Best tip---Hard, Medium, Soft?
- Thread starter dainian
- Start date
Here's what gets me. If someone were to start a thread saying that they had the
best cue bar none, there would be a hundred posters wanting to debate that fact.
Yet you turn around and see a poster asking what is the best tip, don't be surprised if
you get a hundred different answers. Good Luck !
best cue bar none, there would be a hundred posters wanting to debate that fact.
Yet you turn around and see a poster asking what is the best tip, don't be surprised if
you get a hundred different answers. Good Luck !
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Curious, how do you measure energy consumption, especially if both tips measure the same hardness? Something seems strange here.
A video demonstration of a technique that can be used for this can be found here:
cue tip efficiency resource page
Enjoy,
Dave
Should be strange as the ASTM test will not allow you you measure the hardness of a cue tip.
The grip of the Tip will be a big factor.
Line three balls and the Cue Ball up against the head rail. Old trick shot. You want to make the middle ball of the three go in the corner pocket. You can shoot at the cue ball all day long and not make it. Put the tip on the Cue Ball and push with high Left english, both end balls will leave the cushion and the middle ball will go in. What you have done is gripped the Cue Ball.
Easiest sure test? Borrow a friends cue with a tip you have heard of. See if you like the hit. Now do you want that or a harder or softer feel?
whatever tip I'm using (the last few have been, from current to a couple of years ago - Kamui brown - med , Kamui black - med , Tiger Emerald , and Tiger Everest), I seem to like every single one MUCH better the lower (more worn) it gets. Usually when someone picks up my cue and hits with it being that worn, they look shocked, and can't believe I'd still be playing it....THAT is when they play best IMO. When they lose that spongy (SP?) feeling, they are good, but when they start to feel pretty hard, they feel great to me. Wish I could find a tip that played that way from the start (new). :embarrassed2:
Hardness and COR/Energy Transfer do have a relationship but only for measuring a single tip.... As in if I take 2 le pros and measure the hardness and one of them has a durometer of 72 and one has a durometer of 80 I can safely assume that the energy transfer on the 80 is higher than the 72.... I cannot however assume that another tip that is not a Le Pro that measures 80 will have the same COR as the Le Pro..... There will be a durometer hardness where the COR ceases to increase but thats part of the long version and I am not blessed with the time to show my work LOL
I have a COR tester that I have developed and while it may not be according to any ASTM standard it does a very good job comparing COR between different tips.... With that comparison and a good durometer you can pretty easily graph the 2 separate variables to get a good idea as to what to expect as far as performance based on changing the PSI used to press the tip...
The last variable you have touched on tip grip... That is the one place that I have not gotten to yet but I do have a test in mind for chalk grip since we are now making our own premium chalk... I may be able to tailor the test to tips as well but I had not really considered that aspect since chalk has more todo with grabbing the cueball than the tip but I can see that as we move into more hybrids and synthetics that the grip variable is controllable as well.. One of the chemicals we use is added for that exact purpose.......
Chris
How can we ever know?
I think in time, after trying several tips, you will decide for your self. There are to many variables for a concrete answer to your question. I watched a Tar interview with Efrin and SVB. Efrin said, "Elk Master, always Elk Master and I believe SVB was using a Kamui Brown Hard tip at the time. I would say those 2 tips are at each end of the available tip choices. Either of those 2 guys can beat any one on any given day, with any reasonable tip. I have tried Elk Master and like them after they are "broken in". I have tried a medium Everest and liked it. I did not warm up to the Onyx my buddy loves or the Zan, probably just me. For the last 2 years I have been using Kamui Black Soft and Medium tips. I will probably end up with the Kamui Black Soft once my last 2 Kamui Black Medium's are worn out. Point is it has taken me 2 years to decide on which tip is the best for me. I think I could of stayed with the original Elk Master. Nothing wrong with trying new tips, most of us here love the game of pool, so it is only natural for us to be searching for the right "equipment" to better our game.
I think in time, after trying several tips, you will decide for your self. There are to many variables for a concrete answer to your question. I watched a Tar interview with Efrin and SVB. Efrin said, "Elk Master, always Elk Master and I believe SVB was using a Kamui Brown Hard tip at the time. I would say those 2 tips are at each end of the available tip choices. Either of those 2 guys can beat any one on any given day, with any reasonable tip. I have tried Elk Master and like them after they are "broken in". I have tried a medium Everest and liked it. I did not warm up to the Onyx my buddy loves or the Zan, probably just me. For the last 2 years I have been using Kamui Black Soft and Medium tips. I will probably end up with the Kamui Black Soft once my last 2 Kamui Black Medium's are worn out. Point is it has taken me 2 years to decide on which tip is the best for me. I think I could of stayed with the original Elk Master. Nothing wrong with trying new tips, most of us here love the game of pool, so it is only natural for us to be searching for the right "equipment" to better our game.
I've tried numerous tips and could really play and tolerate any I've played with. For a lower cost tip, the ultra skins are excellent. For a few more dollars, you can get the best to I've ever played, the Ki-Tech. I've played with a Ki-Tech soft now for close to 4 months. I'm beginning to wonder if this thing may last forever. Fantastic product.
I was playing on a cramped bar box last night and ended up in a position where I had to use my jump cue (that cramped quarters thing) in order to make a curved shot (gentle massé) and did. The Jump cue has a phenolic tip that is way beyond hard, yet it can still apply good amounts of english............
--> Hard <--
paulcourville
Carolina Custom Shooter
Medium hard Tiger Emerald green tips are GREAT ! ! ! I purchase these great tips from www.cuecomponents.com for $3.00 per tip ! ! ! I've never had a better hitting and lasting tip that holds chalk and its shape with NO problems so I just bought a box of 24 of them for the long haul..
My experience: Soft tips mushroom and get harder over time.
Yeah, yeah and yep....what the best car??? Boat and so forth, there's no such thing, life is NOT that simple, immerse yourself for decades in some form of work or sport, there your answer lies. Who's the best painter????:boring2:
BEST IS LIKE ASKING FOR THE BEST MEXICAN RESTURANT IN EL PASO TEXAS.?
Many answers all right, depending on taste of the person answering the question.
Come on now, we all know everything in life is just a Mouse click away Eh :grin-square:
Now where is the rat....
I've used Kamui soft before but am liking harder and harder tips every day.
They are much more efficient and more consistent...at least in my opinion.
I find drawing very easy.