Should I flatten out my break tip?

Luxury

Luxury

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was told that I should get my tip on my break cue flattened out to get less deflection and therefore more control on my break.

I have an x-breaker break cue and I know that the tip on there is special in some way so I don't want to ruin it if this is not a good idea.

Your input please.
 
I don't believe you should flatten it out completely. What I look for from my break tip is more surface contact. However, accuracy is sacrificed if the tip is completely flat.

Gene
 
I dont think you will affect anything by flatening out the tip. Anything that x-breaker did to that tip is more than likely inside the tip(resin, ect.) and wont be affected by shaping. i myself flaten out my break tips for the simple reason that i feel like i misscue less often. Not completly flat mind you but more like a half-dollar peice radius. I hope this helps and remember this is JMO.
 
Luxury said:
I was told that I should get my tip on my break cue flattened out to get less deflection and therefore more control on my break.

I have an x-breaker break cue and I know that the tip on there is special in some way so I don't want to ruin it if this is not a good idea.

Your input please.
Click to expand...

Does your x-breaker have the G10 tip?
I wouldn't touch the G10 tip.

If you want to try a flattened tip, try to get a shaft with a leather or phenolic tip, and test it out.

I think using a flattened tip will cause more miscues if you are using english.

I have played Carom ball in Korea a few times, and their house cues have large, hard flat tips. They use these heavy duty, metal files to condition the tips.
I have noticed when using these flat tipped cues, that aiming too far away from center will produce a lot of miscues. With a rounded tip, you can aim farther away from the CB center, with less miscues.

That's just my experience.

P.S. I have the x-breaker with G10 tip, and haven't had any problems with it. I've performed power breaks using top english, bottom english, center hit.....and no miscues, or horrible CB control, as of yet.

I just usually don't get the CB to stay in the middle of the table, like I want it to, because OBs are flying all over the place, and usually knocks the CB around.
 
okinawa77 said:
Does your x-breaker have the G10 tip?
I wouldn't touch the G10 tip.

If you want to try a flattened tip, try to get a shaft with a leather or phenolic tip, and test it out.

I think using a flattened tip will cause more miscues if you are using english.

I have played Carom ball in Korea a few times, and their house cues have large, hard flat tips. They use these heavy duty, metal files to condition the tips.
I have noticed when using these flat tipped cues, that aiming too far away from center will produce a lot of miscues. With a rounded tip, you can aim farther away from the CB center, with less miscues.

That's just my experience.

P.S. I have the x-breaker with G10 tip, and haven't had any problems with it. I've performed power breaks using top english, bottom english, center hit.....and no miscues, or horrible CB control, as of yet.

I just usually don't get the CB to stay in the middle of the table, like I want it to, because OBs are flying all over the place, and usually knocks the CB around.
Click to expand...

If you get the CB to start in the middle of the table, that is pretty good. Now just back it up a bit and get it out of the traffic. I have been keeping Break Stats lately on myself and I squat whitey only 3-4 times out of 25!
 
Not positive that I have the g-10 tip but I can tell you that the tip makes white marks on the cloth unlike and tip I have ever seen. Is that the g-10?
 
G10

Luxury said:
Not positive that I have the g-10 tip but I can tell you that the tip makes white marks on the cloth unlike and tip I have ever seen. Is that the g-10?
Click to expand...

That is probably the g10. Mine puts the white pressure marks in the cloth as well. It's pretty easy to tell if it's a g10. The tip is like a clear/foggy white color. It is actually harder than phenolic. I have used phenolics, and they don't leave the pressure marks on the cloth. Phenolics are usually a solid color, not clear-like. And you can see in the light/reflection the checker board-like pattern, on most.

If you have a very powerful break, be careful. Check the cue ball for any defects, because if there is a chip or crack or something, the phenolic/g10 will break the CB. I think the hardness of the tip is rated around 60,000 PSI.

I think it would take a lot to flatten out a G10 tip. You might need special tools.

Like I mentioned before, my opinion is not to flatten the tip.
 
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okinawa77 said:
That is probably the g10. Mine puts the white pressure marks in the cloth as well. It's pretty easy to tell if it's a g10. The tip is like a clear/foggy white color. It is actually harder than phenolic. I have used phenolics, and they don't leave the pressure marks on the cloth. Phenolics are usually a solid color, not clear-like. And you can see in the light/reflection the checker board-like pattern, on most.

If you have a very powerful break, be careful. Check the cue ball for any defects, because if there is a chip or crack or something, the phenolic/g10 will break the CB. I think the hardness of the tip is rated around 60,000 PSI.

I think it would take a lot to flatten out a G10 tip. You might need special tools.

Like I mentioned before, my opinion is not to flatten the tip.
Click to expand...


A friend of mine bought 2nd hand what was billed as and sure seemed to be an XBreaker, generaton 1 and the tip is worn out already. I think it may have been counterfeit-not sure. They were supposed to never wear out.
 
