Are Some Tips Better?

[DrCue'sProtege]

question on tips.
are there some out there that are actually better than others? i mean, would someone play better if they had one tip on their cue as opposed to another? or are tips just a matter of personal preference?

seems like if you are a quality player, and have a quality tip, whether its your own personal choice of tip or not, you should be able to play well. i have a buddy that says LePro tips are worthless, and nobody plays worth a sh-t with a LePro. but the other night, using my off the shelf Cuetec with a LePro tip, i ran 3 racks in a row.

thoughts posters?
DCP

 

[cubswin]

Don't know that it really matters as long as the tip you are using is consistent in how it behaves. You know how to make the cue ball do what you want with the tip/cue you are using.

As a side note I like Le pro tips, but that is probably because I know what they do. I've played with them for 15 years, so there are no real surprises. If I get a bad le pro I cut it off and put on another.

If I'd ever get around to buying some I'd go with a tiger sniper or perhaps a everest tip. I have a tailsman medium on one cue, it hits good. I know that with that cue I don't have to try as hard to play english except for top. Side spin and draw seems to be much easier, but I don't like it anymore or less than the lepro on my other cue.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

You have no idea how touchy a subject this can be and yes, many players are completely divided as to the worth of their tip. The fact is, the laminated tip business is still relatively new and it's a product that's competing with something that used to be only $5 or so and is trying to sell at $25 and up.

What is pure fact is that I seriously doubt any player would take significant notice in using one tip company over another or even using a laminated tip versus a single piece tip. Anyone who has been playing this game for more than 10 years probably learned how to play with a Le Pro so to say they're worthless is just silly. I'm certain Earl Strickland, Efren Reyes & Jose Parica have all made plenty of shots with a Le Pro.

So with that said, I don't want to completely dismiss the value of the laminated tip. There are a lot of problems in using a single piece tip. For starters, they wear faster unless seriously compressed. Secondly, they occasionally mushroon and need to be trimmed or burnished (and this may only be a temporary solution). Thirdly, once you have this compressed tip, you're all but assured of having a relatively hard tip that will hold less chalk.

Laminated tips hardly have these problems. They don't mushroom and you can still have a medium or soft tip that will maintain shape and wear slowly. In the end, they require less maintenance. This is the reason why I've been using laminated tips for the past few years. I really can't tell the difference in the hit but I do enjoy the fact that my tip requires little to no maintenance. I cannot tell you how nice it is, getting down on a shot, not having to worry about your equipment. Laminated tips have given me a little added assurance.


Jude M. Rosenstock

 

[drivermaker]

question on tips.
are there some out there that are actually better than others? i mean, would someone play better if they had one tip on their cue as opposed to another? or are tips just a matter of personal preference?

seems like if you are a quality player, and have a quality tip, whether its your own personal choice of tip or not, you should be able to play well. i have a buddy that says LePro tips are worthless, and nobody plays worth a sh-t with a LePro. but the other night, using my off the shelf Cuetec with a LePro tip, i ran 3 racks in a row.

thoughts posters?
DCP

Are you sure it wasn't more of the Cuetec than the LePro that allowed you to do it? How 'bout you just got lucky? Well...did ya, punk? (As Clint Eastwood would say in a Dirty Harry movie)

I can't speak for other players and what they believe to be true, but I KNOW I play better with certain tips as opposed to others. Whether it has to do with a better feedback of feel, the amount of spin, hardness or whatever,
it affects my play.

 

[Billy_Bob]

question on tips.
are there some out there that are actually better than others? ...

The thing is different tips play differently, differently shaped tips play differently, and different hardness tips play differently - on *certain*shots.

Also the size of the shaft can make a difference (10mm, 12mm, 13mm, etc.).

If you are a beginning player, you will not notice any difference.

Advanced players will notice a difference with non-center hit shots and hard fast shots. For most shots, no difference - house stick will do except for weight, slickness of shaft, size/taper of shaft, and the visual looks of the thing. (Playing with what you are accustomed to -vs- something different.)

Now a Moori (pig skin) tip is like low pile carpeting if you will, whereas a leather tip is like shag carpeting. If you ask me, the pig skin tip will have more friction on the cue ball than the leather tip.

And then you have a tip for a playing cue, a tip for a breaking cue, a tip for a jump cue, and a tip for a Masse' cue. Mine are all different tips.

I think what is most important though, for consistancy, is to keep your tip the same radius (dime, nickel, quarter), and same surface condition (no slick spots) at all times. Then it will always play the same and when you replace the tip, the new one will play the same as the old.

To experiment, try an 11mm shaft with a very soft dime shaped tip. Then try a 13mm shaft with a hard quarter shaped tip. Try a variety of shots with each.

 

[Jon]

Have you gave any thought that maybe the cuetech plays a little stiffer that what you are usually playing with?

Just a thought.

Thanks,

Jon

 

[vapoolplayer]

..... and nobody plays worth a sh-t with a LePro.
thoughts posters?
DCP

lol........tell your buddy (and this is a FACT) that tony robles plays with a lepro medium.........and i'm sure plenty of other top players do as well

its all about preference, if you like it, it doesn't matter....

thanks