NEW Bulletproof Synthetic Playing Tips.

[Bulletproof Billiards]

Update

I have played with the soft now for a good 20 hours of play.
I really do like the tip. It has mushroomed some, I play the whole game with this tip, breaking included.
I feel like I am getting better accuracy on my longer shots than I was with my normal tip.
I want to try out the medium but I hate to cut this one off so soon.

I would say skip the Medium and go right to testing the Hard. Most of our local players that have been testing these have all switched to the Green because they are getting more draw, spin, control and feel with less effort as while still not running into issues with miscues or other negative aspects of typical hard tips.

 

[ldmitchell]

I have been playing with the soft tip.
Overall I am really impressed!
Like others have mentioned, draw takes more effort.
The tip has a nice feel and is holding it's shape much better than the leather tips I have been using.
I purchased a medium and can't wait to try it!

 

[SSDiver2112]

The install technique is slightly different. It resists sandpaper more so it does take more effort to sand the face flat for gluing. I had just installed the ferrule so I was trying to sand the whole thing smooth. The razor makes it shiny, sanding and buffing will not.

I wanted to install it on a house cue so I could play with it all day to see how it plays. I planned to leave it there to see how it held up to bar abuse and to see if anyone noticed or gave more feedback.

I was in a hurry to leave so the shaping is a bit rough. It does hold chalk. If you are a chalk every time PSR person you are fine. I am not, so I did notice it losing enough chalk to affect the shot after a couple hits. It is new and maybe after more use chalk will imbed into the surface more. Time will tell.

It played fine though. I hit a few different kinds of shots to get the feel of it. I normally play with a medium tip. I had no issues with draw, if anything it seemed easier for me. I did not notice it feeling or sounding weird. I played many games with it all day. After the initial novelty of it I mostly forgot about it and just played. The people I had try it had no negative feedback.

Installed and after 12 hours of play.

 

[Bulletproof Billiards]

The install technique is slightly different. It resists sandpaper more so it does take more effort to sand the face flat for gluing. I had just installed the ferrule so I was trying to sand the whole thing smooth. The razor makes it shiny, sanding and buffing will not.

I wanted to install it on a house cue so I could play with it all day to see how it plays. I planned to leave it there to see how it held up to bar abuse and to see if anyone noticed or gave more feedback.

I was in a hurry to leave so the shaping is a bit rough. It does hold chalk. If you are a chalk every time PSR person you are fine. I am not, so I did notice it losing enough chalk to affect the shot after a couple hits. It is new and maybe after more use chalk will imbed into the surface more. Time will tell.

It played fine though. I hit a few different kinds of shots to get the feel of it. I normally play with a medium tip. I had no issues with draw, if anything it seemed easier for me. I did not notice it feeling or sounding weird. I played many games with it all day. After the initial novelty of it I mostly forgot about it and just played. The people I had try it had no negative feedback.

Installed and after 12 hours of play.

View attachment 776279

Awesome feedback! THANKS!!! I have some installation videos on YouTube and Instagram that might make things a little easier. There are a couple of minor differences with installing these. 1. If you're installing a new ferrule trim it flush, sand and polish it, then install the tip so you can finish cut it flush to the ferrule without needing to sand it after the final cut. 2. If installing on an existing ferrule (and you typically clean and polish the ferrule for your customers) clean and polish the ferrule first then install the tip. Try using a piece of 120-grit sandpaper mounted to a flat surface to dress the back of the tip for gluing.
The only thing that works well for scuffing these tips to hold chalk better is a tip pik type of needle tool. This will greatly improve chalk adhesion.
Check out our installation video here

Thanks again for your feedback!

 

[Bulletproof Billiards]

I have been playing with the soft tip.
Overall I am really impressed!
Like others have mentioned, draw takes more effort.
The tip has a nice feel and is holding it's shape much better than the leather tips I have been using.
I purchased a medium and can't wait to try it!

THANK YOU!!! Most of my customers (APA skill level 5 or above) have been switching from the Medium to the Hard. I promise you will draw the ball farther with our Hard than any other tip on the planet!
Thanks again for your feedback! It means a lot to us!

