Are Kamui Clear tips a gimmick???

Lordy! You do understand value don't you? At 20+ dollars...its value is not any greater than a 50 cent tip, imo. It was the first time I used a soft or super soft and yes, I was a little surprised but I understand the physics. But the physics isn't why I wouldn't buy another, it's the cost compared to performance...ie value. Glad yours has worked well for you and you like it.

My point was any tip labeled "super soft" will mushroom. If longevity is a factor in your perceived value, don't install jello tips.
 
Look at it it from this angle; does it act as a glue barrier, as Kamui says? Absolutely. If this was the only concern, Kamui could have stayed with the black pad that is above the clear layer.

Ryan, Kamui made many claims on the Clear literature but to me the gluing issue is the only valid one.

Question: what do you think about their claim that the clear material was chosen for its superior gluing properties? In addition to acting as a wicking barrier, that is.
 
FWIW I work out of Felt poolhall in denver by appt. If you need someone in denver who stocks Moori and Kamui tips. 720 206 4034
 
Outsville will be introducing Ki-Tech Blue after the open.... I figure if people look around the room they will be able to tell our tips from the others by the blue disc and it makes for a better substrate for applying glue...

I am only half way kidding....

Chris
 
Look at it it from this angle; does it act as a glue barrier, as Kamui says? Absolutely. If this was the only concern, Kamui could have stayed with the black pad that is above the clear layer.

It is a brilliant marketing scheme. You can see that clear layer from a good ways away. It also gets people talking about it, hence this thread. I guess you can call that a "gimmick," but it is marketing.

It also combats against counterfeits. It is much more difficult to produce the knock-off. Kamui is always tweaking the design and logo so it does not benefit the large scale counterfeit operations.

Cost is a non-issue. A product is only worth as much as someone will pay for it. More players are popping for Kamui tips than any other layered tip, at the moment.

FWIW and FYI - In China it's cheap and quick to duplicate any logo and look. Putting a disc of acrylic on the bottom of a tip and a logo on top is one of the easier things. Getting the same quality in between those two things is really the question.

As for it being a marketing gimmick? Probably partially. I mean the acrylic doesn't have to be clear, it could be any color. What I am impressed with is that they keep pushing the envelope and coming up with things to make us think about whether those things are really an improvement or not.
 
Outsville will be introducing Ki-Tech Blue after the open.... I figure if people look around the room they will be able to tell our tips from the others by the blue disc and it makes for a better substrate for applying glue...

I am only half way kidding....

Chris

I thought we were going to do the Ki-Teck Spit. You know where we provide a tiny bottle of genuine spit to put between the ferrule and the tip because of the extra bonding properties in human saliva. Don't hang me out here man......
 
I thought we were going to do the Ki-Teck Spit. You know where we provide a tiny bottle of genuine spit to put between the ferrule and the tip because of the extra bonding properties in human saliva. Don't hang me out here man......

good god John... I could only hear every other word coming out of veri high son... I am relieved you said spit... I thought you had said &*^% and that only has bonding properites in certain sub culture sets. mainly in Germany.....

Chris
 
I suppose it's always to each their own....don't ya think? I mean it's basically the same thing with pool cues and cue-makers. We all can't and genuinely don't agree on which cue-maker makes the best hitting cue or the darn prettiest version. Having said that, I think the Kamui Clear is the best tip I've used. I was previously was playing Kamui Black (medium) on all my pool cues. The tips glazed way too fast and thus frequent, albeit very light, scuffing was needed.

I buy all my Kamui Clear tips from Shooter08 and Tom is a great guy. I've bought five tips so far and will order more again probably before year end. I switched to Kamui Black Clear in soft hardness rating and also got one super soft version. The super soft is like a gun with a silencer and feels great with my cue's ivory ferrules which make a different acoustical sound now which sounds cool. But the Kamui Black Clear (soft hardness) is definitely my favorite tip to play with.

The feel and sound of the Kamui Black Clear is great and even better, the glazing problem isn't an issue. Light scuffing raises the leather's surface just enough to accept chalk perfectly with just light brushes of the chalk.....I mean some fools out there still like to core their pool chalk.....duh? Anyway, back to the tips......The Kamui Clear in Black with soft hardness rating is what I've recommended to my buddies. Bob Owen installed these tips on 5 shafts for 2 pool cues this past April & May and Jerry Rauenzahn will also be using Kamui Black Clear for my cue that's on track for next March.

