hardness testers

J

jayz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am trying to measure the hardness of the tip on the cue stick. I would like to know if any of your readers know of a simple and inexpensive way of doing this. I have checked into durometers and they are very expensive pieces of equipment.

Aloha,

Jayz
 
O bought my Durometer on E-Bay for about $50 plus shippng. Be patient and be sure to get the type you actually need.

Troy
 
tip how hard

Knowing how hard or soft tips are is vital information. The best compiliation of what I have seen of this is in the tip section of the Mueller catalog. If those ratings are accurate and from my experience they all look about right, that is all you need, there is your tip book there. Morri is not there but the Morri hard is about the same as the triangle.
The most popular tips on that chart are the elk master soft, lepro, med firm and the triangle hard.
Mueller Sporting Goods
( http://www.poolndarts.com)

:)
 
I bet every tip on earth will be about the same hardness within a month after installation.

I have a durometer and it means basically nothing. I tried to come up with a way to measure accurately the hardness of tips.

Here is my theory on the relatively recent, within the last few years, obsession with tip hardness;

I believe that whenever a player puts a tip on their cue they want a certain feel. If they get that feeling/hit then they basically play into the tip. Every tip will reach what is called a maximum compression and when depends only on how many shots in what period of time are taken as well as how hard those shots are on average. So while the tip is being compressed the player is comfortable with the tip and is getting used to it.

Anyway, I think that knowing whether a tip is hard, soft or medium does offer comfort but is not really a great indicator of how a particular tip will "play". Even so, I prefer an Instroke 11 layered soft. ;-))

John
 
instroke said:
I bet every tip on earth will be about the same hardness within a month after installation.

I have a durometer and it means basically nothing. I tried to come up with a way to measure accurately the hardness of tips.

Here is my theory on the relatively recent, within the last few years, obsession with tip hardness;

I believe that whenever a player puts a tip on their cue they want a certain feel. If they get that feeling/hit then they basically play into the tip. Every tip will reach what is called a maximum compression and when depends only on how many shots in what period of time are taken as well as how hard those shots are on average. So while the tip is being compressed the player is comfortable with the tip and is getting used to it.

Anyway, I think that knowing whether a tip is hard, soft or medium does offer comfort but is not really a great indicator of how a particular tip will "play". Even so, I prefer an Instroke 11 layered soft. ;-))

John
Click to expand...


Fast replies: Hi John, how ya doin, what you say is very true, the elk master begins very soft then every day begins to get harder as it packs down. Every day it's something new. Soon it is no longer soft.

I press the center of my triangles down in with a ball bering, not much, but I make a dent. What I like about those tips is they stay the same. There is not much break in, then the feel remains constant. They don't change, they never mushroom. Go harder John, it will take some getting used to but the performance will be better. My tests reveal a soft tip does nothing good and a hard tip out performs any soft tip made. :p
 
instroke said:
I bet every tip on earth will be about the same hardness within a month after installation.
John
Click to expand...

I believe that the makeup of some tips prevent them from ever reaching the hardness and consistency of others. As far as the breaking in period: I have tried to break in tips over an extended period of play that never attained the degree of hardness I required.

I have been playing pool for over 40 years and tip hardness has always been a priority for me as I suspect for many skilled players. When I started playing, none of the players I knew ever heard of compressing a tip to ensure hardness. The breaking in period is practically nil with a properly compressed tip.

I know many players can relate to attempting a finesse English shot with a brand new tip and not being able to execute because the tip was too soft. If you are basically a center ball hitter who uses very little English (which I’m guessing you are) then a soft tip should be adequate. Players who use more English usually prefer a harder tip especially for the finesse shots.

We will be experimenting with a durometer to determine the best way to consistently gauge tip hardness.
 
Troy, what do you mean by "get the type you need"? What exactly should one be looking for?

Thanks!
 
The problem with testing tips' hardness is, you're measuring them fresh off the box.
I just had a layered tip put on. It played soft. So I took the stick outside and started bouncing it off the pavement.
Presto! It hardened up and I loved it after that.
 
jayz said:
I am trying to measure the hardness of the tip on the cue stick. I would like to know if any of your readers know of a simple and inexpensive way of doing this. I have checked into durometers and they are very expensive pieces of equipment.

Aloha,

Jayz
Click to expand...
/IJay, u want to know how hard your tip is?? Very simple test. Get a glass or ceramic saucer. It is very hard, correct?Try dropping the tip into it straight. So it hits flat. Try several tips. The sound difference is very noticeable. Not scientific but better than just guessing.

Mitch in San Diego
 
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