This is total bunk! Break cues are a fairly recent development in the cue sports world. Until that time, most everyone broke with their playing cue...and many still do, choosing not to fall for the hype. They became very popular with the advent of the phenolic tip, and some utilized fatter 14mm shafts to get the job done.
I have owned two break cues. One I sold pretty immediately...I was less than impressed. The other I had won in a contest, and would have kept it for that reason only, except a friend and fellow player fell in love with the darn thing and kept begging me to sell it to him, which I eventually did....I have yet to have a regret about either. Truth be told, my hands-down best breaking cue I own is an old wrapless Helmstetter that I also use to play with...have picked up more 8 Ball breaks than I can remember now...and very rarely not pot a ball on the break.
You don't need to break as hard as possible to get an effective break...it's more about technique than power.
Lisa