 

[bbb]

when i did a search for bulletproof billiards .com
only link i got was this

Bulletproof Break Tips

Clear Break Tip. Break/jump tip. Bulletproof Break Tip. Billiards break tip.

bulletproofbreaktips.com

no synthetic tips there that i could find
only A.I.M. tips

 

[Sheldon]

when i did a search for bulletproof billiards .com
only link i got was this

Bulletproof Break Tips

Clear Break Tip. Break/jump tip. Bulletproof Break Tip. Billiards break tip.

bulletproofbreaktips.com

no synthetic tips there that i could find
only A.I.M. tips

Google Search

Bulletproof RECOIL Full Synthetic Playing Tip – Bulletproof Break Tips

Bulletproof RECOIL Full Synthetic Playing Tip "The Worlds Most Advanced Playing Tip!" Made from a scientifically formulated synthetic polymer that feels and respond like a leather tip but will NEVER mushroom, NEVER flatten out or lose it's shape, NEVER compact, harden or glaze! We're so sure...

bulletproofbreaktips.com

 

[bbb]

Google Search

Bulletproof RECOIL Full Synthetic Playing Tip – Bulletproof Break Tips

Bulletproof RECOIL Full Synthetic Playing Tip "The Worlds Most Advanced Playing Tip!" Made from a scientifically formulated synthetic polymer that feels and respond like a leather tip but will NEVER mushroom, NEVER flatten out or lose it's shape, NEVER compact, harden or glaze! We're so sure...

bulletproofbreaktips.com

Thanks sheldon

 

[David in FL]

​

I threw in a couple extra to give to people you think might like to test them.

First impressions...

I put a soft tip on the cue of one of our new, low rated league players who really doesn't know anything about, or care to learn much about tip maintenance. I figured it would be perfect for him.

Gotta say I was a little surprised. I use (and love) a bulletproof break tip and was expecting a pretty good "clank" similar to playing with that, maybe a tad softer.

It actually hits pretty well. A little bit different sound and feel that's kind of hard to explain, but not bad at all. Chalk adhesion seemed good and I really didn't have any problems hitting off a rail or applying spin. Draw and spin weren't what I would expect from a normal premium tip, but again, not horrible. Some of that may be due to my own hesitation to really get to the limits of where I might ordinarily hit the cue ball too. I only ran through a couple of racks with it, so more reps might improve/solve that...

One weird thing. The blue color of the tip matches the color of my Blue Diamond chalk and made it a little tough to tell if it was chalked properly. Who'da thunk?

Right now I don't think I'm tempted to switch from my normal tip (HOW med.) but for new/recreational players or anybody who doesn't want to be bothered with much maintenance effort it's a pretty cool option.

I'll definitely goof around with it some more.

I also have an old sneaky that lives in the trunk of my car. A "just in case" cue. I might put either the medium or hard tip on that knowing it can sit there forever without an issue and also let me break with that cue without worrying about the tip.

The more I think about it, the more I think that might be a good idea…

Updates as they occur.

 

[Bulletproof Billiards]

​

First impressions...

I put a soft tip on the cue of one of our new, low rated league players who really doesn't know anything about, or care to learn much about tip maintenance. I figured it would be perfect for him.

Gotta say I was a little surprised. I use (and love) a bulletproof break tip and was expecting a pretty good "clank" similar to playing with that, maybe a tad softer.

It actually hits pretty well. A little bit different sound and feel that's kind of hard to explain, but not bad at all. Chalk adhesion seemed good and I really didn't have any problems hitting off a rail or applying spin. Draw and spin weren't what I would expect from a normal premium tip, but again, not horrible. Some of that may be due to my own hesitation to really get to the limits of where I might ordinarily hit the cue ball too. I only ran through a couple of racks with it, so more reps might improve/solve that...

One weird thing. The blue color of the tip matches the color of my Blue Diamond chalk and made it a little tough to tell if it was chalked properly. Who'da thunk?

Right now I don't think I'm tempted to switch from my normal tip (HOW med.) but for new/recreational players or anybody who doesn't want to be bothered with much maintenance effort it's a pretty cool option.

I'll definitely goof around with it some more.

I also have an old sneaky that lives in the trunk of my car. A "just in case" cue. I might put either the medium or hard tip on that knowing it can sit there forever without an issue and also let me break with that cue without worrying about the tip.

The more I think about it, the more I think that might be a good idea…

Updates as they occur.

Thanks for the feedback! I highly recommend trying the Med or Hard. I promise that our hard tip will outperform your HOW. Push them to the limit. You'll find you can go just as far off-center (or more) than you can with leather with less micues.

 

[Bulletproof Billiards]

Anyone else have a chance to try these yet?

 

[Jon Turner]

I picked up a Recoil soft as well as a break tip and have been playing both. The break tip was everything i expected it to be and i will be putting it on more cues in the future. The Recoil soft tip plays just like the soft leather i had been previously using. Only had to perform the original shaping so far. I expect the Recoil to last longer than the leather, but time will tell on that count. May have to try a medium and hard just for reference. Thanks again for the offer on these!

 

[Bulletproof Billiards]

I picked up a Recoil soft as well as a break tip and have been playing both. The break tip was everything i expected it to be and i will be putting it on more cues in the future. The Recoil soft tip plays just like the soft leather i had been previously using. Only had to perform the original shaping so far. I expect the Recoil to last longer than the leather, but time will tell on that count. May have to try a medium and hard just for reference. Thanks again for the offer on these!

