Should your break cue weigh less than your playing cue? (2024)

I like my break cue to be no heavier than my playing cue. It can even be a little bit lighter.

I can swing a lighter cue faster than I can a big heavy cue and I can make the cue ball go faster.

I think it's just a matter of preference.

I feel having a heavier cue enables a slower stroke w the same cb speed as a lighter cue with a higher stroke speed.

Less stroke speed=more control.

Play cue:18.5oz

Break cue:26oz

I didn't seek out that weight for break cue, I just liked the cue.

As someone already stated, a lighter cue gives you a faster break speed, while a heavier cue is slower speed. But the force behind that speed is a large factor in determining how much power goes into the cue ball. A 21oz cue is 3.5 times heavier than a cue ball, where a 15oz cue us only 2.5 times heavier. At equal stroke speeds the heavy cue will provide a more forceful break.
The light cue would have to be stroke faster to get the same break action. It's a matter of personal preference, how much control and power you prefer to adopt.

But if you're looking to buy a jump-break cue, you'll want a lighter-weighted cue. (Jumping is more difficult with a heavier cue, and you'll find longer jumps easy using a full length lighter cue.)

BC21 said:

But if you're looking to buy a jump-break cue, you'll want a lighter-weighted cue. (Jumping is more difficult with a heavier cue, and you'll find longer jumps easy using a full length lighter cue.)

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Maybe that explains why I can't jump w my jump/break cue for crap but it's easy w my dedicated jumper. I'll have to check their weight.

strmanglr scott said:

I think it's just a matter of preference.

I feel having a heavier cue enables a slower stroke w the same cb speed as a lighter cue with a higher stroke speed.

Less stroke speed=more control.

Play cue:18.5oz

Break cue:26oz

I didn't seek out that weight for break cue, I just liked the cue.

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Do know that your break cue is exceeding the maximum legal weight of 25oz set by WPA equipment specifications?

GoldCrown said:

I think there is no substitute for experimenting until you find what you break best with. I started out with an extremely heavy breaker(over20oz) and it was no better than a breaker under 20oz. I think it is more about technique than equipment.

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I totally agree... I always thought heavier was better for me until someone sold me a light break cue. Now that I have gotten use to it. I think I am going to stick with lighter. My suggestion is to now be scared to test out weights and work on your technique.

actionplayer said:

Should your break cue weigh less than your playing cue? If so why?

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The short answer is: It depends on the person.

For the long answer, see the optimal cue weight resource page.

Enjoy,
Dave

dr_dave said:

The short answer is: It depends on the person.

For the long answer, see the optimal cue weight resource page.

Enjoy,
Dave

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Thanks for that resource page link.

I did figure the lighter cue would give me more speed but the heavier more deliberate accuracy because swung slower. I think I started off too light (15 0z) the shaft actually ended up breaking although was a cheap end cue and then went to 21 oz break jump which is fin but ill feel ok i get no "pop" in my break just kind of a flat slug hit.

I play with 18/19 so feel like I best go to that.

Fargo - 656

I break with my playing cue. For me, the break is rarely harder than a power draw or hard punch shot, which is still pretty dang hard. Hitting the front ball square & clean matters more to me than hitting it hard, as well as being able to control the cue ball. I have more confidence in my playing cue than I do a cue I use only once per game, if I'm winning.

When I did use a break cue, I'd make it to very closely match my player in terms of weight, balance, and dimension.

BC21 said:

As someone already stated, a lighter cue gives you a faster break speed, while a heavier cue is slower speed. But the force behind that speed is a large factor in determining how much power goes into the cue ball. A 21oz cue is 3.5 times heavier than a cue ball, where a 15oz cue us only 2.5 times heavier. At equal stroke speeds the heavy cue will provide a more forceful break.
The light cue would have to be stroke faster to get the same break action. It's a matter of personal preference, how much control and power you prefer to adopt.

But if you're looking to buy a jump-break cue, you'll want a lighter-weighted cue. (Jumping is more difficult with a heavier cue, and you'll find longer jumps easy using a full length lighter cue.)

Click to expand...

How can a person have a more "forceful" break? The only variable is cue ball speed. If the cue ball travels faster I suppose you would have more force and slower would be less force but no matter what its all about speed.

marek said:

Do know that your break cue is exceeding the maximum legal weight of 25oz set by WPA equipment specifications?

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I was gonna say I'll let them worry about that.

Then you got me thinking, why would someone manufacture a cue over spec regs?

Looked it up, it's 25oz, my bad.

It's a Rage break/jump I got from Seyberts. Love that place only being about an hour drive away.

Baron said:

My break sucks with a 15 ounce cue equally as bad as it sucks with a 25 ounce cue. My current breaker happens to be around 18oz or maybe a little lighter and I like it just fine.

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I don't get that.(keep in mind I play mainly 8 ball) I understand a 15-17oz being hard to break you have to have blazing cue speed. But anything over that is cake.

strmanglr scott said:

I was gonna say I'll let them worry about that.

Then you got me thinking, why would someone manufacture a cue over spec regs?

Looked it up, it's 25oz, my bad.

It's a Rage break/jump I got from Seyberts. Love that place only being about an hour drive away.

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A guy gave me an old 25 oz. Imported break cue.
I weighed it, and it only weighed 24.2 ounces.
He obviously got cheated out of .8 ounces worth of imported cue.
By my calculations they got him for just under 2-bucks based on a retail purchase, but I doubt he paid retail.

I still have it
That's no sh*t

actionplayer said:

If so why? And what is the common oz of break cues that pro players have?

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Slow or worn cloth - use heavier break cue. New cloth - light break cue.