Last week, the company producing a new cue maintenance tool came online to talk about their product. I was fortunate enough to win one of the tools in a little contest they ran here, and I promised a product review of the Atrox cue tool for the rest of the AZ family. Well, the package arrived this morning, so I dug up a couple of old cues to put the product through its paces. Here are my findings for your reading pleasure.
I was initially surprised at the size of the tool. When folded up, it is smaller than I had expected. This is a good thing in my opinion, as it will easily fit in one of the pockets on my case. The overall dimensions are roughly 1 inch by 1-½ inches by 2 ½ inches.
When the tool is opened, there are two tip scuffers/shapers to work either nickel or dime shaped tips. The instructions suggest placing the tool on the floor, stepping gently on one side, and dropping the tip of the shaft into the shaper on the other side. You then just rotate the shaft with gentle pressure to scuff or shape your tip. The scuffers use a steel alloy (Think “Willards”) which appears to be fairly durable. They shouldn’t wear down like the scuffers on the “Ultimate Tip Tool”, so you won’t be replacing them. I give this part an “A”.
The tip burnisher is a tapered channel that runs through the middle of the tool. It is designed to work on tips from 12mm to 14mm. I like the fact that there are no blades to cut the tips, and the user can apply as much or as little pressure as needed to do the job. Good design idea that also rates an “A”
The tool also has cutout gauges in either end so you can check the radius of your tip to either the nickel or dime shape. Probably not a necessity, but a nice touch. Since the gauges do what they are designed to do, I have to give them an “A”.
There are two sets of steel “fangs” or mini tip-pics. Each one has 6 pins and are a located at the end of the tool, so it makes it easy to grip the tool and work on your tip. One word of caution: If you are shaping or scuffing your tip to a dime radius, I would highly recommend you have shoes on when you are standing on the tool! Those pins are sharp. I give the fangs an “A-”. At about 1/3 the size of a tip-pic, they are a little small, but some things have to give when you are making an “all-in-one” tool.
Rail height caliper. It’s really designed to measure the height of the cushions, not the rails. I have never gone into a poolroom and measured the height of the cushions. (Maybe I should have been, but never really thought about it!) Anyway, you place the tool on it’s side next to the cushion, place your thumb on the top side of the tool and the top of the point of the cushion, then slide it along the cushion to feel any variations in cushion height. I suppose it’s an interesting idea, but one I doubt I would need to use on a regular basis. I give it a “B-“
The manufacturer also says it can be used as a “strike positioner” to let you get more height to your bridge for shooting over another ball, or for jump shots. Since it is only 1.5 X 2.5, some may find it a little small for that purpose, but I like the idea a whole lot better than the Finger Extenders idea that one of the pros we know has used in the past. A solid “B”.
As a dent remover for small dings in a shaft, the tool casing is smooth, and hard. I tried it on a couple of small dings, and it was a little awkward to use as they suggested. However, when I tried it using the gauge part on the end of the tool, I found it easier and more effective. It’s not going to get out a big dent, but it can handle those minor dings when your shaft finds the rail of the table. Nice to have when you are in the middle of a match and need to do some emergency work. “A”…Final Answer.
The final function is as a linen wrap press. They sent me a sample of their linen spray cleaner, so I sprayed it on my wrap, wiped it down with a white piece of cotton cloth, and was surprised to see how much dirt came off. The cleaner works very well. I then followed the suggestions to use the tool to press the wrap. It put a nice smooth, shiny gloss on the wrap, which is the way I like my wraps to look and feel. This is not designed to repair loose wraps, but works very well in maintaining the linen. It gets an “A-“
I also got a sample of their shaft cleaner, and found it works as well as any cleaner I have used for getting that blue chalk dust out of the grain of the shaft. Another “A-“
The casing of the tool is made of a high-impact kind of plastic. I would have preferred a polished aluminum type of material, but in my conversations with a company representative, was told that it would have been cost prohibitive to use a metal casing. They did assure me that the Atrox tool comes with a lifetime warranty, under normal wear. (Driving your truck over it does not constitute “normal wear”).
