Billiard brands

Billiard brands split by equipment rather than prestige — a great cue maker rarely builds good tables, and a cloth mill does not make balls. Among billiard cues the market splits geographically: Predator and McDermott represent the American school of wide low-deflection shafts, Mezz stands for Japanese build precision, Cuetec and Lucasi chase value for money, and Peradon has been building ash snooker cues in England since 1885.

With billiard tables what matters is who made the slate and the cushions: Rasson and Diamond are used at world championships, while Brunswick is the oldest name on the market and the most common used table in Polish classifieds. In balls the choice is effectively one: Aramith makes the phenolic sets that are the WPA and World Snooker standard. Tournament cloth means Simonis, dust-free chalk comes from Taom and layered tips from Kamui.

A practical rule when buying used: a brand holds its value where the brand can be verified. A Predator cue has a serial number and a recognisable shaft, an Aramith set has its series marking on the box, a Brunswick table has a plate on the frame. With brands that carry no such marks you are paying for the build rather than the name — which is fine, as long as the price reflects it. Every brand page below carries a description, FAQ and current BidBil listings.