Breaking with playing cue... bad for cue?

slyfox

slyfox

Olney Fan
Silver Member
I'm sure this debate has been had and is still continuing....

I have heard it is bad to break with your shooting cue/main player.
I have also heard it is absolutely not detrimental to the cue.

Understanding that some breaks are more powerful than others and that some go down into the table, I would assume some breaks can strain the cue.

Do certain joint styles have different affects? Obviously a 5/16x18 flatfaced joint is going to incur more strain and detriment than a radial and a 3/8x10.... or that's my assumption.

I break with my shooting cue.... 3/8x10 piloted joint.

Just thought some more knowledgeable members would know more than myself...

Thanks everyone!!!:)
 
Consider that players have been breaking with their playing cues for decades prior to the introduction of a dedicated break cue. If you have a particularly monster break or tend to bend the shaft against the table when breaking then it is probably not advised.

I use a different cue to break with though it isn't specially designed as a break cue, basically an inexpensive cue "just in case", but more than anything it saves wear and tear on the tip of my playing cue.
 
IMO, I believe most players who use a different cue to break with, do it because of the tip. I perfer a soft tip for my shooting cue while my break cue has a hard tip. Im the tip repair guy in my area and I see the customers come back quicker when they use one cue than my customers who use a seperate cue. I guess if you use a very hard tip for shooting I guess it wouldnt matter.
 
You do not have to hammer the rack to have a great break...it's more about accuracy and technique...just like any other shot on the table. I have found that I break the best with my daily player...simply because my confidence in handling it is already there, and I typically get some pretty nice breaks with it. I use Milk Dud tips on my shafts, and experience little, if any, flattening.

I would rather carry a back-up cue than a 'one trick pony' like a breaker...that's just me tho'.

Lisa
 
slyfox said:
I'm sure this debate has been had and is still continuing....

I have heard it is bad to break with your shooting cue/main player.
I have also heard it is absolutely not detrimental to the cue.

Understanding that some breaks are more powerful than others and that some go down into the table, I would assume some breaks can strain the cue.

Do certain joint styles have different affects? Obviously a 5/16x18 flatfaced joint is going to incur more strain and detriment than a radial and a 3/8x10.... or that's my assumption.

I break with my shooting cue.... 3/8x10 piloted joint.

Just thought some more knowledgeable members would know more than myself...

Thanks everyone!!!:)
Click to expand...



There was a pretty famous Cue Maker who built his cues so that you could play with them and break with them, I wonder if people still break with his cues today, his name was Gus Szamboti!!!!!!!:)
 
I use a Lucasi custom with a radial pin joint, and I have broke with it everyday since I got it. I did change the tip to a Moori medium, but it breaks great and is still straight as it was when I got it. The shaft has been tapered to 12.90mm and it hits a ton. I have a very powerful break. Somewhere in the 29-31mph range, and I have never had any issues with the tip flattening or anything. I just use my tip pick on it, and it holds shape great. And the Moori helps with cueball control, which is nice. :thumbup:
 
I have a hard break and I break with my player but I mostly strive for a controlled break which is about 75% of my hard break and when I find that stroke "It's Grrrrreat"
After I mushroomed the Kamui Med I trimmed the sides back flush and so far so good, still not experiencing miscues that are tip related. I use an Andy Gilbert J/P, it's a great all around cue.
 
I started using my daily player to break about 3 months ago and it works great, but my tip(kamui black SS),which i put on about three months ago, is down to its last racks lol! I wouldn't suggest breaking with your daily player if it has a soft tip or ivory ferrule,just my opinion.
 
SOULHASSORROW said:
I wouldn't suggest breaking with your daily player if it has a soft tip or ivory ferrule,just my opinion.
Click to expand...

Actually...many makers install a fiber pad between the tip and ivory ferrule. It is meant to protect the ivory ferrule from damage, such as letting your tip get too worn down. You would stand a greater chance of causing damage to an ivory ferrule while breaking if you and the cue just came in from the cold, and you didn't let it warm up to room temperature before breaking with it. The cold makes the ivory brittle...otherwise, it's pretty durable.

