Question for players that play with a really hard tip.

justinb386 · May 18, 2017

I just had this Water Buffalo tip installed on my cue (because I really needed a tip on my cue, and I thought I would try out a hard tip for once), and the thing is hard as a rock.

I can play okay with it, but I find it hard to use much English on the cue ball, because it feels as if I am mis cuing.

My question is, do you need to scuff the tip very often with hard tips, in order to get chalk to hold on the tip very well?

Does a tip tapper help much with hard tips?

I just want to be able to apply some English to the cue ball without feeling like I am going to mis cue.

I am just curious to know how players are able to comfortably use a really hard tip (like a Water Buffalo for example).

Thank you very much for any suggestions, about how I can comfortably play with this hard tip, without feeling like I am going to mis cue when ever using any kind of excessive amount of English.

TATE · May 18, 2017

I played with a shaved down hard tip for years. My experience is you need to scuff it more frequently and will get more miscues on extreme shots. When I played with a hard tip, I was uncomfortable with the extreme shots.

I recently switched to a soft tip and I prefer it. I find I'm more confident with the extreme draw/English shots and miscue less frequently. The trade off is a less crisp feel, but I've adjusted to it.

justinb386 · May 18, 2017

TATE said:
I played with a shaved down hard tip for years. My experience is you need to scuff it more frequently and will get more miscues on extreme shots. When I played with a hard tip, I was uncomfortable with the extreme shots.

I recently switched to a soft tip and I prefer it. I find I'm more confident with the extreme draw/English shots and miscue less frequently. The trade off is a less crisp feel, but I've adjusted to it.

Thanks for your reply, and the info about your experience with hard tips. I figured that I may just need to scuff it maybe every 10 shots, or pretty often, in order for the tip to hold chalk really well. I am without a scuffer, so I guess I really need to buy one, if I am going to ever get used to playing with a hard tip. I never liked the feel of a really soft tip either. My tip of choice was always a good quality Medium tip.

Shawn Armstrong · May 18, 2017

justinb386 said:
I just had this Water Buffalo tip installed on my cue (because I really needed a tip on my cue, and I thought I would try out a hard tip for once), and the thing is hard as a rock.

I can play okay with it, but I find it hard to use much English on the cue ball, because it feels as if I am mis cuing.

My question is, do you need to scuff the tip very often with hard tips, in order to get chalk to hold on the tip very well?

Does a tip tapper help much with hard tips?

I just want to be able to apply some English to the cue ball without feeling like I am going to mis cue.

I am just curious to know how players are able to comfortably use a really hard tip (like a Water Buffalo for example).

Thank you very much for any suggestions, about how I can comfortably play with this hard tip, without feeling like I am going to mis cue when ever using any kind of excessive amount of English.

Don't worry about getting used to it. You'll sell it in a few weeks, and will have another cue with a different tip shortly.

It's all good.

Kimmo H. · May 18, 2017

I play with hard tips and never quite understood the idea why a hard tip would miscue more than a softer one. Water buffalo is on the far end of hard tips, I have installed a few on budget breakers even but they play okay in my opinion.

Scuff the tip with sandpaper / shaper, apply chalk and shoot some spin shots over and over again untill you start to trust your stroke with a harder tip :wink: Chalk before every shot if you are going to use extreme spin just like with a softer tip. If you can get used to the different sound and a crispier feel you can do anything with the Cb that you can with a soft tip. If you cant get on with the Water buffalo you might want to try a Triangle if you prefer solid leather tips or a Kamikaze brown tip before giving up on the hard tips. Triangles as you propably know can be a pain to find the decent ones in the box but a good one does play well. If you want to try a hard Kamikaze tip you can hit me with a PM and I'll get one out to you if you want :wink:

By the way, what are you shooting with these days

SARDiver · May 18, 2017

I've played with a LePro for 12 years on an Adam Bushka, and now a Triangle on a Mezz. Keeping it well chalked is about the only thing I have to do.

Wait, who started this thread? Oh. Another justinb386 thread.

Um, light it on fire, then put the flames out with olive oil drizzled over the flames slowly as you hold the tip over a wad of Kleenex. Then rub playground sand on it, and it will hold a nickel shape forever. If you haven't burned your house down, you should have a really grippy sandy cue tip.

