Some general questions about tip sizes and chalk

[psyhigh]

Hi forum. My apologies for posting so many different threads here but I just wanted to ask a few questions. I already searched the forum for those answer but could not find a clear answer to my question.

So here are some of my questions

1. As someone who has never paid attention to what cue length, weight, size etc I play with (only used cues at public snooker places) I wanted to know what is the best tip size for a beginner. I read that 9.5mm is the best but my question came to my mind when I wanted to buy a cue and had very little choices from the dealer I spoke to. He could only find two cues for me that I wanted between 9.5mm-10mm but said that he has cues that are 9.3mm. I know 0.2mm isn't much of a deal so I wanted to ask if I should go with 9.6mm or would 9.3mm works too. I also face a lot of 'unintentional side' when I play snooker in the parlors so keeping that in mind what would be the best tip size for me?

2. If I bought a cue with a 9.6mm tip and later had to change the tip on it, would I need to get a 10mm tip and shape it down or would a 9.5mm tip work too? I ask because I've only seen tips coming in sizes of .5s so was wondering if I should just wait and get a 9.5mm cue when available so that it would be easier for me to change the tip later using a 9.5mm tip without shaping it.

3. The cue that I am planning to buy has a 9.6mm elk master tip on it. I do not know if it's hard or soft or medium but I wanted to purchase some extra tips just to be on a safer side since I do not know how long they last for (can someone tell me this?). Which tip is the best for you soft, medium or hard and why? It will just help me in purchasing tips better.

4. How do you know when is the time to change the tip on a cue? Obvious reason would be when it falls off but other than that when do you change your tip? I do not have any pros around me that could help me with this so I wanted to learn changing a tip for myself. Been watching videos on youtube regarding this.

5. In general what tip brand is the best? I would just choose whatever is used the most. Been hearing good things about laminated tips a lot. Elks on the other hand are said to be very inconsistent.

6. Is it better to use just one variety of chalk on the tip while playing or can different chalks be used to. I ask this because I am not looking at buying my own chalks since the parlor which I play at have Triangle chalks available for use. But if using the same chalk makes a big difference then I would not mind investing in some.

Sorry if I sound too much of a beginner or if my questions have already been answered in another post.

Thanks

[Zelig]

Hi psyhigh, welcome!

One thing we can all agree on (perhaps...) is that the tip should not be smaller than the ferrule's diameter. The standard practice is to buy tips that are 1mm larger than the ferrule and then cut & sand the excess around after gluing. But I heard professionals (and lazy people like me) that put on tips of the same size as the ferrule just to skip the cutting & sanding job (at the price of being extremely patient and lucky during the gluing process). But a smaller tip is not something that will work, I think.

A good general guide that I think is very helpful can be found on the website of the Green Baize (about tips, cue specs, and life in general)... I will see if I can find the link, hold on...

[psyhigh]

Hi psyhigh, welcome!

One thing we can all agree on (perhaps...) is that the tip should not be smaller than the ferrule's diameter. The standard practice is to buy tips that are 1mm larger than the ferrule and then cut & sand the excess around after gluing. But I heard professionals (and lazy people like me) that put on tips of the same size as the ferrule just to skip the cutting & sanding job (at the price of being extremely patient and lucky during the gluing process). But a smaller tip is not something that will work, I think.

A good general guide that I think is very helpful can be found on the website of the Green Baize (about tips, cue specs, and life in general)... I will see if I can find the link, hold on...

Thank you. I will search the website too. Hopefully I can find it.

[Zelig]

Here we go, visit greenbaize dot com, menu "information", submenu "cue advice".

And by the way, yes, Elks are inconsistent, I am switching away from them, see the old post about "Grand Cue tips".

Best

[psyhigh]

Here we go, visit greenbaize dot com, menu "information", submenu "cue advice".

And by the way, yes, Elks are inconsistent, I am switching away from them, see the old post about "Grand Cue tips".

Best

Thanks. I will check out grand cue tips. I am also hearing a lot of good things about laminated ADR147 and Talisman pros. Will check them out too.

[Mark187187]

If you're just starting out, a larger tip is more forgiving. If you started with something around 9.8mm, you can always have the cue take down later, but you obviously can't make a narrower cue wider.

I only usually change a tip when it has become misshapen, or when it has become worn down from reshaping. Although I have once or twice taken an elk off very quickly when they've been a duff one. I don't use elks anymore, but when I had a good one it would last around 6 months playing a couple of times a week. I now use laminated tips, and they last me about a year. I've tried probably a dozen layered tips, and too be honest they were all okay, it's just a matter of finding the hardness which you like. Only tip I had an issue with was Kamui Black which split during normal play. But, to be fair I only tried them once and could have just been a dudd. For the price though, I didn't feel like taking the chance again. Currently using talisman wb, which is a harder tip, with no issues. I've also used the same tip (but bigger 14mm version) for 9 ball quite a bit. Never had issues with those either. I always get tip quite a bit wider than the cue. It means you have a bit more leeway. I use a 11mm tip for both my 9mm english pool cue and 9.5mm snooker cue. Some laminated tips have a tendency for the layers to separate right at the edges, but are fine once you've taken them down 1-2mm. Some advice though, if you haven't changed a tip before, don't have you're first try on a Kamui of other similarly priced tips. Get a few elks to practice with (or get someone else to put ot on for you)

If you're investing in a cue, spend a few more pounds on chalk. Triangle is less than 50p a block. Some clubs provide chalk, maybe having a box of triangle you can pick the best one out of. But some clubs i have been to provide chalk which is so worn down it should have been binned, which can be messy. Another club I went to only had silver cup chalk, which was super messy and I seemed to get a lot of miscues.