Constantine
New member
Some players keep a break cue in their pool case. How necessary is this?
How Important Is it to Own/Use a Break Cue
- Thread starter Constantine
- Start date
Cicerone88
Active member
Not necessary at all. Especially now with magic racks and cut breaks. Nothing more than a luxury. I have a Jacoby heavy hitter with a phenolic tip that I use on my league night so I can smash my wooden rack 8 ball racks. But all the 9 ball tournaments are magic rack nine on the spot now, so i just use my playing cue for that.
I always laugh at the marketing and prices for some of these crazy expensive break cues with carbon fibre shafts. “Our most technologically advanced break cue yet providing unparalleled energy transfer” meanwhile everyone breaks 12mph now LOL would’ve been more useful 20 years ago!
I always laugh at the marketing and prices for some of these crazy expensive break cues with carbon fibre shafts. “Our most technologically advanced break cue yet providing unparalleled energy transfer” meanwhile everyone breaks 12mph now LOL would’ve been more useful 20 years ago!
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Necessary?
As in "cannot play without it"?
Not at all.
No more than an expensive custom playing cue is necessary to play well.
FWIW, I have both, but I still get to play in the under 600 tournaments...and generally lose.
To each his own.
As in "cannot play without it"?
Not at all.
No more than an expensive custom playing cue is necessary to play well.
FWIW, I have both, but I still get to play in the under 600 tournaments...and generally lose.
To each his own.
1. It can suck hunting for a house cue that isn't warped and has a decent tip to use as a break cue.
2. The break is a pretty important shot. If you haven't studied where each ball in the rack will go, see Dr. Dave's videos. You'll see that in 10-ball, the pros can make up to six balls on the break.
...so why not have a dedicated cue for the break? You could break with your playing cue, but you might damage/flatten the tip. You don't have to buy an $800 BK Rush break cue--although a lot of good players seem to have one--you can buy a wood break cue for under $150. As for soft breaking, I haven't seen any top players that soft break (except for videos of Corey Duel). The top players I've seen crush their breaks.
2. The break is a pretty important shot. If you haven't studied where each ball in the rack will go, see Dr. Dave's videos. You'll see that in 10-ball, the pros can make up to six balls on the break.
...so why not have a dedicated cue for the break? You could break with your playing cue, but you might damage/flatten the tip. You don't have to buy an $800 BK Rush break cue--although a lot of good players seem to have one--you can buy a wood break cue for under $150. As for soft breaking, I haven't seen any top players that soft break (except for videos of Corey Duel). The top players I've seen crush their breaks.
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donniesoup
New member
No need at all. If you think you need it get one. I’ve been breaking with my same schon playing cue with the same wood shaft for eighteen years. Shaft is still strait as day one. I use a medium moori tip never needed to reshape just use a pic once in a while. Down to once a week playing right now but use to be 3-5 times a week.
Cicerone88
Active member
Nobody crushes the break anymore. It’s a medium/medium high speed, controlled break for 10 ball and 8 ball, and a low-medium speed cut break for 9 ball. Magic rack with fast cloth doesn’t require a hard break to get a good spread, so they can emphasize control over power.
Sometimes you’ll see Jeff Deluna smash em. But in general i’d say the power break is gone from professional pool, unfortunately.
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
If you don’t break any harder than a hard playing shot then your player is probably fine. Keep in mind if you like a soft tip, you’ll make it harder faster. Also if you have a low deflection shaft, they are generally hollow at the tip end making them more fragile. I’ve repaired a few players used as a break. Use a house cue or get a breaker if you have a strong break or delicate shaft.
example
example
Brother Ron
Member
I play with a soft or medium tip on my Meucci and use a cheap cue with a hard tip for breaking.
Nice repair. How did you fill the split? Is the shaft a Predator or OB?
it's no a must but good to have
Pro events use new sets of balls and new cloth and a good tight rack, everything runs faster and smoother.
New break cues also provide more speed with less effort so it doesn't look like a very hard break is needed.
When you play at your local pool hall, the balls are used and sometimes a bit dirty (if not a lot), some clubs don't even uses high end balls and those cheap ones really suck.. the cloth is dirty and worn (to different degrees) and it's not always possible to get a tight rack with the cheap plastic racks.
So a good break cue will give the extra power and speed to the break and provide a good spread in these conditions, especially for 8ball.
Now it doesn't have to be super expansive, you can get a cheap cue with a hard tip and it'll get the job done.
