CHALK - are these really better than Master Chalk?

I just started using Balabushka. I like it. Sometimes I'll find a cube of Master's that I really like, a little softer, almost like it's been in a humid environment. That's what the Balabushka feels like to me, a "good" cube of Master's.
 
Maybe....

I use Blue Diamond and carry it with me. I get beat by shooters using Masters some times. I think blue Diamond looks better because of it's wrapper. That may sound stupid, but lots of folks get married for the same reason, so how stupid is that?
 
Well, whats one more opinion on the subject going to harm?

I like the PREDATOR chalk the best!

The shape makes application of chalk much easier and goes on to the tip better than anything I have EVER used. I like it alot and the tube it comes in helps keep it dry and undamaged. I put my masters and blue diamond away. It is all I use.

KD
 
Well for a cheaper and good chalk, if you all can get hands on it, Pan Xiao Ting's normal, club and magical chalk are quite good.
 
I got my Kamui chalk a few days ago from the giveaway here on AZ. It definitely has a very different feel - everyone would notice immediately. Stickier, almost like you're taking a crayon and drawing on the cue tip. No little dust clouds like on Master. And it does seem to stay on longer. I don't know if I miscue less with it - I haven't miscued using it, but I don't miscue a lot anyway.

But that shit sticks on the cue ball. Shoot 5 shots, pick up the cue ball and you'll see 5 chalk spots. I imagine there could be a ball hop problem (but I haven't encountered it, surprisingly).

I've heard people say that the mid-priced chalks like Blue Diamond, Predator, and Balabushka, at about $3 per cube, are somewhere in between the chalkiness of the $0.30 Masters and the stickiness of the $30 Kamui.
 
Saw someone selling Magic chalks from Russia. From what I heard back then, I thought the company closed down already? :confused:
 
Chalk is like tips, ferrules, joint types on cues, etc. It is subjective, ask 20 different people what they like on any of the above listed items and you'll get a host of different answers and more often than not people are very passionate about their choices and will defend them. As far as chalk goes I'm one of those nut jobs that have a hoarded stash of preflag Masters which is all I use.
 
People keep saying that the differences are subjective, but the fact is, chalks are objectively different. Maybe the tests haven't been done on them - how long the chalk stays on the tip, their effect on miscues, how far from the ball center you can cue, etc. But the differences are very real. Try a Masters, a Predator, and a Kamui and anyone can tell the difference between each and the others.
 
Saw someone selling Magic chalks from Russia. From what I heard back then, I thought the company closed down already? :confused:

yeah, I saw that too. Just cause they are gone, does not necessarily mean all their product is gone too :)
 
Well I got a cube of Kamui 1.21 a few days ago. I have always played with Master. I found that it does stick quite well and I do not need to chalk up as often. I can also masse better. I also was shooting with my wife, she doesn't know anything about Kamui vs Master or anything else. She just plays. Anyway, she picked up my chalk holder and used my chalk the other night. After about 3 shots asked me about my chalk vs what she had and why it played different. I told her it was a different brand. She now wants to change.
 
The Standard is Masters by Tweeten Company. But I find that all the brands of chalk work just fine. I am having problems with the Kamui chalk getting grease stains on my tables. I know we have talked about this before and probably will again. I will not allow players to use any black, red or gold chalk on my tables. Tweeten Yellow Band chalk for billiard players is an alternative that may not be available any more. It is a bit grittier and in the old days (60's) it was the favorite of 3C players. Bill Smith (Mr. 3C) may have some additional information on Tweeten Company. I have bought boxes of Masters over the years that wore so well that I took the box out of circulation and used it as my private reserve. Tips are the same. Once in a while you will get a box of Le Pro tips that are as good as any tip on the market barring none. Most of the time they just wear out too soon.
 
The Results Are In

People keep saying that the differences are subjective, but the fact is, chalks are objectively different. Maybe the tests haven't been done on them - how long the chalk stays on the tip, their effect on miscues, how far from the ball center you can cue, etc. But the differences are very real. Try a Masters, a Predator, and a Kamui and anyone can tell the difference between each and the others.
FYI to all in this thread, I finally got around to doing a complete set of objective experiments to characterize the performance of different brands of chalk. If you are curious, see the video and conclusions in the Chalk Experiment Results, with Video thread.

Enjoy,
Dave
 
LoL, okay.

Are the same or different from the past? Chalk and packaging.

Same stuff....packaging is a lil different, but it's the same chalk, I tested it, and yep, can go rack after rack without chalking. Some folks like to chalk after every shot, I'm just not one of them.

