I've never really understood the 1x2 cases. Do some people swap out the shaft for every break? Have different shafts for different games? I'd probably stick with my cheap flip-open case if it weren't for the fact that a jump cue can be used. I suppose if I carry it around now and then, I should learn how to use it. The best part is I don't feel like I'm dragging around luggage.. a cheap flip case, a 15oz cue and a chalker(just in case), sure is lighter than 2 cues, 2 red circles, a cue holder and a few tools in a 2x2.
Years ago, there were two rationales for carrying a second shaft, both of which have been mentioned. If both shafts were identical in weight and taper, a player would alternate shaft use between sessions so they were always nearly identical for tip wear and shaft condition. That was insurance against losing a tip during a tournament. If a tip is lost, there would be very little adjustment required for the other shaft in the case. I have never lost a tip during play, but IIRC, there was an old AccuStats video where it happened to Buddy Hall.
The other reason was for players who wanted different shafts for 9-ball and for 14.1. Pllayers would have shafts with different weights, tapers, etc., for the different games. Barry Szamboti and Bill Schick both told me it was fairly common.
Ralph Eckert has an interesting set-up that allows using a 1x2. He uses quick release joints and his cue butt can be broken down as a jumper. One shaft is for play, the others is for jump/break. A 1x2 is all he needs for his equipment. He can change shafts without interrupting play. German engineering.![]()
You don't need a break cue, break with your player.
Well, I'm a league player, so automatically I'm in the lower class....
I like using my break cue. It has a different feel than my playing cue. I get better action with less force. It also serves as my jump cue, which means it doesn't get used much for that purpose. (Gotta use a full sized cue to jump in our league. I'm working on it!)
That's two spots.
I bought a 4x4, because I wanted to carry three cues. One of the places where I play the dreaded league has 17 tables, and 3 bridges in the whole place. And these are 9-foot tables. (It's a family entertainment complex, and the bridge heads just keep getting stolen. No, its not a serious pool hall.) So I like to use an old cheapy cue set up with a moosehead, for everyone playing in our matches. Yes, we could use a house cue, but then it looks like all the others, and folks feel entitled to come and grab it, as they should, if it were a house bridge. My cheapy cue is all black, so it definitely isn't house equipment. (I don't mind sharing with those nearby, either. I just like to have something available for the people playing in my matches, without spending 10 minutes trying to track one down.)
I don't have anything in the 4th spot. I eventually will get another cue, I suppose, and it will be nice to have a spare in case a tip pops off or something, I suppose. I'm not in any urgency to fill that space. The larger pockets are nice, since I do carry a different pair of glasses that I use while shooting. (Damned bifocals!)
I liked the 4x4 better than a 3x6, it just seemed more versatile for me. It doesn't seem to be that much larger than everyone else's tube cases, and it doesn't feel terribly heavy to me. The whole argument seems lost on me as a result. But, hey, I'm just a league player.![]()
Figures...
Ken
Yes, it does.
I play league, I have fun. I'm not ashamed of it, either. Despite how some folks here would try and me feel about it.
How's the view up in your ivory tower?
Hey folks, I was just sitting here thinking about how the old timers would carry around a 1x2 Fellini case with their Gus cue and that's all they needed. Then came 9-ball and all the other games that required a break and jump cue, then came the cases with the huge pockets, then came the inventors who came up with all kinds of tools to stuff those pockets with.