The tip thread!!:D

[poolqjunkie]

Yes, I think it is hard to say for sure there is a definite relationship between the two.
Just that I like a firmer tip and I feel that I do not have to hit the ball as hard when I use that.
Just the way I feel, I guess this differs from player to player though.

[KeithinFrance]

Like everything else, it's "horses for courses".

[jonplayer]

talisman

I've heard quite a few negative reviews about Talisman tips splitting or even blowing up! I've never tried them but can share any good/ bad experiences?

[fredkite]

Can't say i've ever had a Talisman blow-up but I had one de-laminate in the middle of a league match and have never used one since.

[poolqjunkie]

I really like how Talisman plays. I have heard about the de-lamination, but for myself this has never happened.

I do carry a few extra tips with me so if it ever happen, I will just ask for a break and change the tip.

I have had lots of bad experience with elk master.

[Dragonsye]

Just to clarify, when I say cue power, I mean the strength of the spin AFTER contact with the object ball. I'm sure you can get almost the same amount force from a soft tip as with a hard tip, but the difference I feel is amplified when you need extreme top or screw after contact. I feel a soft tip tends to reduce the STRENGTH of spin. What made me wonder is that many pros who have a lot of cue power seem to be using hard tips. Any comments??

[vucko117]

Well I am getting much more spin with soft elkmaster then I did with some much harder tips...

Are you sure that tip is the problem? Don't get me wrong but as soon as I have improved my cue action I have started to generate more and more spin regardless of the tip I am using

[Terry Davidson]

If you could get one of those super fast cameras and take a shot of someone using a soft tip you would see that the tip actually hits the cueball TWICE since the tip must compact as the cue comes through.

I mean there might be a single microsecond between the 2 but it has to be true if you think about it. I don't know if this is the reason why hard tips are more poplar or not but I prefer using a hard tip and have recently found the hard Omin tips to be the hardest out there.

I think most professionals prefer a hard tip and even a lot of them will get used tips to put on their cues, ones that are already 'broken in' or in other words compacted a bit.

Terry

[Dragonsye]

A soft tip gives better spin with even a jerky action. But the point is I feel that even when I'd cuing much better, I still get the SAME amount of spin, rather than that extra bit which should be there.

For example, a long pot with deep screw, back to where the cue ball was. Even if you miss the pot, if you cue smoothly with enough power, the cue ball should come back, right?? But I get this feeling that the tip dampens the shot, and therefore it comes back only so much. I remember that when I was playing with the club cues (which had harder tips) when I hit it right, I got amazing spin. I'm just wondering if I've gotten it wrong, because I feel almost always that the power of the spin dissipates over a large space, however sweet the shot it. It's especially evident with top spin. It never takes off!! But now that my tip has worn down, I feel an increase in the power I can generate. Just wondering if a hard tip will give more consistency. My cuing is quite smooth now, after much effort and practice (if I should say so myself!!)!!

[vucko117]

well if you feel comfortable with harder tip then you should use hard tip... I tend to miscue a lot with hard tip so I have decided to go with a soft tip for now.

[vucko117]

What would you choose: pro granite tips or talisman soft tips?

I am looking to buy a new tip and would like to try something new

[Dragonsye]

Ironically, I'm planning to get both types!! Apart from the club cues, I've only tried elk master. My dilemma was between a Talisman soft and a medium. Either way, I'm planning to get a tub of pro granite as well. Will post after I try the P.G's, but I doubt it will be this year!!

So unfortunately, won't be of much help with you Q!!

[Lux]

If you could get one of those super fast cameras and take a shot of someone using a soft tip you would see that the tip actually hits the cueball TWICE since the tip must compact as the cue comes through.

I actually always suspected this was the case when I play deep screw with an Elk Master tip. The contact had always felt very weird to me and I tried to explain it to other people, but they didn't listen; so I passed it off as the tip rebounding off of the cloth. The double contact feels like it takes a lot of the action out of the cue ball.

[Dragonsye]

Ah, finally I think my question is answered!:-) I think that sounds about right! Sorry I missed Terry's, think it must have come in while I was typing the post right after it! So if your cueing right, you'll actually get better control of the cue ball! Sounds about right!

Also, I think it explains why you would get more spin on soft to medium shots as opposed to a hard tip. If the tip is hard, bad cueing will almost certainly mean either a miscue or not much spin. But with the double contact, the compression would not only avoid a miscue, it would also impart spin better on the cue ball! The only problem is that the amount of spin will be limited by and to the compression of the tip! Great! Talisman medium and pro granite it is, for me!:-D

[Dragonsye]

Oh, wanted to add something entirely different to the current question...

Its not a big deal, but I think a boring lecture on administrative law and my limited knowledge of physics led me to what may be the perfect dome for a domed tip! So those of you out there who prefer a dome, if you're wondering what I'm on about, I suggest you make some noise!:-D