I have always played with a Regular Kamui black med. Whats your opinion on the Kamui black clear? Or what tip do you feel may be better?
I've installed a whole lot of tips, and many many Kamuis. Here is my impressions:
1) The clear pad is proposed for the purposes of preventing glue from wicking up into the lower layers of leather and altering the hardness and play of the tip. Every installer may use different glue, different sanding techniques, etc. Trust me, these differences are real and do make a difference. I have many times cut off a brand new Kamui installed by well respected cue guys because the customer thought it played like crap, was the wrong hardness, miscues constantly, etc. They had me put a new one on. I'm pretty OCD about it and have yet to see anyone do a better job. For *me*, the difference is very small in terms of install.
2) As an installer, the clear tips are better and worse. On the plus side, I don't have to do the extra steps I do with the non clear to make sure I get consistent glueing and play. On the flip side, because the clear pad is much harder than the leather, is is a tiny bit extra work to make everything beautifully flush. I mean, ok maybe liek 60 extra seconds lol. Overall I prefer to install clears because it saves me that first step, which takes a few minutes.
3) As a player, I am very sensitive to the hit of tips and very very picky. For me, I find the clear to have a very subtly different hit. I would have to say that I prefer it. It sort of feels more solid, no other way to say it. I have thought about this and I wonder if the way it transfers forces into the ferrule on off center hits is at all different. I could imagine the clear pad as kind of collecting all the various horizontal forces and filtering them into a more direct axial force (is that the right word? meaning in the direction down the shaft). I have no clue if this is happening. However, I am quite certain that the feel is very slightly different. And I mean *very* slight.
4) I think the clear looks cool. There. I said it.
As for other tips, its funny. Last night I had a dream about being at this big tip store. They had millions of tips. I was looking at all these very interesting new tips. I had a Zan tip in my hand, which is weird because I don't think I have ever seen one not on a cue.
Anyway, I've hit with the G2 hard, and must say it is fantastic. Has that springy feel that the old Moori mediums had. I liked it a lot. I would say that the G2 hard is a hair softer than the Kamui Black Medium. Also, the Kamui Brown Medium might be the best one they make. This one just feels awesome! The only drawback for me is that the brown Kamui's don't burnish up quite as nice as the blacks...it seems chalk accumulates between the layers. It might just be more visually obvious. However, I don't remember ever seeing a Kamui brown that wasn't brand new that didn't look this way. It doesn't affect the play in the least. But as I said being slightly OCD about tips, I care about the looks. I feel like the Brown plays a hair softer than the black. Also, I feel as though the balck (particularly the medium), can hold a more aggressive curve to it than the brown, if you like that. I love the feeling of a tip that is very hard, but very round and somewhat tall. On small diameter shafts like my OB Pro Plus, the balck medium is phenomenal. On my 314-2 though I use the black soft, but do a little special something to it to make it play a bit harder. Really my personal preparation for the black soft is my favorite tip out there.
Anyway, hope all this helps!
KMRUNOUT
