Importants of the Break Cue!!

I have been told that I have a pretty decent break with some power in it. I usually use my J&J 4414 Jump/Break cue, but could settle for a house cue if I happened to lend my J&J to a friend that happened to be using it at the time. I usually throw my weight into my break, so it gets whitie moving pretty fast. I know for certain that if I didn't use a break cue or a house cue to break with, I would be spending lots of time reshaping the tip on my playing cue because it would be mushrooming or flat. I'm sure after a while, I would need to reshape again and then replace the tip as it gets shaved down with constant reshaping.

If your break is not much harder than a firm shot, then I don't see why you'd need a break cue. For those that put their weight into their breaks, I think its essential.
 
> Back in the late 80's when Nick Varner was winning everything,he broke with his playing cue,a Joss East with ivory ferrules. In a P+B interview,he said the reason he did it is that he never could get the tips on 2 cues to play the same,and wanted something comfortable and predictable in his hands for the most important shot of the game.

He later on changed to a break cue,and said that technology finally put something in his hands that did the job better than his regular playing cue,by this time a Falcon.

If I could possibly play with as hard and flat of a tip as I like to break with,I'd be breaking with my Schon full-time. Tommy D.
 
Break Cue

qbilder said:
I regularly break over 20mph. I break & play & even jump with one cue. My tip is a medium hard & it takes a few reshapes due to flattening out but once broken in requires no more maintenance.

I could easily build myself a break cue. I have done several times. But I always go right back to breaking with my playing cue. For me it's just comfortable. My breaks are cleaner & more controlled with my playing cue because i'm so comfortable using it. I could never get used to controlling a break cue because I only used it one shot per game.

This is just my preference. Something to consider, maybe.
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I agree, never really used a break cue much either, get's me outta rhythm, I prefer the cue I'm playing with, if my tip gets all outta whack, I'll just slap another one on, only takes me 30 minutes or less to put one on.

Billy Schick made a 25oz break cue for my brother one time, you could really scatter the balls for sure, but controling whittey was hard to do on a hard hit,

Bill Hoyt made a 22oz break cue for my brother which gave much more cue ball control,

although a 19oz break cue works just fine for those that are worried about their tips, I use a Hercules layered tip and it hold's it's shape quite well on my cue.


David Harcrow
 
dave...I agree with your concept here, but I have broken with my playing cues for almost 40 yrs, with NO problems (and that includes exotic cues like Balabushka & Ginacue). Yes, a tip may mushroom (or not). Even a cuemaker doesn't know if a tip will mushroom or not. Since Jerry Powers was mentioned in another post on this thread, I wanted to point out that even though he invented the Stinger, his personal attitude is the same as many top cuemakers...if you can't break with your playing cue, it ain't worth sh*t! Along the same lines, when he helped McDermott remanufacture their LD shafts (now called G-Core), he asked me to test one of the prototypes (which was the small diameter LD shaft). I asked him about breaking with it, and he replied that it would pose NO problems whatsoever. It's been a year, and he was right. I LOVE the shaft...and I still use no break cue! :eek::grin: Maybe I've just been lucky!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

12squared said:
A break cue is not necessary based on your description, but it still might help. For one, your cue will hold up so no worries there, but your tip may suffer. I don't like breaking w/my playing cue because if I get the tip just the way I like it, breaking may reduce the life of it, make it harder, or create a glaze so I misscue more often. And as others have mentioned, if you are using a LD shaft with some special ferrule configuration, that would not be good for it - or if you use an ivory ferrule I would be nervous.

You might just find that you get a little extra action on the balls hitting it exactly the way you hit them now by using something designed for breaking. SVB always broke w/his playing cue until he recently started using his sponsor's break cue, now he uses a break cue.

JMO

Dave
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I think a straight swing is more important than a brake cue:

I didn't use a break cue for years. I always preferred ivory but as I got better and my swing started to straighten out and I hit center ball more often, I started cracking allot of ivory. The cost alone (I was a broke dick pool player) made me get a buster'. I think the break cue came in to popularity in the late 60's, (need Jay to confirm), it was 9-balls American hey day and David Howard busted em as good as anyone today. I remember at Red's 1982 I was standing with Jimmy Reid watchin' Howards match, David breaks from the right side of the rack, makes three and runs out, next game he puts whitey on the left side midway from the rail and head spot and brakes and makes a couple. Jimmy turns to me with his classic snicker/smile and laughs saying this phucker is "Crazy" makes 3 balls from the r/side and then moves to the other side of the head string....then he breaks again and makes two....then Jimmy gives me the double giggle/giggle/headshake, "it was a good laugh".
 
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I always use a break cue and i've been using the same J/B cue for a number of years. I'm used to it and it does a great job. In my opinion, because the break is so important, I think you need a good cue designed just for breaking and the more you use it the more comfortable you will be with it. My J/B cue is stiff hitting, it's the right weight for me to get the best results, and I use a very hard Sumo Tip on it. If I need to jump a ball i'm comfortable with it knowing what I can and can't do with my cue.

