Preferred Tip Size and Brand??

[Chu]

Just a quick question,

How do u check if the tip you bought is a good one and not bad? ( what are the signs )
Or only possible to check it when you play with it?

[deant1982]

Just a quick question,

How do u check if the tip you bought is a good one and not bad? ( what are the signs )
Or only possible to check it when you play with it?

Depends on the type of tip you are referring to. If its a pressed tip (Blue Diamond, Elkmaster etc) I was always told try to push your thumb nail into it. If this is relatively easy to do, the tip too soft, so not much good. If this is diffiicult/not possible, the tip is good.

If its a laminated/layered tip, this wont be possible, but when you apply it and start shaping, if de-layers easily with filing/sanding, then pretty safe to say that isn't any good either.

[Chu]

Depends on the type of tip you are referring to. If its a pressed tip (Blue Diamond, Elkmaster etc) I was always told try to push your thumb nail into it. If this is relatively easy to do, the tip too soft, so not much good. If this is diffiicult/not possible, the tip is good.

If its a laminated/layered tip, this wont be possible, but when you apply it and start shaping, if de-layers easily with filing/sanding, then pretty safe to say that isn't any good either.

alright thanks!

[belld]

Bought a Phoenix cue from Craftsman around 2 months ago which
comes fitted with a yes you guessed Phoenix soft tip. This is by
far the most consistent tip i have every played with. I used to be
a fan of the Wooldridge supertip and Pro-Granites but now i would
never go back. The Phoenix laminated has given me so much more
confidence and cue ball control i'm now a massive fan.

[hotpot]

I also fitted a phoenix medium tip and they are very nice , i would say their in between a Kamui soft and a tally soft in terms of firmness .

[LukasHCFC]

I have a cheap £16 cue that came with a tip i dont know anything about. Could anyone tell me what the advantages would be of changing the tip?

[jrc750]

I have a cheap £16 cue that came with a tip i dont know anything about. Could anyone tell me what the advantages would be of changing the tip?

Was the cue new ? if not it may already have a decent tip on it, altho probably not. Maybe ask a decent player in your club to see if he can identify the tip type, hard to say whether to change it until you know what it is !
The cue will play a lot better with a decent tip on, you will notice the difference

[LukasHCFC]

The cue was new and probably the cheapest cue you can find so I don't think the tip is that good. I might change it, it won't make it worse

[sootyvrs]

Just had my spare UK 8 ball cue modified today to have a smaller (8.2mm) ferrule and although I asked for a MW Supertip to be put on, a Phoenix laminated soft tip was put on my mistake but thought I'd try it anyhow and I must say that it feels really nice with plenty of response and feedback.

I only played with it for a short while so it's early days but I'm really liking it. Not sure if I prefer it to MW Supertip as yet so perhaps time will tell.

I hope they play the same after bedding in as the Talismans I've used in the past seem to be brilliant to start with then they go harder and I lose a little confidence with it.

[iago147]

I am using a 9.5mm elkmaster at the moment, but have been thinking about trying a different brand. Just wondered what the difference between brands e.g talisman & also soft medium and hard tips are ... as in can u create more back spin with hard tips or whatever. i am not really clued up on this part of the game. any feedback appreciated thanks

[coomsey76]

I've just ripped my Kamui black off, not a massive fan cause its a bit hard for my liking......!!

So I put a pool baron tip on I got from ADR and it feels some much better already..... Also looking forward to trying the Aurora tips out my mate plays with one and swears by it!!

[snooks1000]

anybody else have trouble with a MW tip keeping shape or am i doing something wrong?! Sanded the life out of this one I've got on right now because just can't get it to stay the shape i want.

[Deepscrew]

I suppose anything that has some height to it and is new will go our of shape over time until it hardens a bit. I had to trim the sides of my elk a few times ever the first week when it was squashed around. Once it gets properly challked and compact about the shape should remain solid.

[damienlch]

anybody else have trouble with a MW tip keeping shape or am i doing something wrong?! Sanded the life out of this one I've got on right now because just can't get it to stay the shape i want.

Hi snooks1000... Most tips will be somewhat soft after sanding... Mike's tip is rather thickish so you can vary its height to your liking... What I do is to shape it near to my ideal tip shape and height, gently tap the tip down with a cue ball to make it more compact then do touch up... Depending on the type of tip or how finicky you are, you may need to tap and shape a few times to get it "right"... needs a bit of patience but you get good end results this way.

Only exception are laminated or layered tips... being harder, there's no real need to tap them down and they maintain their shape well. But they may take some getting used to if you are using them for the first time.

Hope this helps.

[tommygunner1309]

I am using a 9.5mm elkmaster at the moment, but have been thinking about trying a different brand. Just wondered what the difference between brands e.g talisman & also soft medium and hard tips are ... as in can u create more back spin with hard tips or whatever. i am not really clued up on this part of the game. any feedback appreciated thanks

I have just put a 9.5mm elkmaster back on my cue after using a Moori and Kamui M. The elkmaster gives me loads more backspin and more movement on the ball when I use top. The Kamui M and Moori were very accurate, but didnt hold chalk very well, poor on reverse spin, and I found it almost impossible to put bend on the cue ball when snookered, whereas the elkmaster almost does a right hand turn !!! I found also that the Kamui and Moori hardened up after about 6 to 8 weeks and didnt play so well as in the beginning. So I am still looking for the ideal tip - may try Talisman next, but at the moment I still find the elkmaster the best. Personal preference of course, and I daresay a dozen people here will be quick to disagree with me