I had a cue with ivory ferrules and broke with it all the time with no problems whatsoever.

Lisa
 
Thanks for all the input. I have seen a few players in tournaments locally miscue on a break and mess up their tip.... always seems to be a soft tip though.... I like a super stiff hit and use the hardest tip I can find.

I've heard a superb cue-maker and friend of mine say if it's a well built cue you should be able to break with it and never have a problem....
Just like stated earlier, a good firm break 75% can be just as solid as cramming the balls around with no control.

Thanks all.
Great feedback.
 
slyfox said:
... 3/8x10 piloted joint. . . .
Click to expand...

Do you have pics of that? On the other hand. . .I think breaking with a player is fine. I have broke with players quite a bit.

That said, in practice, trying to get the last mph out of my break, weird things have happened like my cue slipping out of my hand, tip breaking off, crazy miscues, shaft hits table light, etc. I really don't want to subject my player to that. A player is typically valued a 3 - 10x time the cost of a player, so, I use a break cue.

In addition, a break cue can be weighted or balanced differently. It can have a harder tip or different tip radius. Those may offer some small advantage. I feel like it does to me, but I have no solid proof.

On the other hand, out side of practice, I'm usually taking a bit off the break to cut break or to have better CB control. In that case, other than tip flattening, it should be fine. Even tip flattening is of little concern with some of the new amazing laminate tips like the Tiger Emerald.

Do what you want. Even though all the pros have 2, I would bet it has as much to do with getting league players to buy 2 cues as it does with any real advantage. I would also guess pros really don't want the time delay and concentration breakdown of a tip coming off.
 
I break with my playing cue. Sometimes I switch out the tip for a breaktip and then put the playing tip back on.It is 10 seconds to change.
 
if you're that concerned with it go ahead and break off the wall. i broke with a house cue for years before breaking down and buying a break cue. no real noticeable difference to be honest
 
If you use a LD shaft I wouldn't break with it. I also wouldn't break with my playing cue if I used anything other than a hard, or extra hard tip. The reason for that isn't for break reasons as much as it is for playing reasons. If you break with a soft tip you are guaranteed to mushroom it and turn your soft tip into a harder tip just by the pressure you put on it through breaking.
 
Might depend on what your playing cue is. A very thin shaft cue might not stand up vey well, especially with a hard break. On the other hand if your break is light and your cue very solid you may get away with it. I personally feel it is not worth chancing even though my playing cue is solid. With all the cues out there for breaking why not have a break cue?
 
it is all about the grain of the shaft

if the tip is medium to hard you are fine. The diameter of the shaft
is part of it also. But most of all if the grain of the the shaft.
If it is not a good straight grain then I would not break with that cue.
 
Its mostly about the tip. Breaking is a hard impact that can flat-spot your playing tip. This, in turn, will have an affect on your next shot. Layered tips aren't as bad, but the regular, compressed tips get harder throughout the life of the tip. The harder you hit, the less the life span.

To each his own. A breaking cue does not have to be a "breaking cue." It can be any cue, with or without a special tip.

Collars cracking are of no real concern if the cue is constructed correctly.
 
My "break" cue is just an ordinary 21oz dufferin sneaky pete. My shooting cue is lighter with a thinner predator shaft and softer tip. I've thought about going with a much lighter true break cue (for more cue speed), but I only break at around 75% and like the feel of the heavier cue for breaking.

If someone gave me a half dozen different dedicated break cues to try for a month I'd probably find something I liked much better and chuck my duffy, but for now I'm happy with what I have. The idea of breaking with my shooting cue just seems wrong to me.

This just reminded me of something. The day I bought my first cue, a McDermott, my very first shot was an 8-ball break. It was also the only time I ever broke with it. I guess you could say with my McDermott shooting cue I pocketd the 8 on 100% of my breaks.
 
I know a player that uses a real Buska as his daily player. He breaks with it all the time no matter what game he plays.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top