Talisman cue tips

[ADR147]

lol but lets remember i make more money on a box of elkmasters!

[Sidd]

well guys I think I am in need for some sound advice on here. I have huge problems with consisterncy. For instance I can develop breaks of 40-60 standard form most difficult situations 3 days a week but then on the following 2 days I will be missing even the easiest of pots and shall have trouble even in potting two colours in a row. Sometimes it gets worse when even in a single day I will play 3-4 frames perfectly and then the next 2 would be a disaster.

Now when I am playing bad I know it has got nothing to do with the tip (I use Blue Diamond) but for some reason I will start to reshape my tip by brushing sand paper on it to get a perfect dome. I know it has to do more with psychology and less with reality but somehow it works for me. I will suddenly regain confidence and start playing better and that is why this wrong feeling is getting a right place in mind.

Lastly, I have a feeling that when I play 6-7 frames in a row my stamina and mental attention starts ot decline and I cant play with a fresh mind afterwards. What to do guys...???

[kevy62]

lol but lets remember i make more money on a box of elkmasters!

lol , what i meant to say was i'd be happy to sell these myself as i could be confident of selling a good tip every time!

Even though the cost for just 3 of these is about the same as a box of 50 elkmasters ( retail ) players shouldn't be put off buying them.

[kevy62]

well guys I think I am in need for some sound advice on here. I have huge problems with consisterncy. For instance I can develop breaks of 40-60 standard form most difficult situations 3 days a week but then on the following 2 days I will be missing even the easiest of pots and shall have trouble even in potting two colours in a row. Sometimes it gets worse when even in a single day I will play 3-4 frames perfectly and then the next 2 would be a disaster.

Now when I am playing bad I know it has got nothing to do with the tip (I use Blue Diamond) but for some reason I will start to reshape my tip by brushing sand paper on it to get a perfect dome. I know it has to do more with psychology and less with reality but somehow it works for me. I will suddenly regain confidence and start playing better and that is why this wrong feeling is getting a right place in mind.

Lastly, I have a feeling that when I play 6-7 frames in a row my stamina and mental attention starts ot decline and I cant play with a fresh mind afterwards. What to do guys...???

Hi there, this sounds more like a consentration problem than a tip problem,
let me try to explain: you lose consentration at some point due to whatever reason (long session is a good reason) then belive it or not , you are able regain it by consentrating your focus on your tip shaping & forming it...
thus regaining your consentration.

On your second point ,
this is linked to the first point as the two are directly connected.
you can have a light snack/meal before a match (but not a large one though)
just enough to last you through the time you will be playing.

(as a guideline you should not be hungry or full)

You must try to have plenty of liquid during a match & eat somthing (chocolate bars as a quick fix only) to keep your energy levels from dropping too low. hope this helps a bit & good luck with it. :snooker:

[ADR147]

lol , what i meant to say was i'd be happy to sell these myself as i could be confident of selling a good tip every time!

Even though the cost for just 3 of these is about the same as a box of 50 elkmasters ( retail ) players shouldn't be put off buying them.

no thats true - i am pretty sure you get more games from the three talisman

[kevy62]

no thats true - i am pretty sure you get more games from the three talisman

I agree, i can say that for sure ! i will also say you will have more chance to become consistant/confident, this is because the tip will be on longer without the need for change & they are all the same (high) quality.

We in this country are always putting up with cr*p!
instead of just making do, now we can actually do!
what a difference that knowledge makes.

Some players won't agree with these comments, but most have not yet tried talisman due to the cost restriction, my answer is, i changed over to Talisman about 3 years ago!
Before this i used to think that one tip was just as good as the other (elkie/diamond), hit & miss (kinda thing) pick a brand & just get over it! boy was i ever wrong!

[Nott]

I put on a Talisman pro medium (10mm cut down to 9mm) last week and so far I'm very happy with it. It felt good very quick, and I don't think its too hard at all (not yet anyway). My elks usually end up much harder than this because I'm lazy and doesn't change them when I should :-)

[ADR147]

lol - yep i relate to being too lazy to fix my own tip!

[poolqjunkie]

Has anyone tried Moori soft/slow?