You are the neediest person on this board, and I can usually tell by the thread title (the knowledge-pleading pseudo-sincere question) that it's your thread. Must be the bourbon that kept me from seeing this one.

9Ballr · May 18, 2017

justinb386 said:
My question is, do you need to scuff the tip very often with hard tips, in order to get chalk to hold on the tip very well?

Scuff it when you have to.

Use whatever scuffing tool that works best for you.

This is just basic stuff most of us simply find out on our own.

Don't you sometimes enjoy just discovering thing on your own and
seeing what works and what doesn't and what YOU need to do to your
equipment to make it work for YOU???

Or do you have to be told everything every step of the way?

justinb386 · May 18, 2017

SARDiver said:
I've played with a LePro for 12 years on an Adam Bushka, and now a Triangle on a Mezz. Keeping it well chalked is about the only thing I have to do.

Wait, who started this thread? Oh. Another justinb386 thread.

Um, light it on fire, then put the flames out with olive oil drizzled over the flames slowly as you hold the tip over a wad of Kleenex. Then rub playground sand on it, and it will hold a nickel shape forever. If you haven't burned your house down, you should have a really grippy sandy cue tip.

You are the neediest person on this board, and I can usually tell by the thread title (the knowledge-pleading pseudo-sincere question) that it's your thread. Must be the bourbon that kept me from seeing this one.

Please look at my history, and you will see that I rarely start threads anymore, and the types of replies that I usually receive (like yours) is exactly why. I can't ask anything without getting picked on. In the future, if a question about anything pool related comes to mind, I will just keep it to myself, or maybe post on facebook.

justinb386 · May 18, 2017

9Ballr said:
Scuff it when you have to.

Use whatever scuffing tool that works best for you.

This is just basic stuff most of us simply find out on our own.

Don't you sometimes enjoy just discovering thing on your own and
seeing what works and what doesn't and what YOU need to do to your
equipment to make it work for YOU???

Or do you have to be told everything every step of the way?

Okay, I guess I already pretty much had a good idea about the answer to my own question, but I was still curious to hear opinions from others, who like to use hard tips. This is a forum, is it not? Is this not a place where players come to ask questions, and share their experiences (about tips for example)?

Johnny Rosato · May 18, 2017

justinb386 said:
Please look at my history, and you will see that I rarely start threads anymore, and the types of replies that I usually receive (like yours) is exactly why. I can't ask anything without getting picked on. In the future, if a question about anything pool related comes to mind, I will just keep it to myself, or maybe post on facebook.

There are truly some nuts on FB

justinb386 · May 18, 2017

Kimmo H. said:
I play with hard tips and never quite understood the idea why a hard tip would miscue more than a softer one. Water buffalo is on the far end of hard tips, I have installed a few on budget breakers even but they play okay in my opinion.

Scuff the tip with sandpaper / shaper, apply chalk and shoot some spin shots over and over again untill you start to trust your stroke with a harder tip :wink: Chalk before every shot if you are going to use extreme spin just like with a softer tip. If you can get used to the different sound and a crispier feel you can do anything with the Cb that you can with a soft tip. If you cant get on with the Water buffalo you might want to try a Triangle if you prefer solid leather tips or a Kamikaze brown tip before giving up on the hard tips. Triangles as you propably know can be a pain to find the decent ones in the box but a good one does play well. If you want to try a hard Kamikaze tip you can hit me with a PM and I'll get one out to you if you want :wink:

By the way, what are you shooting with these days

Thanks for the good advice. I am just playing with this old plain jane Meucci, until I can save up enough money for something nicer. I am so broke, I can't even afford a decent tip for the cue, lol. Had to settle for a Water Buffalo. I guess it is better then nothing. The old tip was down to the bare bottom, with almost nothing left.

HawaiianEye · May 19, 2017

justinb386 said:
Thanks for the good advice. I am just playing with this old plain jane Meucci, until I can save up enough money for something nicer. I am so broke, I can't even afford a decent tip for the cue, lol. Had to settle for a Water Buffalo. I guess it is better then nothing. The old tip was down to the bare bottom, with almost nothing left.

