Best tip---Hard, Medium, Soft?
- Thread starter dainian
- Start date
This has been debated countless times. It always comes back to 'whatever tip you like best'. Try different tips and see what fits your play style and abilities. For me personally, I've really liked the Tiger Sniper, because it's a little on the harder side of mediums and holds shape well, yet plays like a medium. Recently I tried one of Pooldawg8's milk duds and after a few more weeks of play testing, if it continues to hold it's shape well, I will be switching to it full time most likely if no problems arise. Both of these tips work well for me, but the milk dud is far more price effective than the $18 Sniper.
Age old debate and everyone has their own opinion. I like soft tips because of the feel. Others like soft tips because they feel they get less miscues. Yet others like hard tips because of the feel. There are other reasons out there but the fact is that you should use what feels best.
Get your stroke going correct and it doesn't really matter what type of tip you use.
How can a hard tip compress more? Does steel compress more than rubber?
Not sure what point you are making, are you saying having a soft tip is bad? If you hit every shot at breakshot speed like you do a golf hit or a baseball, you may want a harder tip.
All the tip brands are good as is the hardness ratings. Depends on the person using them. No one player can tell you which to use.
They all compress to varying degrees.
Any advice?
Yes, use the Search Function and read the 100 gazillion other threads with the same topic and that is just the past year.
Other than that, you actually have to do a bit of research on your own and start testing different tips. Its nothing anyone can give you.
I could give you 6 different brands and hardness ratings and that isn't going to make one bit of difference in your life.
Ultra Skin, both soft and medium.
Milk Duds
Black King, soft and medium.
Talisman, soft
Everest
Moori
Then I can also add:
Emerald
Sniper
etc.
My list of personal preferences and not exactly in any order. Greatly depends on which cue and shaft I am using them on.
But really, Ultra Skin, Black King and Pool Dawgs Duds are the only ones you should consider. Should my personal preferences really mean that much to anyone else. I install a fair amount of tips from time to time and these 3 are my recommendations to anyone. I have never had anyone complain.
It takes time Buddy. Its much like that women that you think you should Marry. Sometimes you hit it on the first try and other times it takes more than once.
I'm on my second go. Don't marry Doctors daughters, they are spoiled and Suck, and not in a good way either. Tips, I can judge much better.
Besides, Doctors have way too much money for lawyers, boy, did I ever find that one out in a hurry.
They all compress to varying degrees.
Any advice?
Yes, use the Search Function and read the 100 gazillion other threads with the same topic and that is just the past year.
Other than that, you actually have to do a bit of research on your own and start testing different tips. Its nothing anyone can give you.
I could give you 6 different brands and hardness ratings and that isn't going to make one bit of difference in your life.
Ultra Skin, both soft and medium.
Milk Duds
Black King, soft and medium.
Talisman, soft
Everest
Moori
Then I can also add:
Emerald
Sniper
etc.
My list of personal preferences and not exactly in any order. Greatly depends on which cue and shaft I am using them on.
But really, Ultra Skin, Black King and Pool Dawgs Duds are the only ones you should consider. Should my personal preferences really mean that much to anyone else. I install a fair amount of tips from time to time and these 3 are my recommendations to anyone. I have never had anyone complain.
It takes time Buddy. Its much like that women that you think you should Marry. Sometimes you hit it on the first try and other times it takes more than once.
I'm on my second go. Don't marry Doctors daughters, they are spoiled and Suck, and not in a good way either. Tips, I can judge much better.
Besides, Doctors have way too much money for lawyers, boy, did I ever find that one out in a hurry.
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Doesn't anyone ever just experiment - try out different things for themselves?
My God everyone wants some pat answers to things that can be answered by yourself. No one wants to play and learn by playing over time. Aiming, Tips, shafts cue manufacturers and custom cue makers and chalk. What is the best cue etc.
Just do it!
--Jeff
My God everyone wants some pat answers to things that can be answered by yourself. No one wants to play and learn by playing over time. Aiming, Tips, shafts cue manufacturers and custom cue makers and chalk. What is the best cue etc.
Just do it!