[poolqjunkie]

I think elk masters are made with buffulo hide, and Talisman (brown ones) are made with pig skin? Is that correct?

If that is the case, I can see why there might be a difference in feel between the two tips.

But then, if you play with a one piece pig skin tip, there should be little or no difference between that and a pig skin laminated tip.

The only difference is that there are glue lines on the surface of the laminated tip, but none on the one piece tip, and may be the laminated ones have been compressed a bit more.

About the claim that one can put more "stuff" into the ball, I think this may have to do with the fact that the shape of the tip holds better with a laminated tip, because it has been compressed. However, if you tap your one piece tip, you can also make it hold its shape very well.

Laminated tip also mushrooms anyway. I know that happens all the time on American 9 ball cue, and I would imagine the same for snooker cues.

I have found that the laminated tips do not hold chalks as well as the elk master. I think the glue lines is the reason, plus the leather on the laminated tip is usually more compact/less porous. Elk master tips also have chalk powders impregented into the tip.

I used to have problem with elk master, but now I don't. My tip holds it shape beautifully. What I do is to tap the side of the tip with a metal tapper until it has stopped compressing, then I trim the tip again, tap it a few more time, and if it does not get lower, it is usually a very good tip for a long time to come.

[ADR147]

Has anyone tried Moori soft/slow?

yes good tips but expensive and tricky to fit well.

[ADR147]

I think elk masters are made with buffulo hide, and Talisman (brown ones) are made with pig skin? Is that correct? yes thats correct

If that is the case, I can see why there might be a difference in feel between the two tips.

But then, if you play with a one piece pig skin tip, there should be little or no difference between that and a pig skin laminated tip. there is a huge difference in the structure its like have one sheet of wood and 6 ply or have layers of steel its very very different.

The only difference is that there are glue lines on the surface of the laminated tip, but none on the one piece tip, and may be the laminated ones have been compressed a bit more.

About the claim that one can put more "stuff" into the ball, I think this may have to do with the fact that the shape of the tip holds better with a laminated tip, because it has been compressed. However, if you tap your one piece tip, you can also make it hold its shape very well.

Laminated tip also mushrooms anyway. I know that happens all the time on American 9 ball cue, and I would imagine the same for snooker cues. some do but all less easily.

I have found that the laminated tips do not hold chalks as well as the elk master. I think the glue lines is the reason, plus the leather on the laminated tip is usually more compact/less porous. Elk master tips also have chalk powders impregented into the tip. i sort of agree they appear to hold chalk less well but they grip better with less chalk.

I used to have problem with elk master, but now I don't. My tip holds it shape beautifully. What I do is to tap the side of the tip with a metal tapper until it has stopped compressing, then I trim the tip again, tap it a few more time, and if it does not get lower, it is usually a very good tip for a long time to come.

a good and well fitted elkmaster is as good a tip as any. its just they are harder and harder to find.

[poolqjunkie]

ADR147,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge with me.
I am not sure I understand why a one piece pig skin tip would have a different feel with a layered pig skin tip, provided they are of the same hardness.
I can relate to your analygy about solid wood vs plywood, plywood would have more resistance to warpage, and may be more resistance against breakage in a certain direction. So, are you saying because the layered tip has more resistance to compression, that it offers a significantly different feel? But if one tip is more resistant toward compression, then it would feel harder, wouldn't it? If they are of the same hardness, then wouldn't they feel the same?
Why is a layered tip better in terms of feel?
Thank you so much.

[ADR147]

its not that its better its different. i prefer layered tips as do many people but its all a personal choice - think like this, 3 1mm layers of steel are stronger than one 3mm layer. i am trying to think of a way of explaining that you can see in your house but at this moment my mind is blank. i supose if you imagine taping a bunch of straws together and comparing it with one big straw you would see what i mean.

[Istabraq]

always used elks and this past year ive just got sick of having 2 change them every 8 weeks and the total inconsistency over the same period of them. Got a pack of 20 and ive so far used 10 and found 1 that is ok. So thought lets have a go and got 3 soft talisman tips from greenbiaze.com 4 weeks ago and i wont be going back 2 elks, talibans r the dogs bollocks....