I have two break cues, the Predator BK2 and a cheap Players jump-break cue that I've had it modified a bit - I had the ferrule changed to a phenolic one and had a white diamond tip on it that kept popping off so I've replaced it with a Samsara break tip and it been working great for years for breaking and jumping.
The Predator does offer a noticeable more power and speed and the low deflection shat does help with unintentionally spin, but for 9-ball the Players is more than enough and I don't have to carry a separate jump cue and since I don't compete anymore and just play for fun I can live with a less powerfull break cue.
Pro events use new sets of balls and new cloth and a good tight rack, everything runs faster and smoother.
New break cues also provide more speed with less effort so it doesn't look like a very hard break is needed.
When you play at your local pool hall, the balls are used and sometimes a bit dirty (if not a lot), some clubs don't even uses high end balls and those cheap ones really suck.. the cloth is dirty and worn (to different degrees) and it's not always possible to get a tight rack with the cheap plastic racks.
So a good break cue will give the extra power and speed to the break and provide a good spread in these conditions, especially for 8ball.
Now it doesn't have to be super expansive, you can get a cheap cue with a hard tip and it'll get the job done.
I have two break cues, the Predator BK2 and a cheap Players jump-break cue that I've had it modified a bit - I had the ferrule changed to a phenolic one and had a white diamond tip on it that kept popping off so I've replaced it with a Samsara break tip and it been working great for years for breaking and jumping.
The Predator does offer a noticeable more power and speed and the low deflection shat does help with unintentionally spin, but for 9-ball the Players is more than enough and I don't have to carry a separate jump cue and since I don't compete anymore and just play for fun I can live with a less powerfull break cue.
Predator Break Speed app for you phone. I doubt you will get more speed/energy from a break cue, at least I don't.
$4.99 and all the answers
apps.apple.com
$4.99 and all the answers
Break Speed
How Fast Is Your Break? Break Speed Powered By Predator can tell you! To use the app, set your phone on the rail and tap the screen. Now you're ready to break. Tap the screen once again after your break and the app will display your Break Speed speed. Break Speed is more than 10x the accuracy...
apps.apple.com
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SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
it was a Jacoby Edge Hybrid. Once the crack was cleaned out I could glue it back together.
For me, break cue usage and break cue choices depend upon what game one is playing ( 8, 9, 10 ball)--i.e. rack size and what the racking set up is- triangle rack vs. a flat set template rack. Also a factor is table size- 7 vs. 9 foot. These are the factors that I consider in choosing my break cue for the day.
As an owner of some fairly expensive customs, I always use my own selected break cue and never one of my playing cues.
1. 9 foot table Triangle rack :8 ball or 10 ball I choose my CF break cue with Kamui control break tip
2. 9 foot table : Triangle rack : 9 ball I prefer a 13MM hard leather tip on a 13MM conical taper maple shaft.
3. 7 foot tables- any game : the maple shaft break cue in # 2 above
4. 9 foot table with template rack - I could go either CF of maple shaft - probably the CF for 8 ball for sure and maple shaft for 9 or 10 ball.
As an owner of some fairly expensive customs, I always use my own selected break cue and never one of my playing cues.
1. 9 foot table Triangle rack :8 ball or 10 ball I choose my CF break cue with Kamui control break tip
2. 9 foot table : Triangle rack : 9 ball I prefer a 13MM hard leather tip on a 13MM conical taper maple shaft.
3. 7 foot tables- any game : the maple shaft break cue in # 2 above
4. 9 foot table with template rack - I could go either CF of maple shaft - probably the CF for 8 ball for sure and maple shaft for 9 or 10 ball.
Seriously? You overthink everything this much? Not even the best players on the planet go to these extremes. Whatever works i guess but i just don't see the need to be so ultra-specific for breaking.
I was surprised by your photo and the cored-out end on the Jacoby shaft. Their website photo below shows solid wood. I guess I could have guessed it was a foam-filled core since a regular-maple front end weighs about 20% more than the Jacoby cored. Also, Jacoby wrote:
Weight:
A feather light ferrule and vibration-dampening core greatly reduce unwanted weight in the front end. This drastically reduces unwanted shaft deflection.
Jacoby Hybrid Edge Custom Cue Shaft
Jacoby Hybrid Edge Shaft Custom Pool Cues and Hand Crafted Pool Cues by the Worlds Best Cue Makes - Call Us 888-809-7665
www.billiardwarehouse.com
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