break cue for the worst breaker

$100 on any stick.
$300 on breaking lessons.

RSCA HOOLIGAN said:

What would be the best break cue to buy for someone who breaks like sh.t ?

This question i got from a friend but i couldn't gave him an immediate answer so i need some help from some AZER's here .

He's looking for a dedicated breaker and his budget is around $400 .

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I think it depends on why he is a bad breaker. Does he not hit it hard? Does he lose control of the cue ball?

It really comes down to technique for 90% of it. I can break just about as good with a house cue as with my Gilbert...the Gilbert with a Samsara tip just gives me a slight edge.

If they can hit the head ball square most of the time but just can't hit it hard for some reason then I would look for a breaker with a stiff taper, probably a bit lighter weight, and a very hard tip to get every bit of speed out of their stroke. Thinking a BK3.

If they have issues with hitting the head ball square, lose control of the cue ball, and are at any risk of miscuing a lot, then stay away from the phenolic tips. I'd go with a leather break tip like Samsara, a cue that weighs similar to their playing cue and really have them focus on technique and hitting the head ball square, even if they have to pull back on how hard they're hitting. At this point really any solid cue with a stiffish shaft taper and the right tip will be great. I love my Gilbert jump/break but there are lots of good options.

pm sent..........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It ain't about the cue, that's for sure. Practice breaking. Look into the BreakRak actually, that may be worth the investment.

Is this like the best investment for the worst money managers?

I would say look into k-mart stock, heard they are having a blue light special.

A good technique and hard leather tip will do wonders.

slide13 said:

I think it depends on why he is a bad breaker. Does he not hit it hard? Does he lose control of the cue ball?

It really comes down to technique for 90% of it. I can break just about as good with a house cue as with my Gilbert...the Gilbert with a Samsara tip just gives me a slight edge.

If they can hit the head ball square most of the time but just can't hit it hard for some reason then I would look for a breaker with a stiff taper, probably a bit lighter weight, and a very hard tip to get every bit of speed out of their stroke. Thinking a BK3.

If they have issues with hitting the head ball square, lose control of the cue ball, and are at any risk of miscuing a lot, then stay away from the phenolic tips. I'd go with a leather break tip like Samsara, a cue that weighs similar to their playing cue and really have them focus on technique and hitting the head ball square, even if they have to pull back on how hard they're hitting. At this point really any solid cue with a stiffish shaft taper and the right tip will be great. I love my Gilbert jump/break but there are lots of good options.

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Yup this is about right. They should try lightening up their grip on the break if they haven't already done so, if either speed or accuracy increases that should tell you that they have a long way to go on technique before they think of buying a dedicated break cue. If they swing wild there's no sense buying a $400 cue, any break cue that is actually worth that price (not just priced that high to market it as 'premium') is for someone with a ton of speed and control.

Here's a drill:

First, with your playing cue, set up the balls as shown and just practice lagging the ball into the pocket, with the CB following it in. Then hit a soft stop shot with controlled backspin, the goal being to pocket the ball without touching the points and to freeze the CB dead. Then hit a harder stop shot. It doesn't matter if your power or accuracy is the weak link in your stroke, this requires you to develop both. Work up hitting harder and harder, and then start drawing back until you can bring the CB back where you began. Then switch to your break cue and try to hit the stop shot on this, still using your normal shooting stance, not your break stance. Unless you can hit a ball cleanly enough to do this, there's no point buying an expensive break cue and swinging even wilder for more power, you'll just reinforce bad habits. Then transition more to your break stance and keep the same control with this drill, but don't worry about using full power at first.


That's the kind of accuracy you should aiming for on the break, every time. Hit the head ball that dead-on aiming to drive it through the rack to your preferred spot in the back/side of the rack. Many people waste half their cue energy with unintentional sidespin on the CB and not hitting the head ball square, and not realizing this, just keep trying to hit it harder, which makes their accuracy go down further, and it's just a cycle of diminishing returns. I see 110 lb women league players break better than big hulking guys putting everything they have into it all the time.

