How do you find a good Elkmaster? Also does pressing them solve the issue (no milkdud process)

[wilkamania]

So long story short, I'd say Elkmasters are my favorite tip when you find a good one. However the consistency of good tips are horrible. I had a box of 50 and it seemed like for every 5-10 bad tips, I had one good one. The only way I could tell was by shaping the top. When it made those fuzzy balls, I tossed them. I tried sanding the bottom but it honestly looks the same.

What's your method on finding a good tip?

And also I hear a lot about pressing them. I'd buy a picone press if this will solve the issue.

Milkdudding is cool, but not looking to do so (Plus @pooldawg8 has some of the best ones out there, so I figured I'd just buy more from him). I've used a lot of layered tips as well (favorites being Tiger Emerald, Molavia Hard, Kamui Brown M), but elk masters are the best value around.

I'm just a super casual hobby pool player at this point, so I don't have any fancy tools (durometer, lathe, etc). I replace my own tips by blade, hand, and sandpaper and it's been treating me fine.

I searched it, but I haven't found many answers regarding this. Some do a sound test, some drop it in water, etc etc. And a lot of people recommend pressing it but I would wonder if that solves the fur balling issue.

 

[Sheldon]

Tap on a hard surface, the sound will tell you a LOT. Also check the grain of the leather. Pressing makes tips harder and less prone to mushrooming, but will not fix a bad tip.

 

[wilkamania]

Tap on a hard surface, the sound will tell you a LOT. Also check the grain of the leather. Pressing makes tips harder and less prone to mushrooming, but will not fix a bad tip.

This is perfect and with a great visual! Thank you!

 

[cueman]

The last box of Elk Master I had the tips were firmer than the old ones. They cut really nice with out ballooning like I have seen in the past. It seems all Tweeten tips have gotten harder now. Which for the Elk Master that is a good thing.

 

[dendweller]

So long story short, I'd say Elkmasters are my favorite tip when you find a good one. However the consistency of good tips are horrible. I had a box of 50 and it seemed like for every 5-10 bad tips, I had one good one. The only way I could tell was by shaping the top. When it made those fuzzy balls, I tossed them. I tried sanding the bottom but it honestly looks the same.

What's your method on finding a good tip?

And also I hear a lot about pressing them. I'd buy a picone press if this will solve the issue.

Milkdudding is cool, but not looking to do so (Plus @pooldawg8 has some of the best ones out there, so I figured I'd just buy more from him). I've used a lot of layered tips as well (favorites being Tiger Emerald, Molavia Hard, Kamui Brown M), but elk masters are the best value around.

I'm just a super casual hobby pool player at this point, so I don't have any fancy tools (durometer, lathe, etc). I replace my own tips by blade, hand, and sandpaper and it's been treating me fine.

I searched it, but I haven't found many answers regarding this. Some do a sound test, some drop it in water, etc etc. And a lot of people recommend pressing it but I would wonder if that solves the fur balling issue.

Another method used by some is to weigh them. The logic is the heavier ones are denser (would probably sink in water) so are more likely not to fuzz up on you. I've never been able to master the sound test, maybe my ears are not good enough.

Maybe a combination of weeding out the ones with the crappy grain on the bottom and weighing them would get you closer.

After a particularly bad box of elk masters I kind of gave up and am using Precision tips from Dennis Searing, affordable and I like the way they install and play.

They have scales on amazon that will weigh a feather, that's what you need, a kitchen scale won't do it. Think it was about 25 bucks.

I believe it was @ShootingArts that I got the weighing idea from, he wrote it up on this forum a time or two.

 

[Terry Aeschliman]

I see that there are Elkmaster Pro tips available now. Advertised as more consistant??

 

[dendweller]

I see that there are Elkmaster Pro tips available now. Advertised as more consistant??

Just searched the web as I'd never heard of them. Box still says made in USA but I only see it available from sources like ebay, Temu and AliExpress.

 

[Kim Bye]

Other than inspecting the tips, sorting them by weight, there's really no surefire way to sort the good tips from the bad ones, which brings me to the point of what players are looking for more than anything else: Consistency. So no matter how much you like a good Elkmaster, if you can't consistently have good elkmasters, i would start looking at other tips..

 

[WildWing]

So long story short, I'd say Elkmasters are my favorite tip when you find a good one. However the consistency of good tips are horrible. I had a box of 50 and it seemed like for every 5-10 bad tips, I had one good one. The only way I could tell was by shaping the top. When it made those fuzzy balls, I tossed them. I tried sanding the bottom but it honestly looks the same.

