Break Cue Question

ArizonaPete

ArizonaPete

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I play mostly 8 ball and have an average break (make a ball three out of seven or eight breaks). I haven't noticed a difference whether I use a 17 oz or 21 oz. cue for breaking (I like using the 17 oz house cue for breaking and my McDermott 19 oz cue for playing). Would using a cue designed specifically for breaking really do me any good? Would I notice a significant difference?

I see that a lot of the break cues use a phenolic tip. Would putting a phenolic tip on my old 17 oz. Eliminator cue increase my breaking ability? Am I correct in assuming that there is not much difference between playing cue shaft and break cue shaft except perhaps for the ferrule and tip.

Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you might have about improving breaking ability.
 
assuming your break stroke is good and you are hitting centre ball, a phenolic tip will improve your break slightly. it's the laws of physics, a harder tip will transfer more energy. the only advantage a learther tip can have over breaking is grip, so you can get away with not hitting as close to centre ball without miscuing compare to a phenolic tip.

as for the weight of the cue, depends on your breaking style and your build. are you a big bloke? or quite small? generally a big muscly (or big and fat) man will be better with a heavier cue, and a smaller faster person will prefer a lighter cue to make bringing it thorugh at hundred miles an hour easier.

however it doesn't end there. the advantage to a heavier break cue i think is if you don't want to break at hundred percent and want to tone it down for control, the heavier cue is easier to generate more power with at a slower arm speed, to you can control whitey.

hope this mish-mash of information helps.
 
Pete,

I usta use a heavier cue for breaking ( 22oz) that had a phenolic tip. And found my break was hit or miss, even when hitting the CB center.

I switched to the cue I have now for breaking ( elite break cue ) and went lighter 19oz's and found a world of difference.

With the Elite cue, I get a damn good spread even when I dont break so hard. Plus the tip on the cue, isnt phenolic, in the specs it says Fiberglass, but It looks like carbonfiber. SO IDK lol.

But I can control the CB ALOT better expecially on my 9ball break.

Plus, the Elite break cue, is made for breaking, so you'll notice that you can get a more consistent and better break from the cue. And the cue only costs about 80$ too.
 
I have a McDermott jump/break. Near as I can tell it is identical to my McDermott playing cue, except the butt is removable and it is about an ounce heavier. Tip is the same. I've been playing with it for about 2 weeks and have noticed a significant difference in my break. The frequency of balls made on the break has about doubled, and I find that I'm knocking in 2 or 3 balls a lot more often and I get a better spread 100% of the time. I don't know why, might just be mental, but I am glad that I made the purchase.
 
Thanks to all that replied. I'll follow the advice and try using a heavier cue for breaking and see how that goes.
 
Hit the spot

I do use a break cue but mainly to save wear and tear on my playing tip. what I have found to be more effective is concentrating on hitting the rack solid in a paticular spot. I Think as we try and hit harder we lose control and mis-hit the rack thus balls dont spread.
 
Try a good cue especially designed for breaking and see what it does for you. IMO a well designed break cue will 8 outta 10 always outbreak a regular playing cue.

I also believe, after using an absurd amount of break cues, the taper, flex and the quality of the wood has a lot to do with how well it breaks not necessary just the tip. I bought a phenolic break cue once that broke like poop. No control, no speed, just plain messy. Looked stiff but was too whippy and flimsy when I used it.

Also tweak around with the weight. I would say a good majority of harder breakers use 18-19 oz. but it really depends on the player and how much accuracy and speed one can generate through the cue itself.

Here's a list of cues I'd recommend to try from my experience:

X Breaker J/B
Predator BK2
Predator BK
Bunjee/J&J
Fury J/B
Mezz J/B
Stinger J/B

and of course a whole heap of custom jump/break cues out there like andy gilbert, etc.

Good luck!
 
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