Break Cue-What's the point?

[Pushout]

Cues designed just for breaking can give an edge on the break, at least for some people. I played with and broke with a custom Joss East {now Joss Cues, LTD} for several years, this was before break and break/jump cues became the norm. Steel joint, ivory ferrules, hard tips that didn't seem to mushroom, 19 1/2 ounces. Long story short, I had an early Gulyassy jump/break that allowed me to come close to what I could do with the Joss but not quite. I now break with a 1970s Adam, 19 ounces.
I really think technique is more important than the cue itself. I've never broken the balls as well as I did with the Joss but I still think I just can't get the technique down again{long story}.

 

[dr9ball]

snipped
Also, a lighter cue gives a better break than a heavier one

For some people this may be true, but there are also some people that can swing a heavier cue (say 21-22 oz) just as fast as they can a lighter cue (say 17 oz). In those cases the heavier cue would have more force via F= M*A.

People are different, experimentation and feel/comfort are in my opinion the best way to determine what weight your break cue or any cue should weigh.

 

[bookmd]

i break 9 with my meucci and i get an incredibly amount of cue control and get a really nice snap on the ball, consistently making a few balls on the break. i just have a previously clamped layered very hard tip. holds up great too. and its an 18 oz

 

[atthecat]

I like having a break cue. What I need in a break cue is so much different than what I play with. I like a thicker shaft with a harder non-phenolic tip. I like my break cue to be 1 ounce lighter than my playing cue.
I'm using an OB Break Shaft on an old McDermott butt. It's awesome! Samsara Tip.
On my playing cue I like a SS Kamui Black and that's way too soft to break with and I don't want to flatten the tip either.

 

[KRJ]

Big Stick

Good God in Heaven, the heavy vs light break cue can of worms has been opened again. Ok, some people say a lighter cues makes a better break. Some say a heavier cue makes a better break. I say this.......the fuller the hit you get on the 1 ball makes the better break. As for heavy vs light, I'm 6' 1 and weigh 360lbs, 2 oz's on a cue isn't going to slow my stroke down enough to make that much of a difference on my break. If anyone's stroke is slowed down by the extra few ounces then I suggest that the girly man in question hits the gym and starts putting some work into his toothpicks.

So, my advice to anyone wanting to buy a break cue is this, find a cue that you are comfortable with and buy it.
MULLY

I agree with you and I'm the opposite of you, standing a mere 5'6" and 170lbs,, and a few more ounces is not going to affect my break as well. I still play baseball, and going up a few ounces on a bat is going to affect me a great deal trying to catch up to a fast ball, but pool the ball is just sitting there. Gotta be a reason that the power hitters of baseball don't use a 29 oz bats like all of us singles hitters...... they use 35 oz monsters because they are stronger and need the extra mass on the ball. If I can swing 29 oz bat at a fast ball at 75-80 MPH... I certainly can swing a 25 oz cue to hit a stationary ball.... but if lighter works for folks than I say stay the course,,, this is not an either or, but what someone prefers... so if lighter is better for you, keep doing it, but I 'll keep swinging my monster cue for breaks... gives us little guys a little more ummph...

 

[paksat]

To preserve the leather tip profile on the playing cue.

This... I like my tip/ferrule etc. to be in best shape possible and if you had to play on the tables I sometimes have to with the heavy ass balls.. you wouldn't ask this question.

 

[Craig Fales]

Ok I have a question for you guys. For 9-ball players. What's the point of a break cue? I shoot with a viking cue around 19oz. When I break I just use a house cue 18 or 19 oz or my stealth thats about 20 oz. Do I want a 25oz break cue? It seems like that heavy of a cue would be overkill unless you're literally trying to destroy the balls. Or is a break cue this heavy just for breaking 8-ball? I'm thinking about buying one but dont know if I should stick to a light breaker or go heavy. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

I've come to the conclusion that a break cue that is slightly lighter than your playing cue is best. It's all about accelerating the cue to break as hard as possible, if that's what you want.

 

[Blackball75]

I'm wondering if it's worth paying several hundred dollars (?) to get a decent break cue. Isn't it much cheaper just to recondition or replace your tip as needed?

Plus you've got the extra hassle of carting a second cue around with you, and finding somewhere to put it while it's assembled and you're using your shooting cue.

And you're paying a lot of money for a cue you're gonna use for about 10 or so shots per session?

Is it really worth it, especially for 8-ball, where a massive break is less important?

