I met Richard yesterday at the XBreaker booth. I am stunned that I didn't go there earlier, but the show is so busy with so many vendors that I frankly just didn't have the time.
Someone was raving about the XBreaker, so I went there prepared to hate it.
So, here's what I have to say about it:
Don't buy it. Or, I should say, you can't buy it. Why? Because the guy sells out so fast, there aren't any to buy!
Here are the simple facts. I broke three times. Not with a Sardo, but with a Chameleon Rack. And, as Richard can tell you, the Chameleon Rack is no Sardo. It's just another rack.
Anyway, I made multiple (that's more than one) balls every break (extremely rare for me), made four balls on the third break (with the lowest ball, the 2-ball hanging halfway in the pocket and another ball that jawed one of the head pockets), and I had a Cosmo layout each time with an easy shot on the lowest ball. If this had been the break-and-make-balls contest, I would have won as long as nobody else got to use the XBreaker. If Richard had more room in his booth, I could have actually tried to play the outs and had probably an 80% chance at a 3-pack. That's not typical of me by any stretch.
Important Caveat - I had just spent over half an hour at the BreakRAK booth, helping out Charley Bond and demonstrating the BreakRAK when he had to run an errand. By the end of it, I was pretty honed in, but with a different cue.
Of course, getting an easy shot on the lowest ball isn't exactly due to the XBreaker, but the fact that I made multiple balls, and got the balls all over the table without clusters made the chance higher to get an easy leave on the lowest ball.
As far as jumping goes, this should be illegal. Too easy. The oneballspace jump shot was a frickin' hanger. And, you can chalk this tip and the chalk stays without problems.
Richard also has a patented material for the bumper that absorbs the shock and reduces the vibration, much like the LimbSaver. Without it, the stick feels horrible, hollow, and tingy. With it feels good, and you'd swear it was a different cue altogether.
How does it compare to others I've tested? I think it blows away all but the Stinger. I've only tried the Stinger on a few breaks, and the balance and feel wasn't there for me, but others worked well with it. The jumping ability was too close for me to say which one was better.
Costwise, the XBreaker is ~ $350-$375, so it's tough to compete with, say, the FURY J/B Cue (~$180). The performance of X is better, but the cost might simply be prohibitive to some. Those that buy custom J/B cues however, the cost is well within reason. Also, the Stinger lists comprably to the XBreaker.
Fred <~~~ thumbs way up
Someone was raving about the XBreaker, so I went there prepared to hate it.
So, here's what I have to say about it:
Don't buy it. Or, I should say, you can't buy it. Why? Because the guy sells out so fast, there aren't any to buy!
Here are the simple facts. I broke three times. Not with a Sardo, but with a Chameleon Rack. And, as Richard can tell you, the Chameleon Rack is no Sardo. It's just another rack.
Anyway, I made multiple (that's more than one) balls every break (extremely rare for me), made four balls on the third break (with the lowest ball, the 2-ball hanging halfway in the pocket and another ball that jawed one of the head pockets), and I had a Cosmo layout each time with an easy shot on the lowest ball. If this had been the break-and-make-balls contest, I would have won as long as nobody else got to use the XBreaker. If Richard had more room in his booth, I could have actually tried to play the outs and had probably an 80% chance at a 3-pack. That's not typical of me by any stretch.
Important Caveat - I had just spent over half an hour at the BreakRAK booth, helping out Charley Bond and demonstrating the BreakRAK when he had to run an errand. By the end of it, I was pretty honed in, but with a different cue.
Of course, getting an easy shot on the lowest ball isn't exactly due to the XBreaker, but the fact that I made multiple balls, and got the balls all over the table without clusters made the chance higher to get an easy leave on the lowest ball.
As far as jumping goes, this should be illegal. Too easy. The oneballspace jump shot was a frickin' hanger. And, you can chalk this tip and the chalk stays without problems.
Richard also has a patented material for the bumper that absorbs the shock and reduces the vibration, much like the LimbSaver. Without it, the stick feels horrible, hollow, and tingy. With it feels good, and you'd swear it was a different cue altogether.
How does it compare to others I've tested? I think it blows away all but the Stinger. I've only tried the Stinger on a few breaks, and the balance and feel wasn't there for me, but others worked well with it. The jumping ability was too close for me to say which one was better.
Costwise, the XBreaker is ~ $350-$375, so it's tough to compete with, say, the FURY J/B Cue (~$180). The performance of X is better, but the cost might simply be prohibitive to some. Those that buy custom J/B cues however, the cost is well within reason. Also, the Stinger lists comprably to the XBreaker.
Fred <~~~ thumbs way up