Thanks for the reply!! We've found the Soft will mushroom slightly if you pound on it but after about 1 year of rigorous testing we have not been able to get the Medium or Hard even to mushroom the slightest. Also, our Hard will still grip better than any leather tip out there.

 

[TipWilson]

Shaped, scuffed, chalked.
Ready for test drive.
Revo 11.8

 

[Michael Webb]

Shaped, scuffed, chalked.
Ready for test drive.
Revo 11.8

View attachment 779731

Where's the red silencer pad?

 

[RickLafayette]

Anyone else have a chance to try these yet?

Can you please post a video of an installation by hand? I usually install a few tips a month for my local poolies and would like to give your tip a try. (Ordered a medium and a few other items)
Edit: I also ordered a hard and that is what I'll put on my playing cue. I install my tips by hand. Any suggestions?

 

[kgoods]

My review as promised...

Received the complimentary soft three weeks ago Monday. Put it on and played about 50 games on the worst possible table I could find. Dirty cloth and balls, dead rail valley bar box. I figured this would be the best test since I'd have to shoot much harder than I normally do.
Mushroomed considerably. But on the other hand, by the time I was done playing I wasn't even aware I was shooting with a tip that wasn't my normal Ultraskin Pro.

Trimmed it and played another 50-60 games over the next couple days. Mushroomed a bit but not terrible. Didn't get a picture.

Trimmed it once more and looked like this after.

Played another 100+ games over the next couple weeks and it seemed to settle in fine and only very slightly mushroomed. Sorry about the fuzzy picture but you get the idea.

So after a couple trimmings it seems to settle down and I don't have any doubt that it would be pretty much maintenance free for the rest of it's life.
Play-ability: After my very first 20 games or so I couldn't even tell I wasn't playing with my normal Ultraskin Pro. I've always played with soft tips starting with Elkmasters for decades then on to Kamui Super Softs and finally settling on The Ultraskin Pros. The Recoil Soft will play pretty much like any of those. The sound, while a little different, didn't bother me at all. All the english I could get with my normal playing tips I could get with these as well. Draw was the only thing that suffered but not enough to be a deal breaker.

After coming back to this thread a few times and reading how confident Bulletproof is in their Hard Recoil I decided to try one out as I have a few customers that prefer hard tips and I wanted to be able to have some knowledge to potentially recommend them.

Installed...

Installation is easy with these tips but as mentioned earlier in the thread you cannot use the normal burnishing methods. To get a nice burnished look on these tips just use a super sharp blade to trim and leave it alone.

I played with the Hard Recoil at our weekly Friday night tourney last week and ended up winning the thing! Draw, as mentioned was much better and I did have to adjust a bit to keep from over-drawing. But it didn't take me long to adjust to the hard tip which was surprising. I don't like the sound of the hit as much as the soft but I'm going to leave this on for a while as I seem to be shooting a little more consistent with it.

Same hard tip after about 70 games...

As you can see, no mushrooming at all, retaining it's shape well and holds chalk even if I forget to chalk for a couple balls.

I'm still not completely sold on moving to the hard but will play with it for the next month or two and give it a sporting chance. If I had to try to explain the hit, it sounds like a hard, moves the ball like a hard, draws like a hard, but hits more to the medium side. I know, weird right?

Thanks to the guys at Bulletproof for bringing these to the market and the offer to try the complimentary soft and for the easy ordering and quick shipping!

 

[RickLafayette]

My review as promised...

Received the complimentary soft three weeks ago Monday. Put it on and played about 50 games on the worst possible table I could find. Dirty cloth and balls, dead rail valley bar box. I figured this would be the best test since I'd have to shoot much harder than I normally do.
Mushroomed considerably. But on the other hand, by the time I was done playing I wasn't even aware I was shooting with a tip that wasn't my normal Ultraskin Pro.
View attachment 780723

Trimmed it and played another 50-60 games over the next couple days. Mushroomed a bit but not terrible. Didn't get a picture.

Trimmed it once more and looked like this after.
View attachment 780724

Played another 100+ games over the next couple weeks and it seemed to settle in fine and only very slightly mushroomed. Sorry about the fuzzy picture but you get the idea.
View attachment 780725
So after a couple trimmings it seems to settle down and I don't have any doubt that it would be pretty much maintenance free for the rest of it's life.
Play-ability: After my very first 20 games or so I couldn't even tell I wasn't playing with my normal Ultraskin Pro. I've always played with soft tips starting with Elkmasters for decades then on to Kamui Super Softs and finally settling on The Ultraskin Pros. The Recoil Soft will play pretty much like any of those. The sound, while a little different, didn't bother me at all. All the english I could get with my normal playing tips I could get with these as well. Draw was the only thing that suffered but not enough to be a deal breaker.