 

[dardusm]

I use roughly the same weight to break as I play with around 19 oz. I'm not a mathmatician but it has been brought up a couple of times in this thread. I believe using a lighter cue (which has less mass) or a heavier (more mass) but less speed will equal the same force. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that I read that somewhere.

 

[poolplayer2093]

I don't trust house cues for one because I have seen them shatter. Plus I don't want splinters in my hand.

As others have stated: to protect my playing tip. Then again I have seen players shoot as hard on regular shots as they do on the break shot so I don't understand that either.

Lastly because it also a J/B.

Really? i couldn't imagine one shattering. they seem as strong as can be

 

[KMRUNOUT]

I agree with you and I'm the opposite of you, standing a mere 5'6" and 170lbs,, and a few more ounces is not going to affect my break as well. I still play baseball, and going up a few ounces on a bat is going to affect me a great deal trying to catch up to a fast ball, but pool the ball is just sitting there. Gotta be a reason that the power hitters of baseball don't use a 29 oz bats like all of us singles hitters...... they use 35 oz monsters because they are stronger and need the extra mass on the ball. If I can swing 29 oz bat at a fast ball at 75-80 MPH... I certainly can swing a 25 oz cue to hit a stationary ball.... but if lighter works for folks than I say stay the course,,, this is not an either or, but what someone prefers... so if lighter is better for you, keep doing it, but I 'll keep swinging my monster cue for breaks... gives us little guys a little more ummph...

Sounds like your happy with the cue you use, but the logic you present here doesn't sound very consistent. It sounds like you are saying that you can swing a lighter bat faster. This means you swing a heavier bat slower. This doesn't concern you with a stationary ball, and you make the analogy to a cueball. To follow your logic, you should be able to swing a lighter cue faster than a heavier one. Why would you want to swing your break cue more slowly? Remember that some of the most powerful breakers on earth are small guys (think Francisco Bustamante). He's probably exactly your size. I can guarantee you he does not use a 25 oz break cue. Faster cue=faster cueball. The only scenario in which the heavier cue might yield more "power" on the break is if you are a person who simply can't move their arm fast, even if your hand is empty. Let's say that is your maximum hand speed. You may not experience a big difference in hand speed by holding a cue, whether 18 or 25 oz. So for people with really slow swings (or people who are exceptionally strong), the heavy cue may offer more momentum when striking the cueball and result in a more powerful break. I think for the vast majority of people, however, the difference in weight from 18 to 25 oz is more than made up for by the difference in hand speed when equipping these two different weight cues. My fastest breaks are 27 mph, not the fastest, but pretty fast. I am not particularly strong. I use a break cue that weighs about 19.5 oz. There is not much difference if I drop the weight down to 18.5 or go up to maybe 20, but much heavier or lighter and my cueball speed goes down. Also, I find that the *effort* required to swing a heavy cue fast destroys any sort of control and smoothness in my stroke. It really is all about technique, not power. I don't want to use a cue that is too far outside my comfortable weight range to cause a breakdown in my technique.

My $0.02
KMRUNOUT

 

[KMRUNOUT]

And by the way, to answer the original poster...why are break cues important:

1) Greatly reduces damage to your playing cue tip. I use a Moori Medium on my playing cue. Often when I break, my tip rubs against the cloth quite forcefully. This was actually tearing the layers of the Moori tip apart. Also, any miscue on a hard break shot can rip a chunk out of your tip.

2) Greatly reduces wear and tear on the cue itself. Often when I break, the forearm of the cue rubs or even bangs against the rail. This can cause dents, dings in the finish, or even shave off some of the finish on a crappy table. I like my playing cue too much to subject it to this.

3) While I don't think it makes a huge difference, I have come to prefer the feel of a phenolic tip when I break. I do think you can get a little more energy into the rack with the same effort.

4) I think any of the construction based differences in break cues is really just marketing hype and misunderstanding. I believe that it makes almost no difference what the taper is on the shaft, the type of joint, etc. If you hit the cueball solid, the taper of the shaft should not really make any difference. I have used standard playing shafts, standard Predator shafts, "break cue shafts" (with very stiff tapers) to break. What I found is that the comfort of a standard pro taper is the most important factor in breaking well. Thus I think there is *NO* advantage to a "stiff" taper. I purchased a shaft for my 3rd Gen X-Breaker break cue. It came with a fairly stiff tapered 13.3 mm shaft. This was ok. Not the most comfortable, but solid. The shaft I bought was a Mike Gulyassi shaft. This one had an extremely long pro taper and the traditional one piece phenolic tip/ferrule. I found this shaft to be far superior. The comfort level was so much better that I could deliver a long smooth follow through more easily without having to remove my bridge hand from the table. The power was equal, if not better (due to the better feel...I got the feeling I could lay into it harder and still hit the cueball well).

I currently use the Predator BK2. Overall I must say this is the best break cue I have tried so far. It is somewhere between 19-19.5 oz. It has what they call a "strong taper", but really this is not too far from their standard pro taper. I like the particular configuration of phenolic tip and carbon fiber pad. I feel I get excellent control with this cue and all the power I could want.

All that being said, I've hit a few racks with my new Andy Gilbert playing cue at about 70% power and it feels *fantastic*!!! Now I want a Gilbert jump/break!

KMRUNOUT

 

[billiardsbrian]

Ok I have a question for you guys. For 9-ball players. What's the point of a break cue? I shoot with a viking cue around 19oz. When I break I just use a house cue 18 or 19 oz or my stealth thats about 20 oz. Do I want a 25oz break cue? It seems like that heavy of a cue would be overkill unless you're literally trying to destroy the balls. Or is a break cue this heavy just for breaking 8-ball? I'm thinking about buying one but dont know if I should stick to a light breaker or go heavy. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

I use the Viking's GBJ Break/Jump Cue. It has Maple butt sleeve and forearm. Fat Daddy taper shaft with a phenolic tip with Quick-release jump separation above wrap. This is an awesome dual purpose cue that has helped tremendously with two facets of my game that I used to think was nothing but hype to sell separate cues to unsuspecting newbies

 

[KRJ]

Swing Away

Sounds like your happy with the cue you use, but the logic you present here doesn't sound very consistent. It sounds like you are saying that you can swing a lighter bat faster. This means you swing a heavier bat slower. This doesn't concern you with a stationary ball, and you make the analogy to a cueball. To follow your logic, you should be able to swing a lighter cue faster than a heavier one. Why would you want to swing your break cue more slowly? Remember that some of the most powerful breakers on earth are small guys (think Francisco Bustamante). He's probably exactly your size. I can guarantee you he does not use a 25 oz break cue. Faster cue=faster cueball. The only scenario in which the heavier cue might yield more "power" on the break is if you are a person who simply can't move their arm fast, even if your hand is empty. Let's say that is your maximum hand speed. You may not experience a big difference in hand speed by holding a cue, whether 18 or 25 oz. So for people with really slow swings (or people who are exceptionally strong), the heavy cue may offer more momentum when striking the cueball and result in a more powerful break. I think for the vast majority of people, however, the difference in weight from 18 to 25 oz is more than made up for by the difference in hand speed when equipping these two different weight cues. My fastest breaks are 27 mph, not the fastest, but pretty fast. I am not particularly strong. I use a break cue that weighs about 19.5 oz. There is not much difference if I drop the weight down to 18.5 or go up to maybe 20, but much heavier or lighter and my cueball speed goes down. Also, I find that the *effort* required to swing a heavy cue fast destroys any sort of control and smoothness in my stroke. It really is all about technique, not power. I don't want to use a cue that is too far outside my comfortable weight range to cause a breakdown in my technique.

My $0.02
KMRUNOUT

The logic is I can swing a 29 oz bat with no problem, so a 25 oz cue does not affect me because I break with a baseball style stance and swing, to a certain extent. Yes, I can swing a lighter bat faster, but at what point am I hurting my hitting by going to light..

The theory is if I can swing a 29oz bat well, why not use a 26 , or a 19, it is to stop somewhere. You described you magic zone where if you go to light or too heavy your break suffers... same with me. I'm not big, but have strong wrists (good requirement for baseball) and use a lot of hip when breaking. I've tried it everywhich way for many years and I keep coming back to the heavy stick. If faster/quicker was the only requirement why wouldn't the baseball power hitters use lighter bats? Because they have found a weight and size that works for them... and just like you, at some point there is a zone that just doesnt' work for power and speed. Thus, I would assume everyone has a different "zone". I've tried hitting with a heavy bat in a game and felt completely outmatched.... but after swining 29 to 30 oz bats all summer and then heading to the pool rooms in the fall and winter, it seems like a piece of cake to swing a 25oz break stick. I would really like to get my break cue to 29 oz to match my bat weight, but not sure it is legal, and not too sure when the last time anyone weighed a stick before a league game or Tourney for that matter. That just might be the magic weight where my break starts to detiorate as well !!

One guy on my team likes shooting his match with my break stick.. good thing my tip is not phenolic,, but he shoots well with it and if he likes and it works, I just hand it over until I need to break !!