Question On Break Cues

[SirBanksALot]

Being a kinda sorta semi middle aged guy that pretty much sticks to Straight Pool and One Pocket-I had never had the desire or inclination to invest in a "Break Cue." However, a long time friend has a sporting goods store and buys lots of stuff at wholesale - including pool cues and other pool stuff. He sent me a break cue to try out. I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!!!!

Heres what really blew me away. This break cue is from China, they have a phenolic tip, a 13.5 shaft, an almost boardlike taper and the lower half of the butt is linen wrapped. These cues look good, the balls just explode with any kind of decent contact and he sells them all day long for $79.

Here's my question - understanding that a lot more work, time and craftmanship goes into an X Breaker, or a Gulyassey or Predator BK- do you think it would be worth it to spend that extra money for a big name break cue over just spending $79 for the low priced cue.

 

[quitecoolguy]

I really think it is subjective...i personally have a custom break cue made by Varney Cues. The cue maker Kevin Varney post on here quite a bit. He is a great guy to deal with. I love my varney..payed more than 79.00 for it, but it works wonders for me. If the 79 dollar cue breaks the balls the way you want it to then there is no need for you to look any further. If you purchase a Sledgehammer and it doesnt feel good to you or it doesnt bust the rack open like you thought it would, then its fine for you to search around for another one. Love what you Love... Hope that helps

 

[SirBanksALot]

Well Said........

I own some fairly expensive cues and its probably not in my nature to stick with the chinese break cue but ----- I am just amazed at how well this thing breaks!! I put together a 3 some and only a bad roll kept me from finishing out the 4th rack. The damn cue ball just explodes the rack. A couple of heads turned when that "CRACK" happened and asked what kind of cue it was!!

Nine ball is a lot easier with only 7 balls to run and those balls spread out all over the place.

Thanks for the input!!

(This chinese break cue actually has cut points and looks like an expensive cue so maybe I could fake it and act like I paid big bucks for it )

 

[ceebee]

Break Cues are a GREAT piece of equipment.

Most of the Break Cues made, do a splendid job. None of them are MAGIC to everyone, but they are to the person that plays with them.

I don't like Break/Jump Cues, I personally like specialized equipment.

 

[StormHotRod300]

A GOOD break cue can improve your game alot!

I've actually gone away from my regular break cue, which was a Action SP that i had a phenolic tip put on it. I went back to my Brent Hartman cue for breaking and found i was getting the same results if not better with alot better cb control.

And yes, being able to run out 6 or 7 balls is alot easier than 8.

 

[TheBook]

Wow. I wish that I could make the balls explode by just buying a cue for $79.
I think some has to do with the cue but I bet more has to do with the player.

Isn't it amazing that a cue can be shipped from China, go thru a middle man plus all the other transportation to the retailer and then be sold for $79. What did the manufacturer make and sell it for? You buy a cue thru the internet and it will cost you at least $20 for S & H. If you were to buy the pieces from Atlas or another cue supply place it would cost more than that. I know we are not comparing apples to apples because of the bulk sale but it still makes you wonder about the cost of some things.

 

[12squared]

Here's my question - understanding that a lot more work, time and craftmanship goes into an X Breaker, or a Gulyassey or Predator BK- do you think it would be worth it to spend that extra money for a big name break cue over just spending $79 for the low priced cue.

My Dearest "Sir": To answer your question, No, not at this time. I used to work for Instroke, home of the bunjie jump cue. That cue did wonders for the jumping world, it was made in wherever (Taiwan...) and worked great. There was some warpage & points would swell up or separate from time to time but the handle was so short, none of this effected playability and John offered the best customer service out there if needed.

Used to be (still may be) that Chinese made playing cues & I suppose break cues were/are a little different than a jump cue: they all have similar materials, but assembly has always been a crap shoot. Not enough glue in the wrap or ferrule or joint areas, wood not seasoned, cut too swiftly, etc. So they would play well when you get them but they might explode at the ferrule or joint or the wrap might unravel, warp badly, whatever. So what works well today, may not work well in the future. I think/hope manufacturing has improved but I continue to have a sour taste in my mouth about using one when I need it to perform in a crucial situation (tournament, money game, etc) so I don't.

For this reason I would suggest playing with this a while to make sure you like it or until it breaks/warps, etc. and then make a decision as to which break cue would work best for you. I know that some of the better known break cues may be made overseas, but I'm convinced they have very strict guidlines to adhere to so the product can be trusted. If you're looking for a jump/break cue, my suggestion would be the X-breaker. It works the best for me & I've tried a few, including SledgeHammer for 3 years then I switched to X-Breaker: breaks really well (as all of them do) but it really jumps great. Gets the ball up quickly with great control.