And it is me currently selling the chalk here on AZB,,,:thumbup:
 
FYI to all in this thread, I finally got around to doing a complete set of objective experiments to characterize the performance of different brands of chalk. If you are curious, see the video and conclusions in the Chalk Experiment Results, with Video thread.

Enjoy,
Dave

You mentioned number of shots before miscues, but I did not see that list anywhere? What were the results? What chalk went the longest without miscue?
 
blue diamond has a bit of a sticky feel when you apply it on your tip - kinda like triangle chalk. i use it specifically on hard tips (like hirano hard, or pressed emerald or pressed lepro) as well as break tips. for regular tips, masters should be ok.
 
You mentioned number of shots before miscues, but I did not see that list anywhere? What were the results? What chalk went the longest without miscue?
I didn't summarize the results in the video immediately after that particular experiment (... I meant too), but they are summarized and discussed at the end of the video starting at 17:27.

The Blue Diamond and Kamui chalks persisted on the tip longer than the others (especially the Kamui). However, I don't think anyone would recommend hitting many off-center shots in a row before chalking in a real game.

Regards,
Dave
 
Nothing anyone tells you is of much real value - it really only matters what you feel works well for you.
I use Kamui chalk.
Is it expensive? Hell yes. Do I say it's the best? Wouldn't bother.
Do I like it? Yep.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ snap snap....what he said. It's pretty subjective to personal opinion. All really depends on you and your $$$
 
Every event Accu-Stats films allows me to scavenge the room when it gets closed down.. I always come home with a bag of blue diamond, predator and NTC.... I know for a fact Oliver, Thorsten, Ralf and Darren carry their own chalk... I haven't thought to poll the players but we may be to the point that I will do that at the next "Make it Happen" event and at the US Open... We always check current info before matches so one more question won't matter......


Chris

Chris I hope you're still planning on polling the players. I'd like to hear the results of that.
 
Instead of posting a long answer about chemical composition, abrasive size, abrasive quality and abrasive quantity I will simply say that the brands you listed are of a higher quality and will perform better in certain situations....

Most shots the chalk performance may not matter since you should be staying around center ball..

And here is the rub for performance chalk (see what I did there?)

When you are at a level where you don't know why you missed the shot or position you have several reasons to choose from 1) you aimed wrong 2) you made a bad stroke and maybe decelerated 3) you missed the contact spot on the cueball 4) you didn't use the right speed and over or under hit it....

When you get past those there are always times when you know you did everything right and you still didn't get shape... You can blame the pool gods but before you do that you may want to rethink that chalk doesn't matter....

After playing with Kamui, blue diamond and Predator I can actually feel the tip slip when it happens.. It's not always a full miscue. Many times it's just a slight slip where the tip doesn't grip the ball as much as is expected and your rock doesn't draw or spin quite right and at distance without spin the swerve you expected doesn't happen and cancel as much deflection as expected and you miss hitting the object ball where intended.....

For a social player missing doesn't matter and even at certain levels of league play misses are so common as to it maybe not mattering if you eliminate one every now and then but if I was a league player I would hope one of those misses wasn't when my 2 or 3 player was shooting at an 8ball that might get us points in a national qualifier and thru to the next round...

The last match in any competition I played using masters was with an equally rated player... The difference in winning and losing came down to 2 draw shots that slipped slightly and ended up with me behind object balls when I was mid pattern of run outs. 2 more inches of draw on either was the difference in running out or turning the table over.. Those 2 games were the difference in the score...

The next thing that is always brought up is that the pro players don't use anything but the chalk provided and I can tell you that is not correct.. Performance chalk is still relatively new and it is not uncommon for it to be a 2nd thought.

Every event Accu-Stats films allows me to scavenge the room when it gets closed down.. I always come home with a bag of blue diamond, predator and NTC.... I know for a fact Oliver, Thorsten, Ralf and Darren carry their own chalk... I haven't thought to poll the players but we may be to the point that I will do that at the next "Make it Happen" event and at the US Open... We always check current info before matches so one more question won't matter......

Masters is still king and will remain so because of it's price and wide availability but don't miss the chance to try some of the other brands as you may find out that it may not matter to some players but it may matter to you...

Only 2 things sit between your favorite cue and the cueball... People pay lots of attention to one of them and almost nothing to the other.. You know what those 2 things are... Your tip and your chalk.....

Chris

Sorry Charlie. There is not even a slight chance that your results were a result
(see what I did there?) of the chalk you used.

Dale( recognized master of chalk... and, chalking)
 
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