Soft, Medium, or Hard... That is the question

Delaware Lar

Delaware Lar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've not yet found the perfect tip. The one I have on now is hard as a rock. Even the sound when the cue tip hits the cue ball is weird.

I like using English. Should that suggest what tip to try.

Why do players prefer soft, medium or hard?

Someone told me that the pro players are starting to use hard tips. Is that true?

Is there a brand name that the pros prefer?
 
poolguppy

poolguppy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The amount of different responses that can come with this subject will probably just confuse you more than help you. I have soft medium and hard tips on different cues and have set up different drills countless times to figure out which I can get the best action with and none of them stand out to me, only thing I discovered is I don't like mediums. No great reason, just dont
 
XmarathonX

XmarathonX

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well I took 2 of my cues to the pool hall today for that very purpose. Both non-LD shafts mind you. One is my Players with an Elkmaster tip, soft rating of 60.1 according to Mueller. The 2nd is an old Joss with an Elkmaster that has been turned into a "milk-dud" with a medium-hard rating of 73.6. I was playing with a Le Pro with a medium-hard rating of 78.2 though I feel it is harder than that.

I was breaking & playing with both cues today for 3 hours. I liked the way both tips performed & had no problems with mushrooming at all though they need many more hours for that to become an issue. Even if they did it is nothing that a Joe Porper tip burnisher & a few seconds can't fix. I do think the "milk-dud" tip had a better feel & consistency for me but I can't really explain why. I just felt a bit better playing with that than the standard Elk Master. Both had fine draw, follow & English but the "milk-dud" again just felt better to me.

Most people here like the newer & quite more expensive layered leather tips, to each their own really. You will just have to experiment & find what works best for you.
 
Colonel

Colonel

Raised by Wolves in a Pool Hall
Silver Member
It's like asking what flavor ice cream do you like, chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. Every person will tell you one and defend why it's the best to the end. Like ice cream the best thing you can do is try all 3 & determine what is best for you based on your experience, just saying.


Why am I the Colonel? Because I always get the chicken
 
T

TomInFaribo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have tried different tips in trying to answer that same question. Super Soft, Soft, Medium, Hard. Settled on Soft as it seemed to play the most consistent from beginning to end getting a little harder at the end.
I ask myself this. Does the size of the shaft also play a role in the hardness of the tip put on. I shoot with both 11.75 and 12.25 and soft tips. It seems like the larger tip puts less english on. Is it the hardness of the tip or the tip size or a combination of the two. Just thoughts that have crossed my mine when I read through the posts and for others to ponder upon.
 
R

rtbbf

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Considering opinions and applications I heard just the other day Efren,Earl and Jayson uses milk duds, might be on too something I like and play with a dud...but the end result is what you like....I know two A+ players that play with elk master right out the box....the jury is still out....until you be the judge
 
jgobigred

jgobigred

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don't see any benefit of a softer tip. I like harder tips because they last longer (consistency is key!) and don't require as much maintenance. Triangle, Lepro, milk duds are all I use. Whatever comes on Schons seem good too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Shannon.spronk

Shannon.spronk

Anybody read this?
Silver Member
I went from using a medium then decided to go soft then back to medium now I use a Kamui black hard. For me it has just been a thing that as my stroke has really developed I am able to really enjoy the consistency and longevity of a hard tip.
 
nobcitypool

nobcitypool

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The hardness (or softness for that matter) has minimal if any effect on performance. If the surface holds chalk, it will provide spin the same regardless of the hardness. It's a matter of what the player prefers feel wise.
 
measureman

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have 1 cue and two shafts
One shaft has an Ultra Skin soft
2nd shaft has an Ultra Skin medium
I use predator chalk only
The shaft with the soft tip is easier to draw the ball with on the same table,same cloth.
Considering all things are equal for me except the tips I have to say that a soft tip grips the cue ball better.
 
Ty-Tanic

Ty-Tanic

Ty-Tanic Makes U Panic
Silver Member
Kamui SS tips all the way for me. I have gone to the billiards store a few times to try out different tips and you have to really focus to feel the difference in the shots but the difference is there. I have played with a few tips that I just couldn't stand the hit they gave. Everything is personal preference, so someone may hate the Kamui SS tips that I love and I may hate the tip that they use. Whatever works best for you is the tip you should use. I personally love the Kamui tips because they seem to hold their shape very well and never mushroom and have a very nice hit to them. You can get a lot of action out of them I have noticed.
 
buckshotshoey

buckshotshoey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Shannon.spronk said:
I went from using a medium then decided to go soft then back to medium now I use a Kamui black hard. For me it has just been a thing that as my stroke has really developed I am able to really enjoy the consistency and longevity of a hard tip.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with this statement. Use the firmest tip that works for you. A firmer tip will need less maintenance. Now the trick is to find one that is consistent. Consistent as the tip wears (a huge problem for some tips). Then there is tip to tip consistency( put on a new one and it should be like the last one). I stop using lepros because of these two reasons. They are not what they used to be.
 
Poolplaya9

Poolplaya9

Tellin' it like it is...
Silver Member
A tip that holds chalk will spin the ball just fine. Hardness is not a factor except for what kind of "feel" or feedback it gives you. Sounds like you just don't like the feel of a hard tip. My suggestion when trying different tips trying to find the right one is to start with the cheap tips first. Why experiment with the $40 tips before you experiment with $10 tips which are just as good if you find one you really like?

I recommend first trying a Triangle. Great tip, medium in feel, last fairly long, don't mushroom much or require much maintenance, and are consistent from tip to tip. They are at lot like a good LePro except only 1 in 3 LePro's is a good one because they are so inconsistent. If you find that the medium hit of the Triangle is still too hard, try an Elkmaster which is soft. If you need a harder tip than the Triangle, someone else can recommend a cheap standby for you because hard tips are not my thing, but it sounds like you have already been down the hard tip path anyway and it isn't your thing either. Try a Triangle.
 
DrGonzo

DrGonzo

As your attorney...
Silver Member
I prefer a medium to hard tip...(that's what she said) what I prefer is worth exactly the same as what you paid for that information.
 
Mantool

Mantool

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Delaware Lar said:
I've not yet found the perfect tip. The one I have on now is hard as a rock. Even the sound when the cue tip hits the cue ball is weird.

I like using English. Should that suggest what tip to try.

Why do players prefer soft, medium or hard?

Someone told me that the pro players are starting to use hard tips. Is that true?

Is there a brand name that the pros prefer?
Click to expand...

Perfection - 'soft'
 
Houstoer

Houstoer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
so this is very unscientific..... I have a few shafts... I put a kamui ss on one; soft on another; med on another, hard on another (all those are z2 shafts). Then on my two ob2 shafts I put a g2 med and on the other other I put a blackheart med..Out of all those I could really tell the difference with the blackheart. Loved it ! All the others kind of felt the same not much difference. I really did not like the G2 at all; but I know there are people here that swear by them. By the way the kamuis were all black. I know have tried a kamui tan med on my lambros ld and really like the way it plays. I have an players cue also that I just keep in my car instead of traveling with my sticks in case I'm just out and havin fun and it has an elkmaster. I would tell you I can do anything anybody wants to do with that stick and that tip. So I would say experiment around if you can. Good luck finding your tip that you like
 
Banks

Banks

Banned
I use a hard tip because I also break with my player. It's also pretty flat because shaping feels like a lot of work and I'm lazy. My best advice would be to do whatever I don't do - nobody else likes using my cue.
 
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