What Cue Does Judd Trump Use?
Short answer: Judd Trump plays with a John Parris cue and has been associated with the London maker for most of his professional career. In September 2025, at the English Open, he switched to a new cue for the first time in seven years because he wanted more power on the heavy tables of the modern tour.
| Spec | What we know |
|---|---|
| Maker | John Parris (Hamilton Billiards; Parris Cues) |
| Length | Fan sites report 57 inches for his earlier cue; not confirmed by Trump or Parris |
| Weight | Not publicly documented |
| Tip | Fan sites report a 9.5mm tip on his earlier cue; not confirmed |
| Joint | Not publicly documented for the 2025 cue |
| Source confidence | High on the maker and the 2025 change; low on exact specs |
A Parris player through and through
Hamilton Billiards lists Trump as a John Parris user, and Parris has publicly celebrated his title wins over the years. Several fan and equipment sites go further and describe his earlier cue as a 57-inch Parris with a 9.5mm tip, and some claim a carbon-fibre shaft. None of those details has been confirmed by Trump or by Parris in anything we could find, so we list them as unverified. What is well documented is that he stayed with the same cue for around seven years, through the most successful period of his career.
The 2025 cue change
At the 2025 English Open Trump revealed he had changed cue. He told TNT Sports that playing conditions had made it harder and harder to screw the ball back and generate power, and that a cue loses a bit of bite after a couple of years. He had only had the new cue for around two weeks, and admitted it was not perfect and felt a lot different to his old one. He still beat Michael Holt 4-0 with two centuries.
At the Champion of Champions in November 2025 he expanded on the reasons. When he turned professional, he said, tables played beautifully because only two matches a day were played on them; now there are five or six, the cloths are heavy, and when he gets down to aim the side does not react the same. He wanted a cue that would let him hit the same shot anywhere in the world.
How the cue suits his game
Trump is the most attacking potter of his generation: long reds, heavy screw, and cue-ball speed that other players cannot match. That style depends on a cue that transfers power efficiently without the tip skidding off the ball. His explanation of the 2025 change tells you exactly what he values: bite and power first, so that side and screw behave predictably whatever the table conditions.
It is also a reminder that even a world number one does not keep one cue for ever. Wood, ferrules and joints all change with years of heavy use.
Why cues lose their bite
Trump’s explanation for changing cue in 2025 is one of the most useful things a top player has said about equipment in years. A cue is made of wood, and wood changes. Years of heavy screw shots, travel between climates and constant handling can slightly alter the feel of a shaft, while ferrules wear and tips compress. None of that is dramatic, but at the very top level the difference between a cue that grips the ball and one that slides off it decides frames.
He also pointed to the tables. With more matches played on each table, cloths slow down and cushions play differently from session to session. A player whose game relies on spin and power notices first. Trump’s answer was not to change his technique but to find a cue that let him produce the same shots in any conditions.
The carbon-shaft question
Some sites claim Trump’s previous Parris cue had a carbon-fibre shaft. We could not confirm that, and it would be unusual in professional snooker, where ash remains the overwhelming choice. Carbon shafts are more common in pool, where low deflection is prized. If you are curious about them, try one before you buy, because the feel is very different from a traditional ash shaft.
Power without forcing it
It is tempting to think Trump’s power comes from hitting the ball hard. Watch him closely and you see a long, fast, very straight cue action with the cue accelerating through the ball. The equipment matters, but the delivery matters more. A cue that is too heavy for you, or a tip that is too hard, will not add power if the action is not straight.
Lessons for club players
Trump’s comments contain a practical checklist. If your cue ball no longer screws back the way it used to, look at the tip before blaming the cue: a flattened or glazed tip loses grip long before the wood changes. If the tip is fresh and the cue still feels dead, check the ferrule and the joint for looseness. Only then think about a new cue, and when you do, test it on more than one table, because conditions vary so much.
Want a cue like Judd Trump’s?
Most club players will never need Trump’s power, but the principles behind his choice are useful:
- Stiffness and bite. A stiffer shaft and a medium-to-hard tip transfer more power. Understanding how ash and maple shafts differ is a good starting point.
- Tip size for control. Many attacking players prefer a slightly smaller tip for precision. This guide compares 9mm, 9.5mm and 10mm tips.
- A cue you will keep in good order. Trump’s point about cues losing their bite applies at every level, so good care matters. Browse snooker cues for every budget when you are ready to upgrade.
Frequently asked questions
Does Judd Trump use a John Parris cue?
Yes. Judd Trump is a long-standing John Parris player, confirmed by Hamilton Billiards and by Parris’s own congratulations on his title wins. He changed to a new cue at the 2025 English Open after around seven years with his previous one.
Why did Judd Trump change his cue?
He told TNT Sports in September 2025 that heavy modern playing conditions made it harder to screw the ball back and generate power, and that a cue loses some bite after a couple of years. He wanted a cue that would react the same on any table in the world.
What tip size does Judd Trump use?
Fan and equipment sites commonly report a 9.5mm tip on his earlier cue, but neither Trump nor John Parris has confirmed it in anything we could find. The specifications of the cue he adopted at the 2025 English Open have not been published.
