What tip do you use for Breaking?

I use a white diamond.

I really like my white diamond. I will also say that I stopped playing very much about 3 years ago so I can't speak for the new tips that have come out. I can control the cue ball well with it. If you want to go to leather I would suggest a pressed triangle. It may mushroom a little at the start, (depending on who pressed it) but once you trim it you should be good to go. You shouldn't loose much if any power and it will jump well also. To the person that asked about the legality of it, I believe you have to use leather in the BCA. (Fairly sure but not 100%) You would probably get away with a white diamond (resin tip) as they generaly get put on with a regular ferrule. The one piece phenolic tips stick out.

Hope this helps at least a little.
Good Luck
Jason
 
For breaking in 8 ball i use a white diamond, 9 ball i use a Tiger Icebreaker. works real well
 
Sarnia Shorty said:
Just curious, you guys are giving lots of advice on the tips you can use for breaking. Are all of them legal as far as BCA/VNEA/APA goes? I will be playing BCA and VNEA this coming season and will be putting a new tip on my breaker. I want to make sure I wont get to a tournament somewhere and have someone complain.
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The BCAPL is the only sanctioning body that I am aware of that has declared phenolic tips illegal for breaking... I still think this may have been a strong arm attempt to exact sponsorship money out of predator because the BK2 was flying off the shelves at the point that the BCAPL made the announcement.

The BK2 tip has been tested at around 92% COR so there was no way that tip to cueball impact was worse or more damaging than the cueball to headball impact......
 
I like the White Diamond better than phenolic. Holds chalk better and more control. Plenty of action. :cool:
 
I have a superglue soaked/impregnated hard leather tip on a phenalic ferrul. The tip has been scored in concentric rings radiating out from the center, 3 rings I believe. The cue is a monster and I never have any trouble controlling whitey as long as I don't get all loosy goosy with my mechanics.

Varney makes a GREAT break cue.

r,

Greg
 
I use a phenolic tip. If I didn't use phenolic I would either use a Kamui black hard, or I would make a milk dud.

I've heard a lot about how hard G10 is, but I don't think I could stand the ping of it and I can make plenty of half moons on the CB with phenolic.
 
I have used both leather and phenolic tips on break cues...

My first break cue came with a harder layered leather tip (Tiger Redline), which was really good in terms of feel and ball control, and it worked with my method of break really well in terms of ball control. I have no complaints about that tip and would gladly use it again.

I later had a phenolic tip installed, just to try it out. It was generic but matched to my ferrule properly, and it had concentric circles etched into the hitting surface, as it should. It was a trade-off from the leather, where it was not quite as forgiving with a mis-cue and didn't provide good cue ball control, but when it connected it seemed to transmit power more directly into the cue ball. I thought was fine, but I never felt it was an overall improvement over the leather. Looking back, knowing what I know now, I realize it was a crappy tip, and I should have gone back to the leather tip.

I eventually gave that break cue to a friend, and discovered what a good phenolic tip feels like when I got my BK2 as a gift. The BK2 version I received came with a phenolic tip from the factory. Rather than concentric circles, it has a textured surface, just slightly grainy. It's amazing, it hits really solid, is super forgiving, and honestly I have not had any miscues or cue failures as result of the tip. Sometimes I forget I'm using my break cue and start playing with it, and it actually plays amazingly well... Considering it has a tip that is about as hard as the pool ball itself. To top it off, I have been breaking with the thing about two years now (and I play a lot of pool), and the tip has no discernable wear; the texture is still there with no signs of diminishing.

I really think it's personal preference. This isn't scientific, but when I have perfect alignment and execution, it seems my BK2 phenolic tip has a little more umph in the break, possibly opening up the rack a bit more and allowing for a better chance at pocketing the ball. But when I don't have perfect alignment and execution, the leather tip seems to connect with the ball better, despite being a little skewed, and have more umph than if I had made the same blunder with a phenolic tip. For me it's a zero-sum-gain in the end, but maybe being more precise in my break would help.


I don't think the phenolic vs. leather tip is making a statistically measurable difference in my game. Maybe I get at best one extra ball in over 10 breaks, compared to using my old break stick with leather tip. I could get more improvement via other tactics, like practicing my break, reading the rack before breaking, or breaking to get the head-ball into the side-pocket. I think it's biggest benefit is that I like the way it feels, plain n' simple.

Like with any tip, nothing wrong with trying a phenolic out, but your mileage may vary based on the quality and design of the tip, as goes with any tip. Also keep in mind that phenolic tips without sufficient texture on the back come unglued easier than a leather tip... Make sure, if you decide to try it, your phenolic tip is installed by somebody with a clue.

Cheers.
 
ODEGA tip

I recommend one of my tips. They are legal in all formats. My tips are made with multi-layers of pigskin. They hold chalk fantastic, and are easy to install. Any questions about the ODEGA tip, please contact me at 701-730-6408.
 
Talsiman XX Hard for me.

I don't like the sound or the feel of the phenolics. Sounds as if I miscue even if I don't actually miscue but more importantly they just feel weird to me.
 
I have 2 shafts for my break cue. One with a White Diamond and one with a Samsara. They are both good but I have more CB control with the Samsara.

Rick
 
Just had a Samsara installed and love it. Samsara is BCA legal, where I think the white diamond is not allowed. Is the Samsara tip hard to install?
 
i am a c player (apa6) at best, so my opinion might not mean alot.
i also own a lathe and do alot of tip installs for customers . i keep a small variety of layered tips in stock and only 1 or 2 break tips.
i experiment alot sometimes maybe too much , but i have tried the following.

one piece phenolic
phenolic on hard ferrule
white diamond
super pro
samsara
triangle
odega
maybe some others but they where not intended for breaking

so far i think the samsara has them beat #1 . good power w/good control
white diamond # 2 good power with control
super pro # 3 less power but great control
triangle #4 simular to super , not quite as hard though

i have some kamui tips on order and added a black hard to the order just to try . says its a 81 hardness . will let you know what i think.

OP . this is just one mans opinion. every one will have their own , u might have to try a few yourself if your pocket allows.

carl shealy
 
Talisman XX Hard for me. My break cue is 23.5 oz so I don't have to lean on it to open a rack. Control is good when I don't take it for granted.

Haven't tried anything else just yet but may do so when it's time to re-tip.
 
My #1 Choice

ODEGA said:
I recommend one of my tips. They are legal in all formats. My tips are made with multi-layers of pigskin. They hold chalk fantastic, and are easy to install. Any questions about the ODEGA tip, please contact me at 701-730-6408.
Click to expand...

The Odega is one sweet break tip! I also love the White Diamond but there are the BCA issues with it. Samsara makes an excellent tip too but I switched up from the Samsara to the Odega and never looked back.
 
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