Control is everything. When you try to hit harder than you can control, you lose power. Even if you have a weak swing, it's a mistake to try to make up for that power if that costs you any control at all.

control that stroke better, 100 breaker will do

House cue. There is almost no need for a dedicated break cue, especially if he can't control his stroke enough to break well.

WoodyMPW said it, it seems all break cues or house cues move the CB at or very close to the same speed. it's 99% technique.

Good breaking requires good technique. No cue, however the cost, will compensate.

Use a house cue, spend some quality time with people who can help him establish good technique, and keep his 400 bucks. Money ain't going to fix his problem.

400 bucks should get your friend lots of table time to practice, throw a lesson in there too.

space oddysey cue

Here's ur breaker, stainless steel forearm, stainless steel ring on shaft, and butt cap. Phenolic ferrule, super pro tip.


34.5 oz

Hah that's something right there

RSCA HOOLIGAN said:

What would be the best break cue to buy for someone who breaks like sh.t ?

This question i got from a friend but i couldn't gave him an immediate answer so i need some help from some AZER's here .

He's looking for a dedicated breaker and his budget is around $400 .

Click to expand...

If the guy "breaks like sh.t" there's no point in him getting a dedicated break cue.
Just use his play cue or a house cue for a few months until he's consistent.

Pechauer makes an incredible break cue for not much cash. It is solid right out of the box. Plenty of money left for table time or lessons.

Many others have said it already. Work on technique! But if you really want a breakcue, the most forgiving, in my opinion, a house cue with a soft tip. A break cue with a hard tip will make it impossible to strike the cue ball anywhere but within a small area near the center. It will tend to miscue more and frustrate your dear friend. Better to have a more forgiving cue what will allow him/her to strike the cue ball with a larger area until their technique improves enough that he/she can level up to a harder tip. Consistency is the key. They can learn to adjust what part of their stroke, ball position, contact point, etc as they progress and make a more consistent break stroke. Its at that time that a break cue can become more effective for them. Until they reach that point, no matter what break cue they use, it wont really help.

Try all the house cues at your local room. Buy the heaviest best hitting cue there. Replace the ferrule with an good aegis. Replace the tip with a hard buffalo tip. Cut the cue in half a have someone make it into a 2-piece with a thick, big metal joint(brass is pretty good). The heavier and harder the hit, the easier to will be for your friend to "make the cueball heavier on the break). Don't go for light cues with speed because your friend probably loses control of the ball when he tries to hit fast and hard.

RSCA HOOLIGAN said:

What would be the best break cue to buy for someone who breaks like sh.t ?

This question i got from a friend but i couldn't gave him an immediate answer so i need some help from some AZER's here .

He's looking for a dedicated breaker and his budget is around $400 .

Click to expand...

First post was the answer here.

Any $100 break stick.
$300 lessons.

I have an $89 Players Jump/Breaker and I crush racks. It's definitely the best part of my game. Why?

Because I study those with great break technique (Van Boening, Ignacio, Pagulayan, etc.) and practice my break constantly. "Everyday is break day bro". The quality of your friend's break has NOTHING TO DO with his choice of stick.

I see guys all the time with a $500 breaker and a $5 break.

RSCA HOOLIGAN said:

What would be the best break cue to buy for someone who breaks like sh.t ?

This question i got from a friend but i couldn't gave him an immediate answer so i need some help from some AZER's here .

He's looking for a dedicated breaker and his budget is around $400 .

Click to expand...

Without even reading any replies, I know my reply will be the same as 90% of the others.

House cue to break, spend the money on lessons.

If he wants a break cue, really anything in the $100 or even less range is fine. J&J, Action, etc... My son and I both use $70 or so J&J jump/break cues, although I was lucky enough to have won 3 of them in charity tournament raffles LOL