Help: Jump Break cue vs Jump + Break Cue seperately?

I have a break cue and a jump cue both with ash shafts. My break cue has 12.75 mm shaft and my jump cue is about 14+ mm. The problem with a "combo cue" is that the shaft is to small for excellent jumping. The advantage of course with a combo cue is price.

I believe serious & pro players want performance and dont' care about price. I think you should build all three. A combo cue is good for budget minded players and you can still satisfy the serious & pro players with seperate break and jump cues.

The best thing is you will have more customers if you build all three!
 
Thank you for all the response.

I am very interested in some comment regarding being able to jump really close with a jump cue. Is that really the most important thing to look for in a jump cue?

I designed the X jumper to be a very accurate jump cue, with almost no vibration. When it is used at the table for testing, I noticed that even if the player missed a jump, the cue ball did not spin, which meant the miss was due to incorrect body alignment and/or stroke, not because of unwanted English that a lot of jump cue tends to add to the cue ball.

I want to make it clear that I am not a believer of a jump cue needing high squirt and a break cue needing low squirt. I think in order to have more power for both jumping and breaking, a stronge tip, and a well designed taper and balance is very important. In my opinion, a hollow front end might help to reduce squirt on a bad hit (so will hitting the ball softer:) ) but it will certainly compromise on the power generated ecause it is not going through the ball (it is buckled).

When I designed the X Breaker, I wanted it to be a cue good at both tasks. I do not believe that it is impossible.

On the other hand, as I have gotten to know more players, and have a larger number of pro players and champions using the X breaker, I started to see things that I did not notice before.

For one thing, Ralf Souquet told me there is usually a 30 sec time clock in pro events, so taking down a jump break cue could be a bit inconvenient. It sounds like a joke, but at his level, it is not. It requires intense concentration to play perfect pool, and it is desirable to be able to stay focus at all time during a match.

Also, to tighten a jump cue back to a jump break cue is also time consuming, not to mention there is a chance the cue might not be tightened up properly. One bad break can cost a pro player to sit out the rest of the match, so the break/jump is more important than I used to think.

It is nice to be able to jump a chalk away, but most importantly, for the pro players, it can make a hugh difference if they can jump and make the ball, or just jump and hit the ball. To be able to keep running out is the forumla for winning, so a jump cue needs to be very accurate. Again, one bad jump can cost a whole match. Think about Chao in the last match with Busta during the challenge of champion--what happened if he missed that jump?

As I am sure most of you notice, hardly will you see a pro go for a jump a ball away, and hardly will you see them jump with a dart stroke. I did not notice this until I started having lots of players using the X Breaker on TV and in major tournaments. They have offered me very valuable feedback. They told me the pendulum stroke is a stroke built into their muscle memory, it is therefore a stroke they like to use and repeat with confidence.

I think in that sense, the X Breaker has evolved to becoming a jump break cue built and designed for the better players, since it has adapted lots of feedback from various champions over the last two years.

Tony Robles told me the X Breaker was the most accurate jump cue he has ever used, and I am very thankful for his compliment.

I have built a new jump cue which weights only 3.5 oz, but it is not a good tool for players who play to win consistently, because it is not super accurate. So, I have put that design away.

I personally can jump a ball and a half away with the X Breaker jump portion consistently, and it is good enough for me. But I have received requests of offering a jump cue seperatly, so the players do not need to take the jump break cue down for the jump. I am also hoping more people can afford to enjoy our new tip technology through using our jump cue. I think the X jumper has a bit lesser vibration, and is even more accurate on longer jumps, with a better feedback.

I am afraid I am not convinced that a jump break is a compromise in terms of performance as I do not see "jump" and "break" having contradicting requirments. However, I do feel that a jump cue and a break cue seperately might be more appealing to a certain market, and I am very interested in the feedback from the memebers here in that regard.

Thank you.

Richard
 
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Good Tools are always made to do specific jobs. A Jump Cue or a Break Cue is no exception.

I see players using all sorts of equipment, to play the game. Some players haven't reached a level of play, that good or great equipment will make a difference in their game.
 
