First of all, thank you all ladies and gentlemen for the patience. It took us a little more than expected to get all the results ready.
That said, I have to state again that we were trying to get the “feel” and personal impression on each tip and that our rates are very subjective. If our intention had been to evaluate the quality of the tips involved in our test, we’ll have had the easy task to give an excellent rating to all the products, because they are all top of the line, made with expertise and high quality materials. I have to say that the best tip is, without a doubt, the one that you feel best with and we encourage everybody to try as much as possible to discover the one that gives you that special touch you like.
But let’s go to the tests. First, let me start with the “Facts on Tips” that we have come up with after talking with many expert players and doing our own un-scientific tests:
Facts on TIPS:
• A cue tip can be harder on softer based on three factors: The pressure at which the leather layers are pressed together, the density and penetration of the adhesive in the leather and, finally, the leather hardness itself.
• The pressure that the tip suffers when being used during the game, stroke after stroke, can cause it to be noticeably compacted and hardened over its lifespan.
• The natural texture of the leather affects the way the tip is going to hold the chalk and it does not depend on the hardness of the tip.
• The “Blind Group” (the players who didn’t know which tip they were using) gave better rates to the custom made tips than the group who could see and choose which tip to use at any given moment.
Now let’s go with some general advice.
Advice on TIPS:
• If you want a soft tip not to get “hardened” too fast, avoid hitting to strong with it or using it to break.
• If your style of play favors hard hitting or a combination of medium-hard hitting, you should avoid soft tips, as they will harden fast and, as a result you’ll have a less durable, less reliable, “hard” tip that if you had installed a harder one from the beginning.
Now we can go on with the test results.
Results:
• Moori: Very thin layers of leather, extremely well attached; the glue is almost unnoticeable on the magnifying glass. The touch with the hard ones is excellent from the very first hit while with the medium ones it requires some play until the tip hits at its prime. The play is very consistent during all its lifespan. Holds chalk well. Are available in various widths.
Surprising Fact: Noticeable different between the old ones and the newer ones, the first having a better quality leather.
• Kamui: Thin layers of leather, with a very solid construction and attachment; the glue is noticeable on the magnifying glass but no bubbles or aberration at all. The quality of the leather is second to none. The play is excellent from the first hit with all the range of hardness and it keeps its consistency during the entire tip’s lifespan. Are available in various widths.
Surprising Fact: Although most of the Kamui tips hold the chalk perfectly, for an excellent grip, we’ve found that the Hard Kamui Black model needs to be scraped quite often to get a good result.
• UltraSkin: The layers are very thin and made of top quality leather, but it’s the perfect combination of the right glue and excellent construction what makes them look like a one solid piece, even under the magnifying glass. Need to be used for some time before it gets its best results. All the range of hardness holds chalk very well. Available just in 14mm width.
Surprising Fact: Most players noticed an improvement on the hit during the tip’s lifespan, with a performance that seems to peak when the tip is half the original length.
• CM360: The layers are thin and a little bit irregular, but the construction is good. Some unevenness noticeable on the magnifying glass. The hit improves after some racks are played and then it’s consistent during the entire tip’s lifespan. Holds chalk well in all the range of hardness. Available just in 14mm width.
Surprising Fact: The hard ones seem to play much better than the medium and soft ones.
• Sniper: The layers are quite thick and irregular, with unevenness noticeable on the naked eye. The hit is solid from the beginning and holds the chalk really well Available in various widths.
Surprising Fact: This was the only brand we had problems with during our tests, with two tips delaminating. May be our batch but the truth is that the results were not good with this one.
2013 TEST WINNERS:
Best of the Best: OLD BATCH MOORI TIPS
Best Custom Made: ULTRASKIN TIPS by TOM HAY
Best Commercially Available Tips: KAMUI BLACK
Best “Bang for your Buck”: ULTRASKIN TIPS
Thank you all for you time; I know it was a big post (and I'm still planning to expand on the results and write about them here). If you want to know more about how the test was performed, you can go to the original post:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=300235
Every comment will be appreciated and every advice on how to continue the test will be wellcommed.
