Soft/Medium/Hard tip

Lockbox

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm just starting out in the pool world and this has been on my mind. Recently, I played a tournament where some of the best players "appeared" to have hard tips (they were either hard or really worn down).

In any event, although preferences are many, what hardness tip do you play with and why? Any brand recommendations?

I personally play with the tips that came with my cues - Kamui soft. I feel like i'm not getting as much "feel" as I would with a medium tip and am considering changing. However, I don't feel like i'm 'good' enough to make that jump yet. Any input from anyone here?

Thanks!
 

Rackemep

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm shooting with the ultra-skin hards...I like them a lot! My only real gripe would be that they glaze over kind of quick but I made the tip pick part of my pre match routine and don't have anymore glazing issues. I prefer a hard tip as I feel it suits my stroke and style of play...I never could get the cue ball to react the way I wanted with soft tips...also when I have new tips put on I have them shave 30%-40% straight off the top of the tip...I feel that it shortens the break-in time and makes the tip play more consistent throughout its life...if you're on the fence about trying a new tip I say go for it...that's the best way to figure out what you like...
 

Kimmo H.

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You should definitely try a harder tip. I play a lot better with medium or hard tips than I do with soft tips, more feel for me and easier to control finesse shots :smile:

Maybe start with a medium tip and go up in hardness if you like harder feel better.
I prefer medium tips, Kamui Original is a good solid choise if you like your current Kamui tip. Zans are excellent aswell but both are pretty expensive at around 20$ a pop.

I personally play with a Milkdud that member pooldawg8 here on AzB sells and it is by far the best medium / hard tip I have ever had and they are really cheap aswell, 3$ a piece if my memory serves me right :rolleyes:
Try one if you can, many members here swear by them and I love them aswell. Takes a few hours of play to properly set after the initial install but after that they require almost no maintenance and dont glaze like laminated tips tend to.


Best of luck to you finding what works for you, I went through a ton of different tips, worth several hundreds of bucks trying to find what I like the best, hopefully you'll find yours a bit quicker :rolleyes:
 

Lockbox

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You should definitely try a harder tip. I play a lot better with medium or hard tips than I do with soft tips, more feel for me and easier to control finesse shots :smile:

Maybe start with a medium tip and go up in hardness if you like harder feel better.
I prefer medium tips, Kamui Original is a good solid choise if you like your current Kamui tip. Zans are excellent aswell but both are pretty expensive at around 20$ a pop.

I personally play with a Milkdud that member pooldawg8 here on AzB sells and it is by far the best medium / hard tip I have ever had and they are really cheap aswell, 3$ a piece if my memory serves me right :rolleyes:
Try one if you can, many members here swear by them and I love them aswell. Takes a few hours of play to properly set after the initial install but after that they require almost no maintenance and dont glaze like laminated tips tend to.


Best of luck to you finding what works for you, I went through a ton of different tips, worth several hundreds of bucks trying to find what I like the best, hopefully you'll find yours a bit quicker :rolleyes:

Hi. I just wanted to say I really appreciate the advice here. I am debating trying a new tip now or just getting a new cue and them experimenting. We'll see.

Thank you again!
 

mister__p

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm just starting out in the pool world and this has been on my mind. Recently, I played a tournament where some of the best players "appeared" to have hard tips (they were either hard or really worn down).

In any event, although preferences are many, what hardness tip do you play with and why? Any brand recommendations?

I personally play with the tips that came with my cues - Kamui soft. I feel like i'm not getting as much "feel" as I would with a medium tip and am considering changing. However, I don't feel like i'm 'good' enough to make that jump yet. Any input from anyone here?

Thanks!

Please do not forget your tip will compact with time so your soft tip will transition to a medium and perhaps even hard if you use it long enough.

All my pred shafts came with Everest mediums which I liked. The tip on one particular shaft which I used the most ended up becoming very hard to the point miscues crept in (and I never miscue). As a replacement, I put on a kamui soft which I expect will harden over time and last me many hundreds of hours.

As for feel, does your cue have a wrap? I dislike wraps as they mute the feeling. Nothing beats a no-wrap butt where you can feel everything regardless of what the tip is. My 2 cents
 

bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
i have not read all the posts
i am sorry
but these thrrads on what tip do you like or recommend
are like asking
which girl in the line up should i marry
or
which dessert should i get
ONLY YOU KNOW WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
TRIAL AND ERROR FOR WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
icbw
 
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mister__p

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i have not read all the posts
i am sorry
but these thrrads on what tip do you like or recommend
are like asking
which girl in the line up should i marry
or
which dessert should i ge
ONLY YOU KNOW WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
TRIAL AND ERROR FOR WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
icbw

No offense but I do not see any harm in others asking such questions. If you think the thread is silly, you don't have to read it.

There are many people out there who are new to the game and/or do not have deep pockets and therefore prefer to seek advice rather than buying/trying everything.

There are also many seasoned players on this forum who I am sure do not mind sharing their knowledge/experience.
 

GoldCrown

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
i have not read all the posts
i am sorry
but these thrrads on what tip do you like or recommend
are like asking
which girl in the line up should i marry
or
which dessert should i get
ONLY YOU KNOW WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
TRIAL AND ERROR FOR WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
icbw

No offense but I do not see any harm in others asking such questions. If you think the thread is silly, you don't have to read it.

There are many people out there who are new to the game and/or do not have deep pockets and therefore prefer to seek advice rather than buying/trying everything.

There are also many seasoned players on this forum who I am sure do not mind sharing their knowledge/experience.

I agree with bbb but to express it differently ....tips are so personalized they have to played with to see if it fits. I tried tips that were suggested to me and did not like them. Currently I like soft tips and use Triangle($.85) and Predator Victory tip.($25.00). How it plays on my cue and how they play on other cues it's hard to compare. Asking what tip to use is like asking what weight cue should I play with. I would say Test drive a few or simply get one installed and see how out works out. But to answer the OP.....start with soft...but there are many soft tips. I like Predator soft...or UltraSkin soft pr Triangle. If my shots & position are off it's me not the tip. Have fun and experiment.
 
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