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Thought I'd share the knowledge about these chalks I gained through experience and by asking the president of Tweeten Fibre Co., Inc
I asked:
Response (essence thereof):
And that is why master chalk is the overall favorite, at present.
I've always preferred master chalk over triangle for snooker (and pool) because it provides more grip on the cueball and because of that, I always get fewer miscues and I can strike nearer the outside/edge of the cue ball. On top of that, it covers the entire tip much more easily and does so for much longer requiring fewer applications.
The downside of the softer master chalk is, it tends to visibly smear/stain onto the cue ball more than triange chalk. This for me is actually a big plus, because the harder triangle chalk turns into clouds of dust and goes everywhere. For me, I'd rather have to clean a welll defined spot of chalk off something (such as the cueball) than have chalk dust on the cue ball, cloth and cue that's so finely spread it cannot always be easily spotted, but may build up over time.
One theory behind using triangle chalk for snooker is that snooker players tend to use softer tips, so for the same grip you could use a harder chalk (that won't leave dots on the cue ball as much), but a softer chalk on a soft tip will still provide more cue ball grip than a hard chalk on that same tip.
I used to play with blue master chalk because from my testing I knew this provides great grip on the cue ball but in competition I've had opponents complain about blue dots on the cue ball more than once, asking me to use "normal" green triangle chalk, so I switched to that during those games and limited my shot selection accordingly.
Hearing of this left Mr. Nemecek, president of Tweeten, annoyed. He understands that a blue spot on the cue ball could distract someone, but shares my opinion that prevention of miscues and having a properly chalked tip is more important. It's more of an excuse than a real problem, IMO players should just concentrate on the pot. If you didn't pot the ball with the cue ball having a chalk mark on it, I'd wager you weren't going to pot it in the first place. The green master does not appear to stain the cue ball as obviously as the blue.
I've always stuck with blue master chalk because it was the first colour of master chalk I used and loved it, but because the green version is less likely to aggrivate opponents, I did try the green version a while ago. I got a few miscues with it and decided to just stick with blue, but I think it was down to player error. Mr. Nemecek reassured me that the color of the chalk makes absolutely no difference to the performance of it. Think of it as adding a drop of dye to a glass of water. It changes colour but it's still gonna taste and behave like water.
I've recently tried the green master chalk again and had absolutely no problem, seems to perform the same as the blue, so I can confirm Mr. Nemecek's point. If I ever change my mind, which I doubt, you WILL absolutely read about it in this thread.
On the matter of taste, I also asked if a player has diarrhea during a tournament, can the chalk be eaten to help absorb toxins? Well.....it contains no toxins of its own and it's mostly fine sand so it might work. Not sure if it'll do the job much like charcoal would though. You do get to pick your colour....
In closing, I believe it's time for many snooker players to realize there may be something better out there than triangle chalk and it's called master chalk. If anyone is worried about kicks, I think first we should figure out what kicks are actually caused by, before we start pointing fingers to the chalk, let alone the type of chalk. If the chalk is at fault, future research results might prove that the dustier, more dry, triangle chalk or equivalent are actually more likely to produce kicks than the softer chalks. The dust may cover a larger area of the cue ball that you cannot see. Who knows...
I asked:
What do you consider to be the differences in needs between pool and snooker regarding chalk, and what characteristics of your master and triangle chalks do you consider tailor to those needs?
Master chalk was developed for pool, stronger shot force, therefore provides softer feel and coats more as pool players didn't chalk as often as snooker and billiards players. Master chalk provides more grip and smoother coating which results in greater control and english.
I've always preferred master chalk over triangle for snooker (and pool) because it provides more grip on the cueball and because of that, I always get fewer miscues and I can strike nearer the outside/edge of the cue ball. On top of that, it covers the entire tip much more easily and does so for much longer requiring fewer applications.
The downside of the softer master chalk is, it tends to visibly smear/stain onto the cue ball more than triange chalk. This for me is actually a big plus, because the harder triangle chalk turns into clouds of dust and goes everywhere. For me, I'd rather have to clean a welll defined spot of chalk off something (such as the cueball) than have chalk dust on the cue ball, cloth and cue that's so finely spread it cannot always be easily spotted, but may build up over time.
One theory behind using triangle chalk for snooker is that snooker players tend to use softer tips, so for the same grip you could use a harder chalk (that won't leave dots on the cue ball as much), but a softer chalk on a soft tip will still provide more cue ball grip than a hard chalk on that same tip.
I used to play with blue master chalk because from my testing I knew this provides great grip on the cue ball but in competition I've had opponents complain about blue dots on the cue ball more than once, asking me to use "normal" green triangle chalk, so I switched to that during those games and limited my shot selection accordingly.
Hearing of this left Mr. Nemecek, president of Tweeten, annoyed. He understands that a blue spot on the cue ball could distract someone, but shares my opinion that prevention of miscues and having a properly chalked tip is more important. It's more of an excuse than a real problem, IMO players should just concentrate on the pot. If you didn't pot the ball with the cue ball having a chalk mark on it, I'd wager you weren't going to pot it in the first place. The green master does not appear to stain the cue ball as obviously as the blue.
I've always stuck with blue master chalk because it was the first colour of master chalk I used and loved it, but because the green version is less likely to aggrivate opponents, I did try the green version a while ago. I got a few miscues with it and decided to just stick with blue, but I think it was down to player error. Mr. Nemecek reassured me that the color of the chalk makes absolutely no difference to the performance of it. Think of it as adding a drop of dye to a glass of water. It changes colour but it's still gonna taste and behave like water.
I've recently tried the green master chalk again and had absolutely no problem, seems to perform the same as the blue, so I can confirm Mr. Nemecek's point. If I ever change my mind, which I doubt, you WILL absolutely read about it in this thread.
On the matter of taste, I also asked if a player has diarrhea during a tournament, can the chalk be eaten to help absorb toxins? Well.....it contains no toxins of its own and it's mostly fine sand so it might work. Not sure if it'll do the job much like charcoal would though. You do get to pick your colour....
In closing, I believe it's time for many snooker players to realize there may be something better out there than triangle chalk and it's called master chalk. If anyone is worried about kicks, I think first we should figure out what kicks are actually caused by, before we start pointing fingers to the chalk, let alone the type of chalk. If the chalk is at fault, future research results might prove that the dustier, more dry, triangle chalk or equivalent are actually more likely to produce kicks than the softer chalks. The dust may cover a larger area of the cue ball that you cannot see. Who knows...
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