break cues... what weight?

racer rx

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I grew up thinking that if I had a heavier cue it would break the balls better... more mass hurling the cue ball into the pack.

But I have been told that a lighter cue with a harder tip will give you more control and speed. Is this true...?

So what is the ideal weight?

I'm interested in a custom made cue by "Jerico Cues' for Jump/break. Anyone have any insight into this manufacturer?
I know there Break/jump cues are only 17 oz. Comments?
 
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Beavis

Guest
More mass would matter more if you were letting go of the cue. But since you arent (hopefully) a lighter cue will give you more speed, which will make the cue ball go faster. Now with that being said, who knows if 3 ounces really matters that much ?!

I personally think a lighter cue works much better.
 

blud

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Beavis, I your correct. A lighter cue moves "through" the ball better. Varner breaks and plays with a cue that's about 17oz's.
blud
ps, Beavis, I sent you two private e-mails. Call me if you get a chance. 830-232-5991
 
T

thewolf

Guest
U guys obviously know pool, great advice. A lighter cue is much better on the breatk, once u hit some breaks with a lighter stick u will never go back to heavy :), great question
 

racer rx

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What weight do the pro's usually use? Like Archer, Souquet, Duel ect.

I suspect light too right?
 

Zims Rack

Promoting the Cueing Arts
Silver Member
I shoot with a 19.4 oz cue, I use a 18.5-19 oz cue to break with. I was told that a lighter cue is better to break with due to your ability to control your stroke better, which in turn will give you better CB control which will give you a better break.

Zim
 

Bluewolf

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been breaking with the same cue i shoot with. Lazy I guess. maybe need to try some of Larry's experiments.

Larry
 

hemicudas

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Simple fix: Go to the wall. Tip doesn't matter as long as they are the same. Try different weight cues. What ever works best for you, use it.
 
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Zims Rack

Promoting the Cueing Arts
Silver Member
I have used the Cuetec j/b, house cues, McDermott, Falcon and a Dufferin sneaky pete. It's an honest toss up (for me) between the Cuetec j/b and the Dufferin. All the cues I've used for breaking have been 19oz cues. I have a Jacoby j/b custom cue in ebony/curly maple that should be finished any day now for me to start using. I currently use a house cue to break and a Bunjee to jump. House cue is not working, but the Bunjee is! I hope I am able to jump with the Jacoby j/b as well as the Bunjee!!!

Zim
 

DoomCue

David J. Baranski
Silver Member
Break cue weight preference is based on simple physics. The momentum of the cue ball is what matters, relative to the rack. The equation for Momentum is Mass X Velocity. The mass here isn't the mass of the stick, it's the mass of the CB. That mass is always around 6 oz, it isn't going to change. So all we have to worry about is propelling the CB as fast as possible (while still maintaining control, of course). This is known as Impulse. Impulse is Force X Time. Force is Mass X Acceleration. Time is contact time between cue stick and cue ball. Mass is the mass of the cue stick, acceleration is the change in velocity of the cue stick from rest to contact. Intuitively, it looks as though, since mass and acceleration have an equal effect on Force, that a higher mass cue will result in more Force, which in turn creates a higher Impulse, which in turn creates more Momentum for the cue ball. However, look closer. A lighter cue will allow the acceleration component to increase. For instance, let's say we have an 21 oz break cue. Let's say we can generate 20 mph with that cue. That creates a force of 420. Let's lighten that cue by 3 oz to 18 oz. Now we might be able to generate a little more speed, let's say up to 25 mph. Now the force is 450. Obviously, there is a point of diminishing returns at either end of the mass spectrum (I used weight of the cue instead of mass for these calculations, but you should get the gist). Extremely heavy cues CAN increase force, but only if acceleration isn't diminished to a point where it hurts the amount of force being applied to the CB. So, the current trend in thinking is that lighter cues are better because they allow higher velocity, increasing the acceleration slightly more than the decrease in mass, which generates more force. As is the case with everything else in pool, you'll have to find the cue weight which allows the highest force applied FOR YOU. It isn't the same for everybody.

I prefer a lighter cue because it seems easier to generate velocity. It seems to take more effort to generate velocity with the heavier cues for me. However, I've never done any empirical tests on this. I know Bob Jewett and Robert Byrne have, though, and they found that lighter cues up to a certain point do increase the Force applied to the CB.

djb
 

Cardinal_Syn

Julz
Silver Member
this debate has been goin of for ages, i personally just think it's a matter of personal preference, i mean why fix something if it ain't broken.
I break with a 21oz cue i like it heavy...soo what, if i can break harder with a heavier cue rather than a light cue how can i be wrong. I get more control with a heavier cue than a light cue period and nothing/nobody will change my mind into changing into a lighter cue.

I hold my cues both breaking and shooting with 2 fingers sometimes three so when i break i practically throw the cue stick(not littelary). I don't buy the science crap Mass x Force or wut not. I don't even think 3oz will make that much of a difference anyway, so why change into something that's uncomfortable. I have tried to get used to breaking with a lighter cue, i gave it a chance, bottom line is i'm a heavy breaker type of guy.

With my type of break (2 fingers) it will just not work with a lighter cue so i use a heavy cue. The 2 just don't go together 2 fingers and a light cue. I also play with a 21oz cue. Feels great.

And don't tell me I'm wrong jsut because it doesn't work for you and it works for me.

ps. I'm a pretty small guy very short...maybe 5'4 i'm not that big and yet i can still use a heavy cue and break hard. I found out how to distribute my body weight and put it all into my arm. I'm still working on it, i don't have a perfect break by anymeans but i'm on the right track.
 
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blud

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Doomcue, darn good points. A lighter cue will help no matter how big or small you are. Size is not a big fcator here. It's how well you break with a light or heavy cue. the average, is lighter.
blud
 

Adanac67

Predator=Awesome
Silver Member
In the end it all comes down to personal preference. No-one is right and no-one is wrong. Whatever works.
 
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