Dispelling the myth: Magic Chalk

[336Robin]

Its a strange to start posting here with a such thread, but i can't just disregard it.

Firstly wanna say hi to all AZB members, my name is Alexey and im from Moscow, Russia and im reading this board for a some years, but never tried to register (had no reasons to post smth and some language difficulties). Ive seen some threads where ppl are trading and discussing Russian Magic Chalk and i found it really interesting for me cuz i never heard about this chalk here. So i got some hi-res photos of this chalk and was a bit confused

Nothing strange for non-native russian speakers, but its very funny for me :grin:
"СДЕЛАННАЯ РОССИЯ" is a wrong translation of "Made in Russia" and should be written as "СДЕЛАНО В РОССИИ". To feel my pain after reading it just imagine u found a sign like "MADE USA" at the master chalk cube

I don't wanna say that Magic Chalk is good or bad, never tried it, so if you like it you still may use it, nothing changed. But i wanna say it's a fake that this chalk is russian.

No!

Well Dr. Dave here conducted a test on it so apparently its still good stuff. Have you ever tried it?

 

[j2pac]

and thats why russian magic is the only chalk allowed on my table
its clean

I use the RMC. No problems with the chalk, or the seller. Easy peezy. :thumbup:

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Wonder how much real magic is infused into each piece of Magic Chalk?

 

[jeephawk]

I always wondered why a product made in Russia would have "Made in Russia" in english on the box.

It would be kind of like making a product here and putting Russian text on the box.

Weird, great post.

Like every product that says "Made in China"? In English and . . . made in China. It is required to be on there in English by law, nothing to do with what someone making it in Russia intends to do with it.

I really like it!

 

[336Robin]

Wonder how much real magic is infused into each piece of Magic Chalk?

Snort some and tell us about it!

 

[ChrisinNC]

and thats why russian magic is the only chalk allowed on my table
its clean

If you think magic chalk is clean, you should try Taom pyro chalk. It’s even cleaner than magic chalk and one cube lasts forever! It costs three or four times as much, but easily lasts three or four times as long to go through a piece. I’ve been using the same piece for six months, and it still looks almost new.

 

[logical]

That has to be the dumbest reason to doubt the origin of a product I've ever heard.

Come back when you know something about where it's made.

Sent from the future.

 

[logical]

I agree with OP. I was recently there and asked a few people in the local pool hall...hoping to bring some back...nobody ever heard of it.



Edit: Played some pyramid billiards while I was there too! Hardest game I've tried by far!

Over there they call it German Chalk, Hergestellt in Russland

Sent from the future.

 

[KRJ]

I agree with OP. I was recently there and asked a few people in the local pool hall...hoping to bring some back...nobody ever heard of it.

Edit: Played some pyramid billiards while I was there too! Hardest game I've tried by far!

You would be correct. Not sold in Russia for a myriad of reasons.

He doesn't want the govt in his business, inspecting his shop, knowing how much chalk he sells and then the local "guys" putting their hands out for a "taste".

So, he ships all chalk to USA. So, when I sell to my dealers in Europe, Philippines, Australia, China, etc it comes from USA. One, because those are my dealers and contacts, and two, because he doesn't want to deal with the financial end of accepting payments. Thus, I send him payment once a month to an address of his brother-in-law He's either crooked or just smart lol

US Customs must not trust the chalk business because once every few months, they tear open a 500 box case and tear through it and drill holes in the bottom of the cubes to find "something". Not sure what they are looking for? But not sure Russia is a big exporter of illegal drugs that I know of ??

And, yes, at one point it was made in the Ukraine that I pointed out before. THus, why I chose Chernobyl Green as the name when we came out with a new color. My son just got back from visiting the Ukraine and Chernobyl, but he didn't bring any chalk with him. I told him I could have doubled the price if it had a little radiation

 

[Bavafongoul]

If you watch any of the shows on tv about smuggling, it would be easy to have cocaine
or some other profitable drug inside the chalk. So the only way to be certain it is truly
chalk and only chalk, core samples must be taken. Guess what? If you transport a cue
into or out of the USA and it has what looks to be ivory, the same thing will happen with
your cue. There will be core samples taken to confirm if it is ivory, the type and the age.
The hall pass is to have a CITES certificate for your cue(s) but none have been issued.
Absent that, bring all your documentation for your pool cue or else leave it safe at home.

 

[Wieguns]

You would be correct. Not sold in Russia for a myriad of reasons.

He doesn't want the govt in his business, inspecting his shop, knowing how much chalk he sells and then the local "guys" putting their hands out for a "taste".

So, he ships all chalk to USA. So, when I sell to my dealers in Europe, Philippines, Australia, China, etc it comes from USA. One, because those are my dealers and contacts, and two, because he doesn't want to deal with the financial end of accepting payments. Thus, I send him payment once a month to an address of his brother-in-law He's either crooked or just smart lol

US Customs must not trust the chalk business because once every few months, they tear open a 500 box case and tear through it and drill holes in the bottom of the cubes to find "something". Not sure what they are looking for? But not sure Russia is a big exporter of illegal drugs that I know of ??

And, yes, at one point it was made in the Ukraine that I pointed out before. THus, why I chose Chernobyl Green as the name when we came out with a new color. My son just got back from visiting the Ukraine and Chernobyl, but he didn't bring any chalk with him. I told him I could have doubled the price if it had a little radiation

What a waste of magnificent chalk...

