Best break cue

My new break cue arrived today........

OB Cues Break Cue,

It feels really nice i cant wait to get down to the club and try it out.

I'll post a review when i do.

I've been using their break shaft on a custom break cue and it performed great i have high hopes :D:D:D:D:D
 
Dave Mackay said:
My new break cue arrived today........

OB Cues Break Cue,

It feels really nice i cant wait to get down to the club and try it out.

I'll post a review when i do.

I've been using their break shaft on a custom break cue and it performed great i have high hopes :D:D:D:D:D
Click to expand...

Pics please!!
 
Here are the break cues I've tried (in chronological order):

Predator BK: Great all around break cue. As soon as I took off the tip it came with and put a black non-layered water buffalo tip on there, it was fantastic. Mine was SUPER light (16.3 oz with no weight bolt). So I put in a 6 " bolt to achieve about an 18.5 oz weight and a pretty strong rear balance (which is great for me since I'm almost 6'3", and also because I just think it is easier to break hard with control with a more rear balanced cue.)

Pete Ohman (Omen Cues): This is a jump break. Pete was very good to deal with. Very good after sale service. The cue hits a ton. It has a phenolic tip on a standard ferrule. I like the look of this. I also like the way it feels when you hit the cue ball. This is a gret looking, all around great playing cue. I had a second shaft made with a leather tip on it. Both shafts are excellent. I prefer this cue to the Predator BK because it is "nicer", it looks way better, and it matches my playing cue.

X-Breaker (Samsara built 3rd generation): This one is also fantastic. Build quality is exceptional. I got a particularly figured piece of wood in mine. The joint on this cue is possibly the stiffest, sturdiest I've felt. it is a piloted 5/16-14 (I think). I was luke warm about the X-Breaker shaft taper. Also, the tip material wore off on the table, like chalk. Room owners were not too crazy about this. I had to give up on it when it wore down to the ferrule and ripped the cloth on my home table.

Mike Gulassy shaft for above X-Breaker: ...so, I bought a new shaft from Mike Gulassy. I guess at the time Samsara had already switched over to making cues for Gulassy, and the joint was the same as the X-Breaker. When I called Samsara to make a new shaft, they suggested I call Mike Gulassy about his. So I got the shaft directly from him and was VERY happy with it. The taper on this shaft is much better. It is a very long pro taper, which allows for very easy, super long follow through on the break. I found that with this shaft/butt setup, I was breaking my best yet. Based on this, I would highly recommend any break cue by either Samsara or Gulassy.

Predator BK2: This for me took the break cue to the next level. I would have to say that I prefer everything about this cue except the looks. The performance is indisputable. I simply have a better ability to hit the rack not only harder, but with better control. The one thing that this cue does, however, is put crazy spin on the cueball if you hit it off center. I routinely see my cueball spinning in place for a LONG time after it stops. This is me, though, not the cue. Overall, though, this is probably the best break cue I have owned from a pure performance standpoint. Now if Predator could just make that exact technology in a nice looking cue like the Samsara/X-Breaker or the Omen.

I have also tried an Andy Gilbert jump/break. I only hit with it a few times, but it was the most solid feeling cue I had ever hit with. I am planning on getting a playing cue from Andy. Having spoken with him at length about it, I would feel very confident making any cue purchase from him. Also, if for some reason you hate it, my guess is that you would get the best resale value with a Gilbert than any of the other options mentioned. Maybe what would be REALLY great is to buy a BK2 shaft and put it on a Gilbert butt...ahh, a man can dream...

KMRUNOUT

PS-these opinions are all based on me and my break style. I generally break pretty hard (23-27 mph), although like a pitcher, I have my second pitch, which is my change-up. This is about a medium speed break (18 mph) where I just want to pop the head ball and park the cue ball center table. I use this about 70% of the time. The super power break is mainly only for 8 ball. I initially modeled my power break after a cross between Johnny Archer and Francisco Bustamante. I'm trying to put this together with a big helping of Shane Van Boening. I'm trying to keep my bridge hand anchored to the table, even when I break at max speed. FYI.
 
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Beware_of_Dawg said:
Platinum BIlliards did a test using a robot that could simulate exact stoke speeds using 20+ types of break cues.

Here's a link.
Click to expand...
I remember reading that speed test but its not the same results. The results you read today are diffrent from when they first did them. They had the BK2 rated #1 for the fastest break cue that was made in America. I Spoke to platuinum the other day they said that they changed the results with out doing the test again they said that there are so many break cues today that the test dont even matter anymore .
 
I've noticed

A see a few people using the Sniper ( I think thats right) by Tony Crosby
I tried it once and it does break well.Also like the ones that Steve Lomax
makes, quite a few pros are picking up his jump cues as well. I still use my
Omen break cue ,its what I got used to and it matches what I play with .
That way if I go two and out I do it in style :D
 
sfleinen said:
NaturalEnglish:

The Fury JB series comes stock with a Graphite ferrule, not Phenolic:

http://fury-cues.com/pool-cues-fury-cue.asp?id=24

If you look closely at the ferrule under a strong light, you'll see the tell-tale crosshatch/checkerboard pattern of weaved carbon-graphite.

