Older McDermott Sledgehammer Break/Jump questions

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lawful777

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A friend of mine has a pool cue business that he is winding down and selling most of his inventory. I am curious if a McDermott Sledgehammer jump/break cue would be worth it for 150.00. I play mainly nineball and am looking for a cue that will squat the cueball well. I don't really jump a lot of shots but when I do, am pretty accurate with my jump cue from about 1 1/2-2 balls away. Do you think this cue would work well for my needs. It is brand new and comes with either the phenolic tip/ferrule or a leather tip combo. Any suggestions or recommendations. Is there a definite better break/jump out there. Cost isn't a concern, this just caught my eye and seemed to hit well. PM any thought or ideas. Thanks
 
I have one with a phenolic tip and it jumps so well that it is like cheating.

That said, do you play with your own balls at home:eek:? The phenolic will make marks (cracks?) on the CB.

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Beware of phenolic tips. This is what happned to my Aramith measle ball after a year of frequent abuse. There are hundreds of small semi circles from jumping and breaking.

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Thanks guys. I know that it does have a phenolic tip on it. I use some older Aramith balls at home and would have to be careful of that. I do believe that he said 2 of his cues have the option of a harder layered leather tip. (I am guessing similar to a Samsara, but don't know what kind they are.) If anyone knows for sure, would love to know what might have come on them. Thanks again.
 
Search the forum for G10. I've never seen or heard a sledgehammer phenolic tip doing that kind of damage.
 
ctyhntr said:
Search the forum for G10. I've never seen or heard a sledgehammer phenolic tip doing that kind of damage.
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The chip has got to be the worst example I have ever seen, but I can confirm Aramith balls- I have the TV set- do suffer damage from phenolic tips. I have a CB that has the little half moon marks all over it, from phenolic contact.

And you are a mean mofo. You know what you did, I know it:
Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.
The following words are either very common, too long, or too short and were not included in your search : g10
 
I've got one . . .

GREAT cues - all of Mike's stuff is A1!

If you don't like the phenolic (which is stock on a Sledgehammer) simply have your cue guy face it off flat and throw on a Samsara, White Diamond or some hard ass leather tip on it, and it still performs well. Once you add the tip, the jumping power goes down but it's still is an awesome breaker. For $150 (and especially if its new) your getting a great breaker.

Only other one's I've tried and like even better are a Steve Lomax or Ryan Rat break jump from Seyberts.

Most break cues are designed for just that, so main thing is to own one, learn how to use it (practice the break), and unleash it on your next rack.
 
Thanks again guys for all your opinions. I think some of the posts have gotten away from what I am looking for. I guess my original questions were leaning more toward whether these would be a good overall break/jump cue, is there much difference between them and the Gulyassy cues, what type of leather tip might be on them, what construction makes them a great breaker-is it the shaft, the tip, or something else, etc. I have never really used a phenolic tip and had good success with Samsara tips on my break and jump cues.

My friend has 3 of these McDermott Sledgehammers. I am guessing that they are a bit older models as I have known him for 4 yrs, shot with him and don't know of anyone but him to use one around here. So he is liquidating inventory and said he would let them go at 150.00. One of them has a phenolic tip/ferrule combo and the other two he said had hard layered leather tips.

I was thinking this was a good deal but for some reason, the McDermott's don't seem to be as high of a regard on here. I was thinking of going with one of the nonphenolic versions if possible. Any more thoughts?
 
lawful777 said:
Thanks again guys for all your opinions. I think some of the posts have gotten away from what I am looking for. I guess my original questions were leaning more toward whether these would be a good overall break/jump cue, is there much difference between them and the Gulyassy cues, what type of leather tip might be on them, what construction makes them a great breaker-is it the shaft, the tip, or something else, etc. I have never really used a phenolic tip and had good success with Samsara tips on my break and jump cues.

My friend has 3 of these McDermott Sledgehammers. I am guessing that they are a bit older models as I have known him for 4 yrs, shot with him and don't know of anyone but him to use one around here. So he is liquidating inventory and said he would let them go at 150.00. One of them has a phenolic tip/ferrule combo and the other two he said had hard layered leather tips.

I was thinking this was a good deal but for some reason, the McDermott's don't seem to be as high of a regard on here. I was thinking of going with one of the nonphenolic versions if possible. Any more thoughts?
Click to expand...

My Anvil is made to hit the sweat spot and park the cue ball with the most power and least effort. I have 26 years in my development of my cues and I have found from listening to my customers and playing with every taper, weight, tip and synthetic materials out there that have been used in breaking and jumping that the best hit comes from my patented phenolic tip/ferrule with my BTX taper and my FT2 ferrule/tip which I have exclusively to my Anvil B/J cues. My second choice would be my FT2 ferrule which is virtually unbreakable and a Samsara tip.
 
Thanks Mike for taking the time to respond. I have heard nothing but great things about your cues and don't doubt at all for the Anvil to be one of the best. If I played at top speed, I think I would be more inclined to go your route. However, at this point in time, I am really just looking for something better than what I have been using. Right now, I have a vintage Viking jump break cue with a custom 14mm shaft and hard layered leather tip. It jumps great but seems flat on the break. I also have a Prather conversion with a Samsara tip that seems to be about the same. Breaks ok, but either I break hard and lose control of the cue ball, or I can squat the cue, spread the rack and nothing goes. I don't doubt it could be in my form a bit, however, I broke with this Sledgehammer and it seemed to have a better response right away.

So, I am looking to convert my Prather back to a player, sell the Viking and pick up a newer break. I liked the hit of the McDermott but didn't know about the quality, having never owned one. Plus, the price is right and it helps out a friend of mine. If anyone has anymore thoughts, I would appreciate it before I make my decision next week. Thank you again to everyone for your opinions......
 
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