I've never exactly known when to replace a tip. I think I'm close to needing a new one, but I'm not sure. I've attached a picture of its current state. Advice?
It's hard to know when someone is being serious sometimes. I assume you are joking? In that case, good one.:wink: I did actually laugh, but then the terrible thought struck me: What if he is in fact serious?! I've seen players be happy to play with equipment that looked like it had been mauled by a Rottweiler.
Just in case you are not joking:frown::
1. You are not doing the tip changes correctly. It seems you have taken chunks out of the ferrule when cutting the tip into shape.If you are a bit clumsy and want to do this procedure by hand, I'd advice putting some tape on the ferrule to protect it a little bit. Don't try to do everyting with the knife, if you are not skilled. Just get really close and get the rest with sandpaper. It's really important NOT to sand the ferrule, so keep the tape on the ferrule.
2. Your tip is way too low. It can still be playable, but the problem is that it is not large enough to cushion the blow to the ferrule. There is a large risk of craking your ferrule or even your shaft as a result.
3. Your shaft looks really dirty. Now this doesn't have to be a problem. But in case you are having problems with your shaft being sticky and attracting chalk, you should really consider sealing and burnishing your shaft (after a thorough clean). I recommend magic eraser first. Clean off with microfiber cloth. Use extremely fine sandpaper (at least 1200) and in moderation (and only if you need to). Then wax and burnish. I use wax on the cue shaft. This prevents the chalk from penetrating deeply, and makes it easy to keep clean.
4. If the ferrule is, in fact, mushrooming (expanding laterally at the end closest to the tip) this is usually the swan song of the ferrule. It is taking way too much force (because of the small tip size and maybe breaking with the shaft?). You could litterally be one hard break away from destroying your ferrule. If it is a tenon-through ferrule (which means that you can see the shaftwood (with the ferrule wrapped around it) when the tip is off, then that is extra dangerous when the ferrule is mushrooming. The ferrule is "retreating" from the impact area, leaving the tenon to take the brunt of the impact. The impact is no longer being distributed evenly on the shaft "shoulder" which the ferrule is sitting on, but rather one side is usually getting a lot more force put through it. Not good. Sometimes when the ferrule fails it takes chunks of the shaft with it.
5. If all of this is sounding like too much of a hassle, I recommend getting a repairman to do your tips. It might be cheaper in the long run, what with the Predator shaft costing 300 dollars now, and other manufacturers not being much cheaper.