However, you solved the issue quite nicely by flattening/cross-hatching the graphite ferrule's tip, and then gluing on a White Diamond. Good going!

-Sean
Click to expand...

Actually I believe the first generation of Fury JB's are Phenolic not Graphite
 
Voodoo Daddy said:
Mace by Rick Howard is also a great choice. Good luck in your search...
Click to expand...

I second the mace, which is a break/jump which you didn't want for some reason... Either don't unscrew it to jump with it, or I can ask Rick to make you one that does not unscrew above the wrap.

But, if you didn't know it unscrewed there, you'd never know it...:thumbup:
 
Da Bank said:
not only do you preserve the shape of your tip and protect potentially more fragile and more expensive pieces on your playing cue (joint, ivory ferrule, etc), but the better break cues today are engineered with breaking in mind and have qualities that make them better suited than a playing cue for breaking, especially for the amateur. The weight, the tip and ferrule material, the balance, the thickness of the shaft and the taper... these are all factors with your cue when breaking.

SVB breaks with his playing cue, but his break is bordering on inhuman.
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This is what groups like Predator and Varney want you to believe. David Howard used to crush the rack with a Meucci. Tony Ellin didn't break with a BK2, and I swear the cueball had a flat side after he was done a match. I have 7 players on my league team that own break cues. I do not. I break with my player, and I'm the hardest breaker on the team. Dan Janes (I play with a Joss) told me that a great cue will play great, break great. If you have a quality cue, it will do everything well. It was said that Jerry Franklin was disappointed if you didn't break with a Southwest - he had that much pride in his workmanship. The only people that I think should own a break cue are the people that break like Mike Sigel (bend the cue into the table) or people that can consistently kill the cueball in the middle of the table while hitting it 27+ MPH. If you can't do that, you're better off practicing your break stroke until you can consistently hit the rack square at the speed you want, and kill or control the cueball to a particular place on the table. Pirelli has the best motto, and it should be carried over to pool - "Power without control is nothing".
 
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Fury bk/jp

I own a fury break jump that has the one piece graphite ferrule, however I do know for a fact that the first generation ones had the full phenolic ferrule. But get this, I ordered one for my buddy on ebay from the same seller I got my original fury from and now they have the graphite ferrule and a bakelite tip, I'm not sure how I feel about it, although I did feel that it jumped a little easier.
 
billiardcue said:
The Samsara break /jump cue is a functioning work of art, these cues are not only gorgeous they break and jump with the best of them.

Samsara built the best of the X-Breakers cues and the best of the Gulyassy Sledgehammers, they know quite a bit about what it takes to make the best break / jump cues.

The tip is 9 layer leather made by by Samsara, not only is it super hard like phenolic, it grips the cue ball. You can use english without fear of miscueing.

Leather wraps, custom exotic wood joint protectors and an ultra-light dart handle are included.

Add a Samsara or Predator or OB-1 playing shaft and have a three way cue - play, break and jump.

Available either leather wrapped or wrapless, curly maple or ebonized straight grain maple with bocote decor rings from barracudacue.com.

View attachment 93397

View attachment 93398
Click to expand...



Thats one beautiful piece of wood... really!
 
Phenolic Tip Pics

I searched google/images for phenolic tips and saw a bunch of different combinations. Here is a picture of my Omen J/B's tip. Looking at some google pics I guess it is a G10 version. Is this one that is being banned or is it fine for now? Do you have pics of yours, banned or not?
Thanks!

tip-ferruleanddarkcocobolo.jpg
 
Matt90 said:
A see a few people using the Sniper ( I think thats right) by Tony Crosby
I tried it once and it does break well.Also like the ones that Steve Lomax
makes, quite a few pros are picking up his jump cues as well. I still use my
Omen break cue ,its what I got used to and it matches what I play with .
That way if I go two and out I do it in style :D
Click to expand...


I have used a Sniper for 2 years now... and LOVE it.
 
platinumbilliards speed test

JoseV said:
I remember reading that speed test but its not the same results. The results you read today are diffrent from when they first did them. They had the BK2 rated #1 for the fastest break cue that was made in America. I Spoke to platuinum the other day they said that they changed the results with out doing the test again they said that there are so many break cues today that the test dont even matter anymore .
Click to expand...

You can see all the results of their speed tests and how they were changing through time by looking at a web archive. Here's the link:
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.platinumbilliards.com/rating_break.php
 
atthecat said:
BK2 is my favorite. Smooth.
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I just bought a Gilbert J/B that is the bomb! It has the Samsara Tip on it which gives me the control. Jumps really good.

Has anyone tried a Samsara Tip on a BK2? Wondering what that would be like.
 
i have a samsara on my bk2....doesn't lose any of the power, but a lot more control. only break cue i've found as good is the mezz pb2.
 
1. X-breaker w/ X-jumper shaft (ash wood with tip harder than X-breaker tip)
2. Poison break cue
3. Mike Gullyassy
4. Mezz Power Break cue
5. custom made from a good cue builder
 
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