Your jump/break cue may break as good as my break cue but I guarntee you that my jump cue (with an ash shaft) "jumps" better than your combo cue (unless you have 14+ mm shaft). The more the shaft flexes the less it can jump simple as that. If you can make a 13 mm shaft that flexes the same as a 14+ mm jump shaft then YOU WIN! Remember the fat metal shafts that could jump better than anything else. Deflection was so bad though they weren't worth anything.

How about using a 14+ mm shaft for breaking (with a Phoenolic tip)? I think the deflection would be to much to make an accruate break in 9 Ball. I use a 12.75 mm break cue shaft (yes its ash also!) and when breaking 8 Ball and hitting the second ball back I need the small tip to hit the break better.

I'm just trying to help you make the best products you can. I totally disagree that you can make one cue to do two completely different tasks. The primary function of a jump cue it to make a legal hit and keep your opponent from getting ball in hand. If you make the ball jumping its an added bonus!
 
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Richard....are you going to have a booth in Vegas to show your jump cue?

As it stands I have used the following cues to jump with:

1. Normal Joss cue shaft with joss jump butt. Cue length is only 39 inches so illegal
2. Cuetec J/B combo
3. Bunjee Jump Cue
4. Bunjee Blaster J/B Cue
5. XBreaker J/B cue

To me the real advantage of both XBreaker and Bunjee Blaster is their flexibility. ie break cue, short jump cue, and long jump cue. I prefer a slightly longer jump cue given the choice. The XBreaker does an outstanding job but you have to be careful not to overstroke the jump shot. There has actually been a few times where I have been shooting a short jump and landed on top of my object ball. Of course this was my stroke execution.

I believe a dedicated jump cue with the ability to adapt to short and long cue is really the way to go. For example my Bunjee has a small extension (5") that you can screw between the shaft and the butt. This does change the balance a little bit of course.

Here's an idea...build a dedicated jump cue that is longer ie 45 to 50 inches with another quick release joint to shorten the cue to a typical length jump cue. I think this would be the bomb for a jump cue that would work for long and short jumps.
 
From speaking to a lot of players (which is a great part of how we develop our product), I am under the impression that a very light jump cue is not always preferred. Most players I spoke to told me they like to have a bit of weight in their hands when they jump, especially on longer jumps. Keep in mind that most of the players who endorse the X breaker use a pendulum jump stroke.

I agree about the shaft with little vibration part from a previous post. The thing is the X Breaker shaft (13.5mm) is made of very dense maple, and I cannot bend it with my bare hand. The jump cue features a 13.8 mm ash shaft, and it is also so stiff that I cannot bend it at all. The two shafts have different tapers, but they are both very stiff.

I also heard from some players that they want a slightly smaller tip for jumping, because they want to hit the ball very precisely, so in regard to the control aspect, I am not sure if 14mm is the best.

I have to respectfully disagree about the objective of a jump cue being not giving one's opponent ball in hand. At least that is not my objective when I built my jump cue.:)

I built the X jumper for the player to jump with virtually no vibration and very accurate line of aim. When I developed my jump cue, players that endorse my cue told me they wanted a jump cue to deliver the cue ball to where they aim effortlessly. They do not want a cue that may curve the cue ball easily.

I guess at a certain level, the player with the better control on the jump shot will have an edge big enough to secure a victory. There is a big difference between hitting the ball and making the ball; moreover, there is a hugh difference between being able to make a ball and to have a shot on the next shot, or just make the ball.

It is with this objective that I designed the X jumper, to be the most accurate jump cue for the pro players, to increase their chance of winning.

The tip of the X jumper is harder than any tip and it holds chalk the best, this can also give the player a lot of extra confidence. To jump over a ball in a real game situation should not really be a problem anyway with this new jump cue.

For now, a lot of players have told me they feel that the X breaker is a very solid break cue, yet they like to have a jump cue on the side to save them the trouble of having to take the cue down. The X Breaker jump break also offers a long and short handles for long and short jumps--I even have players using the X breaker as their playing cue--so it is a more versatile cue in a way. There are extra benefits to own the jump/break and the jump altogether.

If I only offer a break cue and a jump cue, I agree with the Mooseman that I should probably offer also a longer handle and such. But then, wouldn't that be too complicated and thus defy the purpose of having a jump cue standing by to save time and inconvenience? I am not sure.

