J/B Cue with phenolic tip/ferrule combo

9 ball

9 ball

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was looking at a couple of these the other day in my local billiard shop and i'm seriously considering getting one for my birthday but what I would like to know is what are the advantages of having a phenolic tip/ferrule over a leather tip and normal ferrule.

P.S

Do they help breaking and jumping?.
 
The advantages

are about 15% more 'Pop' on the break. My 65 year old big brother was breaking like sh*t, lost his snap, couldn't make a ball on the break, don't even talk about spreads. I ordered a J&J Break/Jump for him. He *****ed and *****ed about it.

I coached him on how to break with it, didn't change his break spot, just moved the cue ball back a little to shorten up his stroke for better accuracy (breaks from head end rail), and now he is making 1-3 balls on the break with good spreads, which gives him the chance to get out instead of his opponent. He is breaking now as good as he did 20-30 years ago.

I have always been a hard breaker, some tell me as hard as anyone in town, but even I have noticed a little drop off the last few years, and my J&J allows me to retain the 'Snap' I have always been accustomed to, so I feel it is a useful tool as you age in the sport in order to remain competitive.

As you know, 15% is not a lot, but it's the last percentage point increase that drops that ball in the pocket, and gets a good open spread instead of a clustered one, and that IS a big difference.

And, many times, the break might decide who wins and who loses, and a phenolic tip lifts a lot better than leather for jumping.
 
the tip is really the main thing. i've had phenolic tips on regular ferrules and they hit as hard as the 1 piece tip/ferrules. you can also get specially treated leather break tips that are almost as hard as phenolic, but will hold chalk better and less prone to miscues.
 
IMO ,

The main advantage is that for the most part , it will last a LONG time without any need for reshaping , replacing or messing with. I scuff it with sand paper every few weeks to help it hold chalk and that's about it.

Plus . . . it sounds cool.
 
Any comparisons between the canvas based phenolic tips vs tips like the white diamond? Is the white diamond more inclined to miscue? Hit as hard?

Currently having my WB leather tip replaced with a phenolic ferrule/tip.
 
I cut the Phenolic tip off my J/B, installed a White Diamond and never looked back. Holds chalk much better IMO, thereby allowing some spin when you need it ( such as a 2nd ball break in 8-ball) without danger of a miscue. No loss of power whatsoever from a phenolic. I've not tried any others such as the canvas-based resin tips, but have no need to since I'm happy wirh a WD.

Bill
 
i've never tried a white diamond, but i hear they are excellent. with phenolic you can get them to hold chalk. the secret is to get a very coarse metal scuffer and put some grooves into the tip. after that it will chalk very nicely
 
Be aware that canvas-resin is a bit different than the standard phenolic that so many use. The canvas will actually fuzz a bit on the radius and allows it to hold chalk wonderfully and also makes it much more durable. The standard phenolic is a bit brittle and will crack over time and also makes for a slick surface which won't hold chalk nearly as well. The canvas-resin is so bulletproof that I give a lifetime warranty when my j/b's are purchased.:)
 
Surprised nobody here mentioned the jumping... I'm what we in the business would call awful at jumping. Mostly cause I just decided I needed to learn it about 5 weeks ago. I can get my daily player to jump on my folks home table with it's nice thick cloth, but I have yet to find a bar table that I can get the ball more than half a height on. With my phenolic Jump/Break fully assembled I regularly make jump shots, not with any control, and I often miss, but getting the ball up is no longer the problem.

As far as the break part is concerned, I have noticed better spreads but less pocketing in my particular break. But I'm still adjusting.

Edit: Oh another note... on the advice of someone here I stopped roughing my phenolic tip and it's been holding chalk much better. I can't figure out the logic, but I tried it and they were absolutely right.
 
Cues

Well, I always use my playing cue when breaking the 2nd ball in 8 ball. You don't hit it that hard, and the leather tip provides more control. I feel phenolic is not necessary for that type break.

I had and used jump cues prior to getting the J&J. The first jump shot I tried, I sat the cue behind an object ball about 6-7", and another object ball a foot in front of it, hit the jump shot, and the cue ball went over both object balls and into the corner pocket .... LOL Takes a little getting used to, but now I have no problem, but dialing into accuracy takes a little more work.

I use my TipPik on the phenolic tip, just so it makes little indentations enough for chalk to go into. Not very often, just every now and then.
 
white diamond

I really like the hit of a white diamond and phenolice ferrel combo. Tons of pop
 
skiflyer said:
Surprised nobody here mentioned the jumping....
Click to expand...

Speaking for myself , I'm in the anti-specialized jump cue camp so I only jump with my playing cue. It's am ethical thing. :) But yeah , a pheno tip will most definately get the ball up faster than traditional leather but usually with the loss of some control and spin ability.
 
One last question about the ferrule/tip combination, do I just put chalk straight onto it or do I have to install a tip first?. (sorry for such a noob sounding question).
 
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