Break Cue Weight

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pierrebnh

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I'm a taller guy but prefer to use a soft stroke on most occasions, and would like to focus on cue ball control rather than power during the break shot.

I'm looking at a 25oz break cue. Some people swear by the weight and some people prefer a lightweight break cue. Since I prefer a softer stroke, would using the weight of the cue to generate my power work for me, or would it encourage bad form and be a bad idea?

I don't mean to open the floodgates on the break cue debate, just looking for opinions. I'd rather do what's right first rather than have to overcome bad form later on.
 
i like my break cue to weigh about what my player does, or within a 1/2 ounce either way. i tried a few of those heavy break cues(just borrowed them) and they never worked well for me. i dont break good to begin with-they just made a bad thing worse....
 
Fatboy said:
i like my break cue to weigh about what my player does, or within a 1/2 ounce either way. i tried a few of those heavy break cues(just borrowed them) and they never worked well for me. i dont break good to begin with-they just made a bad thing worse....
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I've only ever broke with my playing cue, and I feel like I'm struggling against myself to make a cue of that weight move strongly enough to break the balls. This is also doubtless due to bad form, but I feel like I might be more comfortable with a heavier break cue.
 
Breaking with your player

Isn't the best idea. The performance from the break your looking for comes from the type of shaft, not necessarily the weight of the cue. I'm a straight pool player and don't often play rotation games. I have an old stinger break cue. I use it so I'm not tempted to use my Gina player. Not good for the tip, ferrule or joint. The Stinger has a harder tip and much thicker shaft. It's also fairly light, under 20oz. My player is 18.25oz. 25oz seems way too heavy. Would likely cause bad habits. There are plenty of people who will let you try out the more traditional break cues in the rooms I go to. Seems like everyone is flattered if you talk them up a bit about their equipment. Often they'll let you use it too, if you promise to be careful with it. I'd try to see if the lighter break cues for you first. And if you find after buying something, it doesn't work for you, it'll be easier to sell than a 25oz tree limb.
 
Fatboy said:
i like my break cue to weigh about what my player does
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I feel the same way here. I actually own one of those 25 oz break cues and I thought I could break better with it for a long time. That was until a friend of mine broke out the Predator Break Speed app on his phone. In reality I was breaking about 2 MPH slower with the cue at 25oz. When I removed the weight bolt and the cue weighed 20.8oz my speed was just better. Since then I have moved to a break cue around 18.5 oz and I find that this suits me even better. So see if someone has one that you can use and get the Break Speed app and see which one really works better for you.
 
25 oz - that sounds insane!
Usually a break cue is pretty close in weight to your playing cue.
 
There are several ideas to consider when buying a Break Cue.

All things being equal (stroke, speed & accuracy of hit), the lighter cue may give you more position in your play (still necessary in the Break Shot), where a heavier Cue generally provides more accuracy in your directional control of the cue ball. The heavier cue will also impart more speed to the cue ball.

A 25 ounce cue, IMHO, is a little too much in that direction, maybe a 21 or a 22 is even a little far in the weight department, go to a Billiards store & try them out or wait for a BIG Convention type Tournament & you'll have lots to choose from. Buying unseen can be tricky.

A dedicated Break Cue has lots of features not found on a play cue. A different kind of tip on a much shorter ferrule, on a quite different, stiffer tapered shaft, coupled with a good butt, which creates a great balanced Break Cue will serve you better than just weight.

Practice helps too.
 
I'll introduce another factor into this. I'm mostly playing 8-ball, cutthroat and other 8-ball-rack games with friends, so power rather than cue ball control is the important factor at the moment. For 9-ball, I'd agree that it seems a bit heavyweight, but for the time being a heavy cue sounds perfect for 8-ball.

I'm not gonna lie, I have a really weak break and I dislike having to power up for the break shot. I'd much rather be able to let the cue do the breaking for me, and I realize that's terrible form. This cue in particular has a white diamond tip which I've heard promotes better control as opposed to phenolic.
 
pierrebnh said:
I'm a taller guy but prefer to use a soft stroke on most occasions, and would like to focus on cue ball control rather than power during the break shot.

I'm looking at a 25oz break cue. Some people swear by the weight and some people prefer a lightweight break cue. Since I prefer a softer stroke, would using the weight of the cue to generate my power work for me, or would it encourage bad form and be a bad idea?

I don't mean to open the floodgates on the break cue debate, just looking for opinions. I'd rather do what's right first rather than have to overcome bad form later on.
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FYI, detailed and reasoned answers to your questions can be found on the optimal cue weight resource page.

Enjoy,
Dave
 
I have a 24 oz. Joss Boss that I bought years and years ago, short, resin ferrule, wood to wood joint. Broke a ton but got real heavy after a few hours of 9 ball. I now play an 18 1/2 oz. Orange Crusher by Mike Gulyassy.
 
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