it is in my opinion, that a while back, when pool players started buying break cues, that they wer'e told that you can damage your playing cue,so you need a cheaper cue to break with.then manufactueres saw that players wer'e buying cheaper cues as if to not damage their playing cue, so they sold us on, here look these are cues that are made to improve your break. question, what would happen if you broke with your playing cue? and used the exact same force/speed as you would with a so called "break cue" my answer?= the same results, first of all, no damage would occur to your precious playing cue, none what so ever! your tip will remain intact, ferrull will hold up,and your shaft will be the same as well. my point? break cues do not improve your break,and more importantly, you can not damage your playing cue,if you chose to use it as a break shot cue as well.
The Break Cue Lie
- Thread starter 8-ball bernie
- Start date
If you break hard, your tip will flatten, mushroom, and wear out more quickly. Also one might like to break with a different tip hardness/diameter and/or shaft stiffness than that of their playing cue.
If you break soft it probably wouldn't make much difference.
--
Tristan
If you break soft it probably wouldn't make much difference.
--
Tristan
Tips don't last that long these days.
Why even shorten their lifespan?
b/j's are cheap these days.
Why even shorten their lifespan?
b/j's are cheap these days.
Actionhound
Banned
one more thing...
you can also warp the shaft of a cue by breaking with it (thats what a very well respected cue maker told me)... so its not only the tip and ferrule that can be damaged... but also the shaft... but hey... who needs the shaft anyway... lol
you can also warp the shaft of a cue by breaking with it (thats what a very well respected cue maker told me)... so its not only the tip and ferrule that can be damaged... but also the shaft... but hey... who needs the shaft anyway... lol
8-ball bernie said:
I wish you would tell this to the makers who build me cues. The 50+ ferrules, several split shafts, wobbling damaged joints, and even the McD butt I broke in half breaking with must have all been faulty products.
You learn something everyday (not)
Ruthless said:I wish you would tell this to the makers who build me cues. The 50+ ferrules, several split shafts, wobbling damaged joints, and even the McD butt I broke in half brealing with must have all been faulty products.
You learn something everyday (not)
I have not heard of anybody else damage as much cues. maybe it's you?
since colin posted his power break technique, and my j/b was in repair (as it was broken in the inside), i used a regular housecue. it took me 5 breaks, before i split the housecue in 2...
ive broken shafts with phenolic tips (my J&J j/b cue)...
and im REALLY not a powerbreaker yet. at 20mph, u can break any shaft.
ive broken shafts with phenolic tips (my J&J j/b cue)...
and im REALLY not a powerbreaker yet. at 20mph, u can break any shaft.
More proof of you not belonging on the IPT. You're an idiot.8-ball bernie said:
TAP TAP TAP!
This is just hilarious. Why not just break with a crowbar or something? Because you could NEVER break that right? You couldn't even bend it? No? No warpage?
Please...There are reasons break cues are made, and I tell you that my Jerico Stinger ain't too shabby...
But do what you like man..What do I care?
This is just hilarious. Why not just break with a crowbar or something? Because you could NEVER break that right? You couldn't even bend it? No? No warpage?
Please...There are reasons break cues are made, and I tell you that my Jerico Stinger ain't too shabby...
But do what you like man..What do I care?
xidica said:
It is hilarious, this guy should double his medication
, however on another note owning a Billiards retail store, repair shop, and a pool hall I wish he was located in my area, it sounds like him and his friends would be a good source of income.
Manwon
Last edited:
Yes, it is a lie. 30 years ago all the cue manufacturers secretly met in Poughkeepsie, Washington, yes, it existed then but has since been renamed to cover up The Break Cue Lie. The cue manufacturers had to come up with a way to up their sales. So they all agreed to promote "Break" cues.
Unfortuately something happened to the guy appointed to market this "lie" on the way home. The break cue lie was forgotten about until the mid 80s when a few cuemakers noticed that a lot of the better players were using a second cue to break with. It wasn't until Mike Sigel started promoting the use of a second cue in his videos that the use of a second cue to break with started getting widely mentioned among amateurs. Then in the late 80s and early 90s a few manufacturers started making a "break" cue. Not much different than a normal cue, just called a "break" cue. Throughout the 90's cuemakers began tinkering with the characteristics of these "break" cues to see if they could develop ones which delivered better break results. Think, Joe Picone, Rick Howard and others. (they were perpetuating the "lie")
From 2000 on cuemakers started experimenting with phenolics for the tip on "break" cues. Which brings us to the current state of things.
Today's break cues range from the normal cue that is called a "break cue" to highly spec'd out cues designed to deliver the most force available in something resembling a pool cue and conforming to the rules. Think - X-Breaker, Stinger, Fury JB and so on.
Can one achieve the sae performance from one's playing cue. Certainly. Is there a point where a regular leather tip won't compress anymore with the upper range of break speeds? Yes. Can the cue be harmed with forceful breaks? Absolutely. So why take the chance when there are perfectly good cues made that are engineered to maximize the break for games where the player needs or wants to break hard?
