CocoboloCowboy said:

Wonder how much money SBV is getting paid to PIMP & USE the New Chalk?

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Curious way to frame it. Under this view, any well known person who endorses any brand for any reason is a "pimp."

I have no issue with celebrity endorsements, especially endorsements from pro pool players trying to make a living in a sport that pays very little. Most pros are not fulltime players - they have to work other jobs, too.

For years SVB used Masters chalk without actually being sponsored by them. Good for him that he is going to make extra money based on the chalk he uses, which was not the case before. I doubt Shane would use a different chalk if he thought it made him play worse.

Dr V, for his part, is a small businessman slowly building out a line of products. I doubt his revenue is more than several hundred thousand a year. Can't fault anyone for trying to run their own business.

We customers, in any case, can choose to buy SVB's newly preferred chalk. Or not. It's our choice.

Jerry Powers has a newer kind of UV finish that looks promising. The recommended UV light to cure is around $500 but, if you compare that to the price of a spray booth, it isn't a bad option.

I've used every type of finish over the past 30 years. Each one has its pros and cons. I still go back to auto clear. It is hard to beat the clarity and sheen.

An old shooting buddy used to talk about ERMAs, Easily Recognisable Military Acronyms.
His point was that they usually weren't so easily recognisable until you heard them a few times.

skor said:

Where did you get those headless 3/8x16 socket screws? I might want to get some

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Ace Hardware.

I had a GC5 with ball return for several years, just recently sold it.

Loved the ball return it worked perfectly. It's just a few wire tracks covered in soft plastic/rubber. Very quiet and smooth.

Just a few times in the years I had it a hard hit ball would come off the track and fall on floor. And even less would a ball get stuck in the track. Great for practicing, you can just stay on the ball return end and keep shooting. Alignment shots down the rail or whatever.

It has a nice symmetrical well designed look and adds to the beauty of the table.

GC5 has no 1x3 support that I can recall. Nothing is in the way of grabbing the balls. The size of the box was never a problem for me.

I like the large size, easy to find a specific ball (usually the cue ball in my case! ). I don't really like the small size of the box on a GC7 that I tried.. If you have most of the 15 balls in there its hard to find the cue ball as its still almost inside the table.

If you can't buy the parts from Brunswick anymore, I'm sure they will be hard to find as anyone that has one is unlikely to sell just those parts and it would be really hard to duplicate those tracks. Easy to put on, just a few screws. Mine is the black one. The other one I almost bought to replace it in my new house.

JAM said:

Someone like Finland's Aseni Sevastyanov can make the “live lean, chase events” model work better because of lifestyle flexibility. But most U.S.-based players are carrying a whole second financial life, rent or mortgage, insurance, taxes, whether they’re at the table or not. That’s the invisible pressure.

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I agree with so much of your post, but I'm confused by this section. Finland is generally considered to be one of the most expensive places to live in Europe. Why would he have fewer financial burdens than a US-based player? I'll admit I don't know anything about his lifestyle. Does he not rent or own an apartment or house?

SSP said:

I just got a round of the Blue TAOM V10 chalk, I want to use it for a couple weeks before a review, is it the same as the green? Not sure yet...

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i asked AI this
is blue taom v10 the same as green taom v10
different browsers got different answers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i bolded the yes and no
..................................................
Yes, the blue Taom V10 chalk is identical in formula and performance to the green version, offering the same grip, control, and flexibility with the mission to create even stronger grip but with less residue. The only difference is the color, which was introduced because customers requested a blue option to match blue table cloths.

• Performance: Retailers and professional players, including Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham, confirm that the blue and green chalks provide the exact same experience.
• Usage: It works with all tip types, from hard to soft, and is suitable for any cue sport.
• Availability: The blue variant is available in packs of one, two, six, or nine, similar to the green version.

..............................................................
No, the Blue Taom V10 chalk is specifically formulated to provide even more grip than the Green Taom V10 chalk while leaving behind less residue. Both versions are designed for optimal performance, but they have different characteristics.
pooldawg.com ravencue.com

Comparison of Taom V10 Chalks​

Key Differences​

Summary​

The Blue Taom V10 chalk is not the same as the Green Taom V10 chalk. While both are designed for optimal performance, the Blue version offers enhanced grip and produces less residue compared to the Green version.

Shooter1 said:

I had asked recently about an extension for a Schon and got a lot of feedback, I got a lot of good info from you guys thanks very much. I bought the Budget Billiards item and it arrived yesterday. I installed it w/o the weight bolt and tried it. I then bought a variety of 3/8x16 socket screws and replaced the OEM weight bolt as close as I could and still properly install the adapter/bumper. The butt with the weight bolt was 15.85 oz and I was able to get it to 15.7 oz using a set screw, not bad.

In either configuration above, when striking the CB, using center ball or max, a half tip above or below center, the hit/feel was identical to the hit with the cues original weight bolt installed. The farther you got off center, top/bottom/left/right, it had a noticeable hollow thud to it. This was on my everyday STL4 player. I also have an old SL6 and I installed it on the 6 as well and it did the same thing. I tried it with a Pre-Cat Pred, a Cat shaft and a Mezz 700 and the shafts made no difference.

I removed the adapters and put both cues back to their "pre-test" set up. Tiger Products makes an extension that enables you to leave your OEM weight bolt and just replace the bumper but it's kind of pricey. BloKid also has one as well. I'll figure something out.

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Where did you get those headless 3/8x16 socket screws? I might want to get some

v4 and 11.8 sold. Only one left is the 12.7. If you want the original hydex ferrule on it I can put it on at no charge.