That said, I have to state again that we were trying to get the “feel” and personal impression on each tip and that our rates are very subjective. If our intention had been to evaluate the quality of the tips involved in our test, we’ll have had the easy task to give an excellent rating to all the products, because they are all top of the line, made with expertise and high quality materials. I have to say that the best tip is, without a doubt, the one that you feel best with and we encourage everybody to try as much as possible to discover the one that gives you that special touch you like.
But let’s go to the tests. First, let me start with the “Facts on Tips” that we have come up with after talking with many expert players and doing our own un-scientific tests:
Facts on TIPS:
• A cue tip can be harder on softer based on three factors: The pressure at which the leather layers are pressed together, the density and penetration of the adhesive in the leather and, finally, the leather hardness itself.
• The pressure that the tip suffers when being used during the game, stroke after stroke, can cause it to be noticeably compacted and hardened over its lifespan.
• The natural texture of the leather affects the way the tip is going to hold the chalk and it does not depend on the hardness of the tip.
• The “Blind Group” (the players who didn’t know which tip they were using) gave better rates to the custom made tips than the group who could see and choose which tip to use at any given moment.
Now let’s go with some general advice.
Advice on TIPS:
• If you want a soft tip not to get “hardened” too fast, avoid hitting to strong with it or using it to break.
• If your style of play favors hard hitting or a combination of medium-hard hitting, you should avoid soft tips, as they will harden fast and, as a result you’ll have a less durable, less reliable, “hard” tip that if you had installed a harder one from the beginning.
Now we can go on with the test results.
Results:
• Moori: Very thin layers of leather, extremely well attached; the glue is almost unnoticeable on the magnifying glass. The touch with the hard ones is excellent from the very first hit while with the medium ones it requires some play until the tip hits at its prime. The play is very consistent during all its lifespan. Holds chalk well. Are available in various widths.
Surprising Fact: Noticeable different between the old ones and the newer ones, the first having a better quality leather.
• Kamui: Thin layers of leather, with a very solid construction and attachment; the glue is noticeable on the magnifying glass but no bubbles or aberration at all. The quality of the leather is second to none. The play is excellent from the first hit with all the range of hardness and it keeps its consistency during the entire tip’s lifespan. Are available in various widths.
Surprising Fact: Although most of the Kamui tips hold the chalk perfectly, for an excellent grip, we’ve found that the Hard Kamui Black model needs to be scraped quite often to get a good result.
• UltraSkin: The layers are very thin and made of top quality leather, but it’s the perfect combination of the right glue and excellent construction what makes them look like a one solid piece, even under the magnifying glass. Need to be used for some time before it gets its best results. All the range of hardness holds chalk very well. Available just in 14mm width.
Surprising Fact: Most players noticed an improvement on the hit during the tip’s lifespan, with a performance that seems to peak when the tip is half the original length.
• CM360: The layers are thin and a little bit irregular, but the construction is good. Some unevenness noticeable on the magnifying glass. The hit improves after some racks are played and then it’s consistent during the entire tip’s lifespan. Holds chalk well in all the range of hardness. Available just in 14mm width.
Surprising Fact: The hard ones seem to play much better than the medium and soft ones.
• Sniper: The layers are quite thick and irregular, with unevenness noticeable on the naked eye. The hit is solid from the beginning and holds the chalk really well Available in various widths.
Surprising Fact: This was the only brand we had problems with during our tests, with two tips delaminating. May be our batch but the truth is that the results were not good with this one.
2013 TEST WINNERS:
Best of the Best: OLD BATCH MOORI TIPS
Best Custom Made: ULTRASKIN TIPS by TOM HAY
Best Commercially Available Tips: KAMUI BLACK
Best “Bang for your Buck”: ULTRASKIN TIPS
Thank you all for you time; I know it was a big post (and I'm still planning to expand on the results and write about them here). If you want to know more about how the test was performed, you can go to the original post:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=300235
Every comment will be appreciated and every advice on how to continue the test will be wellcommed.
. 
