Lepro tip that I had installed hits really soft and does not look good.

J

justinb386

Banned
I recently had a lepro tip installed on my cue, and really unhappy with the way it hits and the way it looks.

It hits really soft, and it just does not look the way previous lepro tips that I had in the past looked (and hit).

Is there anything I can do to fix the tip, or is something wrong with the tip by the looks of it?

It just does not hit the same way that I remember lepro tips hitting.

I added a pic of the tip.

Thanks

UPDATE (October 2nd):

I finally got around to going to Rack 66 (a billiard and pro shop out on Preston Highway in Louisville), and had Bryan Roberts replace the tip for me (with an Ultraskin M), and he told me that he did the best he could to repair the damage that the other guy did to my ferrule, and I think he did a really great job. I am posting a pic (which will be the 2nd pic that you see below). The 1st pic is the job that a different guy did. I will be sure to recommend everyone that I come across to take their cues to Rack 66. Bryan Roberts is great, and very nice too.
 

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Last edited:
Cornerman

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
justinb386 said:
I recently had a lepro tip installed on my cue, and really unhappy with the way it hits and the way it looks.

It hits really soft, and it just does not look the way previous lepro tips that I had in the past looked (and hit).

Is there anything I can do to fix the tip, or is something wrong with the tip by the looks of it?

It just does not hit the same way that I remember lepro tips hitting.

I added a pic of the tip.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Your tip mechanic didn't pick a good tip. Half of them are junk in the box. There are different methods to picking out a good LePro (and Triangles while we're at it).

Rip that tip off and go get you a good LePro.

Freddie <~~~ bites them
 
CamposCues

CamposCues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yeah, that's no good. I wouldn't even be able to shoot one ball trying to aim with that fuzzy mofo in my line of sight.
 
9ball101

9ball101

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Lepro

Just like cornerman said. That tip is junk. Half of them in the box usually are. Gotta look at them and see and feel for the good tips. Rip that off and have your cue mechanic put on another one.
 
Sunchaser

Sunchaser

Belgian Malinois
Silver Member
New tip...or new repairman. Ferrule looks kinda bulleted and it looks like tip is not burnished at all on the sides. Usually smash them in a vise pretty good first also...but as others mentioned...some tips are junk right out of the box. Good luck and good rolls... Matt D.
 
deadbeat

deadbeat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
New tip, have him press it prior to install. I agree ferrule looks a dull bit was used. Have him burnish the next tip when he is done.
 
J

justinb386

Banned
Cornerman said:
Your tip mechanic didn't pick a good tip. Half of them are junk in the box. There are different methods to picking out a good LePro (and Triangles while we're at it).

Rip that tip off and go get you a good LePro.

Freddie <~~~ bites them
Click to expand...

I think it is my fault for not looking at the tip myself before he installed it. My gut feeling told me to pick a tip out from the tips that he had, and I just let him do it. Just told him that I wanted a LePro. I did not know that some of them were better or worse then others. I will just get me an Ultraskin M put on it. Thanks.
 
iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I did cue repairs on a smaller local level for several years. I switched most of my customers away from both lepros and triangles into lower cost layered tips. Total junk, imo. I tried all the ways I read about to "pick" a good one, and none were reliable to me. I used the razor blade method to trim them, and some would still "explode" on me, costing me time and agrrivation.

If I were to get into cue repair again, I would not even stock lepros or triangle. I'd buy the cheapest layered tip I could find and use that for my base tip.

These are my experiences and opinions only:) Yours may vary:)
 
Straightpool_99

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
I don't use LePros without soaking and pressing them, anymore. The quality is just too variable. Some are just soft "mush" and will not play right, no matter what you do after the install. With an elkmaster you can sometimes use an old cueball and hit the tip (carefully) all over the surface with the ball, to simulate weeks of play. That takes a while:). With a bad LePro, that does not work, in my experience. When you soak and press them, they get more consistent. Still, you might be happier with a laminated tip.
 