Le Pro tips are cheap.

https://www.seyberts.com/cue-tips/lepro-cue-tips/

Only .43 cents on that link.

FWIW, I put a drop of oil on a hard tip after I scuff it up real good in order to soften it up some. I put the oil on it and let it soak in all night.

The guy who showed me that trick used Singer Sewing Machine oil, but I have used all kinds of thin oil.

PhilosopherKing · May 19, 2017

justinb386 said:
Thanks for the good advice. I am just playing with this old plain jane Meucci, until I can save up enough money for something nicer. I am so broke, I can't even afford a decent tip for the cue, lol. Had to settle for a Water Buffalo. I guess it is better then nothing. The old tip was down to the bare bottom, with almost nothing left.

How much more was your guy charging for a Triangle or LePro?

gregnice37 · May 19, 2017

justinb386 said:
Thanks for the good advice. I am just playing with this old plain jane Meucci, until I can save up enough money for something nicer. I am so broke, I can't even afford a decent tip for the cue, lol. Had to settle for a Water Buffalo. I guess it is better then nothing. The old tip was down to the bare bottom, with almost nothing left.

Well that just answered the question I was going to ask, which was why buy a hard tip with no idea how it would play. Dude, i dont know you paid for that water buffalo but a freaking ultraskin is less than $4.00, common man, & it comes in like 5 or 6 hardness'.

JoseV · May 19, 2017

I having used a water Buffalo in about 15 years, or was it a Sumo tip, oh well can't remember.

Anyways you just have to hit balls with that new tip to get a feel for it, I never had a problem with miscues hitting on extreme edges of the cue ball with hard tips. One more thing try a better chalk that will hold better.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

philly · May 19, 2017

I use a Triangle tip that has been hard pressed first. I actually find the opposite of what the OP states. Not only does the hard tip take english exceptionally well, I find it easier to control that english. I shape my tip about every other week with the Last4Ever tip tool.
One pass does the trick. I do not even own a tip pick. I think the layered tips are just hype at $40 bucks a pop. Triangles are a buck apiece. Wimpy and the rest of the old timers never played with layered tips and they played just fine.
I think miscuing has nothing to do with hardness. Most people miscue because they forget to chalk often enough, their bridge is not level, or they slightly come up out of the shot.

qbilder · May 19, 2017

philly said:
I use a Triangle tip that has been hard pressed first. I actually find the opposite of what the OP states. Not only does the hard tip take english exceptionally well, I find it easier to control that english. I shape my tip about every other week with the Last4Ever tip tool.
One pass does the trick. I do not even own a tip pick. I think the layered tips are just hype at $40 bucks a pop. Triangles are a buck apiece. Wimpy and the rest of the old timers never played with layered tips and they played just fine.
I think miscuing has nothing to do with hardness. Most people miscue because they forget to chalk often enough, their bridge is not level, or they slightly come up out of the shot.

What he said^, except my shaper is a Willards.

yankee817299 · May 19, 2017

justinb386 said:
Please look at my history, and you will see that I rarely start threads anymore, and the types of replies that I usually receive (like yours) is exactly why. I can't ask anything without getting picked on. In the future, if a question about anything pool related comes to mind, I will just keep it to myself, or maybe post on facebook.

Hey Justin, there are always some readers that get little tidbits of good information from any post. Don't let the sarcasm of some of the posters keep you away from your keyboard.

Lots of information in this post and lots of interest!!

ideologist · May 19, 2017

HawaiianEye said:
Le Pro tips are cheap.

https://www.seyberts.com/cue-tips/lepro-cue-tips/

Only .43 cents on that link.

FWIW, I put a drop of oil on a hard tip after I scuff it up real good in order to soften it up some. I put the oil on it and let it soak in all night.

The guy who showed me that trick used Singer Sewing Machine oil, but I have used all kinds of thin oil.

I do this with honing oil. it works wonders to make the tip less likely to blow out and mushroom

wreiman · May 19, 2017

I carry a Bard scuffer on my keychain, so its with me all the time when I shoot. I normally scuff it a bit before I play a match. The WB tips can get a lot of grip if they are maintained properly.

Question for players that play with a really hard tip.

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