Nostroke said:
A friend of mine bought 2nd hand what was billed as and sure seemed to be an XBreaker, generaton 1 and the tip is worn out already. I think it may have been counterfeit-not sure. They were supposed to never wear out.
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Yeah, the G10 won't wear out. I mean....it's like harder than metal. Someone must have changed the tip on your friends x-breaker.

I have a first gen, and I have a buddy with a first gen. They both have G10 type tips. One thing we noticed between the 1st and 2nd gen's...is that on the 1st gen, you can unscrew the sections, and actually screw the back most section to the shaft. The 2nd gens have a quick release or smaller/shorter thread at the jump joint which will not allow you to screw the back most section to the shaft. And I don't think the 2nd gens have the translucent looking G10 type tip.
 
FYI: I found this at a website about X-breakers:

Q: Do I need to replace my tip?

A: No, you will never need to replace your tip. The Xtreme Tip will never come out or crack. There is no need for another tip at all. All the shafts are interchangable so if there is ever any problem, we can simple replace the shafts for you.

Besides, since our tip does not require any piking, it is virtually a tip with ZERO maintenance. The only time you will ever need to sand down or scruff your tip is when you want to change the shape.


The website also says that the tip is not harder than the cue ball, and that makes in legal for per BCA.

Q: Will this hard tip break the cue ball or damage any equipment?

A: No, our tip will not break the cue ball.

You can watch Bustamante, and Ronnie Alcano using the X Breaker on TV during the World Pool Championship 2005, Jennifer Chen in the WPBA Peoria tournament semi-finals 2005 and the World Game finals 2005, also Larry Nevel in the US Open 2005. These are some of the biggest breaker of our time and the cue ball was intact after they were done.

The Xtreme tip is made of a fibrous material which is legal per BCA. The Xtreme Tip is not harder than the cue ball. The cue ball is made of a resin which is not the same as the linen/canvas/paper phenolic used for break and jump tips. Since it is not harder than the cue ball, it will not damage the cue ball under normal usage.
 
My break tip has a slight cut on it but its not flat either. Its 100x better than breaking with a regular cue with a dime or nicket cut on the tip IMHO.
 
Nostroke said:
If you get the CB to start in the middle of the table, that is pretty good. Now just back it up a bit and get it out of the traffic. I have been keeping Break Stats lately on myself and I squat whitey only 3-4 times out of 25!
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll try that out.
 
You shouldn't be getting much deflection if you're hitting the center of the cue ball....like you're supposed to. Using spin on the break accomplishes nothing past the 1-ball and the 1-ball has so much weight behind it I seriously doubt it does anything at all to it.

As for the flatness of your tip......if it feels right to you the way it is then don't touch it.
MULLY
 
Luxury said:
I was told that I should get my tip on my break cue flattened out to get less deflection and therefore more control on my break.

I have an x-breaker break cue and I know that the tip on there is special in some way so I don't want to ruin it if this is not a good idea.

Your input please.
Click to expand...

I have sanded down my x-breaker tip (the newer generation) because it came with some ridges in it and they seemed to affect my jumping ability when I went outside the center of the cue ball. I experienced many miscues. Richard said it may have been the wax they use to finish the cue and I should use hot water to clean it. I ended up sanding it smooth. It is very easy to sand down and I ended up taking a little more than I wanted off because it was softer than I thought it would be.

Flat tip is good for breaking becasue it will keep you from putting spin on the cue ball and help "kill" the cue ball after it hits the rack. However, it's not great for jumping so I would leave the x-breaker alone for a couple of reasons. 1) it one of the best jump cues out there so why mess with that, and 2) they're not made anymore so if you screw up the tip there's no way to get a replacement unless you know someone with an extra shaft they would sell you.

I would suggest you find a cue you can break with that you can experiment with by flatening out the tip, it may offer you the control your looking for, but I wouldn't mess w/your x-breaker.

Dave
 
Well I went ahead and took my xbreaker down to Full Splice Billiards and had Craig (Manwon) take care of my tip and he also fixed the wobble that the stick had when you roll it around on the table. He gave me a hell of a bargain too at $0.00

It definitely feels like it is breaking better for me. I learned some fun facts while I was there too. Like I learned what Manwon actually means and learned some interesting things about making cues.

I shot with a cue that Craig made and it blew my mind. I will definitely be back.
 
I had my break/jump tip flattened and it makes it easier for me to jump with, didn't notice much of a difference in the break.
 
Luxury said:
Well I went ahead and took my xbreaker down to Full Splice Billiards and had Craig (Manwon) take care of my tip and he also fixed the wobble that the stick had when you roll it around on the table. He gave me a hell of a bargain too at $0.00

It definitely feels like it is breaking better for me. I learned some fun facts while I was there too. Like I learned what Manwon actually means and learned some interesting things about making cues.

I shot with a cue that Craig made and it blew my mind. I will definitely be back.
Click to expand...

I enjoyed your visit also, next time take it easy on me when we play 1-Pocket!!!! It was certainly a pleasure and I hope to see you soon!!!!:thumbup:

Have a good day!!!!
 
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