Last edited:
arnaldo

arnaldo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I played with Le Pros for decades when all the pro used them (and before the layered tips came along). Nowadays I highly recommend -- and install for myself and other local players -- Everests, AZB-er "Pooldawg's" milk duds, and especially the whole range of Ki-Techs. All of these perform very reliably and consistently and even improve after a minimal break-in period (couple hundred hits or less).

My two cents.

Arnaldo
 
SC02GTP

SC02GTP

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Take that thing to Bryan Roberts and let him put a nice Ultraskin M on and you will be thrilled.
 
Allen Brown

Allen Brown

Pool Whale
Silver Member
As said before.....your ferrule looks cone shaped and the tip isn't even flush with the ferrule. Get a new repairman and put that Ultraskin in there or a milkdud.

I can't believe your guy would let something that looked like that out of his shop. Is that on you Schon SP?
 
Tramp Steamer

Tramp Steamer

One Pocket enthusiast.
Silver Member
Those are what we called, "punk". If I'm not mistaken, when a new LePro had dark spots on the bottom, they were junk, and we threw them away. Seemed about 50/50.
Just to be on the safe side you might check with PJ, on this. :smile:
 
West Point 1987

West Point 1987

On the Hill, Out of Gas
Silver Member
It's not a new problem, either. I had a HORRIBLE LePro put on my cue in 1995 and never went back. The tip installer just shrugged his shoulders "them's the breaks" and charged me for the Triangle he replaced it with...plus, he ground the end of my ferule at a slight angle, so no tip could be installed straight...I ended up with a shaft that played hard or soft, depending on which way it was rotated. :angry: It pays to know who you're dealing with when getting work done no your shaft(s)...I always get a recommendation from someone before I let anybody touch my cue.
 
J

JW_Redmon

Registered
justinb386 said:
I recently had a lepro tip installed on my cue, and really unhappy with the way it hits and the way it looks.

It hits really soft, and it just does not look the way previous lepro tips that I had in the past looked (and hit).

Is there anything I can do to fix the tip, or is something wrong with the tip by the looks of it?

It just does not hit the same way that I remember lepro tips hitting.

I added a pic of the tip.

Thanks
Click to expand...
The finish work on that tip is very poor. The installer should be ashamed of letting that go. Years ago I used Le Pro tips and found them to be too inconsistent in their hardness. PoolDawgs did some research on pool tip hardness and found the same inconsistency with a Le Pro tip that I did. Le Pros have a coating on them and that can disguise the hardness, until the coating is removed.

I have been using Triangles and found them to be very consistent in their hardness and quality (91.0 hardness rating by PoolDawgs). Years ago pro player Tommy Kennedy told me he soaked his tips in iodine overnight and then pounded them with a ball while they were wet, then let them dry before installing.

Layered tips are the most consistent, but the price is higher. Consider, that one layer solid tips are punched from a sheet of rawhide which can vary in thickness and density while layered tips are thin strips of leather glued together like plywood. The only negative that I've encountered with layered tips is they can separate if you use a scuffer to shape and prep the tip.
 
mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv
Silver Member
Le pro

justinb386 said:
I think it is my fault for not looking at the tip myself before he installed it. My gut feeling told me to pick a tip out from the tips that he had, and I just let him do it. Just told him that I wanted a LePro. I did not know that some of them were better or worse then others. I will just get me an Ultraskin M put on it. Thanks.
Click to expand...

A dull cutter can do the same thing.
And have to agree with cornerman on that half the tips in a box of LePro are junk.

Someone might correct me if I am wrong but Throw the tips in a bowl of water and use the tips that sink.

I have the same issues with elk master tips, and any more I would just assume to install triangle tips on bar cues instead of elk master and lePro .

Triangle tips are a much better tip then lepro IMO
But if you like Lepro tips then more power to you.
 
Bavafongoul

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It's obvious this tip and installation quality sucks......nothing can be said that will excuse or defend this work.

Rather than rehash how and why it happened or what did you say or do, just move on and do it right next time.

Pick a different brand tip......for what you pay for a tip, you can afford to get any brand you like but junk what you have.

Matt B.
 
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