i have used a J&J for a couple years now. i have a lathe and put phenolic tips on all the cues i use to break with, i cant seem to hold on to them. i normaly end up selling the one i am using in about a week or so. the best bang for the buck (dedicated break cue, not JB) would be a cheep excaliber sneaky pete with a phenolic tip or a one piece phenolic tip/ferrule. you can get the cue cheep all over the internet. i charge $20 locally to put a one piece phenolic ferrule/tip on. this is what most of the locals end up doing. less than 50 bucks (depending on what you pay for the cue) and you can have a pretty damn good dedicated break cue.
Jay