“How do you choose whether to get a soft cue case or a pool cue hard case?” As with nearly anything in life, there are pros and cons to each of the varieties, and different types of pool stick cases are suitable for different types of players. Lets take a look at the soft case first:
Soft Cue Case
The benefit to buying a soft pool cue case, and the reason why many people like them over hard pool cue cases, is that many Soft Cue Cases allow you to unzip the case fully and take a look at your cues in more of a “presentational” way. This is a good way to take stock of your cue inventory when you set up at a pool hall. The ceremony of unzipping the case is a great way to show off your cues, and you can really only get that with a soft case.
It’s probably pretty obvious but soft pool stick cases are called “soft” because if the case is empty, you can flex the case. You can usually fold the a soft pool cue case nearly in half, if there are no cues inside it. This means that soft cue cases are more prone to warping cues over long periods of time, since there’s less rigidity to the case structure. You wouldn’t want to keep pool cues in a soft case if you were planning to be leave them in a hot car trunk for several days.
It’s worth noting that soft cue cases are typically lighter weight than a hard case of similar capacity. If weight is a factor in your traveling, a light-weight, soft pool cue case might be better for you.
Hard Cue Case
When compared to soft cases, hard-sided pool cue cases are, obviously, hard. A hard-sided cue case usually has a rigid internal structure, designed to keep the cues secure and protected from damage. Unlike a soft case, you can not fold an empty hard shell cue case in half, regardless of whether there are cues inside it. This means the cues are a bit safer from breakage and warping, although you still shouldn’t leave them in hot or damp environments for long periods of time.
Unlike soft cue cases, pool cue hard cases usually do not unzip along their long side. They have an opening on the top which allows you to withdraw your cues. If you are the kind of person who doesn’t want to show off your collection every time you take a cue out, a hard case might be a better choice for you. Hard cases also have the benefit of being a bit more compact overall.
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