My testimonial is based upon actual experience playing many hours of pool using these tips and I'd really like to have Kamui Black Clear tips on all my other cues as well. Kamui Clear play really well but I recommend you go down in hardness rating at least one level from what you now play with. Try it some time and see for yourself and I recommend the soft hardness as your first attempt with Kamui Clear.

Matt B.
 
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I suppose it's always to each their own....don't ya think? I mean it's basically the same thing with pool cues and cue-makers. We all can't, and genuinely don't ,agree on which cue-maker makes the best hitting or darn prettiest cue. Having said that, I think the Kamui Clear is the best tip I've used. I was previously was playing Kamui Black (medium) on all my pool cues. The tips glazed way too fast and thus frequent, albeit very light, scuffing was needed.

I buy all my Kamui Clear tips from Shooter08 and Tom is a great guy. I've bought five tips so far and will order more again probably before year end. I switched to Kamui Black Clear in soft hardness rating and also got one super soft version. The super soft is like a gun with a silencer and feels great with my cue's ivory ferrules which make a different acoustical sound now which sounds cool. But the Kamui Black Clear (soft hardness) is definitely my favorite tip to play with.

The feel and sound of the Kamui Black Clear is great and even better, the glazing problem isn't an issue. Light scuffing raises the leather's surface just enough to accept chalk perfectly with just light brushes of the chalk.....I mean some fools out there still like to core their pool chalk.....duh? Anyway, back to the tips......The Kamui Clear in Black with soft hardness rating is what I've recommended to my buddies. I had Bob Owen install five tips on two cues this past April & May and Jerry R. will do the same when he finishes my cue next year.

My endorsement is based upon actual experience using these tips and I'd like to have them on all my other cues as well. Kamui Clear play really well but I recommend you go down in hardness rating at least one level from what you now play with. Try it some time and see for yourself and I recommend the soft hardness as your first try with Kamui Clear.

I had a clear ss put on some months back, and I can honestly say its the closest tip to the orginal mooris that I have tried. Doesnt mushroom or lose its shape at all, and plays closer to a medium than a soft, much less super soft IMO.
Chuck
 
My point was any tip labeled "super soft" will mushroom. If longevity is a factor in your perceived value, don't install jello tips.

Your point is noted. However, none of my comments insinuated otherwise. I always said cost was the reason I wouldn't buy another. I mentioned the mushrooming initially because as others, I had experienced it and like someone mentioned, it does seem to "break in" (get harder) eventually. I said mine now plays fine and I'll go as far now to say it plays great, imo. But twenty bucks is twenty bucks and I can't justify the cost difference in other tips I've used. I can't justify the chalk for the same reason, but that's just me. Yourself and others may, and that's great. My experience and opinion that I wrote was never intended to contradict any of your or anyone else's personal experiences or opinions.

For the record, I do have a Kamui black (not clear) S that someone gave to me that I will use eventually. I'm pretty sure that one will be a great value.
 
Your point is noted. However, none of my comments insinuated otherwise. I always said cost was the reason I wouldn't buy another. I mentioned the mushrooming initially because as others, I had experienced it and like someone mentioned, it does seem to "break in" (get harder) eventually. I said mine now plays fine and I'll go as far now to say it plays great, imo. But twenty bucks is twenty bucks and I can't justify the cost difference in other tips I've used. I can't justify the chalk for the same reason, but that's just me. Yourself and others may, and that's great. My experience and opinion that I wrote was never intended to contradict any of your or anyone else's personal experiences or opinions.

For the record, I do have a Kamui black (not clear) S that someone gave to me that I will use eventually. I'm pretty sure that one will be a great value.

Since we're beating the second horse to death:

I read your value statement as inherent to Kamui's super soft tip vs. others, but if your main gripe is with longevity in a super soft tip than Kamui's value is exactly the same as any other mushy tip that doesn't last very long.

If you're talking about the cost of Kamuis in general, then sure: your perceived value is dependent on a host of factors and more than valid.
 
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Since we're beating the second horse to death:

I read your value statement as inherent to Kamui's super soft tip vs. others, but if you're main gripe is with longevity in a super soft tip than Kamui's value is exactly the same as any other mushy tip that doesn't last very long.

If you're talking about the cost of Kamuis in general, then sure: your perceived value is dependent on a host of factors and more than valid.

