New Predator Break Cue is out

[pinkspider]

IMHO, nobody needs a break cue that costs in the hundreds of dollars unless you are playing pool for a living.

That's true none of us needs any of these expensive customs, Revos, Becues, etc, regardless of whether we're playing for a living or not. Matter of suitability and whether they meet requirements. Pretty sure most of us are in the 'want' category...

I see the PROS using these high-dollar break cues and they aren't making any more balls than SVB does when he uses his normal Cuetec playing cue to break.

SVB is an outlier and rare talent when it comes to breaking so I'm not sure if there are many pros who can do what he does. Regardless, it's realistic to break with your play cue. But I believe for some it's a matter of preserving the tip of their play cue, especially those who use soft tips and shape them really round. You wouldn't want to harden the tip prematurely or have to constantly reshape it throughout a game.

But yes i agree wholeheartedly, high dollar break cues don't mean jack shit if you don't have the technique. i can personally attest to that haha

All you need is a good solid cue with a good tip that you can cue accurately with at higher than normal stroke speeds.

that sounds just like the premise for the bk (or bk marketing depending on how u see it) lol

I think the break is a fairly interesting thing to study, though. Most people who obsess about their break power IMO break about 10-20 and even 30% harder than they should. They jump off the table, scratch and lose control of the white ball maybe 1 in 3 racks, 1 in 4, 1 in 5...To me that is unacceptable. It may be that my straight pool obsession is clouding my opinion here, but I'm just not comfortable leaving the most important shot in the game to chance like that. I'd rather treat it like a straight pool break shot and leave as little to chance as possible. Mike Sigel said to always start at 70% of your maximum capability and gradually increase the power. Hard to disagree with him on pool matters, but frankly, I'd rather stay at 70 and just NEVER scratch. Most people have NO idea how much those scratches are costing them. Instead they think about the 2 times a year they make 3 balls on every break in a race to 10, forgetting all the other times where they scratched twice in the same length race...They shouldn't buy "power cues" they should buy "no scratch" cues, lol.

Agreed about control, that's why the Europeans were so dominant in the Mosconi Cup.

I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but the power break is definitely dead in today's game. Even Jeff De Luna does a controlled break these days. The best breakers like SVB and Ko Pin Yi have efficient, clean, and consistent strokes rather than power.

I'm not sure what's the sentiment among the pool playing community regarding power though. Maybe it's just a feelgood thing or ego trip to be able to break really hard.

 

[JoeyA]

I broke several racks with the BK- Rush. The first couple of breaks I was wild as could be. Cue ball was flying wherever it wanted to, at least at first. When I toned down the speed of my break, the cue ball seemed to squat pretty good and balls were moving all over the table, every now and then one or two would drop.
Overall, I liked the cue but would have to break with it a couple of dozen times to maximize its potential and get dialed into its properties.

I would really love to know how it breaks with a TAOM tip.

JoeyA

 

[Shannon.spronk]

I have a similar problem. I have a very good break and often hear players much better than me talk about my break. Then they watch me dog the first ball and all the talk stops.

Funny story.....

I started playing again a few months ago after not playing for over a decade. Never owned a break cue besides a sneaky pete. I got a Mezz Kai with H-shaft and I can't believe I ever played without one.

That's great and all except for the fact that I never get to use it because losers rack while winners break, and I lose a lot....

So now my break is devastating and scares guys into not giving me as much weight as I really need..... I can barely run 4-5 balls.

I don't think the difference once you go into these break cues is enough to buy new ones, but that's just me. There is a physics limitation to the equipment and once you hit it it becomes about the technique. I don't mind anyone spending there money anyway they want if they can, I'm just saying a lot of it is marketing once you reach a certain level.

 

[HawaiianEye]

I have a very good break and often hear players much better than me talk about my break.

I was playing C.J. Wiley a couple months ago and he was commenting on how good I broke. I was using a Players Sneaky Pete that probably cost less than $20 to make. I got it for nothing.

https://www.ozonebilliards.com/product/players-cue-sneaky-pete-rosewood-spspr

 

[shapelessin206]

I see people in the leagues over here that can't run three balls in a row if their lives depended on it and they use $500 Predator break cues to hit the balls at 9 MPH.

Seriously laughed out loud when I read this. :lol: