Review: The Laser Stroke Pool Cue

Perfect your aim with this laser-guided device

Jennifer Barretta Pool Billiards
Jennifer "9MM" Barretta dazzles at New York's Amsterdam Billiards.

Gary Gershoff/Getty Images

The Laser Stroke cue is a first-rate pool accessory no player should go without. But, there are pros and cons to buying — and using — this special device, which offers laser sighting to help you find the perfect aim when lining up your cue ball to slam a shot into the corner pocket. Read on to discover the basic facts as well as the pluses and minuses of this high-tech pool gadget.

Description

The Laser Stroke is a small but powerful cue laser that slips onto any cue stick with ease. It offers two basic functions:

  • The laser beam forms a powerful spot on a ball or may be adjusted to shine a vertical beam of light instead.
  • Without looking at your stick, you can see whether you are aiming correctly and whether your stroke is straight or wobbly.

The Laser Stroke fits any cue stick and fires its laser as a vertical beam. The device also offers three-way functions as a cue ball aimer, object ball/target aimer and stroke alignment tool.

Pros and Cons

The Laser Stroke is one of the few pool training accessories that delivers on its promise. Additionally, it:

  • provides fun and challenge with pool playing friends and is addicting to use.
  • is inexpensive — a real bargain item.
  • includes bonus instructions that you can access online.

However, there are a couple of minuses to consider:

  • The laser device is a little bit slippery when fitted over the slick cue, so be sure to tighten it accurately.
  • The laser beam can spill onto the bridge hand, which is perfectly safe but can be a little alarming for you and other players.

The Bottom Line

The level of detail the Laser Stroke reveals is profound. Since it is true that even among the pros, hardly any player has a perfectly straight stroke without side-to-side deviation, you will be amazed at how much your stroke deviates. The Laser Stroke can help fix that problem. As a fellow instructor put it when he helped test the device: "The Laser Stroke really shows every little flaw in your stroke. I found it very challenging to my game, but with much potential."

Overall, the Laser Stroke is reasonably priced because it provides a quality product with many uses for pool players. If you get tired of checking your aim on a cue ball, you can aim the Laser Stroke at an object ball. If you tire of practicing ball aim, shine the vertical beam on a wall nearby your pool table or even your kitchen table and have a blast perfecting your stroke.