I've been using Kamui Chalks for more than a year now, infact i've been using them since they came out on the market. I've been through quite a few pieces of them now, and contrary to popular belief..they use up pretty dam fast as well..
To date i've gone through 2pcs of 0.98a and 1.5pcs of 1.21a. They use up fast cos i let anybody and everybody try them.
Anyway i won't go into the whole discussion as to whether they are worth the money blah blah blah....
I use a custom cue that's way over priced by non cue collector standard and i still can't beat the house pro in my pool room when he uses the warped house cue.
My overpriced cue, fully tooled case, custom bridge, custom chalk holder, layered tip and magical kamui chalk didn't help me beat the guy and i doubt they'll ever be any good for that purpose.
What i wanna discuss here is the difference between the Kamui Chalk 0.98 and 1.21, the former being the newer version of the two. I'm not adding Blue Diamond, Pre Flag, Cosmos, etc..into this discussion, this is just all about Kamui Chalk and for all the haters out there you can move on cos you won't like what you read here.
Before i proceed here are some pictures of the 2 chalks.
Incase you can't see clearly, the chalk on the left is the newer 1.21a.
:: Aesthetics ::
They both look the same if you're colour blind.
Besides the obvious blue and orange differentiation in packaging the chalks are identical in size. The slight difference in the chalk colour is that the 1.21 is slightly darker in blue as compared to the 0.98. However if you use the 0.98 long enough you won't see much of the light blue anymore and both will look pretty much the same.
:: Texture ::
The 0.98 is more clay like, it's a little pastey and the chalk powder is actually very very fine...its like comparing Baking Flour to Regular Chalk where the Flour is so much finer.
However it won't stay clay-like or pastey if you don't store this chalk well. There's a good reason why the package has a Zip-Lock function to it, it's to allow you to store your chalk when you're not using them.
This chalk does "dry" up..it happened to mine (not pictured) when i went overseas for 2 weeks and left it unattended in my home pool room, plus it was winter so it was dry. When i checked the chalk the surface became powdery and i tried scrapping the top layer off (probably scrapped a good $1-2 off...) then i saw he same colour like it was brand new an it was pastey again.
The 1.21 has a texture between the 0.98 and regular chalk. The powder is still very fine like the 0.98, however it's less pastey or clay-like. I've never used the Zip-Lock bag for the chalk and it's pretty much the same texture as day one, doesn't really dry out. Or not that i've noticed.
:: Difference ::
I won't discuss the playability, i'll just discuss the difference in characteristics.
The 0.98 really does stay on tips MUCH longer, i'm sure its due to it's pastey like texture therefore you don't need to chalk up as often as you do with the 1.21.
Because the 0.98 stays on tips longer, the markings it leaves on cue ball also stays there longer...it is an absolute B*itch to clean the CB if you use this chalk.
I have a ball cleaning machine at home and i have to leave the CB in there for extra spins and apply more cleaning agent on the CB...
However, because the chalk stays on either the CB or on your tip...very little goes on your table...Yes you'll see that it stains the table with it's light blue chalk but it cleans away pretty easy.
The 1.21 is pretty much the opposite of the 0.98. Yes it stays stay on the tip longer than regular chalk but not compared to the 0.98. When you apply the chalk on the tip you can immediately tell it isn't as pastey (compared to 0.98)l and has a slightly closer feel to regular chalk.
It doesn't stain the CB as badly and it cleans away very easy like regular chalk marks on CB. Like the 0.98 it leaves light blue stains on tables but wipes away easy.
HOWEVER...because the powder is so so so fine like flour and that it isn't as pastey as 0.98, these powder drops on the table and i suspect that it's so fine it "seeps" into the cloth. I vacuum my table and clean my table with brush and cloth but since using the 1.21 i get very very dirty hands and that leads to my shafts bluing dam quick.
My table looks brand new and clean after i clean it but the stain always appears from somewhere..it is terribly annoying!
Some might argue that it's probably stain left from prolong use and built up..but trust me it's not the case because it's a new cloth.
I used the 0.98 when i still had my older cloth on, my hands would never be dirty and i don't even maintain and clean the table as much as i do now. Late last year i changed over to Z9 (Made in Germany) and i took extra care of the cloth with more maintenance. It was then that i started with the 1.21...the cloth still looks brand new..but the hidden stains incredible.
:: Summary ::
Personally i like the 0.98 much much better. I just bought another 2 pieces. I still have another 1.5pcs of 1.21 to go through...i'll probably use it in a pool hall or sell it to some friends who wants it for cheap. I won't use it on my home table anymore...
Don't get me wrong, the 1.21 works well and works brilliant. But i play at home pretty often and i rather have to scrub balls often than to have dirty hands when i play...
From what i gather many players actually went back to the 0.98 after trying the 1.21 for a while.
