Converting a playing cue to a break cue
- Thread starter Lou Bones
- Start date
No, but it will perform better than it would have otherwise. It is relative to itself and your feeling toward it.
Thanks for your comment.
The playing cue that I now use as my break cue is is cheap production cue with a solid maple shaft and an Ivorine III ferrule. It currently has a Tiger Everest tip on it, which I know isn't meant for breaking. I was thinking of buying a Samsara tip to put on it and wondering how much difference there would be between that and a "real" break cue. The cost of a new tip would be negligable compared to the price of a new break cue.
I don't have any particular "feeling" toward this cue. So, can you tell me what the difference would be between putting a break tip on this cue and buying a break cue? Both would probably have solid maple shafts. The joints would be different, probably. This cue has an Ivorine III ferrule, which I think is fairly hard. Both would have (if I upgrade the tip) break tips. So, what makes a break cue different, and how much of a difference is there???
Eh, Im breaking with Leather now... triangle tip. It all depends on what you want out of your break.
Break cue can be anything you are comfortable breaking with and will get you the results you desire.
Break cue can be anything you are comfortable breaking with and will get you the results you desire.
Yes, it will. Although I currently use a McDermott NG01 Stinger with a Samsara break tip (and am happy), nothing breaks as good for me as the Joss N11 I used for 15 years as a break cue...with the original medium tip that came on Josses back in the early '90s. The only reason it's not still my break cue is that it's now my son's player. I got lots of action, great speed/power and total control of the cue ball...in fact, that's something specialized break cues seem to have lost that normal cues designed for all around play have, which is good feel/control. It's all relative.
I tend to agree with you. I've never owned a 'Break' cue. I just break with my last 'old' cue. I like the feel & control o a shooting cue too.
There's virtually no difference.
Unless your in the top .001 percent in the world for break speed, in which case there's still 'hardly' any difference.
Put a good break tip of your choice and you'll do just as good as with another cue.
What's the difference in a playing cue and a break cue?
The tip.
And the weight.
heres what i did
i bought an ob break shaft for my jerry olivier sneaky which i dont use as my player anymoe but i wanted to keep the shafts as is
it has a flat faced joint
the pros
i didnt have to buy a break cue
the downside its not the weight most recommend for break cues (heavier)
for my game i dont think it matters and i break more for control than power
your solution is cheaper and should be fine unless you are trying to play in the upper level competition
jmho
icbw
None of those are specific to a break cue.
You have your head on straight sir. There are no specific requirements needed for something to be considered a break cue. There are only two reasons to even have a break cue:
1. You play with a softer tip and would like to preserve the shape and duration of use of that tip for as long as possible
2. You prefer to have different specs with a breaker because you have found that it works better for you than your player
I broke with my former playing cue for a few years (a '69 Joss original). I broke very well with power and control. The only down side was I played with a Kamui soft tip and had to change them more often.
Currently, I play with a cue made by a friend of mine. My player is about 20.7 ounces. I break with a 19.5 ounce cue with a little thicker handle and a little harder tip. The shaft is no stiffer than my playing cue.
The point is to find what works for you. If you break well with your playing cue, there is nothing wrong with breaking with that. If you prefer something different that's fine too. I have used everything from soft tips all the way to phenolic to break and have been successful with all of it. It's all in your head. If you think something will work, it will; so get what you think will work the best.
Missed one ...
#3 You are a cue Ho.
Guilty.
If it makes you feel any better, I have like 5 break cues right now, lol. I have had more than double that over the past year. I used to buy and sell looking for the perfect playing cue, then I had a cuemaker friend just build one exactly to my specs and it is perfect for me. All of the buying and selling was good because I found what I like and what I don't
I have spent the past year buying and selling break cues. Through all of the trial and error I have found what I like with that as well. I got the same cuemaker friend to start working on a break cue to match my player that will now have the specs I have to found to be most conducive to my break.
It is all a means to an end...or you just like hoarding cues
If it makes you feel any better, I have like 5 break cues right now, lol. I have had more than double that over the past year. I used to buy and sell looking for the perfect playing cue, then I had a cuemaker friend just build one exactly to my specs and it is perfect for me. All of the buying and selling was good because I found what I like and what I don't
I have spent the past year buying and selling break cues. Through all of the trial and error I have found what I like with that as well. I got the same cuemaker friend to start working on a break cue to match my player that will now have the specs I have to found to be most conducive to my break.
It is all a means to an end...or you just like hoarding cues
Well we have to justify it somehow.
After 20+ years of building and having cues built to spec though, its getting thin.
That depends on what “kind” of breaker you are. Are you strictly a power breaker? When you play 8ball do you shoot the 2nd ball precisely and go for the 8ball and in 9ball do you try to break the balls into dust? Or are you one that tries the 1 in the side and squat the CB dead center no matter what game you are playing? If you are strictly (or even for the most part a “power breaker” as opposed to a “precision breaker”) this is a good idea to save some $$$$.
“Real” break cues/shafts aren’t that much different than playing cues; and the “idea” is still the same; it boils down to your “playing style”, personal preference and just plain “what feels good”. (many) Break cues have thicker shafts and bigger tip diameter; this adds “stiffness” to the hit and does add some power, but it is mostly a “feel” thing; for example you might like a report in your hand that makes you feel like you’re going to break the stick into 10,000 pieces because that makes you feel like you’re “crushing” the rack. Btw white diamond is a great break tip to and is only about $8.
Well you do. Ask yourself if you like the “report” you get when you hit a pack with it. Do you like how it feels or not? Compare it to a house cue, break with each several times and answer the question “what do I like better?”
I think you ask something here that is virtually impossible to answer in the “across the board” sense. I think you want to know about what % this cue will perform better as a breaker once you put a break tip on it compared to how it performs now and compared to a dedicated break cue. You may have HEARD statements like “this will break with 27.86435% more power than any other break cue” or “75% of a break cue is the tip” but those people are just trying to sound smart or sell you something. That’s why my original short answer was about the best one can do as far as sight unseen advice goes.
I would say if you like the way it hits, it spreads/makes balls, you are a power breaker and don’t use a lot of tip offset when you break go ahead and put a break tip on there; it will add some power; and if you don’t like the feel or you miscue a lot you learned something(s) worth learning for what, less than $50 and a couple of hours of your time! What a deal that is!