After coming back to this thread a few times and reading how confident Bulletproof is in their Hard Recoil I decided to try one out as I have a few customers that prefer hard tips and I wanted to be able to have some knowledge to potentially recommend them.

Installed...
View attachment 780727
View attachment 780728
Installation is easy with these tips but as mentioned earlier in the thread you cannot use the normal burnishing methods. To get a nice burnished look on these tips just use a super sharp blade to trim and leave it alone.

I played with the Hard Recoil at our weekly Friday night tourney last week and ended up winning the thing! Draw, as mentioned was much better and I did have to adjust a bit to keep from over-drawing. But it didn't take me long to adjust to the hard tip which was surprising. I don't like the sound of the hit as much as the soft but I'm going to leave this on for a while as I seem to be shooting a little more consistent with it.

Same hard tip after about 70 games...
View attachment 780734
As you can see, no mushrooming at all, retaining it's shape well and holds chalk even if I forget to chalk for a couple balls.

I'm still not completely sold on moving to the hard but will play with it for the next month or two and give it a sporting chance. If I had to try to explain the hit, it sounds like a hard, moves the ball like a hard, draws like a hard, but hits more to the medium side. I know, weird right?

Thanks to the guys at Bulletproof for bringing these to the market and the offer to try the complimentary soft and for the easy ordering and quick shipping!

Do you feel the medium or hard tip on one's playing cue is good enough to use to break an eight ball rack? If not, what about a nine ball rack? I have both on order and am wondering what to expect.

 

[Bulletproof Billiards]

My review as promised...

Received the complimentary soft three weeks ago Monday. Put it on and played about 50 games on the worst possible table I could find. Dirty cloth and balls, dead rail valley bar box. I figured this would be the best test since I'd have to shoot much harder than I normally do.
Mushroomed considerably. But on the other hand, by the time I was done playing I wasn't even aware I was shooting with a tip that wasn't my normal Ultraskin Pro.
View attachment 780723

Trimmed it and played another 50-60 games over the next couple days. Mushroomed a bit but not terrible. Didn't get a picture.

Trimmed it once more and looked like this after.
View attachment 780724

Played another 100+ games over the next couple weeks and it seemed to settle in fine and only very slightly mushroomed. Sorry about the fuzzy picture but you get the idea.
View attachment 780725
So after a couple trimmings it seems to settle down and I don't have any doubt that it would be pretty much maintenance free for the rest of it's life.
Play-ability: After my very first 20 games or so I couldn't even tell I wasn't playing with my normal Ultraskin Pro. I've always played with soft tips starting with Elkmasters for decades then on to Kamui Super Softs and finally settling on The Ultraskin Pros. The Recoil Soft will play pretty much like any of those. The sound, while a little different, didn't bother me at all. All the english I could get with my normal playing tips I could get with these as well. Draw was the only thing that suffered but not enough to be a deal breaker.

After coming back to this thread a few times and reading how confident Bulletproof is in their Hard Recoil I decided to try one out as I have a few customers that prefer hard tips and I wanted to be able to have some knowledge to potentially recommend them.

Installed...
View attachment 780727
View attachment 780728
Installation is easy with these tips but as mentioned earlier in the thread you cannot use the normal burnishing methods. To get a nice burnished look on these tips just use a super sharp blade to trim and leave it alone.

I played with the Hard Recoil at our weekly Friday night tourney last week and ended up winning the thing! Draw, as mentioned was much better and I did have to adjust a bit to keep from over-drawing. But it didn't take me long to adjust to the hard tip which was surprising. I don't like the sound of the hit as much as the soft but I'm going to leave this on for a while as I seem to be shooting a little more consistent with it.

Same hard tip after about 70 games...
View attachment 780734
As you can see, no mushrooming at all, retaining it's shape well and holds chalk even if I forget to chalk for a couple balls.

I'm still not completely sold on moving to the hard but will play with it for the next month or two and give it a sporting chance. If I had to try to explain the hit, it sounds like a hard, moves the ball like a hard, draws like a hard, but hits more to the medium side. I know, weird right?

Thanks to the guys at Bulletproof for bringing these to the market and the offer to try the complimentary soft and for the easy ordering and quick shipping!

Thanks for such a thorough evaluation! As stated the soft will mushroom a bit and we are working on this but not any worse than other soft tips. I have a feeling you'll keep the green tip on and never look back. Thanks again!!!

 

[Bulletproof Billiards]

Do you feel the medium or hard tip on one's playing cue is good enough to use to break an eight ball rack? If not, what about a nine ball rack? I have both on order and am wondering what to expect.

You can break with either the Medium or Hard with a 0% chance of it flattening or mushrooming. I'm not going to say it will break as well as our Bulletproof Break Tips but unlike leather, you have no worries about packing down your tip or flattening it out.