Anyway this thread is NOT a review, it's more of a discussion of your experience with Kamui Chalk and how i think they compare with each other. What are you experiences? Do share.
To date i've gone through 2pcs of 0.98a and 1.5pcs of 1.21a. They use up fast cos i let anybody and everybody try them.
Anyway i won't go into the whole discussion as to whether they are worth the money blah blah blah....
I use a custom cue that's way over priced by non cue collector standard and i still can't beat the house pro in my pool room when he uses the warped house cue.
My overpriced cue, fully tooled case, custom bridge, custom chalk holder, layered tip and magical kamui chalk didn't help me beat the guy and i doubt they'll ever be any good for that purpose.
What i wanna discuss here is the difference between the Kamui Chalk 0.98 and 1.21, the former being the newer version of the two. I'm not adding Blue Diamond, Pre Flag, Cosmos, etc..into this discussion, this is just all about Kamui Chalk and for all the haters out there you can move on cos you won't like what you read here.
Before i proceed here are some pictures of the 2 chalks.
Incase you can't see clearly, the chalk on the left is the newer 1.21a.
:: Aesthetics ::
They both look the same if you're colour blind.
Besides the obvious blue and orange differentiation in packaging the chalks are identical in size. The slight difference in the chalk colour is that the 1.21 is slightly darker in blue as compared to the 0.98. However if you use the 0.98 long enough you won't see much of the light blue anymore and both will look pretty much the same.
:: Texture ::
The 0.98 is more clay like, it's a little pastey and the chalk powder is actually very very fine...its like comparing Baking Flour to Regular Chalk where the Flour is so much finer.
However it won't stay clay-like or pastey if you don't store this chalk well. There's a good reason why the package has a Zip-Lock function to it, it's to allow you to store your chalk when you're not using them.
This chalk does "dry" up..it happened to mine (not pictured) when i went overseas for 2 weeks and left it unattended in my home pool room, plus it was winter so it was dry. When i checked the chalk the surface became powdery and i tried scrapping the top layer off (probably scrapped a good $1-2 off...) then i saw he same colour like it was brand new an it was pastey again.
The 1.21 has a texture between the 0.98 and regular chalk. The powder is still very fine like the 0.98, however it's less pastey or clay-like. I've never used the Zip-Lock bag for the chalk and it's pretty much the same texture as day one, doesn't really dry out. Or not that i've noticed.
:: Difference ::
I won't discuss the playability, i'll just discuss the difference in characteristics.
The 0.98 really does stay on tips MUCH longer, i'm sure its due to it's pastey like texture therefore you don't need to chalk up as often as you do with the 1.21.
Because the 0.98 stays on tips longer, the markings it leaves on cue ball also stays there longer...it is an absolute B*itch to clean the CB if you use this chalk.
I have a ball cleaning machine at home and i have to leave the CB in there for extra spins and apply more cleaning agent on the CB...
However, because the chalk stays on either the CB or on your tip...very little goes on your table...Yes you'll see that it stains the table with it's light blue chalk but it cleans away pretty easy.
The 1.21 is pretty much the opposite of the 0.98. Yes it stays stay on the tip longer than regular chalk but not compared to the 0.98. When you apply the chalk on the tip you can immediately tell it isn't as pastey (compared to 0.98)l and has a slightly closer feel to regular chalk.
It doesn't stain the CB as badly and it cleans away very easy like regular chalk marks on CB. Like the 0.98 it leaves light blue stains on tables but wipes away easy.
HOWEVER...because the powder is so so so fine like flour and that it isn't as pastey as 0.98, these powder drops on the table and i suspect that it's so fine it "seeps" into the cloth. I vacuum my table and clean my table with brush and cloth but since using the 1.21 i get very very dirty hands and that leads to my shafts bluing dam quick.
My table looks brand new and clean after i clean it but the stain always appears from somewhere..it is terribly annoying!
Some might argue that it's probably stain left from prolong use and built up..but trust me it's not the case because it's a new cloth.
I used the 0.98 when i still had my older cloth on, my hands would never be dirty and i don't even maintain and clean the table as much as i do now. Late last year i changed over to Z9 (Made in Germany) and i took extra care of the cloth with more maintenance. It was then that i started with the 1.21...the cloth still looks brand new..but the hidden stains incredible.
:: Summary ::
Personally i like the 0.98 much much better. I just bought another 2 pieces. I still have another 1.5pcs of 1.21 to go through...i'll probably use it in a pool hall or sell it to some friends who wants it for cheap. I won't use it on my home table anymore...
Don't get me wrong, the 1.21 works well and works brilliant. But i play at home pretty often and i rather have to scrub balls often than to have dirty hands when i play...
From what i gather many players actually went back to the 0.98 after trying the 1.21 for a while.
Anyway this thread is NOT a review, it's more of a discussion of your experience with Kamui Chalk and how i think they compare with each other. What are you experiences? Do share.