Probably more than you asked for...sorry.

Dave

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

Being a kinda sorta semi middle aged guy

Could you please explain this part in a more detailed fashion please?

It looks to me like your kitty doesn't care for the cue!

 

[tasaddicts]

My Dearest "Sir": To answer your question, No, not at this time. I used to work for Instroke, home of the bunjie jump cue. That cue did wonders for the jumping world, it was made in wherever (Taiwan...) and worked great. There was some warpage & points would swell up or separate from time to time but the handle was so short, none of this effected playability and John offered the best customer service out there if needed.

Used to be (still may be) that Chinese made playing cues & I suppose break cues were/are a little different than a jump cue: they all have similar materials, but assembly has always been a crap shoot. Not enough glue in the wrap or ferrule or joint areas, wood not seasoned, cut too swiftly, etc. So they would play well when you get them but they might explode at the ferrule or joint or the wrap might unravel, warp badly, whatever. So what works well today, may not work well in the future. I think/hope manufacturing has improved but I continue to have a sour taste in my mouth about using one when I need it to perform in a crucial situation (tournament, money game, etc) so I don't.

For this reason I would suggest playing with this a while to make sure you like it or until it breaks/warps, etc. and then make a decision as to which break cue would work best for you. I know that some of the better known break cues may be made overseas, but I'm convinced they have very strict guidlines to adhere to so the product can be trusted. If you're looking for a jump/break cue, my suggestion would be the X-breaker. It works the best for me & I've tried a few, including SledgeHammer for 3 years then I switched to X-Breaker: breaks really well (as all of them do) but it really jumps great. Gets the ball up quickly with great control.

Probably more than you asked for...sorry.

Dave

try more break cues from taiwan...

it can match up to any custom break cue...jump cues from taiwan are great too! wonder why most taiwanese are so good in jumping.. their break cues and jump cues are no joke.they can last for several yrs of use.

it is cheap too

u wil be surprise if the first generation xbreaker might be from taiwan.

 

[SirBanksALot]

Sir Gross Is Informative As Usual

My Dearest "Sir": To answer your question, No, not at this time. For this reason I would suggest playing with this a while to make sure you like it or until it breaks/warps, etc. and then make a decision as to which break cue would work best for you. I know that some of the better known break cues may be made overseas, but I'm convinced they have very strict guidlines to adhere to so the product can be trusted. If you're looking for a jump/break cue, my suggestion would be the X-breaker. It works the best for me & I've tried a few, including SledgeHammer for 3 years then I switched to X-Breaker: breaks really well (as all of them do) but it really jumps great. Gets the ball up quickly with great control.

Probably more than you asked for...sorry.

Dave

DG-

Since I have ZERO interest in 9 ball and no need for a jump cue-I'll be taking your advice and sticking with the $79 cue. I think I'd rather spend/waste/invest my $$$ on playing cues anyway.

Actually - I should buy at bunch of those things and sell them at $79 plus shipping so I could get enough $$$ to take 1P lessons from you!!

 

[SirBanksALot]

Dave G Knows Of What He Speaks

Duplicate/Deleted

 

[Snapshot9]

Personally

I think the $60 deal from Chrisonline for a J&J Break/Jump is unbeatable.
I have bought 2 of them, 1 from Chrisonline for my brother. I have 2 shafts for mine. They have the phenolic ferrule/tip, 14mm shaft, and break real well, and jump real good.

 

[SirBanksALot]

Don't Make Me Ban You!!!

Could you please explain this part in a more detailed fashion please?

It looks to me like your kitty doesn't care for the cue!

The cat likes whatever I tell it to like.

Consider yourself banned.

 

[poolplayer2093]

a friend of mine had an action j/b cue that broke and jumped really well. i actually had better control with it than with my predator bk2. inexpensive doesn't always mean "no good". if it feels right how wrong could it be?

 

[1pRoscoe]

Keith, you have to admit, you are kinda old and stuff.....

btw, Dave - watched your Accustat match (one pocket) with Efren last night... You've got no game! Absolutely GREAT shooting... also liked the commentary stating you've beaten most of the champion 3 cusion players, including Cueleman (sp?) and Lee...

I want 12-4 and the breaks.