My playing cue wouldn't be suitable for breaking since I use a predator shaft with a soft tip on it and it wouldn't hold up plus i'd lose the ability to jump balls if necessary without carrying a separate jump cue.

It's up to the individual, but for me i'd be lost without my J/B cue.

James
 
Good Post SCCUES.... I believe in "special tools" for special jobs. Many cuemakers make Break Cues for their customers & their customers like them. Their customers feel they have made a good investment.

Personally, I don't care if you use Granny's Cue to break with. We live in a FREE Country & you are OK in my book, by doing so. You can use a broom to bust with or play with, I couldn't care less. I just wanna have fun & I hope you have the cash if you lose.

I have a Break Cue & my friends have Break Cues... none of us are world beaters. We can play very well & we enjoy playing. If $300.00 was gonna bust one of them, I'd give them the money, rather than listen to them groan about about a bad break shot.
 
I know a break cue is a great tool to improve your performance and I have no doubts about a better golf club. Also, having seen and played players that break and run out with the same cue....quickly (Medina for example in dead puch) you couldn't ever convince me that if he used another cue he would brake any better. What's even more impressive, Dannys Meucci that he played/broke with....he had for I'd say 7-8 yrs, that's amazing the cue would not come apart when Danny was swingin' em dead straight. He broke em so good he beat Efren in the World 8 Ball Championships Finals. And before that he played Sigel in his prime/finals/Reno and should of won cept his shape was Always a little farther away than it should be and he missed One critical shot to lose to the Captain.
 
12squared said:
A break cue is not necessary based on your description, but it still might help. For one, your cue will hold up so no worries there, but your tip may suffer. I don't like breaking w/my playing cue because if I get the tip just the way I like it, breaking may reduce the life of it, make it harder, or create a glaze so I misscue more often. And as others have mentioned, if you are using a LD shaft with some special ferrule configuration, that would not be good for it - or if you use an ivory ferrule I would be nervous.

You might just find that you get a little extra action on the balls hitting it exactly the way you hit them now by using something designed for breaking. SVB always broke w/his playing cue until he recently started using his sponsor's break cue, now he uses a break cue.

JMO

Dave
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shane was breaking with his playing cue the first night of the fatboy challenge at the derby and when he was on the hill he broke and was getting ready to shoot and his tip fell off. of course he had another shaft !
 
RunoutJJ said:
Does having a break cue matter all that much?? I ask because i dont have a break cue. I dont slam a rack of nine ball to get the balls to spread out nice but rather hit it firm and solid. I dont use a Corey Duel soft break either so is it nessecary to have a break cue??

I use my playing cue (Zinzola) for pretty much ever shot. So if im breaking with it will it weaken the joint? As far as it go's with Zinzola cues the joint is pretty tight and the screw and thread of the joint are strong.

What do you think and should i consider investing in a break cue???
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if you want one and don't want to spend a whole bunch of cash get yourself a j&j. nobody really "NEEDS" a break cue. you can break off the rack just as well as you can with a $500+ custom break cue.

if you don't "WANT" one then save your dough and break off the rack. if you do "want" one go ahead and get one. Owning one can't hurt your game. the reason i own one is because i wanted to have one.
 
RunoutJJ said:
Does having a break cue matter all that much?? I ask because i dont have a break cue. I dont slam a rack of nine ball to get the balls to spread out nice but rather hit it firm and solid. I dont use a Corey Duel soft break either so is it nessecary to have a break cue??

I use my playing cue (Zinzola) for pretty much ever shot. So if im breaking with it will it weaken the joint? As far as it go's with Zinzola cues the joint is pretty tight and the screw and thread of the joint are strong.

What do you think and should i consider investing in a break cue???
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I say... save your freakin money!!

Being an equipment junkee I've bought about 6 break cues over the last few years and I like breaking wit a good broad tipped playing cue best. I normally play with a 12 mm tip. I like to use a 13 mm tip to break with. I guess it gives me confidence that I'll get a full hit when I swing hard. Using a regular cue for breaking gives me a backup cue to play with. Use a seperate jump cue.
 
Break cue

poolplayer2093 said:
if you want one and don't want to spend a whole bunch of cash get yourself a j&j. nobody really "NEEDS" a break cue. you can break off the rack just as well as you can with a $500+ custom break cue.

if you don't "WANT" one then save your dough and break off the rack. if you do "want" one go ahead and get one. Owning one can't hurt your game. the reason i own one is because i wanted to have one.
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good advice, I have a J&J with 2 shafts, and it breaks good. Good jumper too. Look at this way, if you pop a tip on your playing cue breaking during a tournament or a $100 set, what would you do? If you scar up your playing cue's finish by breaking, it will cost you about $120 to get your playing cue refinished. Why do that when you can get a J&J for $65, and not worry about it then.

I bought my original J&J on Ebay for $28 plus $16 for shipping, a $44 dollar investment, and purchased a 2nd shaft for $30, so I have $74 in it, and have 2 shafts. I also purchased one for my brother for $65.

Break cues are much more sturdier than a playing cue. J&J's shaft and tip is 13.25 mm.
 
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