Overall, I think this is a pretty cool item. It is designed to look like the head of a snake, and when you see one, you will know why the picking tools are called “fangs”. The MSRP of $35.99 might seem a little high, but when you think of all the tools that have been combined into one convenient tool, I think it is worth it. My overall grade for the Atrox tool is “A-“.
Steve
I was initially surprised at the size of the tool. When folded up, it is smaller than I had expected. This is a good thing in my opinion, as it will easily fit in one of the pockets on my case. The overall dimensions are roughly 1 inch by 1-½ inches by 2 ½ inches.
When the tool is opened, there are two tip scuffers/shapers to work either nickel or dime shaped tips. The instructions suggest placing the tool on the floor, stepping gently on one side, and dropping the tip of the shaft into the shaper on the other side. You then just rotate the shaft with gentle pressure to scuff or shape your tip. The scuffers use a steel alloy (Think “Willards”) which appears to be fairly durable. They shouldn’t wear down like the scuffers on the “Ultimate Tip Tool”, so you won’t be replacing them. I give this part an “A”.
The tip burnisher is a tapered channel that runs through the middle of the tool. It is designed to work on tips from 12mm to 14mm. I like the fact that there are no blades to cut the tips, and the user can apply as much or as little pressure as needed to do the job. Good design idea that also rates an “A”
The tool also has cutout gauges in either end so you can check the radius of your tip to either the nickel or dime shape. Probably not a necessity, but a nice touch. Since the gauges do what they are designed to do, I have to give them an “A”.
There are two sets of steel “fangs” or mini tip-pics. Each one has 6 pins and are a located at the end of the tool, so it makes it easy to grip the tool and work on your tip. One word of caution: If you are shaping or scuffing your tip to a dime radius, I would highly recommend you have shoes on when you are standing on the tool! Those pins are sharp. I give the fangs an “A-”. At about 1/3 the size of a tip-pic, they are a little small, but some things have to give when you are making an “all-in-one” tool.
Rail height caliper. It’s really designed to measure the height of the cushions, not the rails. I have never gone into a poolroom and measured the height of the cushions. (Maybe I should have been, but never really thought about it!) Anyway, you place the tool on it’s side next to the cushion, place your thumb on the top side of the tool and the top of the point of the cushion, then slide it along the cushion to feel any variations in cushion height. I suppose it’s an interesting idea, but one I doubt I would need to use on a regular basis. I give it a “B-“
The manufacturer also says it can be used as a “strike positioner” to let you get more height to your bridge for shooting over another ball, or for jump shots. Since it is only 1.5 X 2.5, some may find it a little small for that purpose, but I like the idea a whole lot better than the Finger Extenders idea that one of the pros we know has used in the past. A solid “B”.
As a dent remover for small dings in a shaft, the tool casing is smooth, and hard. I tried it on a couple of small dings, and it was a little awkward to use as they suggested. However, when I tried it using the gauge part on the end of the tool, I found it easier and more effective. It’s not going to get out a big dent, but it can handle those minor dings when your shaft finds the rail of the table. Nice to have when you are in the middle of a match and need to do some emergency work. “A”…Final Answer.
The final function is as a linen wrap press. They sent me a sample of their linen spray cleaner, so I sprayed it on my wrap, wiped it down with a white piece of cotton cloth, and was surprised to see how much dirt came off. The cleaner works very well. I then followed the suggestions to use the tool to press the wrap. It put a nice smooth, shiny gloss on the wrap, which is the way I like my wraps to look and feel. This is not designed to repair loose wraps, but works very well in maintaining the linen. It gets an “A-“
I also got a sample of their shaft cleaner, and found it works as well as any cleaner I have used for getting that blue chalk dust out of the grain of the shaft. Another “A-“
The casing of the tool is made of a high-impact kind of plastic. I would have preferred a polished aluminum type of material, but in my conversations with a company representative, was told that it would have been cost prohibitive to use a metal casing. They did assure me that the Atrox tool comes with a lifetime warranty, under normal wear. (Driving your truck over it does not constitute “normal wear”).
Overall, I think this is a pretty cool item. It is designed to look like the head of a snake, and when you see one, you will know why the picking tools are called “fangs”. The MSRP of $35.99 might seem a little high, but when you think of all the tools that have been combined into one convenient tool, I think it is worth it. My overall grade for the Atrox tool is “A-“.
Steve
