What Tip Do You Use?

[poolqjunkie]

The Talisman pigskin (brown) does not have even layers unlike the Mooris. Talisman is made in Thailand. I think they do not hold chalk very well, although they do play very firm, in my opinion.
The Talisman WB (the black one) actually holds chalk better and plays a bit softer in my opinion. I know it is weird since a WB is supposed to be harder than a pigskin. Somehow, my pigskin never mushroom but the WB did. I have a few of these before and they all kind of felt the same way.
I like the Moori S if I have to choose a layer tip.
But for snooker, I think the one piece tips are nice. I like a good Elk master. I am using a very old Champion tip, which is not made any more. They are very nice. But I am down to my last one now.
One question I have is that if the glue line that shows on the surface of the tip once it is filed will actaully hold chalk as well as the leather? Are the glue lines the reason why some of them do not hold chalk that well?

[Peer]

What Tip Do You Use? This Is A General Question I Am Wondering How The Figures Have Changed. 15 Years Ago I Think Blue Diamonds Would Have Been Number One Now I Suspect Its Elkmaster.

In my case I use a different tip on each cue:

Parris 10mm -- Triangle
Longoni 12.5mm -- Kaumi
Longoni 12mm -- Moori
Brunswick 12mm -- Elk Master
J&J 13.5 (break/jump cue) -- Phenolic tip
Carom cues 12mm -- Le Pro

-- peer

[The Doctor]

Poolqjunkie!!
The glue lines will not hold the chalk as good as the leather. If you are after a good pressed tip, i like the Triangle tip, they are a med tip and hold chalk well.
I would not go back to a pressed tip after years of playing with a layered Talisman, but if i had to it would be this one.
What you will need to learn to do with the laminated tips is to keep the surface prepared for chalk by making slight indentations in the tip with a tip tool/file and also prepping the tip at first use, by chalking the cue and then working the chalk into the tip with tip tool/file. this helps the tip to take chalk better and grip more.

[fleurdelis]

I use Elk master 9.5 mm soft but i play about 3 times ina a week so it means i dont play much. I think it's a nice tip and i feel it comfortable to play with.

[edd147]

I've been playing a week with the talisman pro soft which I got from ADR147 and I really am impressed. It took me a while to get used to the way the chalk takes, but after a few days it seemed to take it better (probably just got used to it). I definetly have more confidence with the tip, it feels like I get better grip and spin too.

I won't be going back to BD or elks. I've ordered the talisman water buffalo medium not because I'm not happy with the pigskin but I just wanted to see for myself how the WB feels and plays in comparison.

anyway a great tip and worth the money

[ADR147]

the WB is very hard.

[Wity]

In my case I use a different tip on each cue:

Parris 10mm -- Triangle
Longoni 12.5mm -- Kaumi
Longoni 12mm -- Moori
Brunswick 12mm -- Elk Master
J&J 13.5 (break/jump cue) -- Phenolic tip
Carom cues 12mm -- Le Pro

-- peer

I always thought the plastic ferrule on yank cues was Phenolic (aka bakalite) are you saying the tip on that one is too?

[Peer]

I always thought the plastic ferrule on yank cues was Phenolic (aka bakalite) are you saying the tip on that one is too?

That's correct. The tip on my break/jump cue is a 13.5 all phenolic -- very squirty, but breaks hard.

-- peer

[cpserrao]

I've just put a Blue Knight on my cue. Still breaking it in but so it seems to be playing well. This is the first time, I'm trying a blue knight. In the past I've always used a Blue Diamond or Elk master.

[cueman]

I had old (5 - 10yrs) boxes of each which recently ran out. I have since bought a box of each and quite frankly, they are rubbish. In the last two weeks I have had 7 elks on my snooker cue and 5 on my pool cue and I can virtually tell they are rubbish as I am putting them on.

The blue diamonds I put in the bin as one after the other they frayed, sprung and went like sponges. I have tipped literally hundreds of cues over the years and until I got these new tips, never had any problems

I have had the same experience, albeit from the snooker club I go to, I will change the tips on some of the cues and the box of Elks that they had were just like the BD's you mentioned. They were all soft, you could feel the fibres it was like they were falling apart. It was like they hadn't been compressed properly and no bedding in would have made the tip playworthy. Its happened now for the past 12 months, they order more boxes, same quality. I don't know what's going on.

Fortunately, like you, I had a couple of boxes of Elks which I bought about 3 years or so ago and still have around 30 left which should see me OK for the next couple of years for my own cue.

[jb134]

After all this, I have had a Wooldridge tip on for a while. The only thing I find with it is it hardens up and I miscue - is this normal?

[The Doctor]

It is perfectly normal and is counteracted by using a tip tool, to press dimples into the tip. the obvious friction over time will harden up any tip.
A man of your experience should know about how friction, hardens things up. LOL.

[jb134]

Touche! Reminds me of the time I asked my mum if I would go blond and she replied "no and it won't affect you spooch either!".

Anyway my point was that it seems to need treatment every couple of frames which obviously having been a BD or elk man for so long was not the case.

So, Dr Finbar, is that normal?

[Qubit]

Just gone back to an elk after trying a wooldridge supertip (pressed type). Too hard for me.

[MikeWooldridge]

After all this, I have had a Wooldridge tip on for a while. The only thing I find with it is it hardens up and I miscue - is this normal?

it's never normal to miscue...

the doctor's advice is spot on. try roughing it up a bit with sandpaper. or use one of those tip tappers.

if that doesn't work, email me and i'll send you a replacement cos you may just have a 'rogue' bit of leather...