How we recommend
We recommend by category, not brand, and do not quote prices. We may earn a commission on purchases at no cost to you.
Why a break cue
Dr. Dave Alciatore recommends a dedicated break cue. Power breaking with your playing cue can damage it and flatten its tip. A break cue is built more robustly and usually has a hard phenolic tip, and a harder tip gives more cue ball speed for the same stroke speed. For the break itself, he advises using the hardest tip your rules allow and a break cue whose natural pivot length matches your bridge length.
Two cautions from the same source: some leagues ban break cues or phenolic tips, and a phenolic tip can damage the cue ball on a very hard break.
Are break cues heavier?
Sources disagree. PoolDawg gives break cues a range of 18 to 25-plus ounces, while Pool Table Portfolio says they are not necessarily heavier than a playing cue. Pick a weight you can control: as the break page explains, a square hit matters more than raw power.
Jump cues
A jump cue is short and light, about 40 to 48 inches and about 12 ounces according to PoolDawg (Wikipedia says 12 ounces or less), with a larger, harder, flatter tip, often phenolic. A legal jump strikes the ball downward so it bounces off the slate; a "scoop" under the ball is treated as a miscue, and an intentional miscue is a foul. See jump shots for technique.
Break/jump combination cues
A combination cue is a full-length break cue whose rear section comes off, leaving a short jump cue. It saves carrying a third cue.
Check your league first
APA rules allow a break cue for breaking, but allow jump cues only in Masters divisions, and you may not take your regular playing cue apart to jump with it. Other leagues set their own rules, so check before you buy.
Our picks by category
Break cues
A sturdier cue with a hard tip, so your playing cue's tip keeps its shape.
Best for: Anyone who breaks hard with their playing cue today
Break/jump cues
Breaks at full length and unscrews into a jump cue.
Best for: Players whose rules allow jumping and who want one fewer cue
Jump cues
Short, light and hard-tipped, made for legal jump shots.
Best for: Players whose rules allow jump cues