Break/Jump Cues...Worth the $$$

[Jersey]

Anybody breakin' with a Predator, Sledgehammer, Canonball or any other jump/break cue?...are they worth the investment?...I have a cue I break with now, a Fury DL, ($89), has a solid hit, stainless/stainless uniloc joint.

These 'specialized' cues seem to be $pricey$...

 

[Muxy]

Hello Jersey, welcome to the site.

First of all i have broke with a lot of break cues, House Sticks, CueTec, SledgeHammer, Flacon, Pechauer, Predator, CannonBall.

But my favorite so far is the Fury BK/J, first of all it jumps better then a bunjee, and makes a Frog look like a dead one . The break is absolutly solid hit. Hard to get used to at first but a couple hours of practice you will be getting your split, and controling the cueball 99.7%, i am no sales rep for them, but this is the best pool invesment i have ever made. I bought mine for 190 Canadian, you do the math.

You can see a picture of mine in my sig just click the link...

Trevor Muxworthy

 

[Shorty]

Anybody breakin' with a Predator, Sledgehammer, Canonball or any other jump/break cue?...are they worth the investment?...I have a cue I break with now, a Fury DL, ($89), has a solid hit, stainless/stainless uniloc joint.

These 'specialized' cues seem to be $pricey$...

To me they make a difference...and a couple reasons why. The Predator has very little deflection and hits the balls incredibly solid. The Sledgehammer likewise, but for a different reason, it is thicker in the shaft and has a phenolic type of tip. For me as a weak breaker, I noticed a drastic difference. On occasion I will try and break with my playing cue or a house cue...and then I will break with my Sledgehammer. I get a MUCH better spread and hit the balls much harder with my sledgehammer than I do any other cue I own. I am referring to both 8 ball and 9 ball in this instance. These cues are more specialized and can take the slamming of breaks much better than most regular cues.

It all really depends on your breaking style...are you trying to make 4 or 5 balls on the break, hunting for the 9, or are you trying to make just one ball with a nice spread and shape on the 1 ball. I am just using a 9 ball break as a for instance. It really depends on the game and what style of break you have.

For years I had a Cuetec jump/break and I believed strongly in it. It was stolen from me and I actually replaced it...but sold it thinking I was getting away from the game of pool. When I returned to the game some 2 years later, I bought a Players jump/break...and I liked it ok. I got the opportunity however to get a Sledgehammer and I have since replaced ANY jump/break cues I thought about using with this one. The lighter weight of 19 ounces and the solid feel of this cue and the MUCH better spread I get make this cue my hands down better cue for breaking for me. I do however play with a Predator shaft for other reasons. People around here break mostly with Omens...but that's their preference since he is the local cuemaker.

It really boils down into what you are willing to spend and what style of break you have. If you are comfortable with the Fury, and are comfortable with your break, stick with it. If you are looking to try other break cues, then I recommend you find a friend that may let you test out a Predator BK or a Sledgehammer.

To me they are worth the money...

Shorty

 

[JAM]

The player in my household has owned four break cues over the past several years. He's sold every single one of them, except one that he left in somebody's car by accident in Vegas.

One break cue, we paid $225 for, which was supposed to be a good deal, as this particular model sold for $375, according to the vendor, but it just didn't fit his breaking style, I guess.

Not content with any break cue (except one), this player continues to break with his shooting cue, which sends chills up my spine every time I hear the crack of the balls, usually about 16 to 19 mph.

Recently, he borrowed a custom-made break cue created by Ted Harris, owned by Jump-Ball Mechanic Danny Green, and he said it was the BEST break cue he's seen in years and wants to buy it from Danny. Of course, Danny knows a good thing when he sees it and would never sell it in a million years. It is a secret weapon and definitely a tool of his trade.

World Champion Pro Player Allen Hopkins could probably buy whatever break cue he desired. Recently, when I saw him competing in a Joss regional tournament in Drexeline, PA, his shooting cue was a custom-made strikingly beautiful Black Boar. However, Allen Hopkins plays with the same BREAK cue he's had for years, a Helmstetter. Upon examination of his break cue, you can see this stick has seen some battles in its day, but he never leaves home without it!

Picture of Hopkins' Helmstetter break cue on the left and the Black Boar shooting cue on the right!

JAM

 

[vapoolplayer]

6 words for you.............andy gilbert, andy gilbert, andy gilbert


he makes the only cue i've picked up that you could play with, break with, and jump with......it does all three perfectly. although i only use it for jumping and breaking. its a custom cue, so its gonna run you about the same as a predator bk i think.

thanks

VAP

 

[cubswin]

my favorite break cue is the schon I play with. However, I hate what it does to my tip. So I break with a dzuricky sneaky, with almost as good results.

My 9 ball break is a good one I think, usually 2 balls and a lot of 4 ball breaks in a night.

Break sticks can help, but it really is going to depend on how you break. I don't see a huge difference in using a break cue over a regular cue with my break. Some people do. Heck I had a 40 cuetec fiberglass shaft cue for a few hours once (won it, sold it same night) and it broke like a dream.