LOL! I don't beat horses. I'm just going to ride out on the one I rode in on. You'll have to find something else to do.
 
I had a professional install the clear black Kamuis on two of my shafts, after reading reviews about them on AZB. Nice tip, and I like the clear part underneath. I got the Soft. LOVE THEM. I repeat, LOVE THEM. The soft is more like a firm Medium of other brands, no mushrooming, holds its shape, and if maintained properly and chalked, does not miscue. When I first got them, I had the cue ball more in the air than on the table. After making sure I had the correct shaping, and with a little scuff on them, I have not miscued since, even when trying to use A LOT of bottom english on the cue ball. I do not sell them, am not affiliated with any sellers, or any of that, but I have not used anything better, personally. The only thing is, the hit (SS, S, M, H) is a level above what it says it is. I just sold my cue with those tips, but the one I am getting in the mail will MOST DEFINITELY get new tips.

Last night was the first time in my life that I ever played with a Kamui tip. I just bought an OB Classic+ and had them install a Kamui Clear Black Soft on it. I received it the other day and played with it for the first time last night. It came "shaped", but didn't quite look right to me, so I took out my shaper and reshaped it. It still didn't look right to me, but I chalked it up and shot a little with it. Then wiped the chalk off and reshaped it again.

The texture of this Kamui Clear Black Soft tip is very different than the texture of the Tiger Everest that I used on other cues/shafts. Your (and other) comments caution that the hardness level of a Soft will be more like other brands' mediums, so I expected it to me a little harder than it is; it felt to me like a medium soft tip.

Your comment is the only one I've seen that specifically talks about the importance of shaping it "correctly". I've shaped all my tips before and never had any trouble doing so, but am wondering if maybe because this tip is a little softer, it's different. What do you do to shape yours? (I have a couple of tip shaping tools, but the one I have been using is the "Ultimate" tip shaping tool. And I prefer a dime shape.)
 
After playing with it a few more days, it's perfect. This is a wonderful tip! I love it. It is different than what I was used to, but it is excellent. I don't know what I was doing wrong the first time I tried to shape it, but I haven't had to do anything to it since then but chalk it up and play. It holds chalk wonderfully and I'm loving this tip. The combination of this Kamui Clear Black Soft tip on my OB Classic+ shaft is awesome.
 
After they stopped making the Moori III Quick, I went through a bit of trial and error finding a replacement. My current favorite is G2 Hard. But I also really like Kamui Clear Black Medium. I don't think you can go wrong with either if you like hard tips. Very good production quality and very consistent tip-to-tip performance. I can't say that the clear pad adds anything to the feel of a Kamui. But I use ivory ferrules and don't feel the need for a fiber pad with the Kamui Clear.
 
Hi All,

First off, thank you all for some really informative answers.
I was afraid this would get into a "I use this tip, yada, yada."

Well, the die is cast. I just got back from dropping off my Schon/Predator/314/2 with a place in Lakewood, Co. called Best Billiards. http://www.bestqualitybilliards.com/?gclid=CJODtY-A_LsCFecRMwodBiAABw

Their cue-smith seemed really knowledgeable so I'm having this tip installed and he's also doing a complete refurbishment. Claims it'll be as new when I pick it up in a couple days.

A special note to those of you who are able to serve the Denver area. Get your name or site on to the google search engine. It was like pulling teeth to find someone in this pool crazy Denver area to do my tip. Advertise, and get your name out there. I had two alternative sources. One guy didn't even have a cue lathe, and the other didn't even have voice mail so I could leave a message.

Perhaps this area exists, but if it doesn't, maybe fellow members could post their web sites, or services in a separate section. I'd sure like to give my business to fellow AZ members.

Thanks again for all the members who took the time to help a guy out!!! :thumbup:

This guy is pretty good. :)

Ernie Martinez Custom Cues
1000 E. 73rd Ave.
Unit 12
Denver, CO 80229

720.297.7441
info@emcues.com
 
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This guy is pretty good. :)

Ernie Martinez Custom Cues
1000 E. 73rd Ave.
Unit 12
Denver, CO 80229

720.297.7441
info@emcues.com

Oh wow. I didn't know Ernie lived in Denver. I visited there several months ago and would loved to have visited his shop.

Maybe next time.

Thanks,
JoeyA
 
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