I have a Falcon J-B and I've had it for almost 10 years. The shaft has been slightly turned down and recently I bought a new shaft and my cueball control flew out of the window. Obviously, I had gotten used to the deflection on the old shaft so I could break accurately with the new one. Haven't tried phenolic tips, but I somehow don't like the hit of the phenolic ferrule-tip combination cues, they make a "cracking" noise that I don't like. Recently tried a Sledgehammer for the first time and it was much better though.
Oh, I've only had 2 break-tips on my Falcon during these 10 years. First tip lasted 7 years and the current tip has been on for a year or so. Had to remove the old tip because I was forced to use my Falcon as my playing cue for a while. I make a regular Le Pro tip so hard it will last a loooong time.
I sometimes break with my playing cue, but always prefer my Falcon as the tip is perfect for breaking and jumping.