 

[Jedi V Man]

I break with a National "cheap ass" sneaky Pete that I had a buddy install a Phelonic 1 peice Tip/Ferrule combination on. The tip actually is part of the ferrule but looks as it is just the bare fibers of the shaft sticking out of it....

Tapping a cue ball with the tip sounds as if you are tapping the cue ball with a peice of Marble.

Even an off center break results in the hardest break you have ever seen. Also, it puts a minimal amount of spin on the ball whichj usually squats the rock center table.

 

[Rackin_Zack]

6 words for you.............andy gilbert, andy gilbert, andy gilbert


he makes the only cue i've picked up that you could play with, break with, and jump with......it does all three perfectly. although i only use it for jumping and breaking. its a custom cue, so its gonna run you about the same as a predator bk i think.

thanks

VAP

I agree with this completely. I have a custom J/B on order from Andy! There are a lot of people who use his J/B cues for players. They play just as well as most anything else I've tried!

 

[olgoat]

Try putting a Joe Picone white diamond break tip on your current break cue. Makes a big difference in the hit. You can get them from piconecue.com or watch ebay. He sells them in lots of 3 there and you can often get 3 for the price of one. They are a fiber/resin tip, very hard but they hold chalk pretty well.

If you are still not happy, you are only out a few bucks and go with a new break cue.

Tim

 

[TheBook]

6 words for you.............andy gilbert, andy gilbert, andy gilbert


he makes the only cue i've picked up that you could play with, break with, and jump with......it does all three perfectly. although i only use it for jumping and breaking. its a custom cue, so its gonna run you about the same as a predator bk i think.

thanks

VAP

I have a Gilbert Break/Jump cue and I now use it as my playing cue and breaking cue. The tip is extremely hard and to me it plyas well. The tip has not changed it shape since I have bought it. I freek a lot of player out with it. Most of them have a cheap cue and use a house cue to break. They can't figure out how or why I use the same cue to break and play with. They are afraid to sue their good cue to break with because it will probably break the ferrule or or deform the tip.

 

[Rackin_Zack]

I have a Gilbert Break/Jump cue and I now use it as my playing cue and breaking cue. The tip is extremely hard and to me it plyas well. The tip has not changed it shape since I have bought it. I freek a lot of player out with it. Most of them have a cheap cue and use a house cue to break. They can't figure out how or why I use the same cue to break and play with. They are afraid to sue their good cue to break with because it will probably break the ferrule or or deform the tip.

yeah, that always kills me when someone uses a house cue instead of a cuetech or something like that to break with. I've loaned my Gilbert to people to play with and they have actually asked me if they could break with it, to which I reply, "it is a break/jump cue!"

 

[bud green]

I just bought a cuetech jump/break cue as part of a billiard collection but was planning on selling it (not sure what it's worth,though) .

Seems like people like this cue but not as much as the pricier Sledgehammer. Is this because of different tip/ferrule material or some other reason?

 

[ceebee]

I have my choice of a Predator BK or an Auerbach BreakRAK Cue. Both were given to me, so my customers can try a break cue at my vendor booth. I can't tell the difference between the two cues. The Predator BK has the radially laminated shaft & the Auerbach has a multi-layer flat laminated shaft. Both cues have the same tip on them.

The Predator is a bone stock cue, right from the production line.

The Auerbach Cue has a custom shaft (it is a custom cue) that is 13.7 in diameter & has a short ferrule. The tip radius is app'x that of a .50 cent piece.

I believe specific jobs require specific tools. That is my opinion. You may believe otherwise. That might be your opinion. We have two noses between us, it's okay to have two opinions too.

The bottom line is operator skill, because a great cue in the wrong hands is useless. JMHO

 

[UGOTDA7]

I have a Gilbert Break/Jump cue and I now use it as my playing cue and breaking cue. The tip is extremely hard and to me it plyas well. The tip has not changed it shape since I have bought it. I freek a lot of player out with it. Most of them have a cheap cue and use a house cue to break. They can't figure out how or why I use the same cue to break and play with. They are afraid to sue their good cue to break with because it will probably break the ferrule or or deform the tip.

Same thing here except I put a Moori III medium tip on mine.

I have quite a few custom cues and keep trying to convince myself I need to play with a different cue. I'll shoot with something else for a short time but I always end up back with the Gilbert j/b.

I'm firmly convinced that there isn't a better all around cue out there than a Gilbert j/b. They are well made, break well, play very nice, have some style, and don't cost an arm and a leg. What more could you ask for?

 

[NOSAJ03]

Anybody breakin' with a Predator, Sledgehammer, Canonball or any other jump/break cue?...are they worth the investment?...I have a cue I break with now, a Fury DL, ($89), has a solid hit, stainless/stainless uniloc joint.

These 'specialized' cues seem to be $pricey$...

Really any cue is worth it if you want it. Many people buy them because they dont want to ruin the tip on their playing cue and many people buy them just to buy them. Bought an Omen custom because one I didnt want to ruin the tip on my cue and two I got a deal on it because I was ordering another cue. I have regretted it and I thought it was worth every penny. A lot of people prefer to break with their playing cue. Its always just a matter of preference but personally I think anything to help your game is worth the money. You dont necessarily have to spend the paper on something expensive but often times you get what you pay for.