On a seperate note, I agree that a lot of good jump cues also have high squirt, but that is not to say high squirt is a must for a good jump cue. I can jump quite well with the new BK2 shaft with a canvas phenolic tip; I cannot jump as well once I change the tip to leather.

As you can see, the more I think about this, the more I become uncertain. I have learn a lot about the jump and break from our robot and most importantly, from talking and watching many pro players breaking and jumping with the X breaker. I also learn a lot from visiting this forum. I am very grateful for all the knowledge and input I have received.

Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate all of your knowledge and time. Thank you very much.

Richard
 
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Again the thing I like about the XBreaker is the flexibility of the cue to provide break, short, and long jump cues. Imagine a dedicated jump cue that provided both the same short and long jump capability. A cue that is designed for jumping first and foremost. I'm so excited I may commision a cuebuilder to make me one because the market probably exists.
 
i have a break cue and a jump cue and i reciently bought a j/b cue and i like the convenience of a j/b but i liked having a specific cue for each job
 
X Breaker said:
Thank you for all the response.

It is nice to be able to jump a chalk away, but most importantly, for the pro players, it can make a hugh difference if they can jump and make the ball, or just jump and hit the ball. To be able to keep running out is the forumla for winning, so a jump cue needs to be very accurate. Again, one bad jump can cost a whole match. Think about Chao in the last match with Busta during the challenge of champion--what happened if he missed that jump?

Richard
Click to expand...

And the cue he used in that shot was a Bunjee Jumper that he had purchased from me directly.

Jump cue technology has not improved significantly in the last five years. Every shot that someone claims to be able to make accurately, consistently, with more or less spin, with x-brand of jump cues is also able to be made accurately, consistently and with as much or as little spin using the Bunjee and the Fury jump cues.

Different cues for different tasks. Maybe. As I have said before I don't think a break cue improves the break. I think that phenolic tipped ones can increase ball speed off the tip but without an accurate hit what good is more ball speed.

Modern jump cues do one thing. They allow a greater range of jump shots to be executed. How well and accurate and with how much spin those shots are done is almost entirely due to the shooter's skill. Not due to the cue as is alluded to. All modern jump cues are so close in performance that they are virtually indistinguishable.

I have yet to see one that outperforms another over the course of a wide range of jump shots.
 
John Barton said:
And the cue he used in that shot was a Bunjee Jumper that he had purchased from me directly.

Jump cue technology has not improved significantly in the last five years. Every shot that someone claims to be able to make accurately, consistently, with more or less spin, with x-brand of jump cues is also able to be made accurately, consistently and with as much or as little spin using the Bunjee and the Fury jump cues.

Different cues for different tasks. Maybe. As I have said before I don't think a break cue improves the break. I think that phenolic tipped ones can increase ball speed off the tip but without an accurate hit what good is more ball speed.

Modern jump cues do one thing. They allow a greater range of jump shots to be executed. How well and accurate and with how much spin those shots are done is almost entirely due to the shooter's skill. Not due to the cue as is alluded to. All modern jump cues are so close in performance that they are virtually indistinguishable.

I have yet to see one that outperforms another over the course of a wide range of jump shots.
Click to expand...
Hi John,
How are you doing?
Saw Kelly and Val in Valley Forge and they told me you are in China, hope all is well with you.:)
I am wondering how you would rate the Bunjee with the Flying Eagle and Dr. Popper regarding close jumps? Do you think there is any significant difference?
Thank you.
Regards,
Richard
 
The fact is that unless the object ball in within 2 inches of a pocket MOST players (INCLUDING THE PROS) can't make a jump shot more than 50% of the time. Nine Ball requires pocketing the balls 95+% of the time to be competive. Jumping is used to keep your opponent from getting ball in hand and is used when kicking is a less percentage than jumping. Jumping can be an offensive weapon in certain conditions but its primary use is a defensive one.

If you don't believe me then roll out to a jump shot (with the object ball not in front of the pocket) and see who gets to shoot it!
 
hey richard,

well, if my opinion still counts, i think you should make both. the one thing that has become more and more critical for me is the length of the jump cue, i find that many cuemakers are on the short side, at least according to what i like. i like to jump with a full cue if i can, but thats not always the case. the shorter cues tend to curl the cueball off when there is a long distance to travel, at least without a perfect hit. anyway, havbe to run....
 
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