Guidelines for when to replace tip?

[thintowin]

nice to see someone using a cue for something other than an investment or cue envy. while your tip and shaft may make others cringe, if that tip plays good for you then so-be-it. also, breaking with your player is not a bad thing. i have always broke with my player (usually an off the wall sneaky such as mcdermot or meucci) with no ill effects.

if you do decide to break with your cue then you should probably replace your tip more often or continue playing with the tip and just replace the shaft as you have suggested. with your new shaft in place you can have the old shaft reconditioned and have it as a backup.

good hunting.

 

[FranCrimi]

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?

That tip would've been just right for Mike Sigel, but he's the only player I know of who likes them that way. I'm not sure if he still does, but years ago he sure did. Everyone else would have changed it a long time ago.

Regardless, there's no excuse for the dirty shaft and ferrule. Part of becoming a good player is to learn how to take care of your equipment.

 

[Skratch]

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 depends on what you're comfortable with playing with. Many players dont mind that its that low. I like to think about 1mm is the minimum you want to let it ride. Again, up to you. Its your cue. My rule of thumb is about the thickness of a coin. Nickle/Quarter is what I use. Sometimes you can just tell from the way it hits that its time to change it, even if its thicker. Esp. with the laminated tips. They say the layers and glue should give it better consistency of material than a single, and I find that to be generally true. At times, I've seen laminated tips do some funny things, and thats because they are constructed instead of natural. When you start to feel the tip affect your hit, then its time to change it. When I change a tip, I try to get used to it, even if its the same hardness and maker. If I dont like it, I change it, even if its new. I dont do that often. Good Luck!

 

[fastone371]

When you start chalking more ferule than tip its time for a new tip.

 

[peter_gunn]

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?

Burn the shaft.


Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

 

[westcoast]

Just took it in to get a new tip. Shaft really isn't that bad on closer inspection- just a bit dirty, but as I said that doesn't bother me.

 

[JoeyA]

There is a knucklehead at my local poolroom who KEEPS his tip height at about one layer of a layered tip or a dime's thickness. Yeah, he beats me regularly but what does he know? Oh yeah, he miscues or at least it sounds like he miscues regularly but the balls keep falling.

JoeyA

 

[lfigueroa]

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?

Reminds me of a trip to NYC many moons ago.

There was a small exhibition event being held in Grand Central Station. Anywhos, I'm ringside with a couple of RSBers and Mike Davis is playing and, in between shots, sitting right in front of us.

He has a tip on his cue that is totally shot, paper thin, down to the ferrule, and pretty much looks like the one in the OP. We couldn't figure out why anyone, much less a pro, would play with such a low, thin tip. So after one shot, Mike sits down in front of us and the guy next to me asks, "Mike, who's your cue mechanic?" And Mike looks down at his tip, names someone, and the same guy goes, "So... he ain't so good with tips?"

Lou Figueroa
I know, I know, not funny
but you had to be there

 

[Tramp Steamer]

There is a knucklehead at my local poolroom who KEEPS his tip height at about one layer of a layered tip or a dime's thickness. Yeah, he beats me regularly but what does he know? Oh yeah, he miscues or at least it sounds like he miscues regularly but the balls keep falling.
JoeyA

The lack of enough tip to deaden the sound is probably causing the miscue noise, don't you think?
These guys say change it at a quarter or a nickle, but a dime is plenty good enough.
Darren Everett, one of Missouri's best pool players for lo these many years, puts on a new tip and then immediately shortens it to around a nickle thickness. He says he likes the feel of it that way.

 

[westcoast]

The lack of enough tip to deaden the sound is probably causing the miscue noise, don't you think?
These guys say change it at a quarter or a nickle, but a dime is plenty good enough.
Darren Everett, one of Missouri's best pool players for lo these many years, puts on a new tip and then immediately shortens it to around a nickle thickness. He says he likes the feel of it that way.

In the past month it did sound like I was miscuing and sometimes I did miscue. That is what made me think it may be time for a new tip. I usually like them thin but as you guys saw I think I let it go a little too far!