Break Cue Basics

[HD_Slim]

Howdy All

My first post - so a brief background. I joned a local pool league (APA) back in March and finished the Spring league a few weeks ago. Had a great time and have learned a bunch - I'm rated at SL 2 and am probably just at the verge of going to a 3 - need to improve my consistency.

Had always just been a slop shooter and bar player - and really enjoy the whole strategy part of pool league.

Now for the question - I've got a modest priced cue I use for playing ( about ~$100) and am considering getting a modest priced break cue. I'm tired of either whacking the ball with my playing cue or hunting down a house stick.

Any general rules for the qualities of a jump/break cue - any reccomendations for a cue in my price range (about$100) ?

I assumed I wanted a heavy cue (at least 21 oz) -- but somewhere on the web I read it should be lighter -- hmmmm I'm confused

thanks

[Popcorn]

There are a few dynamics to a break cue that are pretty universal such as hard tip and a little thicker shaft. The weight issue I think can be a little personal. My advice would be. Get a cue that uses a weighting system with a pin in the butt under the bumper. This way you can fuss around with the weight yourself and find what is right for you. Just be sure it will fall under say, 18 ounces without any screw and will allow you to add up to 2 ounces. Most use a 3/8 x 16 screw, a common screw you can get at most any hardware store.

[pooltchr]

The APA does not allow jump cues, nor can you break down a jump/break during a match, so don't worry about getting a 3 piece jump break. That being said, the above advise is on track. I like a hard tip with just a small flat spot in the center for my break cue. I would also suggest an adjustable weight, but consider this...if you play 95% of the time with a 19 ounce cue, it stands to reason that something very close to the same weight is going to feel comfortable when you are using it for the other 5% (arguably the most important shot in the match)
Just a thought...
Steve

[stickman]

For a break que: I bought a cheap sneaky pete with a fairly fat taper. I replaced the fiber ferrule with an Ivor-X capped ferrule, and put on a phenolic tip. It does what I want it to do. /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[stickman]

My sneaky pete break cue is about the same weight as my playing cue. It worked well enough that I didn't bother to see if it had any weight adjustment. I'm sure I could add weight, if I wanted to though. As for a jump stick: I made a short handle for my breaker to use as a jump cue. I suspect that the 40" jumper might banned at sometime. If that comes, I'll still have a good break cue, without the extra joint. /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif