Break cue questions

S

sharkingsomeone

Banned
I've been reading up a lot about break cues, trying to get the right one for my son before he goes off to grad school. Time's a ticking! Ideally I want to drop a couple of bills on him, but I honestly don't want to break the bank for something he won't even care about anyway. He wasn't too happy when I splurged on his last playing cue (predator p3), returning it, preferring something at half the cost (predator sneaky).

I've gotten a couple trade offers from various users, just wondering if you guys could offer some insight on these, comparisons with each other much preferred:

J&J j/b - this seems to be someone's response somewhere in every break cue thread
Omega j/b - can't find much on this
Fury j/b - from what I can find seems to indicate similar to J&J performance for 2x the cost
Mcdermott j/b - don't know too much about this, but there seems to be a lot more people selling than buying from a quick google search

Spark break cue - can't tell if this is better than J&J j/b despite the price premium?
Orange crusher - can't find too much about this
Joss Thor Hammer - seems to the the entry point to "premium break cues"
Pechauer break cue - another "entry" level premium break cue, how does this compare with the Joss?
Predator BK2 - seems to be the holy grail of production break cues
OB break - many people prefer this over BK2
Anvil - another favorite, but also a bit pricey
Mezz powerbreak - out of my budget, but curious how it compares with the others on this list

Ultimately, I'm guessing it's going to be difficult justifying spending more than $200-250 or so, so I might end up getting one used after pawning all my cues.
 
:smile:

Whoops...one more to add to your list.

I have a Poison Black Belt brand new I can ship to you for $170.
 
Just bought a Thor Hammer at an absolute bargain. I'll let you know how it plays next week.

I can compare it to J&J, BK2, and Fury for you.

Also you forgot Lomax break cues, but if you find one in your price range, I want it!
 
love my ob break cue.

if he is anything like me he will want his stuff to match. might as well get the predator.
 
I like the Mace jump/break cue by Rick Howard. Though if your son has different tastes than you do, you might consider a gift certificate from Seyberts or Pool Dawg
 
I appreciate all the PMs and links to actual products. I'm keeping a close eye in the W/FS sub-category, as well as ebay and a few other "competition sites" with regards to what's on the market.

But in all honesty, I'm much more interested in your own personal experience with the different sticks instead of ads to sales.
 
sharkingsomeone said:
I've been reading up a lot about break cues, trying to get the right one for my son before he goes off to grad school. Time's a ticking! Ideally I want to drop a couple of bills on him, but I honestly don't want to break the bank for something he won't even care about anyway. He wasn't too happy when I splurged on his last playing cue (predator p3), returning it, preferring something at half the cost (predator sneaky).
Click to expand...

Why not just give him the money and allow him to get his own break or JB cue?
 
sharkingsomeone said:
I appreciate all the PMs and links to actual products. I'm keeping a close eye in the W/FS sub-category, as well as ebay and a few other "competition sites" with regards to what's on the market.

But in all honesty, I'm much more interested in your own personal experience with the different sticks instead of ads to sales.
Click to expand...

:smile:

For real I like to use a Meucci 13mm shaft with a Triangle tip on it. I don't need to break real hard to make the eight on the break...just accurate and firm. I shoot a little low and don't miscue.

If you want to break hard and hit the head ball I make shafts with a G-10 tip. I can put one on any shaft and it'll break as hard as any cue out there.
 
sharkingsomeone said:
I've been reading up a lot about break cues, trying to get the right one for my son before he goes off to grad school. Time's a ticking! Ideally I want to drop a couple of bills on him, but I honestly don't want to break the bank for something he won't even care about anyway. He wasn't too happy when I splurged on his last playing cue (predator p3), returning it, preferring something at half the cost (predator sneaky).

I've gotten a couple trade offers from various users, just wondering if you guys could offer some insight on these, comparisons with each other much preferred:

J&J j/b - this seems to be someone's response somewhere in every break cue thread
Omega j/b - can't find much on this
Fury j/b - from what I can find seems to indicate similar to J&J performance for 2x the cost
Mcdermott j/b - don't know too much about this, but there seems to be a lot more people selling than buying from a quick google search

Spark break cue - can't tell if this is better than J&J j/b despite the price premium?
Orange crusher - can't find too much about this
Joss Thor Hammer - seems to the the entry point to "premium break cues"
Pechauer break cue - another "entry" level premium break cue, how does this compare with the Joss?
Predator BK2 - seems to be the holy grail of production break cues
OB break - many people prefer this over BK2
Anvil - another favorite, but also a bit pricey
Mezz powerbreak - out of my budget, but curious how it compares with the others on this list

Ultimately, I'm guessing it's going to be difficult justifying spending more than $200-250 or so, so I might end up getting one used after pawning all my cues.
Click to expand...



