light vs heavy break cue....

I want a break cue that is no heavier than my normal playing cue.

Actually, I think I now prefer a cue that is relatively light for breaking.

I think about 18 ounces, with a 14mm hard leather tip, and an extended long straight pro taper would be what I'd like to experiment with.

You don't need a super heavy cue to break good, you just need to hit the balls solid and with sufficient speed. It is easier to get speed with a lighter cue than a heavier cue. I also want to be able to somewhat control the cue ball on the break. If you are smashing them willy nilly with a club and not controlling the cue ball, then a big break sometimes works against you.
 
I currently have a somewhat older Cuetec jump/break cue that comes in around 17 1/2 ounces, and honestly, depending on the game I'm playing, I sometimes just break with my playing cue if I'm looking for more of a precision break (I don't use soft tips on my playing cues).

I once broke some 9 ball racks with a Jester cue at an exhibition booth, and while it was insanely lightweight, I was honestly impressed with the breaking results. I've also tested quite a few heavy break cues over the years, and I don't care for them for the same reasons as many others...a lack of "feel" and/or control. I believe breaking is about cue speed and solid contact on the cue ball and rack, not weight.

End result, I prefer a break cue that is around my playing cue weight or less. Get a cue that has a weight you feel you can make a controlled break stroke with, and put a good break tip on it. Remember, it's not the weight, it's the control.
 
CB striking accuracy is diminshed by trying to stroke the cue stick as fast as possible. That's why, if you plan on using a powerful break, the break shot requires plenty of practice in order to build the proper muscle memory needed to break with consistent speed and accuracy.

If your break cue is the same weight or lighter than your normal shooting cue, and you want to power break the balls, you'll have to swing the cue much faster than a normal firm/hard shot, using different muscles or muscle tention than normal. But you can use a 24 or 25oz cue and a normal firm/hard speed and get about the same break results without trying to swing it as fast as possible.
 
I have an app on my phone that measures break speed.
I tried multiple breaks with a light and heavy cue.
All my breaks were in the 19 to 20 MPH range.
I did think the lighter cue hit the head ball more square then the heavy cue.
 
I prefer “not heavier”...

Mine is 19.1 oz, about the same as my player. I’ve had good luck with even lighter too.

Heavy cues just seem to make me jerky. And there are those that tell me that I’m already enough of a jerk... ;)
 
My Snooker cue is 18 ozs 10m tip. I’ve been breaking with it for 14 years...American pool.

Cue is as good as new. Tip lasts 8 months...never cracked a ferrule.

My results. I‘m not a great breaker but am as good as my league mates.

Being in the sciences my take on the physics is different from most. The reason that 1 lb squirrels can crack open a nut is because the energy of his bite is concentrated in a small surface point. That point imparts all energy into a couple degrees surface area of a sphere. Keep the cue as straight as possible and all the energy is used in forward momentum. The shock is also absorbed evenly down the tip, ferule and stick...so no damage. As soon as the cue isn’t straight...energy goes elsewhere. Less energy into the rack and more sideways stress on the tip

Bottom line. Good breaking is about cue technique and accuracy. ‘If’ you can be as straight and accurate with hitting harder with of your mass behind. then it’s a positive...but 99% of us are not that accurate. The best pros are that accurate. The rest of us lose any advantage of a heavier break cue.
 
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Geosnooker said:
My Snooker cue is 18lbs. 10m tip. I’ve been breaking with it for 14 years...American pool.
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A 288 oz cue is slightly over the BCA weight limit, just so you know. Also, with a 10 meter tip I imagine you have to enter through a cargo door, sideways. Seems like it would be checked luggage for sure.

Personally I'm in the light break-cue camp. 18oz, conical shaft, 13mm Samsara tip. I don't break the balls as hard with the, "heavy hitters".
 
My personal preference is light, my old Break Cue, was 16.9 OZ, I liked light, because it was easier on torn rotator.

Bottom line was it worked for me.
 
Ghosst said:
A 288 oz cue is slightly over the BCA weight limit, just so you know. Also, with a 10 meter tip I imagine you have to enter through a cargo door, sideways. Seems like it would be checked luggage for sure.

Personally I'm in the light break-cue camp. 18oz, conical shaft, 13mm Samsara tip. I don't break the balls as hard with the, "heavy hitters".
Click to expand...

Ha ha! Thanks. Yes, 18 ozs.

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Ghosst said:
A 288 oz cue is slightly over the BCA weight limit, just so you know. Also, with a 10 meter tip I imagine you have to enter through a cargo door, sideways. Seems like it would be checked luggage for sure....
Click to expand...
It is, however, nearly ideal for the RAM shot.

With the advent of modern breaking techniques, speed is not the issue. Corey Deuel sometimes uses his shooting cue for breaking and certainly does not use maximum speed. I think most players who are working on speed would better spend their time working on control.
 
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