With all the heated arguments on this, I'd decided to purchase one from Tony and determine for myself if it's worth the $25 Kamui is asking.
Adherence:
This thing is not a chalk. It's more like a clay that was designed to adhere onto any tip. Whether it's leather, phenolic, carbon fiber, etc, this chalk will adhere well. Or let me put it this way. I chalked up my Mezz DI pro shaft with Sonic tip with a smooth brushing motion, I broke, continued shooting the rest of the rack with the same cue, and I was able to draw back a few diamonds, stun, follow without much of any problems. For whatever it's worth, I can't get the same amount of draw with BD or Master on the Mezz break cue. I repeated the same experiment with a BK2/phenolic and the results were comparable.
Size:
As most have seen, the Kamui chalk is significantly smaller than BD and Master. However, I believe the Kamui chalk will last significantly longer than BD or Master, cube by cube comparison. By how much exactly? I'm not sure. This Kamui chalk is so thick that you really don't need much of it to apply onto the tip, and once it's on the tip, it stays there for many strokes to come. I broke 10 racks with one application on the DI pro shaft, and shot 30 straight shots with one application on my Z2 shaft. After 30 shots, I barely could see the leather because 90+% of the surface was still well covered by the chalk. Quite impressive, to be honest. Since the chalk arrived in an air-sealed envelop, I'm not sure if the chalk contains any material that may be oxidized over time and becomes unusable. If this isn't the case, one cube of Kamui chalk, despite its size, will definitely last you for a while.
Playability:
Other than the feel aspect of it, I don't experience any difference in terms of playability of this chalk. Does it induce more spin? I think so. For the third time I've had to mention the thickness of this chalk. It's so thick and it feels like you put some bubble gum on your tip so that the contact time is longer. However, I really don't like the playing feel. It's just so different. I'm sure if I took time time to learn, I'll eventually get used to it, but I'd rather spend time learning something else.
Does it worth $25? Yes or no. I believe Kamui definitely spent a tremendous amount of time in research to introduce this revolutionized product to the market. I'm not sure if the chalk is designed such that players no longer need to chalk their tip after every shot, but such idea appears strange to me. I've been so accustomed to chalking after every shot. It's so unconscious to me now I simply don't see the point to change part of my pre-shot routine in order to fit this chalk in. However, since it adheres so well to my Sonic tip, I'll be carrying this chalk everywhere I go and use it for breaking.
As far as the real purpose of using chalk, Kamui had done a very good job with their new line of products.
Adherence:
This thing is not a chalk. It's more like a clay that was designed to adhere onto any tip. Whether it's leather, phenolic, carbon fiber, etc, this chalk will adhere well. Or let me put it this way. I chalked up my Mezz DI pro shaft with Sonic tip with a smooth brushing motion, I broke, continued shooting the rest of the rack with the same cue, and I was able to draw back a few diamonds, stun, follow without much of any problems. For whatever it's worth, I can't get the same amount of draw with BD or Master on the Mezz break cue. I repeated the same experiment with a BK2/phenolic and the results were comparable.
Size:
As most have seen, the Kamui chalk is significantly smaller than BD and Master. However, I believe the Kamui chalk will last significantly longer than BD or Master, cube by cube comparison. By how much exactly? I'm not sure. This Kamui chalk is so thick that you really don't need much of it to apply onto the tip, and once it's on the tip, it stays there for many strokes to come. I broke 10 racks with one application on the DI pro shaft, and shot 30 straight shots with one application on my Z2 shaft. After 30 shots, I barely could see the leather because 90+% of the surface was still well covered by the chalk. Quite impressive, to be honest. Since the chalk arrived in an air-sealed envelop, I'm not sure if the chalk contains any material that may be oxidized over time and becomes unusable. If this isn't the case, one cube of Kamui chalk, despite its size, will definitely last you for a while.
Playability:
Other than the feel aspect of it, I don't experience any difference in terms of playability of this chalk. Does it induce more spin? I think so. For the third time I've had to mention the thickness of this chalk. It's so thick and it feels like you put some bubble gum on your tip so that the contact time is longer. However, I really don't like the playing feel. It's just so different. I'm sure if I took time time to learn, I'll eventually get used to it, but I'd rather spend time learning something else.
Does it worth $25? Yes or no. I believe Kamui definitely spent a tremendous amount of time in research to introduce this revolutionized product to the market. I'm not sure if the chalk is designed such that players no longer need to chalk their tip after every shot, but such idea appears strange to me. I've been so accustomed to chalking after every shot. It's so unconscious to me now I simply don't see the point to change part of my pre-shot routine in order to fit this chalk in. However, since it adheres so well to my Sonic tip, I'll be carrying this chalk everywhere I go and use it for breaking.
As far as the real purpose of using chalk, Kamui had done a very good job with their new line of products.
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