Beginner Tip Hardness

firetrain

Registered
Have a low end intermediate player (skill level 4 in TAP), who doesn't have too bad of a stroke, but is still struggling with hitting a good stop shot. They are getting a new tip put on as its badly needed. Will it help more with a soft or a hard tip? I know the stroke is the biggest factor but if the different tip helps or hinders just a little, which one should they put on.
 

BRussell

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Jerry Briesath recommends a softer tip for a beginner. He says they're more forgiving.
 

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
The tip hardness won't have any effect on their ability to hit a stop shot.

I agree with the earlier poster that a beginner will usually find a soft tip easier to control. You could recommend they start with a medium tip and decide to change to softer/harder six months from now.
 

desertshark

Racks on racks on racks
Silver Member
I agree with a medium. I have best control with a Tiger Sniper and the cues I have lent to team mates had snipers on them. One of the easier tips to stop draw and throw some side English with.

YMMV.
 

ceebee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I agree with a medium. I have best control with a Tiger Sniper and the cues I have lent to team mates had snipers on them. One of the easier tips to stop draw and throw some side English with.

YMMV.

I like a medium tip & I've been playing for 56 years

A good Tiger Medium Laminated tip will do you just fine.

Good Luck...
 

mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv
Silver Member
Hardness ratings

I agree with a medium. I have best control with a Tiger Sniper and the cues I have lent to team mates had snipers on them. One of the easier tips to stop draw and throw some side English with.

YMMV.

I always figured sniper tips to be soft...........................................................................
I did check the hardness rating guild,
http://www.pooldawg.com/article/pooldawg-library/the-ultimate-pool-cue-tip-guide
I am surprised where the sniper tip rated.
 

The Renfro

Outsville.com
Silver Member
I always figured sniper tips to be soft...........................................................................
I did check the hardness rating guild,
http://www.pooldawg.com/article/pooldawg-library/the-ultimate-pool-cue-tip-guide
I am surprised where the sniper tip rated.

I've seen them run the gambit.... I have seen them hard as a rock and as soft as an elk master... pooldawg uses a Shore A so any of their measurments over 70 should be taken with a grain of salt.... May actualy be lower than 70 but I have not tested all of the tips on the list.... Look at where they have the triangle and the triumph... Those tips generally are definitely not hard they just have a tight grain and the Shore A isn't strong enough to get a true reading....
 

mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv
Silver Member
Hardness tool

I've seen them run the gambit.... I have seen them hard as a rock and as soft as an elk master... pooldawg uses a Shore A so any of their measurments over 70 should be taken with a grain of salt.... May actualy be lower than 70 but I have not tested all of the tips on the list.... Look at where they have the triangle and the triumph... Those tips generally are definitely not hard they just have a tight grain and the Shore A isn't strong enough to get a true reading....

I do not have the tool to check hardness of tips, But I have shot allot with a sniper tip and also installed a few hundred of them too.

Without a meter I cannot offer a factual argument, But if I had to go by feel and years of dealing with sniper tips I would rate them as being soft.

Regardless I am still surprised where sniper rated.
 

jburkm002

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I played with medium Le pros most my life. Last few years I have played with various soft to super soft tips. Several brands as well. Point is the Le pro worked just fine for me. Game was consistent. Now with using softer and even super soft tips I just feel my game isn't as consistent. Never even thought about tips until I joined this forum. That being said. Think I will go back to using a medium Le pro. Sure it's either something physical or mental I am doing. Of course one can lead to the other.
 

mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv
Silver Member
Le pro tips

I played with medium Le pros most my life. Last few years I have played with various soft to super soft tips. Several brands as well. Point is the Le pro worked just fine for me. Game was consistent. Now with using softer and even super soft tips I just feel my game isn't as consistent. Never even thought about tips until I joined this forum. That being said. Think I will go back to using a medium Le pro. Sure it's either something physical or mental I am doing. Of course one can lead to the other.

Not sure how to say this but LePro tips are rated as being hard................................
I have read allot of tip rating charts and I remember one of them saying that LePro hardness was all over the place and they couldn't give a real accurate rating on the hardness of a LePro.
Just thought this info might interest you.

Read at the very bottom of the tip hardness rating chart and then you will understand.
http://www.pooldawg.com/article/pooldawg-library/the-ultimate-pool-cue-tip-guide
 
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