I'm about due for a purchase, but torn between green or blue. Have blue now, but my at home cloth is green. Blue doesn't leave any marks on the green cloth though, so probably leaning towards blue again.

 

[JazzyJeff87]

If you think magic chalk is clean, you should try Taom pyro chalk. It’s even cleaner than magic chalk and one cube lasts forever! It costs three or four times as much, but easily lasts three or four times as long to go through a piece. I’ve been using the same piece for six months, and it still looks almost new.

Do you chalk after each shot with the Taom or Magic chalk?

I chalk between each shot and master works fine but if I can find an even cleaner chalk that I can use between every shot (without large amounts building up and getting messy) I will give it a try.

 

[FairladyZ]

No!

Well Dr. Dave here conducted a test on it so apparently its still good stuff. Have you ever tried it?

I had some friends over years ago to play...one of them left a cube of it...After using it, I never looked back.

 

[jrctherake]

Do you chalk after each shot with the Taom or Magic chalk?

I chalk between each shot and master works fine but if I can find an even cleaner chalk that I can use between every shot (without large amounts building up and getting messy) I will give it a try.

Hey Jeff,

Taom is the cleanest chalk I have ever used. It will last a veeerrryyy looonnngggg time.

It leaves absolutely no visible chalk on my measles cb, cyclop cb, red circle cb or 860hr tournament blue cloth. Even if you chalk every shot.

BTW, taom chalk works good on hard tips, but it performs extremely well with soft to medium tips.

You won't regret buying it. Especially if you don't like chalk marks on cb's and felt..

Jeff


EDIT:

BTW....I use Magic Chalk when I go to public rooms. If Magic Chalk was as clean as Taom I would use it at home, but since I mostly play 14.1 I had rather have a cb/ob without even a single chalk mark to help cut down on skids.

 

[newcuer]

Does the same guy in Russia makes the Tzar tips???

 

[Bavafongoul]

It had better last a really, really long time.
I checked the price of Taom pool chalk.

It is absurdly priced. If you want clean, then
try Blue Diamond at a fraction of the price.

A carton of Blue Diamond on eBay is selling
for $115; 4 boxes are selling for $22.53. The
chalk is as clean as any I have tried & seems
like a bargain compared with Taom & others.

I bought a BD carton (25 boxes) several years
ago & still have 1/2 carton left. I use it mainly for
its cleanliness since I apply chalk on every shot.

BD works as well as any chalk and in contrast to
some other chalks, especially Taom, it’s a bargain.

 

[ChrisinNC]

Do you chalk after each shot with the Taom or Magic chalk?

I chalk between each shot and master works fine but if I can find an even cleaner chalk that I can use between every shot (without large amounts building up and getting messy) I will give it a try.

Yes, just by habit I always chalk between every shot. I promise you will be impressed by the Taom chalk for it's cleanliness. You can play with it for hours with absolutely nothing showing on the cue ball or on the cloth. I always brush my table after practicing on it by habit, but really there is no reason to even brush the table after a session when playing with the Taom Pyro chalk. Like I said, the price is likely the only reason it is not very popular. As it takes forever to go through a single piece, to me the price is not a factor when considering the importance of my pool game to me as well as the importance of playing with a clean cue ball and clean cloth throughout a long session. The only problem is you can't make your opponent use the Taom chalk as well, so the cue ball / cloth will invariably get chalk marks.

 

[Franky4Eyes]

I bought a box of Elkmaster tips on eBay from China and they're counterfeit as a $3 bill.
Oddly, they play just like pre-made milk duds!
They're way better than the original imo.
It's like they were made as a medium instead of soft. They're a darker shade of blue that rubs off easily (cheap dye probably) and the pressure marks from the mould are totally different than Master makes.
Box of 50 was $5.00.
I ended up happy after the fact.
I am surprised that people are giving this a pass, but rode Deano like a horse over those jackpot cues haha.
If it's good chalk and people like it,more power to them!
I haven't miscued with the newer Master chalk that wasn't my own fault.
I forget to use it sometimes. Operator error.
A few people I know swear by Blue Diamond,
but now this scandal has me interested in the possibility of collusion.
I must try the magic now to see what it's all about!

 

[KRJ]

Do you chalk after each shot with the Taom or Magic chalk?

I chalk between each shot and master works fine but if I can find an even cleaner chalk that I can use between every shot (without large amounts building up and getting messy) I will give it a try.

I only chalk before the game at league night. I've actually played entire league night (5 games) with only chalking once

But, yup, MC is cleaner than most chalks, and it's personal opinion which is cleaner. The reason I think MC is cleaner is you don't have to grind it but just gently swipe once of twice, even if you chalk after every shot. plus, it does stick to the tip better than other chalks, so it only makes sense it will be cleaner as its not falling to the table or your hands

 

[KRJ]

Does the same guy in Russia makes the Tzar tips???

TZAR tips is my personal brand, I came up with the branding and marketing for it. My partner at MC has nothing to do with TZAR tips.

I have a guy in Japan that makes the TZAR tips. I tested quite a few tips before I chose this maker.

I also came up with "Tip Clipz" which are used to put on your cue shafts to keep chalk out of your case, especially if you have a nice case or nice cues Tip Clipz are made in USA by a guy in KC.

Pool towels and gloves coming next