Cost of Tip Replacement

M

mattydrva

Member
Hello- Just wondering what is the going rate for cue tip replacement? There's a guy in town, who does good work, charging $40 for labor alone. We have a billiards supply store in town as well that does tip replacements for $15. Am surprised by the big price difference. I don't mind paying more for a better job though was expecting the high end cost for tip replacement to be $25.

Thanks...
 
mattydrva said:
Hello- Just wondering what is the going rate for cue tip replacement? There's a guy in town, who does good work, charging $40 for labor alone. We have a billiards supply store in town as well that does tip replacements for $15. Am surprised by the big price difference. I don't mind paying more for a better job though was expecting the high end cost for tip replacement to be $25. ...
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At a lot of tournaments there will be a cue repairman who does tips. To just replace the tip and maybe do a very slight cleaning takes about 10 minutes. That's with a lathe and mounted cutting tools and it's all ready to go. The only way I can see $40+tip cost as reasonable is if there is other work involved like pickup and delivery.

I think it's good to learn to do your own. All it takes is a knife, glue, sand paper, tape and a few common items. Here's a demo with minimum equipment:

 
mattydrva said:
Hello- Just wondering what is the going rate for cue tip replacement? There's a guy in town, who does good work, charging $40 for labor alone. We have a billiards supply store in town as well that does tip replacements for $15. Am surprised by the big price difference. I don't mind paying more for a better job though was expecting the high end cost for tip replacement to be $25.

Thanks...
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My opinion $40 plus tip cost is way too high. As Bob said, it's a 10 minute job. $240 an hour to put on a tip? Nope.
 
Muellers will give you a new Triangle tip installed AND clean and recondition your shaft for $15 total- the shafts come out like new- an Ultraskin is only $20- the work is done by one of the best cue guys in the U.S. - I always wait and send 5 or more shafts at one time- just go online if you are interested- Mueller cue Repair. You deal with real people who work with traditional American work ethic value for your billiard equipment and your money.
Truth is many of the really good cue guys who got into repair/ etc. in the 80s have long since been gone from the business for many reasons. I have found that some of the newer cue repair guys who have sprung up in the past several years ( recent past) are just sort of filling a void that exists and many just are not as skilled as the older guard. I am not saying ALL of the newer guys, but my own personal experience in trying a few of the newer guys is that they just accept a lesser quality of work and charge a lot for it!
I'm sticking with Mueller and Proficient for cue repair, tips, refinishing, etc. I have never gone wrong with either one of those two.
 
By high end tip I am assuming Kamui or similar. My wholesale cost on that tip, including shipping cost, is near $20. I cannot replace a Kamui and clean the ferrule (normally included) for $25.
 
buckshotshoey said:
It doesn't according to the OP. That was labor only. But I agree... quality tip included changes things. Maybe the OP misunderstood and it actually includes the tip
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There is a local guy around my area that was doing that actually, charging $40 including tip and boasting the high priced tips he stocked but he got caught installing LePros and Triangles on several cues for people who didn't know the difference. Nothing wrong with Triangle, I rather like them, but,,,,,,,,,,
 
mattydrva said:
Hello- Just wondering what is the going rate for cue tip replacement?
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$15-20 labor Plus tip is a deal. Equipment, time, labor, experience. If the installer is using a lathe they have $100's-$1000's invested in their lathes.
mattydrva said:
I don't mind paying more for a better job though was expecting the high end cost for tip replacement to be $25.

Thanks...
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Compare fees but never shop for price alone. There is no such thing as better job..It's good or bad. It's right or wrong. If the ferrule gets damaged here goes another expense from a different repair person.
Muellers and Seyberts are professional cue service companies.... however the shipping can cost more than the repair. Consider that when using local cue guys.
 
buckshotshoey said:
It doesn't according to the OP. That was labor only. But I agree... quality tip included changes things. Maybe the OP misunderstood and it actually includes the tip
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OP here... It's $40 for tip installation labor only. Same guy used to do it for $20 so was a bit stunned to see that price hike and hence this post. I know these are inflationary times but jeez... Thanks for the replies...
 
ive had a few guys do my tips over the years (i supply the tip) and i have never paid more than $20, and that includes them cleaning the shaft up very nice on the lathe.
 
mattydrva said:
OP here... It's $40 for tip installation labor only. Same guy used to do it for $20 so was a bit stunned to see that price hike and hence this post. I know these are inflationary times but jeez... Thanks for the replies...
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Vote with your feet. He's obviously pricing himself out of business. Competition is a good thing. If he can't price competitively, he's out.
 
From my experience, if you install a Kamui tip, there is a minimum you must charge, if you bought the tip directly from Kamui. $40 seems to be about the charge. This does include the tip. I haven’t installed one in ages, so the minimum may be more than $40 now.
 
Tom1234 said:
From my experience, if you install a Kamui tip, there is a minimum you must charge, if you bought the tip directly from Kamui. $40 seems to be about the charge. This does include the tip. I haven’t installed one in ages, so the minimum may be more than $40 now.
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If the customer gave you the tip they wanted installed and you just had to remove the old tip put on the new tip, how much would you charge?
 
mikemosconi said:
I have found that some of the newer cue repair guys who have sprung up in the past several years ( recent past) are just sort of filling a void that exists and many just are not as skilled as the older guard. I am not saying ALL of the newer guys, but my own personal experience in trying a few of the newer guys is that they just accept a lesser quality of work and charge a lot for it!
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I think is is like most other aspects of work and trade nowadays - not so much lack of skill, but rather the lack of a decent work ethic.

My observation is that there have always been craftsmen and hacks in every area of the working world. The craftsman takes interest in his job and its relationship within his specific industry. He takes pride in his work and will produce a superior product pretty much regardless of reward or other benefit to himself. His main motivation is internal. The hack, on the other hand, will do the minimum he can without getting fired. He takes little to no interest in improving his skill, nor does he give any thought to how his job interrelates with that of his associates or coworkers. He generally believes he is underpaid and uses that opinion to justify his lack of quality. His motivation is external.

As I mentioned, there have always been these two classes of worker. As far back as I can remember personally the true craftsmen have always been rarer than the hacks. The trend has been a decline during my lifetime, and now the hacks vastly outnumber the craftsmen.

My father was the epitome of a craftsman, and although I chafed at it at the time I am so glad he instilled those values in me. My working life has been much more fulfilling because of it.
 
ChrisSjoblom said:
I think is is like most other aspects of work and trade nowadays - not so much lack of skill, but rather the lack of a decent work ethic.

My observation is that there have always been craftsmen and hacks in every area of the working world. The craftsman takes interest in his job and its relationship within his specific industry. He takes pride in his work and will produce a superior product pretty much regardless of reward or other benefit to himself. His main motivation is internal. The hack, on the other hand, will do the minimum he can without getting fired. He takes little to no interest in improving his skill, nor does he give any thought to how his job interrelates with that of his associates or coworkers. He generally believes he is underpaid and uses that opinion to justify his lack of quality. His motivation is external.

As I mentioned, there have always been these two classes of worker. As far back as I can remember personally the true craftsmen have always been rarer than the hacks. The trend has been a decline during my lifetime, and now the hacks vastly outnumber the craftsmen.

My father was the epitome of a craftsman, and although I chafed at it at the time I am so glad he instilled those values in me. My working life has been much more fulfilling because of it.
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Well said.
 
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