losing my belief in break cues..

trob said:
Yep. That's the company line right there. Other then them telling you so where's the scientific evidence to back it. Because the eye test is giving me the same results.
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No it's not just a company line. Most things related to cues are very subjective .. having said that.

I recently purchased Mezz PB2 with DI Pro shaft. This is the best break cue I've ever had. The combination works for me. It's very well controlled break with a power. It doesn't seem to be that important for me for 9 ball break (where I use my playing cue to break) but it seems to make a big difference in the 10 ball break from the middle to open up the rack and get the whitey under control.

If others can use sneaky or other cues to break, great for them but for me this break cue made a difference. PB2 is also great in the way that I can make weight adjustment by just removing some rings depending on how I fee that day. Now, is the difference worth the price?? That's up to the person. It's almost like asking "why would anyone pay more than 199.99 for a cue?" type of question.
 
trob said:
I need to add this.. I don't think it's a bad thing to have a break cue! I'm wandering if there is really that much of a difference between breaking with a normal cue and a specific cue made to break with.
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I have always broken best with my shooting cue. Unfortunately, there isn't another cue that feels like it. I have three other Schulers but they all are sized different than my Schuler.

Maybe i just need to have a break cue made to the EXACT same specs as my Schuler. I had sent my Schuler to Sheldon Lebow to make my 3-piece travel cue and he nailed it. If it had a wrap, it would play exactly the same. I should consider doing the same for a break cue.

Freddie <~~~ forget about the phenolic tip
 
IMO a two-piece break cue should cost no more than a house cue made into a sneaky pete. To me a break cue is just another thing that cost too much and does nothing for your game that any solid made cue to your liking can do. Johnnyt
 
Try everything!

trob said:
So I've been revamping my break. I think from breaking at home with the magic rack I've gotten lazy..it's just to easy to break with it and at home is the only place I get to use one. I've gotten back to basics and honestly have gotten my consistency back. I decided a few days ago to put a side my sledge hammer and go back to breaking with an old fake dufferin sneaky pete I bought at the expo a long time a go. nothing special about it ..18oz..hard tip. Guess what ..no difference! I'm dropping balls just as consistently...getting the same action and honestly I rarely drop nine balls on the break and I've dropped it multiple times every day! I'm thinking of just buying a jump cue and going back to breaking with this. Are we being duped into believing these break cues make such a difference? I'm starting to believe so...


I need to add this.. I don't think it's a bad thing to have a break cue! I'm wandering if there is really that much of a difference between breaking with a normal cue and a specific cue made to break with.
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Over the past 58 years I've tried break cues from 10 ounces to 23 ounces, and 48 inches to 60 inches. I've had the best CONTROL with a lighter, shorter break cue. They jump better, also.

So I suggest experimenting till you find what works best for you.
 
Donny Lutz said:
Over the past 58 years I've tried break cues from 10 ounces to 23 ounces, and 48 inches to 60 inches. I've had the best CONTROL with a lighter, shorter break cue. They jump better, also.

So I suggest experimenting till you find what works best for you.
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Tap tap tap
 
It's like this for me:

I have used a break cue, and I do not feel as though the difference justifies the expense that could go towards other things I need. If I had the expendable cash, I would absolutely buy a break cue. At the moment, it's an unnecessary luxory since I can break just fine with a house cue.
 
So you mean if I put some $30 chalk on my $400 break cue, I won't sink the 8 and 4 other balls every break??

Like most everyone else, I tried the expensive break cues, the phenolic tipped wonders, etc., and so on. After a while, I figured out that if my break shot was consistent and repeatable, I could pick up anything and get just about the same result. Of course you'll do better breaking with something that "feels" right, but that "something" doesn't have to cost $400.

My sister got me a ~$20 Simpson's themed novelty cue for Christmas one year. I took it with me one week instead of the break cue I was using at the time and found that I crushed the rack with it. Ended up using it for about 6 months and made several 8's on the break. Finally retired it when it got so warped that I was actually afraid it would shatter. Now I'm back to the first break cue I ever owned (a plain jane Player's cue) and doing well.
 
trob said:
Yep. That's the company line right there. Other then them telling you so where's the scientific evidence to back it. Because the eye test is giving me the same results.
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Either you haven't used a break cue with low deflection, or you don't break good enough to tell the difference. Either way, you shouldn't talk about a subject you know little about.

While the expense may or may not be justified, that is up for everyone to decide themselves, there is no doubt that low deflection is very helpful on the break, or any shot that requires great power.
 
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Masayoshi said:
Either you haven't used a break cue with low deflection, or you don't break good enough to tell the difference. Either way, you shouldn't talk about a subject you know little about.