I personally don't think to need to spend more than $100 tops. Break cues are nothing but tools, the J&J or other similar cues will work real well in most cases. But if you want a custom Jump Break I would recommend the Mace by Rick Howard. You can look Rick up in the INTERNET and contact him directly, he started making Jump Break Cues in the Mid-1980's I have been using one myself for 20 years. His cues are as good as they get and they they are between $200 and $300.
 
sharkingsomeone said:
Does anyone have any reviews as opposed to recommendations?
Click to expand...

I guess I don't know what you're looking for, or how to differentiate between a review and a recommendation, but here's my experience.

I have a J&J J/B. I got it because I had read many good things about them, and it fit my budget. They certainly don't cost a lot.

I have used it for almost 2 years now, and I like it. I don't have any experience with other styles, so I cannot make a comparison. It has a good feel to me, and it certainly makes great contact.

To me, it sounds like you might be looking to spend a bit more than what a J&J costs, and that's cool, too.

Good luck.
 
We always have a Predator BK, a Pechauer BK, an OB1 BK, & an Auerbach Custom BK in our booth at the BCAPL in Las Vegas. Since our product deals directly with the Break Shot, we have lots of good players come through our booth & try out these Cues.

All of the cues are used & just about everyone has a couple favorites. Lots of players are interested in the front load technology that Pechauer uses. I like the Pechauer & the Auerbach myself & we sell them, but then again, we sell all of them.

Remember this, if you will. A good Break Cue should be in your case for all time. 8, 9 & 10 Ball aren't going away.... & in these games the Break Shot is very important. I wouldn't want to use a cheap cue in my quest to be a winner.

Good Luck in your choice.
 
ELOH Break Cue

Eddie Euro is local to my area in Matthews NC and he makes a custom break cue for $250 that he will let you try out before you buy it.

If this is something you are interested in let me know and we will send you his contact information.
 
sharkingsomeone said:
Does anyone have any reviews as opposed to recommendations?
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

Just because someone writes a review on a cue doesn't make it all true with all cues of that type. If someone writes a negative review, it doesn't mean all cues will be the same as that one bad cue.

Reviews are only accurate if the writer tries out more than one cue of that one make. Plus it is only an opinion of what one thinks.

If you have 5 cues exactly the same and try out each one and compare, that would be a good review IMO. :smile:

If you have 5 people that recommend a certain cue, that is a good sign that chances are you'll get a good one.

Don't know what game you want to play or what break you want to use.:scratchhead:

Good luck with reading a review. A lot of reviews might be bias.:rolleyes:

I sell Poison, Predator, and J&J so you know I'm going to say they are the greatest.:thumbup:





Just because a break cue is inexpensive, doesn't mean it will not hold up over the years. I've seen the some expensive cues not hold up (cracked shafts and warped butts). The amount of money you spend is up to you. One person's quality might not be the same as another.
 
Different Indians prefer different arrows. I bought a friend a Pechauer break for his birthday. Actually, he's the son of my deceased "best buddy", so kind of an honorary nephew?

Anyway, he found the shaft too thick for his taste, so he went with a poison Jump/break which he likes. He gave the Pechauer break back to me..and I have no problem with the shaft size, love the way it breaks.

So..lesson learned...it's very difficult to buy something as personal as a cue for a serious player.
 
I've got an Orange Crusher and like it, but honestly, the tip/ferrule/cue weight combination are what I feel matters in a break cue. Also, I always thought a dedicated break cue and dedicated jump cue were the way to go, as I think you lose something with the extra joint in the cue. I know that many don't agree with me in that regard, so it may just be a psychological thing for me.

As I said, I like the Orange Crusher, but I believe you can only pick them up used now, as Mike isn't making/importing them any more. Regardless of what you get, I like the Samsara tip very much, which is what comes on the Crusher.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top