Opinions on Jump/Break Cues wanted

[JazzboxBlues]

Now that I'm becoming a student of the game once again I'm buying some tools. I'm seriously looking at Jump/Break cues. The thing is I've always broke with what I played with and have never owned a J/B. I have a fairly strong break and I'm starting to think a break cue might be a good idea. I also don't believe in jump cues. Should I continue to use the cue I play with? I do have something coming with ivory ferrules which I hope becomes my player. I have 2 sneakys as of right now. Should I just use one of them to break with? I'm most interested in a Gilbert jump/break.

Your ideas and thoughts are appreciated.

Dean

 

[Skippy27]

r Should I just use one of them to break with? I'm most interested in a Gilbert jump/break.

Your ideas and thoughts are appreciated.

Dean

I personally would not recommend using your playing cue as a break cue. It is hard on the tip and you are more likely to damage the ferrule, tip or shaft in a way that makes it a poor playing cue until repaired.

Just get one with a hard tip or use a house cue for breaking. I am not big on jumping so I have no recommendations for those.

 

[bradsh98]

Now that I'm becoming a student of the game once again I'm buying some tools. I'm seriously looking at Jump/Break cues. The thing is I've always broke with what I played with and have never owned a J/B. I have a fairly strong break and I'm starting to think a break cue might be a good idea. I also don't believe in jump cues. Should I continue to use the cue I play with? I do have something coming with ivory ferrules which I hope becomes my player. I have 2 sneakys as of right now. Should I just use one of them to break with? I'm most interested in a Gilbert jump/break.

Your ideas and thoughts are appreciated.

Dean

Since I prefer a hard tip, I often break with my playing cue. Though, when I decide that breaking a bit harder will produce better results, I switch to my break cue.

I'm curious: if you don't believe in jump cues, why would you want a jump/break? Why not just get a designated break cue? The Predator BK3 is an excellent break cue, but they do have problems with the shafts splitting. Even though they have a warranty, it only applies to the original purchaser, and you must have the receipt. My absolute favorite break cue is the Gulyassy Orange Crusher.

If you still think that a jump/break is what you want, I have found the Pure X HXTP to be an excellent choice. Often times, jump/break cues are not the best option, when it comes to jumping. However, I believe this cue to be the exception. You can read a review that I wrote about it here.

 

[slide13]

I have a Gilbert jump/break with a Samsara tip and I love it! Fantastic cue for the money, the quality is really top notch, I'm shocked how inexpensive they are really. He doesn't just take a sneaky blank and chop it in half, it's actually his own short splice construction with nice sharp points. Mine has a great balance too, one of those cues that just feels right from the moment I picked it up.

It breaks great and it jumps great. A true jump cue, like the Jacoby I used to have, is better for really tight jumps, but other than that the Gilbert does great! Even when I carried the Jacoby for anything that wasn't a tight jump where I wanted to use a dart style stroke I would go with my Gilbert as I felt I was more accurate with it jumping with a standard jacked up underhand style stroke.

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

there is a lot to consider when deciding on a break cue or whether to even get one at all.

What games are you playing? If you want to focus on 14.1 or 1p, you don't need a dedicated breaker.

For 9 & 10b a dedicated breaker is not a bad idea since it can preserve your playing cue and the right breaker can certainly enhance your game.

Deciding which to choose is a very subjective decision; what I like might not feel as good to the next guy so keep this in mind.

There is also going to be the noticeable difference between different break tips; another subjective matter.

With all that said, with the many threads that have come up here about break tips say in the last 5 years or so, the 2 tips that seem to be at the top of recommendations are the white diamond (phenolic) and the samsara (leather).

I have had both of these tips and in my subjective opinion, they are both superb. Generally, and most people will agree, the phenolic white diamond has a slight edge on explosiveness where the samsara has a slight edge on control. Both tips jump beautifully (if you plan to use your breaker to jump) with the samsara, again, having a slight edge for control. This is how the reports have come in on these and the overall question on which tip to use.

As far as which break cue, this has been a little more 'all over the place' but I think the Predator BK cues still win out. If you look to what the pros are breaking with it will be Predator BK's, hands down but you have to consider what part of poss sponsorships play into those decisions.

I personally use a BK2 with a white diamond and love the setup. My only complaint is that the uniloc joint on this model cue is notorious for coming loose and so as part of my pre-breakshot-routine, I always give it a tighten to make sure and that eliminates any problem. I don't know if Predator addressed this issue with newer models. Worth noting is that I've had the very same white diamond tip on for over 5 years. I have Joe Blackburn rough it up for me once evry year or two when I attend SBE; that's the extent of maintenance needed.

There will be a lot more subjective recommendations to come, I'm sure.

I am aware of a friend who took a very inexpensive J&J breaker and installed a white diamond and couldn't be happier. So there is this less expensive option available that can do very nicely, as well.

The other end of the spectrum are the Alex Brick and Tony Lane dymondwood breakers which are very cool looking and work well, too. These are in the $500-$600 range.

GL

best,
brian kc

 

[JazzboxBlues]

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'll just have to buy one and see what I think. The Predator seems like a great option but I'd prefer to support a custom cue builder. I'm just going to go ahead and get a Gibert.