Break With Playing Cue?

JMW

Seen Your Member
Silver Member
What is your opinion on playing and breaking with the same cue?

I am getting to the point where I just want to carry a 1x2 case. I feel I can break well enough with my playing cue with LD shaft. I don't bend the shaft on the break.

Most of the tip problems I have seen related to the break were phenolic break tips popping off. I have only seen one person in 10 years damage their playing cue with leather tip while breaking. Yet the big argument for a break cue is to avoid cue/tip damage.

What are some pluses and minuses of breaking with the playing cue? I mainly play 8 and 9 ball.

Thank you for taking time to read this. Your response is appreciated!
 
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ronscuba

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Why not break with a house cue ? I'd rather that than use my playing cue, especially with a LD shaft.
 

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JMW...I play with and break with the same cue...a $4K Samsara! Nothing wrong with breaking with your playing cue...as long as you have a good stroke, and you're not trying to KILL the rack!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

What is your opinion on playing and breaking with the same cue?

I am getting to the point where I just want to carry a 1x2 case. I feel I can break well enough with my playing cue with LD shaft. I don't bend the shaft on the break.

Most of the tip problems I have seen related to the break were phenolic break tips popping off. I have only seen one person in 10 years damage their playing cue with leather tip while breaking. Yet the big argument for a break cue is to avoid cue/tip damage.

What are some pluses and minuses of breaking with the playing cue? I mainly play 8 and 9 ball.

Thank you for taking time to read this. Your response is appreciated!
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My needs for breaking and playing are different.

The tip on my break cue is flat --- just the way I like it for breaking ---- Wouldn't want it that way for playing, though. Also, I use a rubber grip for breaking to allow for a loose grip without losing the cue. My playing cue has a leather grip to allow for a little slide when I want it.
 

RWOJO

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Playing cue

I see many players break with their playing cue. The only thing I may have noticed is that they may have to reshape + work the tip a little more than other players. Typically you don't need to break very hard so I don't see why the playing cue would be a problem.

I do have a funny story about messing up your playing cue while breaking. I bought a Predator Sneaky pete a couple years ago. I was at league and Mike Massey was there doing an exhibition. I signed up to challenge him. My league started and I was in a match when it was my turn to play him. After my match was over he had just got done with his last challenge match. The League operator told him I had signed up but was in a match so Mike agree'd to play me. It seemed they were in a hurry so instead of walking to the other side of the poolhall and getting my break cue, I broke with the Predator. The shaft broke. The shaft had come out of my hand, somehow cut me and fell to the floor. Everyone was shocked even Mike. It turned out the Joint on the shaft wasn't glued well enough and cleanly separated. I grabbed another cue and beat Mike. Afterwards he said if Predator gives me any trouble that they can call him because there were 100 people watching and I didn't do anything out of the normal. He just added the comment "don't tell them I beat him or they might not believe me". Everyone had a good laugh and enjoyed the exhibition, but I had to wait weeks to get a new shaft from predator.
 

The Renfro

Outsville.com
Silver Member
In all of my years of playing I have never had a tip pop off just shooting a normal shot. I have had them pop off shooting Earl's stroke shots, power draw shots and most often breaking......

I have also only destroyed a tip, i.e. taken a hunk out of it, breaking...

The predator short ferrule may actually be my fault.. I broke with my predator player in the 90s when they first came out... Shane at predator replaced 3 shafts for me in 2 months from them detonating.... Shortly after the short ferrule appeared...


The average break speed of a professional at the last 5 tournaments I have attended is around 24mph...I don't think you are going to shoot any other shot that hard.. Over the course of just one night of breaking you are aging your dip drastically....

Unless you like a hard tip I would not recommend breaking with your player except in rare situations. Soft tips compress... Medium tips compress... Hard tips compress... All of them lose resilience with repeated impact....

A cuemaker on here did some tests awhile back with a durometer.. Over the course of a tip's life they all harden to about a 78 on the rockwell scale... So if you like your tips soft or medium you would want to avoid repetitive high impact strikes or you could have just bought a hard.....

The other thing to consider is the spine of the cue shaft.

Back when I played with maple shafts I averaged about a new shaft every 18 months. I was breaking with my player then as well. I know not everyone bends the shaft when they break. I did... After awhile the shaft would just feel dead and would no longer consistently move the ball. Several people I trusted informed me I was breaking the spine down on the shafts.
 

bender_lu

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
well for 9 ball you dont need a break cue. for 10 ball you dont need one. for straight pool you dont need one. for 8 ball only if you "slam" the break. i noticed that balls spread better in 8 ball when using a medium hard break, so i just break and play with my ebony plain jane. havent noticed that my tip should have hardened (Moori M).

dont know why i have still the breaker in the case^^
 

JMW

Seen Your Member
Silver Member
JMW...I play with and break with the same cue...a $4K Samsara! Nothing wrong with breaking with your playing cue...as long as you have a good stroke, and you're not trying to KILL the rack!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I appreciate everyone's input! Thank you. Here are my conclusions based on my style of play.

My playing cue is the right weight and balance for me. Why would I want to use anything different for breaking. It is about accuracy and not max power. Right?

