[Geosnooker]

House cues where I play are all Dufferins. It’s what I use. I break as well as anyone with a dedicated break cue.

Having said this, we play mostly 8 ball. Pool in Canada means 8 ball by default. Whereas in the USA it seems to be 9 ball. I don’t try to break at 100% power, I use 65% and concentrate on leaving the white near centre table and leaving at least a small cluster. Being predominantly a Snooker player, I like to use tactics and safeties. Problem balls are an advantage to me especially when playing someone With good technical skills. If I can’t outshoot them, I can use 5 decades of experience to outthink them.

So, I use a decent house cue as a break cue.

[Texas Carom Club]

Originally Posted by Geosnooker

Having said this, we play mostly 8 ball. Pool in Canada means 8 ball by default. Whereas in the USA it seems to be 9 ball. .

8 ball is the game in the usa

[Bavafongoul]

8 ball is not the most popular game in pools halls where I’ve frequented, not at least with better players.
It tends to be used more as a format for Scotch or mixed doubles format and leagues like APA, BCA, etc.

Anyone really believing that all custom cues are a money gimmick pretty much reveals one of two things.
Either they really do not understand the craft of cue-making or don’t possess the wherewithal to understand.

Pool cues are a totally individual thing in terms of preferences. That applies to the look and construction.
It is the selection of materials, actual fabrication and tolerances, weight proportionality and such that make
custom cues different. Would you say that all wrist watches are a money making gimmick, or automobiles,
or custom gun makers? All pool cues do the same thing, right? Isn’t this also true for guns, watches & cars ?
Don’t all of them do the same thing.... keep time, shoot & transport us from place to place. Cues hit pool balls.

Now in the hands of a great player, the cue becomes less of a factor but even the Legends and greatest
names in pool play had custom cues and preferences for the cue weight and shafts. I submit that if anyone
truly believes that custom cues are a money gimmick, they just don’t know as much as they think they do.

[Texas Carom Club]

last night i played a 3c match for the first time in a long while against my old buddy who plays non stop

i submit i won with my fiddy dollar players cue that i toss in the back seat without a case
i must be a great player by the statement above

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Scott Lee

This...^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Use a house cue...costs nothing!

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

FYI:

Sadly lots of places are using Slip On Tips now (Boston Billiards in Nashua NH as an example). So I don't think that would make a good break cue. Though a good house cue is great imo.

[j2pac]

Originally Posted by Cuewood98

Ok guys, i can't really afford a break cue right now due to me being disabled and only income i have is disability and whatever i make selling pool cue wood. Also just bought a new shaft for my playing cue and a case so really on budget now. I was wondering though for when I can afford it, what would be a good break cue to get?

J&J. I have had mine for 3 years. Hits like a field cannon. No quality issues. I think I gave less than $100.00 for it.

[j2pac]

Originally Posted by garczar

J&J j/b with a White Diamond Ultra tip. Inexpensive and blasts the shit out of the balls.

Yep........

[fastone371]

Originally Posted by Bavafongoul

8 ball is not the most popular game in pools halls where I’ve frequented, not at least with better players.
It tends to be used more as a format for Scotch or mixed doubles format and leagues like APA, BCA, etc.

Anyone really believing that all custom cues are a money gimmick pretty much reveals one of two things.
Either they really do not understand the craft of cue-making or don’t possess the wherewithal to understand.

Pool cues are a totally individual thing in terms of preferences. That applies to the look and construction.
It is the selection of materials, actual fabrication and tolerances, weight proportionality and such that make
custom cues different. Would you say that all wrist watches are a money making gimmick, or automobiles,
or custom gun makers? All pool cues do the same thing, right? Isn’t this also true for guns, watches & cars ?
Don’t all of them do the same thing.... keep time, shoot & transport us from place to place. Cues hit pool balls.

Now in the hands of a great player, the cue becomes less of a factor but even the Legends and greatest
names in pool play had custom cues and preferences for the cue weight and shafts. I submit that if anyone
truly believes that custom cues are a money gimmick, they just don’t know as much as they think they do.

Its not that custom cues are gimmicks rather I would say a custom cue in excess probably the $1,000 price point are just cake decoration. At $1,000 price point one should probably be able to find what ever they are looking for in a cue besides aesthetics. With carbon fiber cues that is becoming even more true.

[Island Drive]

Just make sure what ever you decide on....that the tip on your break cue, does not damage the cue ball.

[Bavafongoul]

I give up....Texas Carom employs the reasoning and rationale of a 10 yr old.

And placing a $1000 max on a custom cue is just as naive because how much is
anyone’s time worth? There’s overhead, inventory, insurance, occupancy, employee
benefits, bookkeeping & accountancy, payroll taxes & the cue-maker’s own time.

How much an hour should a cue maker be worth? How many hours go into building
a cue. How many hours for CNC programming? How much time for hand mitre work
and gluing veneers? And let’s not forget spoilage and breakage when building the cue,
plus equipment costs and maintenance thereupon? And utilities expense for the shop &
business licenses, advertising, trade show costs. There’s so much in expenses incurred.

$1000 for a custom cue and still make a reasonable profit, I submit that people who
subscribe to this may have never owned their own business, don’t know a whole lot
of what’s involved with custom cues or else had bad prior experiences with ordering
a cue from someone & has a poor understanding of the real world costs of cue making
thinking CNC machinery basically does most everything which is not the actual situation.

There is still time involved and the basic tenet of business is time is money and so what
is a cue maker’s time worth? The cue maker has unique skills. Well, so does a plumber,
carpenter or electrician. How much does that occupation get paid versus the billing rate.

A general rule is take your fully allocated expenses for the business, direct & indirect expenses,
divide that by the number of hours in a week or month, calculate a fully absorbed hourly rate and
double that. Whatever’s the number comes to, double it to arrive at the hourly rate to build a cue.
And that’s before any final markup for profit since some cue designs can become labor intensive which
slows down the number of custom cues that are completed. Time is money & especially with cue makers.

The best cue makers command the best prices because they make the best cues & the best just costs more.
.

[CocoboloCowboy]

Originally Posted by Scott Lee

This...^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Use a house cue...costs nothing!

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

Free is a greater price. I like FREE.

[Fore Rail]

It is a straight, tight rack hit with a well placed cue ball

[Bavafongoul]

I like Scott’s approach. I have a Stinger break/jump cue that I do not even carry.
A house cue works perfectly fine for me & sometimes you find a darn good one.