Break Cues and Playing Cues

[Snapshot9]

Breaking

I didn't use a break cue most of my playing life (48 years now), and probably only had a break cue about the last 7 years, but I am sold on having a break cue now. Besides breaking better, and not bending the shaft on my playing cue when I broke with it (or shattering a ferrule like I did once), or scarring the finish up on the playing cue.

It is just better now that I have a break/jump cue. (but I would not pay $500 for one).

 

[Stylez777]

It has to be known that there is so much *Myth* involved with breaking and break cues. Firstly you need to break everything down step by step and compare to derive the truth from the myth.

A break shot is going to be the hardest shot you have to take in the entire game. Can your playing cue withstand the force of impact of this one shot per game you play? Yes it can. Your tip/ferrule are going to take the brunt of the abuse, so in the long run you may crack a ferrule or deform you tip (if you use a softer tip). If you are a breaker who bends the shaft while you break over time your shaft may warp causing you to have to replace it.

Now let's get technical for a second. Let's take one of the more popular break cues the BK2 and compare it to X playing cue. If both cues are the same weight is there some "special" design that makes you move the BK2 faster then your X playing cue on a break shot? no your going to generate the same cue speed with both cues. So if you can generate the same cue speed at impact of the cue ball on the break the speed at which the cue ball travels into the rack is going to be virtually the same. I say virtually because the BK2 (and most other well designed break cues) are made to transfer the most energy to the cue ball at impact. Now your talking maybe 2-3 mph difference at most? it's not a significant amount of speed at all, the ball hits the rack the same way at 23 mph the 25 mph is not going to make that huge of a difference.

What happens is that people get so caught up in speed/power they forget the accuracy part! You need to be able to hit the head ball in the rack dead on to transfer all that stored energy in the cue ball to the rack, if your hitting the head ball 1/16th of an inch off center there goes approx 10-15% of the cue balls stored power/energy. What if you don't actually hit the cue ball dead center? You hit just half a tip top so the cue ball is rolling on impact? Well you just nipped off another 10-15% of power/energy (a ball rolling will create more friction then a sliding ball will and it will gradually decrease in speed while rolling until it hits something). I can list more and more factors but the jist of it is accuracy is just as if not more important then how hard you can smash the cue ball. How many people have seen the guy who can slam the cue ball super hard only to have it fly off the table every time they break? or hit it so hard and miss nick the head ball and leave a ugly break?

Now again don't get me wrong I think having a break cue is great. It has a purpose and does it's job well. I don't think you *need* one but it's nice to *have* one. I personally break equally well with my Playing cue or break cue. It's more the technique used than the cue. Also with the top break cues coming in over $300+ retail has to make you really think how much of it is just bogus marketing hype vs what your actually getting out of it for the money spent. Your mind tells the body what to do, when your mind is sold on the fact that X break cue will make you a better breaker it's probably going to happen. Again it's all up to the individual and I'm sure every single pro or top amateur can break just as well with any playing cue vs any top break cue.

 

[ctyhntr]

9ballmarksman,

Sounds like a case of entitlement.

1. Where I was raised, it was proper to ask May I borrow. If its not yours, you ask.

Question. May I borrow your break cue?
Answer. No, Yes
Reply. Thank you (end of discussion)

2. Monkey See, Monkey Do
I bet your opponent probably doesn't have a clue why break cues are marketed. Those that paid $20-$50 for a layered tip install, will want to preserve that investment with a break cue. One time, I had a league opponent that took up to 10 minutes looking for a break stick, his break was so feeble nearly everytime I offered to re-rack (failed to drive 2 balls to the rail). I own a break cue, but I'm not in the habit of using it and tend to break both 8-ball and 9-ball with my playing stick.

For league matches, I keep an extra cue in my locker. When I see my opponent playing with a house cue. I offer my back-up cue (my former sneaky pete) as matter of courtesy and so I don't have to hear a lame excuse later how I beat him/her with fancy equipment (my main playing stick is a huebler sneaky pete)..

At least you didn't have my opponent tonight. In one game, she scratched and sunk the 8-ball. She then immediately stated she didn't call the pocket and wanted both to be respotted. Never mind the 8-ball was hanging off the pocket. League director was walking by, called him over to confirm lost of game. She has been playing in the league for years. On a tie breaker, I flipped an Eisenhower dollar, the largest US legal tender coin. She called heads, and it came up tails. She acted as if it came up heads, until I pointed out it was tails. We used the same coin twice tonight, and it came up both heads and tails.

 

[Chi2dxa]

You are correct Sir!!! There are times I break with my playing cue a Paul Huebler and there are times I play with my break cue and the key words here are "MY". You don't know how someone else will treat your equipment and my equipment is very personal to me...like a girl friend or something and you would not loan her out.