I have a good stroke, don't bend the shaft and prefer hard tips. So I don't see how breaking with my player will cause the shaft to warp.

My shaft is a custom made, stiff taper, 12.8mm low deflection shaft. But I don't see an issue with this either. Some of the best break shafts are LD and dont warp.
 
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FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I appreciate everyone's input! Thank you. Here are my conclusions based on my style of play.

My playing cue is the right weight and balance for me. Why would I want to use anything else for breaking. It is about accuracy and not max power. Right?

I have a good stroke, don't bend the shaft and prefer hard tips. So I don't see how breaking with my player will cause the shaft to warp.

My shaft is a custom made, stiff taper, 12.8mm low deflection shaft. But I don't see an issue with this either. Some of the best break shafts are LD and dont warp.

".....It is about accuracy and not max power. Right?...."


It's about making a ball on the break and continuing your turn at the table, and that's ALL it's about. You have to be prepared to do whatever it takes.

You wrote your real reason in your first post. You don't feel like carrying around two cues. Well, sometimes I don't feel like carrying around two cues, extra shafts, a jump cue and a bunch of supplies but I do because I need them for playing.

I've often thought of eliminating a club from my golf bag, but that was mainly because I wanted to save myself from bending it around the nearest tree.
 
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JMW

Seen Your Member
Silver Member
".....It is about accuracy and not max power. Right?...."


You wrote your real reason in your first post. You don't feel like carrying around two cues.

Ha... that is so true. I am trying to justify not carrying a break cue by questioning the need for one in the first place.
 

K.Mcphee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I break with my playing cue because I sold my break cue. It's just as good. Your tip will where down faster but who cares.
 

Cue Guru

Close, but no roll...
Silver Member
I stopped carrying the break cue as well.

I have a nice Whitten 1X2 case with no strap, handle or pocket and it's just right for me.

I play mostly straight pool, but my cue is a fine breaker.

I use Triangle tips. Nothing fancy.
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ha... that is so true. I am trying to justify not carrying a break cue by questioning the need for one in the first place.

Give that pool player a cupie doll. :thumbup:

I don't know what level player you are or how seriously you take 9-Ball, but I'm not wrong when I say that serious 9-Ball players use break cues. All those players can't be carrying that extra cue around just for the heck of it. That would be stupid, wouldn't it?

I imagine there is the odd exception but I don't know of any off-hand.
 

JMW

Seen Your Member
Silver Member
Give that pool player a cupie doll. :thumbup:

I don't know what level player you are or how seriously you take 9-Ball, but I'm not wrong when I say that serious 9-Ball players use break cues. All those players can't be carrying that extra cue around just for the heck of it. That would be stupid, wouldn't it?

I imagine there is the odd exception but I don't know of any off-hand.

Shane Van Boening and Ronnie Alcano both broke with their playing cues during the finals match of the 2007 32nd US Open. I was watching this on an Accustats DVD and it really got me to questioning the need for a break cue. At that level, and with so much on the line, why did both players choose to not use their break cues?
 

BigAL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Shane Van Boening and Ronnie Alcano both broke with their playing cues during the finals match of the 2007 32nd US Open. I was watching this on an Accustats DVD and it really got me to questioning the need for a break cue. At that level, and with so much on the line, why did both players choose to not use their break cues?

Van Boening used his playing cue, alcano had a break cue...when van boening was using his playing cue to break, (I believe a joss cue with schon shaft?) he was shooting a lot better..plus according to one of the commentators in his TAR match against pagulayan, the diamter of his shaft back then was quite thin compared to what most use..with barely any tip left..yet he breaks like a monster...wonder why he went with cuetec (besides sponsorship)...his previous playing cue was great..both for breaking and shooting
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Shane Van Boening and Ronnie Alcano both broke with their playing cues during the finals match of the 2007 32nd US Open. I was watching this on an Accustats DVD and it really got me to questioning the need for a break cue. At that level, and with so much on the line, why did both players choose to not use their break cues?

Both players use break cues. There could be any number of reasons why Shane didn't use a break cue during that particular match in 2007. I can think of at least 10 possibilities. But it's not a good idea to speculate that break cues may not be necessary based on the odd match here and there. It's better to look at the big picture.
 
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walrus_3d

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Give that pool player a cupie doll. :thumbup:

I don't know what level player you are or how seriously you take 9-Ball, but I'm not wrong when I say that serious 9-Ball players use break cues. All those players can't be carrying that extra cue around just for the heck of it. That would be stupid, wouldn't it?

I imagine there is the odd exception but I don't know of any off-hand.

Are you saying that all serious 9-ball players use break cues, or that there are serious 9-ball players who use break cues?

$.02: I use a 23-oz break cue for 9 ball, and I beat hell out of the rack. Good spread, make a ball, and usually a shot on the 1.
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Are you saying that all serious 9-ball players use break cues, or that there are serious 9-ball players who use break cues?

$.02: I use a 23-oz break cue for 9 ball, and I beat hell out of the rack. Good spread, make a ball, and usually a shot on the 1.


Yup. I'm saying all serious 9-Ball players use break cues. I never like to use the word 'all' without qualifying that there are always the odd exceptions. Can't think of any off-hand but I imagine they may be out there somewhere.
 
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