Best Snooker Cues & Cue Tips ?

[cueman]

As I said I've a very good quality box of Elks, changed about 5 tips now and everyone one has played well, pretty much straight away. With a remaining 45 left I don't think I'll be needing any other tips for a long while yet.

I don't doubt for one minute that your tips play well but I still say even at £2.50 that is still excessive for what is basically a bit of leather on the end of a cue. Even Trev will back me up on this and he still fits regular elks on some professionals cues and some have even been known to go on and win tournaments with a 50p elk!

[craigslater]

I have nearly every make of tip sat in my tool box at home, mikes single and mutli layered super tips, talismans both makes and different hardness's elks, blue diamonds, kamuri, moori and i go for the wooly single everytime, cant argue for the price, everytime you order some tips you can have a free cue towel aswel, how many cue makers offer that?

[trevs1]

I think tips are no doubt mainly a physical thing, but, I do think they are massively in the mind also.

From my own experience, I've found tips of all brands will do the job just fine. I've tried many many different tips, and over time (maybe 20 years or so) have not found any one particular brand that is definitively superior to any other brand.

The reason for this is because so many players like to have a different feel on contact with the ball. This is something which is not only due to the tip, but is enormously affected by the cue also. Some cues will feel harder on the contact than others will, regardless of the tip used, that's just a fact. So by using a different tips, this contact 'feel' can perhaps be varied slightly.

For anyone to say this or that tip brand is the best holds no meaning for anyone else, unless they try the same tip on their own cue and find it feels good for them too. Even then, unless tips are pretty damn hard, they are massively variable on how they'll feel when on a cue.

I think many regular or long time players tend to like a tip to feel 'fairly' firm from new, so maybe this is why we see a few swing towards Talismans or the Wooldridge tips, which are no doubt harder than most out there. BUT, there will be equally a good number of players who wouldn't dream of putting such a rock hard tip on their cues, because they just don't offer the kind of feedback through the cue which they personally like to experience. This is where the personal preference comes in, along with the nature of the contact feel the cue itself is lending to the whole equation.

What I woud recommend people do is try different brands of tips and see what YOU personally like. 'IGNORE THE COST FACTOR', If its more expensive it does not mean it's better, it will mean the production costs are higher or the producer makes more money.

A tip alone will not turn your game around or offer significant improvement to how you fundamentally play snooker. Unless the tip is like a sponge which is falling apart on the end of your cue, there are far more important aspects to focus on.

Good technique, shot selection, concentration, a desire to win, and, the application of these and numerous other attributes, along with a decent amount of talent to put them into practice in the first place, are far more important than what brand of tip you use.

[Semih_Sayginer]

very good post Trevs!!

[boydee]

What cue

Similar story to the the start of the thread.

I am a pool player, and have only been playing a year - thus far i have been playing with a Barracuda Gold Medal cue which has served me well but is too short for me.

I want to take the oppertunity to upgrade, have a budget of up to £250 - which would get a cheap "Parris" which is what everyone else on the team use and bang on about all the time, but my brother who is a county snooker player says with a J Parris cue you pay largely for the name and i would be far better with a North West like him a Woolbridge.

Please help someone??

[ADR147]

you do pay a premium for the name - you can't buy a proper jp cue for £250 anyway - how short is your current cue?

[boydee]

Its 56 inches, but i am 6,4ft and need a 59/60inch

Are the JP ones for £240 not worth having then?

[jaffa.johnson]

How do u know u need as longer cue as that? Have u tried other cues at that length.

For £250, you can get a one piece robin cook.

[firefrets]

Hi All

1) I am thinking of buying a new snooker cue and i wondered what are the best cues ?

I have always bought Peradon in the past and I have been looking at the Peradon Prince model (£130) which looks ok. Has any member got any comments on this cue.
I have also noticed a few nice Lewis & Wilson cues priced around £120. Are these any good - i have been told they are made in the far east - would that affect quality?

2) What are the differences between Blue diamond and Elkmaster Tips. I have heard a lot of conflicting opinions from different people and I would like to know once and for all.

3) If Blue Diamond are the best then why do Peradon put Elkmaster on all their cues !? Wouldn't it make sense to put a tip costing 20pence more on £100+ cue ?

Cheers

Paul

Hi Paul.

I don't always practise what I preach, but if I wanted a good cue, I'd look at a second hand one in great condition. It will have settled, and any money lost will already have happened.

The problem with this though is that second hand cues aren't easy to find, as folks don't line up waiting for inspection, but most cue makers offer trade ins for this reason, and you should find some options there to compete with newer options.

All cues get little knocks, and yours will be no different, so remember that any new cue you buy loses value as soon as you walk out of the shop.

DO NOT buy a cue online, unless you absolutely know what you want, and have good knowledge of a particular craftsmans style. All cues feel different, and I've played with some yuck feeling cues that had big price tags.

Try as many cues as possible in the shop (if you go to one) and keep the ones you like to one side. Never buy a cue that is too short, or it will affect your follow through on certain shots.

Fancy splices don't make a cue any better. They just make it more expensive. Ask yourself do you want to look at it or play with it. If you can't hit your opponent over the head with it, then it's too fancy. A good cue should be able to knock him clean out with one swing. If you have to hit him twice, put it back, and try a different one.

As for tips, they're 'all' rubbish. The key is finding the best of a bad bunch. I buy tips 5 or 6 at a time, and if I get one great tip out of them, then I'm happy. Knowing the shape that feels best under contact of your own shot helps. By the time your tip feels great, it's usually due for a change.

Your ferrule surface and your tip surface need to bond well. Any gaps around the side and you'll feel it. I'll often put the same tip on 2 or 3 times before it feels as though it's hit the sweet spot. Tips that suck in the glue like a sponge will feel hard. I dropped a Blue Diamond in the sink once, and just dried it off, sanded the bottom, and on it went. It actually felt great. I know this, because it happened 3 hours ago lol.

[andy carson]

nah, it's the tip. anyone can make a hundred break if they fit one of these little beauties....

bet i couldnt

[jrc750]

....As for tips, they're 'all' rubbish. The key is finding the best of a bad bunch. I buy tips 5 or 6 at a time, and if I get one great tip out of them, then I'm happy. ......

Ahhhh you obviously haven't tried Mike Wooldridge super tips (pressed one's) its like a good Elk every time, great tips that don't cost too much (about £2.50 each)

[ADR147]

How do u know u need as longer cue as that? Have u tried other cues at that length.

For £250, you can get a one piece robin cook.

a good option other than the waiting.

[boydee]

Hi Mike,

Was hoping you could help. have just bought a new cue, and whilst i absolutly love it the tip feels really hard and heavy, is there anything i can do to soften up the tip?
Many thanks
Iain

[faman300lb]

Hi i have been playing for a little while now, i am thinking of changing my tip, i have always used elk tips, but after reading on here i would really like to try a different tip, i have also tried blue diamond and thats it, i was wondering if anybody has just a single tip i could maybe buy to try, i have seen some online but dont really want to pay too much incase i dont like it, so if anybody has a spare single tip i could buy i woud really appreciate it, thanks

[jaffa.johnson]

I would give MW supertips a go, both pressed and laminated, also buffalo blue diamonds.