Break cue tip shape

NaturalEnglish

NaturalEnglish

Banned
I use a Fury jump/break cue with a phenolic tip. The original tip shape was close to a nickel. A few days ago I decided a flatter shape MIGHT be better, so reshaped the tip to a quarter radius. I started seeing the cue ball fly off the table on breaks. First time I have ever had this happen to me. I got a clean cue ball that has a center spot on it to see where I was hitting. The cue ball was going off the table with a trival amount amount of hit above center ball. I mean maybe 1/16".

So my questions are...
* Was this flatter radius responsible for the cue ball flying off the table?
* I know one shooter that has a flat tip on his break cue. I mean dead flat! Is that good or bad for breaking? I guess its impossible to put any English on the cue ball with a flat tip.
* What shape should the tip of a break cue be? Is flatter better?
* What tip shape is best for jumping?
* What should the tip shape be for this combination jump/break cue? Is there a magic shape that will be best for jump/break or is the combination jump/break cue a compromise?

Any insights or experiences with tip shape for breaking and jumping would be appreciated.

TIA
 
NaturalEnglish said:
I use a Fury jump/break cue with a phenolic tip. The original tip shape was close to a nickel. A few days ago I decided a flatter shape MIGHT be better, so reshaped the tip to a quarter radius. I started seeing the cue ball fly off the table on breaks. First time I have ever had this happen to me. I got a clean cue ball that has a center spot on it to see where I was hitting. The cue ball was going off the table with a trival amount amount of hit above center ball. I mean maybe 1/16".

So my questions are...
* Was this flatter radius responsible for the cue ball flying off the table?
* I know one shooter that has a flat tip on his break cue. I mean dead flat! Is that good or bad for breaking? I guess its impossible to put any English on the cue ball with a flat tip.
* What shape should the tip of a break cue be? Is flatter better?
* What tip shape is best for jumping?
* What should the tip shape be for this combination jump/break cue? Is there a magic shape that will be best for jump/break or is the combination jump/break cue a compromise?

Any insights or experiences with tip shape for breaking and jumping would be appreciated.

TIA
Click to expand...


I personally agree with the flatter is better (at least for a phenolic tip)

The more mass you get on the CB the more velocity that should be created...and the less likely the tip will slide off the CB (miscue)

My thinking is that the phenolic tip does not compress as much as a standard leather tip....
 
Since your cue is designed as both a jump and a break cue, the original shape is designed to give you the best of both worlds. A slightly flatter tip for breaking isn't a bad thing, but you will be giving up some in the jump shots.
There is a reason it was shaped as it was when you got it.
Steve
 
NaturalEnglish said:
I use a Fury jump/break cue with a phenolic tip. The original tip shape was close to a nickel. A few days ago I decided a flatter shape MIGHT be better, so reshaped the tip to a quarter radius. I started seeing the cue ball fly off the table on breaks. First time I have ever had this happen to me. I got a clean cue ball that has a center spot on it to see where I was hitting. The cue ball was going off the table with a trival amount amount of hit above center ball. I mean maybe 1/16".

So my questions are...
* Was this flatter radius responsible for the cue ball flying off the table?
* I know one shooter that has a flat tip on his break cue. I mean dead flat! Is that good or bad for breaking? I guess its impossible to put any English on the cue ball with a flat tip.
* What shape should the tip of a break cue be? Is flatter better?
* What tip shape is best for jumping?
* What should the tip shape be for this combination jump/break cue? Is there a magic shape that will be best for jump/break or is the combination jump/break cue a compromise?

Any insights or experiences with tip shape for breaking and jumping would be appreciated.

TIA
Click to expand...

I like the flatter profile, on the tip, for breaking. If I could draw a picture, you could see why I think that way.

The radial center (spherical center of the cue ball) of the contact point, on the Cue Ball, & the radial center (centroid of the shaft) of the contact point on the Cue Tip are all (four [4] points) aligned on the vertical plain, on a true center ball hit. That is the nominal best that can be done, for a shot with no english applied.

When the Cue Tip strikes the Cue Ball too far from this "nominal best hit", throw becomes a problem & CONTROL is out the window. The smaller the radius of the tip, the more you experience a smaller tolerance zone for the hit.

Because we have different idiosyncrasies in our Break Stroke, we experience different success & or problems.

Speed & Angle of Stroke are often the cause of Cue Ball Launch. The Cue Ball is bouncing toward the RACK at break neck speed & if the Cue Ball is on the upward portion of the bouncing arc, the Cue Ball caroms off the object ball toward the sky.

A Flat Tip offers the greatest "margin of error" on any center ball stroke.

I don't like Jump Break Cues, because I'm a fan of the old school approach, "specific tools for specific jobs". A good 2/4 Cue Case can carry 3 good cues. (Play Cue, Break Cue & Jump Cue).

Good Luck...
 
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