While the expense may or may not be justified, that is up for everyone to decide themselves, there is no doubt that low deflection is very helpful on the break, or any shot that requires great power.
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Lets see been playing this game every day for 25 years and play pretty damn good lol Yes I've used low deflection shafts..I was shooting with predator and then later ob1 before most people knew what they were. Yes I had a bk2 before I got my sledge hammer. I measured my break speed with my sledge and a friends bk2 a few weeks ...exact same speed. I guess your one of those guys that needs to put others down to justify how great you think you are.
 
trob said:
Lets see been playing this game every day for 25 years and play pretty damn good lol Yes I've used low deflection shafts..I was shooting with predator and then later ob1 before most people knew what they were. Yes I had a bk2 before I got my sledge hammer. I measured my break speed with my sledge and a friends bk2 a few weeks ...exact same speed. I guess your one of those guys that needs to put others down to justify how great you think you are.
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I didn't put anyone down, you did. Also, I addressed your comment directly before you even posted it.

Dedicated break cues like the bk2 and the deep impact pro are significantly better than normal cues and jump/breaks, not so much in max power, but in cue ball control at max power. Low deflection properties help break cues a GREAT deal.
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You just failed to read it or ignored it and decided to insert a sly insult which I somewhat crassly (although justifiably so) replied.
 
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Forget it lol not going to waste my time and energy .. Enjoy your break cue
 
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I don't think it's so much about "I think break cues have special technology that let me smash'em better"

...it's more about "I don't want to smash the tip of my player". I agree that there isn't such a huge difference between a decent house cue and a break stick. As long as the tip doesn't pop off my playing cue, I'm happy.
 
I believe the placebo effect does help with a break cue. I have also seen awesome breaks with a player cue.

Now that I have that out of the way....

The break cue was designed to transfer max energy from the cue stick to the cue ball. This is not smoke and mirrors. A thicker shaft, different balance and harder tip are all good examples of the how the technology can produce faster breaks. Take a look at the Mezz Power Break 2. It is shorter than a normal cue and weight rings can be added and removed. It was designed that way so you can break better.

I think a good question to ask is "do pros use a dedicated break cue?". If the answer is yes I think that says it all. They would know better than anybody if you get an advantage using a break cue.
 
Good post I don't know if I agree with the last part. If your being sponsored you will play with what your told to. Lol


TheNewSharkster said:
I believe the placebo effect does help with a break cue. I have also seen awesome breaks with a player cue.

Now that I have that out of the way....

The break cue was designed to transfer max energy from the cue stick to the cue ball. This is not smoke and mirrors. A thicker shaft, different balance and harder tip are all good examples of the how the technology can produce faster breaks. Take a look at the Mezz Power Break 2. It is shorter than a normal cue and weight rings can be added and removed. It was designed that way so you can break better.

I think a good question to ask is "do pros use a dedicated break cue?". If the answer is yes I think that says it all. They would know better than anybody if you get an advantage using a break cue.
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trob said:
Good post I don't know if I agree with the last part. If your being sponsored you will play with what your told to. Lol
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I didn't consider sponsorship in my last post. I like to think that the player would still have the option of not using a break cue by the company that sponsors them. Who knows though.

I was curious about something. Have you tried using the break app that caluculates in MPH the speed of your break? If you have that you can do some tests. For example do 50 breaks with a regular cue and record all the results. Then do 50 breaks with a break cue and record all the results. Take the average break speed of each cue. I would be surprised if the break cue speed is less than the normal cue stick.
 
Yea I want to try that with it.. I know there was no difference between my sledge hammer and bk2 in break speed


TheNewSharkster said:
I didn't consider sponsorship in my last post. I like to think that the player would still have the option of not using a break cue by the company that sponsors them. Who knows though.

I was curious about something. Have you tried using the break app that caluculates in MPH the speed of your break? If you have that you can do some tests. For example do 50 breaks with a regular cue and record all the results. Then do 50 breaks with a break cue and record all the results. Take the average break speed of each cue. I would be surprised if the break cue speed is less than the normal cue stick.
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CreeDo said:
I don't think it's so much about "I think break cues have special technology that let me smash'em better"

...it's more about "I don't want to smash the tip of my player". I agree that there isn't such a huge difference between a decent house cue and a break stick. As long as the tip doesn't pop off my playing cue, I'm happy.
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my break has ALWAYS been the weak link, so for me a break cue isnt really a issue, when i played lots of 9 ball, taking care of my tip was my reason for a break cue or house cue.

i do like white diamond break tips, that seems to brig the best out of my break
 
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trob said:
Yea I want to try that with it.. I know there was no difference between my sledge hammer and bk2 in break speed
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Yeah I wouldn't expect to see a big difference between those as far as break speed goes.... they were both designed to maximize break speed.

Personally speaking I have been playing with a Jacoby shaft lately that is a little over 12mm. Breaking with that bends it a lot. Actually you can see me breaking with a OB2 in my avatar picture. That thing got real bendy. I was able to get a Mezz Power Break II for a good price and my breaks have improved a lot. I can usually get above 20mph. I am around 18 with my "regular" cues.
 
I played in a tournament over the weekend and watched a guy play and break with his playing cue. He never hit the rack hard and made 2 to 3 balls 85% of the time. This was on a Diamond BB but he does the same thing on the 9 Ft tables they say. I watched him play just about every match he played and he has the best break out of all the players there. Lots of people were complaining about the tables and not breaking balls but not him. Most were using the Predator break cues and were not making many balls at all. I really don't think you need a hi end break cue and feel that most people use a BC to keep from beating the playing tips up so bad. JMO
 
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