Chalk ahoy!!!!
- Thread starter The Renfro
- Start date
An interesting stance. I wish that more people felt this way about cases and cues. I would love it if I could build a case and force cue makers to build their cues to fit my case instead of the other way around.
The only reason that chalk holders are built to fit masters is because Masters became the dominant brand and their size the standard.
But history shows that there used to be hundreds of chalk brands and dozens of chalk shapes and sizes.
While I do see your point I don't agree with it, reason being that rejecting a new product because it doesn't fit existing containers is not being fair to yourself. Chalk is crucial to the game, the chalk holder is not. You have to have chalk to play pool so denying yourself what might be the best chalk in order to use an inferior one because of the container is like saying you wouldn't accept a Szamboti if it didn't fit in your $50 cue case.
Last edited:
I could care less about chalk holders but that shape would have me chasing down a dropped piece of chalk every time. I certainly would hate to drop that down a pocket on a bar box. Yes I am that clumsy at times.
I have lost Predator chalk down the barbox ... I've also dropped masters and blue diamond down there. predator chalk doesn't really roll that far on the floor, a few more turns than square. A round chalk gives you more access to the entirety of the piece, imo, especially without having to deal with goofy corners.
Bingo! I use predator for because it is easier to access, you get to use the whole thing AND the fact that you are alot less likely to get a drilled out piece that marks your shaft (accidentally) As much as our shafts cost I would think this would be more of a consideration with players.
I tried making my own using 1/2 pvc cutouts as molds but couldnt get the consistency right so I gave up. Good luck with the chalk and I will be in line to give it a try.
In spite of your gentle ribbing an Ultimate Rugged remains on my short list of items to be acquired
I don't think the custom cue & case market is an apt comparison to the chalk market, unless Chris plans to put something on the market with the option of ordering "Semi-dry in the shape of my daughter's first tooth." It's chalk. It's freely available or cheaply acquired. If you like a piece of it, you can slip it in your pocket without much guilt. It's not a Szamboti, even if it turns out to be the Szamboti of chalk.
Many, and I would venture to say most, players will not be easily persuaded to spend money on this free resource and it should be as accessible as possible for those who would consider it. One of the common complaints about the original Kamui chalk: too small to fit in a holder. They may have revolutionized chalk in some people's minds but they didn't manage to come up with anything new in its shape except to be incompatible with existing accessories. In later versions, they went with the standard.
Despite what I said above I will make one comparison to the cue market. When I bought my Pechauer player I didn't know anything about cues other than that it felt pretty good and was priced right. It wasn't until I wanted to upgrade the shaft that I learned about joint types and sizes and that the non-standard joint used in my cue greatly limited my shaft options short of expensive customization. Love my cue but I'll never buy one without a standard pin again and that's a loss for Pechauer.
Standardization is good for consumers and producers. Historically, there may be all shapes and sizes of chalk but there is a standard for a reason. Now, I will totally allow that Chris may come up with something that changes the way we think about the shape of chalk, that the industry will take notice and a new standard will be born. If that happens, I'll sacrifice my $5 square holder, and donate the rest of my box of Masters to the corner bar.
It's also possible that this stuff will be so damn good I wouldn't care if it was shaped like a swastika. But I don't think that will happen because, again, it's just chalk. Crucial to the game but functional at almost (I said almost!) any level of quality. It would have to be really good to get me to even break the Blue Diamond price point. From what I've seen, Chris appears to put a lot of time, energy and passion into his products but doesn't demand crazy prices.
Respectfully submitted.
All great points! If Chris comes with a shape that is smaller then either he or I will make an adapter to insure it fits easily into chalk holders designed for masters.