So do you actually *need* a break cue? This was a question that was posted to reddit today, and I put forth a pretty comprehensive wallotext describing my views and recommendations on the subject: Building break cues is my specialty in the cue building world. I feel like break cues can help a player achieve two main things in their game. First of all, having a break cue of any style or configuration will help you become more consistent in your break shot. Developing a familiarity with a particular breaking cue will improve your ability to predict the effect the cue will impart on the cueball and allow you to improve and fine tune your break shot so that it becomes potentially more consistent and predictable over time. Secondly, the break cue serves to reduce the compaction and deformation of expensive playing tips. The break cue removes the single most powerful force that a playing cue tip normally receives during its lifetime and allows the tip to remain in a relatively more moderate zone of forces from every type of shot except the break shot. I have seen this dramatically reduce negative effects like mushrooming, flattening, delamination, and pop-offs too. As user JMizzo said, there are many shafts on the market that will likely be damaged by breaking with them. Regardless of manufacturer claims otherwise, I would never break with any of the laminated LD shafts such as the Predator, OB, Tiger, or any custom laminated LD shaft. The shafts may last for years under normal playing conditions, but all that holds them together is some wood glue and foam inserts in some cases and breaking with them has a high chance of fracturing them along these glue lines. I see them in the shop every week for consultations on what can be done to repair them. If you play with an $8 LePro tip, you likely have these replaced periodically and the relative expense of purchasing a break cue to reduce the wear on the tip is pretty low. However, if you play with the expensive layered tips like the Kamui which can cost $30 or more to replace, then suddenly the economics of investing in a break cue become a little more appealing. Break cue preferences are probably even more widely personalized that playing cue preferences, too. While most people prefer 17-20 ounce playing cues with a fairly limited range of tapers and tip styles, I routinely build break cues from 15-25 ounces with shafts made of the heaviest, strongest woods on earth and tapers from 12mm to 15mm. Total cue lengths for my breakers range from 50 to 60 quite commonly. So is having a break cue necessary? Id say no, for sure. It is a decision based on personal preference, like anything else in the world of pool cues. If you reach a point in your game where you decide you feel like your break stroke is suffering due to not having a break cue, then it is reasonable to consider investing in one. A couple of recommendations I have for any break cue purchase, regardless of brand name or price: -Always select a break cue that has joint collars, and optimally those joint collars should be made of a composite material like linen phenolic instead of simple thermorformed plastics like ABS or PVC. While economical sneaky pete cues might seem like a nice cheap route to go, the collarless versions come into my shop for repair of splitting and cracking at the joint quite regularly. Opt, instead, for the upgraded versions which have at least some type of basic joint collar installed on both the butt joint and the shaft joint. Break cue ferrules should also fall under this same advice. Avoid the cues with cheap plastic ferrules and consider having any break cue ferrule upgraded to phenolic or G-10. -Leather tip vs phenolic vs G-10 material? All of these options are viable, and your choice should depend on several factors. What are the settings I can reasonably expect this cue to be used in? Many sanctioning bodies that govern various leagues and tournaments are beginning to shift away from allowing non-leather tips of any kind to be used in their events. Some pool rooms also ban phenolic and G-10 tips, and they will not-so-politely tell you to leave if you choose to use them there. The safest route is to have a leather tip installed which will allow you to play in any location without the need to worry about rules. Two of the most popular tips I regularly install on break cues are the Water Buffalo tip, which is very hard leather that resists mushrooming and flattening. These are fairly cheap and available at most cue shops. The premium break tip option that I offer in my shop is the Samsara J/B tip. They are ridiculously hard and I honestly have no idea what manufacturing process they use to achieve this level of hardness. They are very comparable to phenolics, and I feel they grip the cueball a bit better and have less tendency to miscue. As far as I know, the Samsara is legal in all tournaments and leagues around the country. They are a bit pricey, though. They can run you $30 or higher to have one installed, but they last considerably longer than any other leather tip I have seen. I have installed hundreds of them, and never had to warranty one for cracking, splitting, or any other defect. Shoot me any questions you can think of and Ill do my best to answer them for you.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 21:11:26 +0000
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