HOW Titan Tips Flattening

[thestickman]

Hey everyone. I recently installed a couple HOW Titan soft tips. The guy I installed them for is absolutely in love with them. They both mushroomed a little, expected from a soft tip, but the tips also flattened out quite a bit which I personally haven't seen and I install a lot of soft tips. One of them I trimmed and shaped to dime and it has been perfect ever since. The other one I trimmed and shaped and it immediately flattened out again.

Has anyone else experienced that?

(I did not compress the tips before installation)

 

[Michael Webb]

Across the board.
Tips made in Taiwan are inconsistent.

 

[garczar]

For what these cost that's total bullshit. Never had that happen with $3 Ultraskins. All soft tips with compress to some degree but not like what you're describing.

 

[thestickman]

Left is a dime shaped breaker, and beside is the HOW Titan which I shaped to dime Monday night, the player used it in league Tuesday night and it flattened to that shape.

I use a lot of kamikazes and they do not do this.

 

[thestickman]

For what these cost that's total bullshit. Never had that happen with $3 Ultraskins. All soft tips with compress to some degree but not like what you're describing.

Yeah definitely not happy about it. I use a lot of affordable layered tips and like you have not seen any issues.

 

[thestickman]

Across the board.
Tips made in Taiwan are inconsistent.

That sucks. What are some other made in Taiwan tips? I may avoid them.

 

[Michael Webb]

That sucks. What are some other made in Taiwan tips? I may avoid them.

The list is quite long. Better to search by brand.
How tips, black are not bad.
Bottom two layers on the titan red, SUCK!
Soft like a sponge unless they fixed the flaw.
AND
NO TIP MADE IN TAIWAN IS worth the $20 retail cost.
Jmo

 

[boogieman]

Left is a dime shaped breaker, and beside is the HOW Titan which I shaped to dime Monday night, the player used it in league Tuesday night and it flattened to that shape.

I use a lot of kamikazes and they do not do this.

View attachment 792752

A medium tip might better suit their play style.

In all reality you don't need to chase a dime shape. A tip pretty much conforms to your play style, but a softer tip will do so much faster. I like hard tips myself. I start them somewhere between a dime and a nickle and they flatten to about a quarter after a month or two of play. I just lightly lift the fibers with a piece of sand paper before each play session (really just knocking off old chalk). It takes years to wear a hard tip out since I've stopped being silly with the shapers. If one feels a tip needs scuffed/picked all the time it's a sign to try a different tip/different chalk/chalking method/work on their stroke. I know it's preference, but I really don't get the soft tip love. More maintenance and a soft tip does nothing a hard tip doesn't. You can't really tell that to customers though but I honestly feel this way. Everyone has their preferences after all.

Chasing the perfect dime shape is basically a recipe for wearing your tips out faster. Great for an installer, costly/annoying for the player. The exact shape where your tip ends up after playing literally doesn't matter, at least in the hands of a human. It might play on the mental game but that's more of a problem for a psychiatrist.