1. Always keep your cue in a good-quality case when it is not being used.

2. Never lean your cue at an angle against a wall.

Store it safely in its case whenever possible.

3. Avoid extremes of temperature and humidity.

Never leave your cue near a heat source or anywhere particularly cold or damp. Wood naturally reacts to changes in temperature and moisture content, which can cause swelling, shrinkage or movement.

Think twice before leaving your cue in the car. Cars can experience significant temperature changes and are not a suitable place for storing a wooden cue.

4. Don’t use sandpaper or abrasive pads on the shaft.

These can remove the cue’s original finish and, over time, unnecessarily wear away the timber.

5. Never bang the cue directly onto the floor or table.

Treat your cue with care. Repeated impacts can potentially damage the tip, ferrule, joint or timber.

6. Replace a worn tip when necessary.

Don’t continue playing with a tip that has reached the end of its life. Apart from affecting your play, an excessively worn tip can leave the ferrule more vulnerable to damage.

7. Keep your cue and your hands clean.

This helps prevent grease, chalk and dirt from building up on the shaft.

8. Avoid using water to clean your cue.

If absolutely necessary, use only a very slightly damp cloth and dry the cue immediately afterwards. Never soak or wet the timber.