The use of a second cue for breaking was not instituted or even marketed by the manufactuers. It grew out of players adapting to what works for them.
Unfortuately something happened to the guy appointed to market this "lie" on the way home. The break cue lie was forgotten about until the mid 80s when a few cuemakers noticed that a lot of the better players were using a second cue to break with. It wasn't until Mike Sigel started promoting the use of a second cue in his videos that the use of a second cue to break with started getting widely mentioned among amateurs. Then in the late 80s and early 90s a few manufacturers started making a "break" cue. Not much different than a normal cue, just called a "break" cue. Throughout the 90's cuemakers began tinkering with the characteristics of these "break" cues to see if they could develop ones which delivered better break results. Think, Joe Picone, Rick Howard and others. (they were perpetuating the "lie")
From 2000 on cuemakers started experimenting with phenolics for the tip on "break" cues. Which brings us to the current state of things.
Today's break cues range from the normal cue that is called a "break cue" to highly spec'd out cues designed to deliver the most force available in something resembling a pool cue and conforming to the rules. Think - X-Breaker, Stinger, Fury JB and so on.
Can one achieve the sae performance from one's playing cue. Certainly. Is there a point where a regular leather tip won't compress anymore with the upper range of break speeds? Yes. Can the cue be harmed with forceful breaks? Absolutely. So why take the chance when there are perfectly good cues made that are engineered to maximize the break for games where the player needs or wants to break hard?
The use of a second cue for breaking was not instituted or even marketed by the manufactuers. It grew out of players adapting to what works for them.
junior718 said:
ROFL!!!
Bernie, if you don't have a strong break, then sure you can use your playing cue. But if you do, you definately need a cue made for breaking. It's got alot to do with the tip, the ferrule, the flexibility of the shaft, the balance, and how solid the cue hits. I definately would not shoot a game with my break cue, there are alot of shots I can't do with it that I can do with my playing cue.
Look Bernie no offense, but I really think you should stop giving advice. I have yet to see you give any good advice, and there are alot of new players to this sport that read this website, and might think that since you are an IPT "pro", that you know what you are talking about. You might be doing alot more damage than good to people's games. Think about that for a second.
I used to think that you try to give advice out of the kindness of your heart. But after reading some of your other posts, where you boast about how good you can play, I think you are doing this for your ego more than anything.
Not again ....
It is not too hard to figure out that Bernie is an original BAR ROOM player that just got somewhat good, and didn't have the proper training from Pool rooms to begin with.
I have popped several tips breaking. I have split ferrules breaking (with SP). Before I got a break cue, I had several comments for years about how much my shaft bowed when breaking. (pro taper).
First off, a shaft that is 14mm with a conical taper is much much stiffer than a playing cue that is 12.75-13mm with a pro taper (13-15") and does not bow when breaking. Then the harder and shorter ferrule (if a break ferrule is on it) with a phenolic tip which measures somewhere around an 81 hardness level also contributes to giving you more of a power break even with less speed than you might have broke with before.
The only time I was timed was in Vegas several years ago, and I had speeds of 26, 28, and 31 something. I have tried a few different break cues, some did not seem that much better, some did, but if it allows you to break better and more consistent, which raises your overall game, then
it is well worth it. I have had several comments about my break since getting the J&J break/jump cue, and most of the guys I play ALL TRY to get the break from me because as they say, 'You break too good'. I heard that last Saturday night when matching up.
It is not too hard to figure out that Bernie is an original BAR ROOM player that just got somewhat good, and didn't have the proper training from Pool rooms to begin with.
I have popped several tips breaking. I have split ferrules breaking (with SP). Before I got a break cue, I had several comments for years about how much my shaft bowed when breaking. (pro taper).
First off, a shaft that is 14mm with a conical taper is much much stiffer than a playing cue that is 12.75-13mm with a pro taper (13-15") and does not bow when breaking. Then the harder and shorter ferrule (if a break ferrule is on it) with a phenolic tip which measures somewhere around an 81 hardness level also contributes to giving you more of a power break even with less speed than you might have broke with before.
The only time I was timed was in Vegas several years ago, and I had speeds of 26, 28, and 31 something. I have tried a few different break cues, some did not seem that much better, some did, but if it allows you to break better and more consistent, which raises your overall game, then
it is well worth it. I have had several comments about my break since getting the J&J break/jump cue, and most of the guys I play ALL TRY to get the break from me because as they say, 'You break too good'. I heard that last Saturday night when matching up.
my playing cue is great at putting a lot of spin on a cueball, it really grabs the cueball when i hit it. so, when i hit hard and a tad off center there is quite a bit of spin on the cueball. my break cue and its tip arent nearly as good at putting that amount of torque on the ball, but thats what i want right??? break cues seem to work for me. think of it like golf clubs in a players bag, just not to that extent.