Am I Missing Something ?

J-Flo

J-Flo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was talking about jump cues at league night and some say it does and some say it doesn't make a differance which jump cue you use. I would like to know if anyone out there has tried some or all of the jump cues on the market. My plan was to go to e-bay and copy the maker model and price of every jump for sale. Well , thats not going to happen, there were over 35 jump cues only, not including the jump/bread cues. The price range for a straight jump was from $24 including shipping all the way to $475 . My question is does it make a differance which jump cue you use, is there an advantage to one or another. I use a $35 plane jane from Bamma cues got it here on az. Is there something I don't know about that would make me spend 1,2,$300 bucks on a stick I hope never to use. I could see spending thousands on a custom shooter but a jump cue. Help me. I dont want to be left out. I always wanted a Pred Air (just cause they look cool)but never got one.
 
Jumper

Firstly I am not of the caliber of most posters on here but I will throw my two cents. I bought one jump on here for $25 delivered. It works well. Almost no acclimation time at all. I have bought on on here that lists for $225. It doesn't work nearly as well.( for me) Both work better than the two jump/breaks I have used. I think it is like a lot of the advice for others looking for a playing cue. Try to get somewhere you can try a couple out. The feel is so subjective that others opinion my not really help you move in the right direction for you. However if you can find one of the cheaper ones twenty-five or thirty dollars isn't alot to try one out.
 
You wouldn think that it wouldn't make that much of a difference, but apparently it can.

I have a Predator Air that came for free with my BK2 and it works great and I love it. At the time, it was $99.

There's a guy on my team who's better than me but asked me one night about jump shots saying he just couldn't seem to do it although he was following exactly what people said to do. I had happened to space out and forget my cues that night, but I said it was really easy and I'd be happy to show him. I took his jump cue, explained the proper angle for a typical jump shot, what spot to hit on the cue and not to quit on the stroke but make sure you stroke confidently through the cue ball. Lined it up and failed miserably. I couldn't believe it because I was sure I hit it right. I tried again and failed again. Some guy who had been watching had to add his pointers like I was totally lame and after pontificating on the proper technique, proceeded to demonstrate (with my teammate's jump cue) and failed miserably.

The next week I brought my Predator Air and before I could demonstrate my teammate asked if he could try it and nailed it on the first try. I think someone had put a regular tip on his so called jump cue. Anyway, it might have looked like a jump cue, but it sure as hell didn't work.

Made me appreciate how hard it is to do jump shots with a regular cue.
 
My tadpole works great, but I have to focus and hit it good with a measles ball where I can easily jump the plain white (lighter) cue balls some of the local halls use.

I have had a few jump-break combos, and sucked with those, even the ones with a phenolic tip.
 
Like another poster said, there are many that work you just have to find something that works for you. I have one my good friend made (cuemaker) and it is one of the best ones I've ever used.

I tried many different ones. Some were too light for me (although that is what most want) and some were too heavy. I think mine is around 11oz. I tried a really light one and it felt like I didn't have anything in my hands.

Whatever you decide, I would suggest a samsara tip. I have pocketed the last 5 jump shots I've attempted. Pretty good percentage as of late.
 
Long...

For years most jump cues were just regular cues cut down to short length with a hard tip on them..... Technology has changed a lot since then....
While decent jump cues can now be had at different price points some still seem to out perform others....

What needs to be considered is the technique that you choose to employ for jump shots.... You have the dart jump, the stroke jump, and what I will call the swoop or dip... All 3 involve hitting down on the ball but all 3 work with different equipment...

Light jump cues 10oz and under usually perform at their best when you are using the dart style jump... They are great for getting up and down very quickly... I can clear a full ball 9 out of 10 times with my dart jumper with a cube of chalk distance between the 2.... For getting the ball up quickly and keeping it on the table with very little landing room the dart is king......

For Stroke jumps you really need a little bit more weight..... 11-14oz range seems to work pretty well stroke jumping... Stroke jumping tends to work best when you have 6 inches or more to clear a full ball... The landing area is longer as well but you have more forward momentum so you can play shape and english off the jump with a stroke jump better than with the dart...

Anything heavier than 14oz tends to need a swoop or dip jump... This is the technique used for full stick jumps where you are actually hitting down into the cueball but flipping the tip during the stroke to get the tip out of the way of the cueball so as to not trap it on the table bed.... The tip would draw the letter J in the air if viewed from the side.....

With all jump cues the tip can impact how well it performs... The rule of thumb here is the hard the better... You want the tip to jump off the ball at impact to help get out of the way...

It is not uncommon to see professional players using their break cues for easy jumps especially if they are breaking with something like the BK2 that has a phenolic tip.....

The most common tips on jump cues besides a regular phenolic would be The Bunji tip, The white diamond, or the Samsara... The samsara does perform pretty well for a jump tip but it will not outperform the other three... It would be my last choice for a dedicated jumper...

BCAPL may have changed the rule for dedicated jumpers but recently the outlaw on non-leather tips has only applied to break cues.... The Samsara is the best option I have seen for people who have chosen break/jump combos instead of dedicated jumpers and breakers.....

In my opinion knowing the benefits of the different techniques and the equipment requirements for each to be utilized at maximum effect I will always recommend that a player has a dedicated break cue, and 2 different jump cues... A light dart jumper, and a somewhat heavier
stroke jumper...

As far as evaluating different jump cues as to performance there is a very simple rule... Angle in should be pretty close to angle out... If I elevate 30 degrees the cueball should come off the table pretty close to 30 degrees.... If I have to elevate 45degrees to get a 30degree launch or if I have to adjust stroke power to adjust the launch angle then I know I have a bad jump cue... It might get the ball up but it will not be precise enough to be as effective as possible......

Jumping is most effective when you are using the minimal jump needed to clear an obstruction...... If you are clearing the object ball by more than half an inch you are sacrificing accuracy and you are adding extra masse effect if you are using english... You ALWAYS want to use the least amount of elevation required to clear the jump........
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top