Tip shaping frequency

crazysnake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Techno dud, SIB pro, elkmaster, and triangles. I keep a piece of 600 grit sand paper on me and scuff as needed. I shape and burnish depending on the tip and how many hours of play it has seen. If I notice a little mushrooming, I re-shape.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Play using Tapatalk
 

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Kamui Black Clear soft and seldom reshape. Only have tp freshen the tip with light scuffing.
I never break with my cue. Either a house cue or mt Stinger Break Cue. But it took hours of
play and continuing light shaping after being installed by the cue-maker. Burnishing is needed.
 

HueblerHustler7

AndrewActionG
Silver Member
Zan tip and never turn back, maybe scuff up the fibers once every two weeks with 220 grit or my (own) aluminum gator tool, I am currently using a Zan plus medium, I don't mind their plus soft either. Second tips I would say I enjoy that don't take to much matense is triangles and le-pros... Problem is their consistency and finding one thats good.
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I’m the other extreme. I don’t touch them. Ever. My break cue tip has been on for 15 years and it’s fine. My playing cue tip has been on about 3 years and it’s fine. Ymmv:)
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I use Ultra-skin black soft tips and very rarely ever do anything to it, except to maybe knock off some of the old chalk and rough it up a bit.

I beat the hell out of these soft tips and use my playing cue to break with. They hold up, never mushroom, and I seldom ever miscue.

The price is about 1/10 of a Kamui or any of the other hyped up tips.

You can't go wrong with the Ultra-skin black soft tips.
 

tonythetiger583

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Techno dud, SIB pro, elkmaster, and triangles. I keep a piece of 600 grit sand paper on me and scuff as needed. I shape and burnish depending on the tip and how many hours of play it has seen. If I notice a little mushrooming, I re-shape.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Play using Tapatalk


How is the techno dud? I favour a medium soft tip (kamui black, zan medium, slightly pressed triangle). The pooldawg milkduds were way way too hard for me.
 

tonythetiger583

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How often do you shape your tip? What tip hardness and tool are you using?

After having a tip installed, I'll play with it for about a week or two. Then I take it back to the cuesmith to have it reshaped and de-mushroomed.

Couple weeks later, I'll re-shape it one more time, and then I leave it alone. I'll scuff it up every once in a blue moon.

Maybe once or twice a year, I'll re-shape it, just to have a fresh layer.

I use a willard's nickel radius for shaping, and a kamui gator for scuffing.

Im currently on a victory soft, but Ive played with zan mediums the most.


A tip will last me about 8-9 months (I play a lot and use my cue for breaking and playing). It could last longer but I don't like the idea of realizing I need a new tip right before a tournament.
 
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JolietJames

Boot Party Coordinator
Silver Member
I shape my dawgduds when I install them and perhaps once every 100hrs. of use. I use sandpaper in a custom shaper.
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i give it a little touch up when i miscue, which is seldom now that i switched from kamui. i use ultraskin ivory soft. i have a curved all steel scuffer, don't know what it's called
 

Tony_in_MD

You want some of this?
Silver Member
My current playing cue has a Zan hard tip. I don't have to do a whole lot of work to that tip as it keeps its shape, however when I have to reshape a tip I use a file.
 

softshot

Simplify
Silver Member
I get my triangles pressed at install and choose one of my abundance of good shapers...rough it up a bit or not depending on who installed the tip...

from that point on I shape it with my chalk.....

tip shapers were invented by tip sellers... just saying
 

Buster8001

Did you say shrubberies?
Silver Member
And I'm on the other end from most of the posters; I like to keep a round profile on my tips, so I use a tip shaper (ultimate tip tool) about once a month. I break with my player, and tend to use medium tips. I just installed a new SIB Cool Blue medium, last night, for a run. I typically use dawgduds.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How often do you shape your tip? What tip hardness and tool are you using?
I scuff up my tip with a 4x4" piece of 60/80 grit sandpaper which I fold up until its roughly 1 square inch so it's firm and easy to use, every time I miscue. I usually don't miscue more than once every couple of sessions, so I can likely get +/-500 hours of play out of my tip - a Zan hybrid max tip - medium hardness.
 

FeelDaShot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tip: Ultraskin Medium
Shaper: Joe Porper Shaper Tool

When I first get a tip installed I'll shape it unless it was already shaped well by the installer. After a few weeks it will compress and mushroom at which time I trim off the mushroom and check the shape. After that, I leave it alone until I notice it mushroom again which usually doesn't happen for a few months. After the first few weeks you shouldn't need to do much to the tip except chalk it.
 

td873

C is for Cookie
Silver Member
I heard - and still believe - that the tip will take on the shape of the shooter's style. So, if you continue to shape it, you're not doing yourself any favors.

I usually shape it once, and then maintain it a few times over its life (scuffing, but not really re-shaping). I find a medium to hard tip better suits my playing as I don't use a ton of english and the harder tip transfers a little more speed to the ball.

-td
 
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