Cue tip question

JH_Damocles

Registered
How do you know when you need to replace your cue tip? I have a water buffalo hard tip on my cue. I'm playing since februari, from februari untill 15 april I've played 3 hours a week and since 15 april I've been playing at least 1 hour a day.

How long does a hard tip normally last?
 
Hi,

there are two limits:

1.) Thickness: If the leather gets too thin, hard hits might crack the ferrule. I have heard from several players that the sides should not be thinner than 2mm. While this is just a rule of thumb, it seems like a good one.

2.) Hardness: Tips get harder over time. This is not a technical limit, but the tip might reach a point where you find it too hard. Overall, hard tips should age slower than normal tips, so you might use it for a long time, unless you wear it down with your trimming tool, resulting in #1 ;-)

Regards,

Detlev
 
Detlev Rackow said:
Hi,

there are two limits:

1.) Thickness: If the leather gets too thin, hard hits might crack the ferrule. I have heard from several players that the sides should not be thinner than 2mm. While this is just a rule of thumb, it seems like a good one.

2.) Hardness: Tips get harder over time. This is not a technical limit, but the tip might reach a point where you find it too hard. Overall, hard tips should age slower than normal tips, so you might use it for a long time, unless you wear it down with your trimming tool, resulting in #1 ;-)

Regards,

Detlev

I would add to this.

3.) if it gets too dry, this will happen even if you don't use the cue but it really depends on the humidity levels where you live.
 
That tip looks fine. I'd say you can use it until it is about 1/3rd that size, at which point you should consider having it replaced.
Obviously if it doesn't feel right anymore replace it as well.

When I was playing every day I'd go threw a tip in a month or two, mostly because I was so anal about keeping it maintained. Some people keep tips on their cues for years.
 
Ok thanks everyone for the usefull comments. I think I'm going to change it to a soft tip. Like an Elkmaster. I've got a vacation of 3 months so I can practise alot. :smile:
 
JH_Damocles said:
How do you know when you need to replace your cue tip? I have a water buffalo hard tip on my cue. I'm playing since februari, from februari untill 15 april I've played 3 hours a week and since 15 april I've been playing at least 1 hour a day.

How long does a hard tip normally last?
Depends on how you chalk it. :) Had to be said. LOL.

Seriously. Your tip is almost new. No reason to change it unless you don't like the way it plays. A rule of thumb that some people use is when the tip is thinner than a dime in thickness, it's really close to changing.

-td
 
Last edited:
If you get even close to a dime thickness, you risk cracking the ferrule.
It's very important to get to know your desired "feel" of a tip. The reason being, is that a tip does not keep the same "hit" throughout the entire erosion period.

Hard tips last a bit longer than others, but for example, if you play with the soft tip you mentioned you will be changing to, you will see that the soft tip will lose its softness within a three month period depending on type and quantity of play. In other words, the more you play, the more compressed the tip will become from the constant pounding. The more compressed it gets, the less desirable it becomes as a soft tip. No matter how thick the tip is at that time, it is no longer a soft tip.

Gene
 
Some players like their tips best when there is very little left. Not me, but each to his own. The tip protects the ferrule too, as someone mentioned. You don't want the tip to be so thin that a good crack on the edge could break your ferrule. It sounds like you already have decided that you'd like to try a softer tip. It's one of the cheapest and most dramatic things that you can do to change the way your cue plays. The Elkmaster will mushroom within a week with a bit of play, maybe in as little as two days. Then you will need the sides to be filed or turned down properly. I prefer it to be done with a lathe. Layered tips don't mushroom as much, if at all, but I still think it's a good thing to work to find the best tip for you and your style of play...Tom
 
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