What's your method on finding a good tip?

And also I hear a lot about pressing them. I'd buy a picone press if this will solve the issue.

Milkdudding is cool, but not looking to do so (Plus @pooldawg8 has some of the best ones out there, so I figured I'd just buy more from him). I've used a lot of layered tips as well (favorites being Tiger Emerald, Molavia Hard, Kamui Brown M), but elk masters are the best value around.

I'm just a super casual hobby pool player at this point, so I don't have any fancy tools (durometer, lathe, etc). I replace my own tips by blade, hand, and sandpaper and it's been treating me fine.

I searched it, but I haven't found many answers regarding this. Some do a sound test, some drop it in water, etc etc. And a lot of people recommend pressing it but I would wonder if that solves the fur balling issue.

With a new Elkmaster, not on the cue yet, take a pretty coarse piece of sandpaper, and go over the top a bit. It should not be too fuzzy, but it should not be hard as a rock either. It should be somewhere in the middle. Try that.

 

[dendweller]

With a new Elkmaster, not on the cue yet, take a pretty coarse piece of sandpaper, and go over the top a bit. It should not be too fuzzy, but it should not be hard as a rock either. It should be somewhere in the middle. Try that.

I just put one on, grain looked good, weighed a more than half the rest of the box. Soon as I start turning it, I could see the bottom third was very light colored, then the mushrooming started. I like a good one but I'm just not sure it's worth it.

 

[WildWing]

I just put one on, grain looked good, weighed a more than half the rest of the box. Soon as I start turning it, I could see the bottom third was very light colored, then the mushrooming started. I like a good one but I'm just not sure it's worth it.

Yep, it can be hit or miss with Elkmasters. Over the years I haven't used very many of them. My favorites have tended to be the original Champion, the old LePro, and Triangle tips, if we're just going with unlayered tips.

But, I have used a few Elkmasters over the years, and have found them to be pretty good, especially given a break in period.

My understanding is Earl and Efren have been using Elkmasters for decades. Overall, how bad can they be?

 

[dendweller]

Yep, it can be hit or miss with Elkmasters. Over the years I haven't used very many of them. My favorites have tended to be the original Champion, the old LePro, and Triangle tips, if we're just going with unlayered tips.

But, I have used a few Elkmasters over the years, and have found them to be pretty good, especially given a break in period.

My understanding is Earl and Efren have been using Elkmasters for decades. Overall, how bad can they be?

I'm not saying they are bad, I am saying their quality control is non existent. Same with triangles, I used them for years, used to be you wouldn't get much for bad tips, little different now.

 

[WildWing]

I'm not saying they are bad, I am saying their quality control is non existent. Same with triangles, I used them for years, used to be you wouldn't get much for bad tips, little different now.

If you're going to go with Triangle tips, I would suggest the 15mm ones. I think those are taken from the better pieces of the hide, but that's just my experience.

 

[Mensabum]

So long story short, I'd say Elkmasters are my favorite tip when you find a good one. However the consistency of good tips are horrible. I had a box of 50 and it seemed like for every 5-10 bad tips, I had one good one. The only way I could tell was by shaping the top. When it made those fuzzy balls, I tossed them. I tried sanding the bottom but it honestly looks the same.

What's your method on finding a good tip?

And also I hear a lot about pressing them. I'd buy a picone press if this will solve the issue.

Milkdudding is cool, but not looking to do so (Plus @pooldawg8 has some of the best ones out there, so I figured I'd just buy more from him). I've used a lot of layered tips as well (favorites being Tiger Emerald, Molavia Hard, Kamui Brown M), but elk masters are the best value around.

I'm just a super casual hobby pool player at this point, so I don't have any fancy tools (durometer, lathe, etc). I replace my own tips by blade, hand, and sandpaper and it's been treating me fine.

I searched it, but I haven't found many answers regarding this. Some do a sound test, some drop it in water, etc etc. And a lot of people recommend pressing it but I would wonder if that solves the fur balling issue.

If your tips are 'fur balling' on you, scuff 'em up, then grab a bic lighter and burn off the fuzz. Carefully remove any garbage that remains after that. Once you've done this a coupla times, that tip won't fuzz on you anymore. You'll need to wet and burnish the sides after hitting it w the lighter. Just put a little spit or water around the edge, being careful not to get any on the tips' surface, or top, then buff the crap out of it on a sheet of white paper or better yet, piece of leather. I use a sheet of leather with one side finished and the other side unfinished.
No more tip probs.
Never let them glaze up on you. Work em over b4 that happens.
Works for me. Has for decades. Just a thot.