To Break Cue or to not Break Cue

J

Jummy2BallRunou

Registered
I don't know if this is the right thread or not but didn't think it fit into the wanted or the cuemaker or the cue review section so here goes.

Should I even worry about buying a break cue? Am I going to see any difference in breaking with a house cue vs spending the money on a break cue?

If so, how much am I looking to spend on a break cue?

Sorry for dumb questions but I have been playing APA somewhat successfully for years without one and just was curious.

Thanks,
Jum
 
A dedicated break cue will break better than a house cue. How much better depends on lots of factors.

What's your break style? If you're a medium-speed breaker on a 7ft. table, it probably wouldn't make much difference.
What kind of tips are on the house cues? Probably not as hard a tip as on a break cue, but again, depending on your style that might not make a difference.

But if you like to break hard on a 9ft. table, I think you'd benefit from a break cue. They're not expensive. I've got a Player JB5 (combination break and jump) that was about $80 (plus $25 because I had Seybert's put a Samarsa tip on it). Start a thread with your budget amount and ask for recommendations; you'll get more than you want.

Borrow someone's break cue and see what you think.
 
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I have an inexpensive break cue for a couple of reasons. If you break with your player - you will shorten the life of the tip and perhaps damage the ferrule. By having a dedicated break cue you will get used to it vs having to search for that house cue you liked using last time. If you play at more than one place, that could be tough. I am searching for a jump - break cue as I'd like to learn how to jump. The price range is pretty big. I suggest you try a few break cues that your league members have and see how they feel. Good luck.
 
I don't like grabbing house cues because they're all different, you just never know what you're going to get. I don't think you need to spend a lot for a breaker if you don't want to though. A cheap playing cue with a hard tip is a great choice. I also think a J&J jump/break is a good option that is really affordable.

Having tried standard hard leather tips, phenolic tips, and recently the Samsara jump/break tip I would highly recommend the Samsara tip. If you don't want to spend a lot just grab a cheap J&J jump/break of Players cue and throw a Samsara tip on there. Hard breaks, good control, can't go wrong.
 
My playing cue has two low deflection shafts with Tiger Sniper tips.
My break cue has two solid shafts (one maple & one purpleheart) with phenolic ferrules and break tips.

If you don't care about messing up your playing cues' tip or ferrule, then you don't need a break cue.
 
I noticed a huge difference between my 21oz house cue and a cheap elite break cue, it far outperformed my house cue, but if you put a break tip on a house cue maybe it would perform fine? Bakelite tips are only like 12 bucks
 
How about just a Break Shaft for your player?

Save some bucks if you like .. Get a nice stiff shaft, doesn't have to be new, just stiff and straight. Install the hard tip of your choice and there you go.

This is what Earl does .. He isn't concerned about saving money. He says it only makes sense to break with the same butt that you play with, after all that is what you are used too.

He makes a pretty good point. The jury is still out on the ass weights and ear muffs. :D

Good rolls.
 
9 ball on the break is not a real common thing for lower level players like myself. My 9b on the break are atleast 5x more often since I purchased a break cue rather than using a house cue. Infact I won an apa match on Sat. on a hill hill match with a 9b on the snap. They are only around 100.00 and well worth the money.
 
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