 

[mike253]

I used to have the "its just smashing the balls 1 time per rack" attitude, so I never owned a break cue, I'd just pick up a house cue, then I got a Players break cue (well, not a break cue, but thats what I use it for) and I said "wow.. I can break consistantly now" Then I tried out a friends Mezz Power Break and almost pooped myself.. I pocket atleast 1 ball 70% of the time I break with it (30 breaks, 21 with atleast 1 ball drop, 1 8 on the break) and I always have an incredible spread. Couldn't quite justify the cost, so I picked up a J&J from Chrisonline, gonna see how I do with that.. if it doesn't work, definately getting a Mezz. Basically, its whatever works for you, be it a $79 import or a $600 custom break cue.

 

[12squared]

Keith, you have to admit, you are kinda old and stuff.....

btw, Dave - watched your Accustat match (one pocket) with Efren last night... You've got no game! Absolutely GREAT shooting... also liked the commentary stating you've beaten most of the champion 3 cusion players, including Cueleman (sp?) and Lee...

I want 12-4 and the breaks.

Hi Ross. Well, the commentator (not Accu-stats video) didn't really know what he was talking about, I never played Ceulemans. But I was lucky enough to win 1 game out of 3 against Sang Lee. Just as a follow up, the next time we played (Lee, that is) he ran a 15 & a 9 against me and beat me 50-23...I guess that was a compliment because he tried. However, that was THE highlight of my part-time 3C tournament life. I still get a tear thinking of that win! (My wife was even there to see it). So by no means do I, nor ever have, played world-class level, but once in a while I can make a competitive game of it.

As far as that video, I thought he only sold the one copy I have, how did you ever get to see that? Again, planets in alignment & I shot at everything knowing I couldn't out move him, out think him, out shoot him, out anything him...so I just kept blowing up the stack and kept getting lucky not leaving Efren a bank or anything. It was cool until the last shot. I still get needled about it. A funny side note: a guy from San Francisco who watched the match (we never played before but knew each other) asked to play for $20/game. He thought he was donating to a really good player based on that match, but after 4-5 games & me being stuck 3 games he said "I thought you were better than that"...I said sorry!.

By the way, I found the guy you were supposed to find for me in the Seattle area so you can call off your unrelenting search .

Dave

 

[12squared]

DG-

Since I have ZERO interest in 9 ball and no need for a jump cue-I'll be taking your advice and sticking with the $79 cue. I think I'd rather spend/waste/invest my $$$ on playing cues anyway.

Actually - I should buy at bunch of those things and sell them at $79 plus shipping so I could get enough $$$ to take 1P lessons from you!!

Keith, enjoy the cue.

 

[1pRoscoe]

Hi Ross. Well, the commentator (not Accu-stats video) didn't really know what he was talking about, I never played Ceulemans. But I was lucky enough to win 1 game out of 3 against Sang Lee. Just as a follow up, the next time we played (Lee, that is) he ran a 15 & a 9 against me and beat me 50-23...I guess that was a compliment because he tried. However, that was THE highlight of my part-time 3C tournament life. I still get a tear thinking of that win! (My wife was even there to see it). So by no means do I, nor ever have, played world-class level, but once in a while I can make a competitive game of it.

As far as that video, I thought he only sold the one copy I have, how did you ever get to see that? Again, planets in alignment & I shot at everything knowing I couldn't out move him, out think him, out shoot him, out anything him...so I just kept blowing up the stack and kept getting lucky not leaving Efren a bank or anything. It was cool until the last shot. I still get needled about it. A funny side note: a guy from San Francisco who watched the match (we never played before but knew each other) asked to play for $20/game. He thought he was donating to a really good player based on that match, but after 4-5 games & me being stuck 3 games he said "I thought you were better than that"...I said sorry!.

By the way, I found the guy you were supposed to find for me in the Seattle area so you can call off your unrelenting search .

Dave

Yeah, I may have jumped the gun calling it an accustat tape, however was referring to the video/formatting in itself... A ninja cannot reveal his sources..

Hitting a 23 against Lee is an amazing feat in itself! Regardless, you played stellar. Your safetly play was well thought out as well. Good shooting.

 

[12squared]

Yeah, I may have jumped the gun calling it an accustat tape, however was referring to the video/formatting in itself... A ninja cannot reveal his sources..

Hitting a 23 against Lee is an amazing feat in itself! Regardless, you played stellar. Your safetly play was well thought out as well. Good shooting.

Nice to hear from you, again. Thanks for the compliment.