
Myth v Reality
Did you know?
Many club players still use cues built from ash selected using the same hand-assessment techniques their coaches learned decades earlier — a method still preferred over automated grading for its accuracy.
How To Choose a Cue With a Trusted Heritage
- 01Ask what timber the cue is made from and why it was chosen.
- 02Look for makers who can explain their selection process, not just their finish.
- 03Check how the cue has been seasoned, not just how it looks.
- 04Speak to players who've used the same model over several seasons.
- 05Value consistency and dependability as much as first impressions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has ash remained popular for so long?
Because it consistently delivers the feel, feedback and reliability players value, season after season, rather than because of habit alone.
Does "traditional" mean outdated?
Not in cue making. Traditional methods have simply proven difficult to improve on, even as preparation techniques continue to advance.
Will heritage materials always be the top choice?
For players who prioritise feel and long-term reliability, ash remains difficult to beat, even as newer materials continue to develop.
Is an ash cue a safe choice for a newer player?
Yes. Its predictability and long track record make it a dependable starting point while a player develops their own preferences.
The Final Word
Trust isn't given to a material overnight. It's earned, shot after shot, season after season, until players stop questioning it and simply rely on it.
North American ash has earned that trust the hard way — through decades of real use, not clever marketing. That's why, even as the game evolves, it hasn't been left behind.
Some things endure because they're familiar. Ash endures because it keeps proving it deserves to.
Why PowerGlide?
Every PowerGlide cue is built on materials chosen for what they've proven over time, not simply how they're described. Because a cue you can trust is one that lets you focus on your game, not your equipment.
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