--Jeff
Looks like someone didn't have their coffee. Isn't that the point of the forum, to ask advice and talk about pool. Not every one has 100 buks lying around to try 5-6 quality tips.
I do think that if you have a properly shaped and scuffed tip paired with a nice stroke it doesn't make a huge difference in action, just the feel.
The best tip for you is the one that matches your stroke speed.. IE the cueball does what you imagined before you shot the shot.... Hard tips tend to have more energy transfer than soft tips... But there is a range of about 8% between different hard tips and some will sound/feel/feedback different or grip the cueball differently..... If you like hard tips it's because they match your imagination better than a soft which eats more energy and likely comes up short for you every time....
I always tell people to start with the Ki-tech soft and then move up to the medium if they are consistently short... Move up again to the hard if they are still short with the medium.... And even then when you find the hardness that matches your speed in your head you may not like the feel/sound/feedback of what ends up on your cue......
Here is the funny thing tho I can give you a tip that is a hard on the durometer but eats 50% of the energy like a soft.... Should I sell that to you as a soft or a hard??? Most companies would sell it as a hard since durometer is the standard measurement for tips.. I would sell it as a soft.....
Our Soft and Medium Ki-Techs are basically the same durometer reading.... But the soft eats 10% more energy than our medium... By durometer they are = to some companies hards.......
Chris
I always tell people to start with the Ki-tech soft and then move up to the medium if they are consistently short... Move up again to the hard if they are still short with the medium.... And even then when you find the hardness that matches your speed in your head you may not like the feel/sound/feedback of what ends up on your cue......
Here is the funny thing tho I can give you a tip that is a hard on the durometer but eats 50% of the energy like a soft.... Should I sell that to you as a soft or a hard??? Most companies would sell it as a hard since durometer is the standard measurement for tips.. I would sell it as a soft.....
Our Soft and Medium Ki-Techs are basically the same durometer reading.... But the soft eats 10% more energy than our medium... By durometer they are = to some companies hards.......
Chris
Would you be willing to post the durometer ratings of your tips?
Over time, if you play enough. It doesn't really matter if you hardly play or have not played. Many more things to consern yourself about. Playing and gaining experience is what counts.
Coffee, thats a ***** thing to say.
--Jeff
Medium is my choice.
Recomending just one tip is oviously a subjective opinion.
After having tried a fair sample of the tips on the market, my choice is Zan tips. I play with a Soft.
Very nice tip, easy to work with and it don`t mushroom and holds chalk really well.
I use it on my Mezz WX900 shafts.
For straight pool i use a Mezz Hybrid Alpha shaft and for that shaft i use a Navigator Soft tip.
After having tried a fair sample of the tips on the market, my choice is Zan tips. I play with a Soft.
Very nice tip, easy to work with and it don`t mushroom and holds chalk really well.
I use it on my Mezz WX900 shafts.
For straight pool i use a Mezz Hybrid Alpha shaft and for that shaft i use a Navigator Soft tip.
Because the end result is the same in all 3 sports? I shouldn't even waste my time on this, but here goes. In baseball power is key because more ball speed off the bat = more hits and homeruns. Direction and control are less important because it's hard enough to just make contact with the pitches. Golf is a game where power and control are both important, and for that reason there are different clubs for different purposes that use different metals and technology. Also, the ball itself can be hard or soft in golf depending on the preference of the golfer. In pool precise control is necessary sometimes down to the millimeter and raw power less so. Since in pool the hardness of the balls is generally a constant individuals change their tip to suit a particular playing style, and break cues have extremely hard tips for extra speed off of the tip. See 3 completely different sports that are played in completely different ways with completely different equipment and goals? Make sense? Don't let any of that get in the way of making maybe the dumbest, albeit amusing, statement I've ever read on AZBilliards though. Carry on.
Thanks for all the feedback. Well the positive feedback anyway. I have always used a medium tip. Preferably Sniper. I was just wondering what everyone else thought. I use pocket speed as much as possible. So thanks for the info. Sounds like a couple of these guys might need some midol.
What he said ! I agree.. I'm playing with a med and hard right now on two different shafts. I like them both but am starting to lean a little more to the hard.