The few hairs item I used was a rhetorical device to explain the idea that at a certain point a miscue will occur, a touch on the other side of the miscue point will avoid the miscue. And I have had the misfortune to miscue on some occasions, and when I check the tip have usually found there wasn't enough chalk at the location of the miscue, right on the edge of the tip, and there's usually a spot that is a tad bit shiny. Usually a judicious chalking at that point is enough to eliminate the problem, but if I have any doubt whatsoever about it, out comes the tip scuffer. I play almost exclusively with Milk Dud tips, you know the elkmaster tip soaked in milk for 24 hours and then compressed for another 24 hours. One may call it perception or whatever; I am happier with this tip than any of the others I've used, and I've used not a few. As for cost, they cost me less than 50 cents apiece, and I replace them myself.
People will argue about tips til the sun goes down and the cock crows in the wee hours of the morn, but those doggone screw on tips with what looks to be leather recycled from old shoes don't work too well, at least in my limited experience with them.
And for what it's worth, I think miscues are definitely more likely when shooting with the phenolic tip that's on one of my jump cues. Let those who perform actual scientific experiments tell me I'm all wet behind the ears, but for the life of me, I can't get those phenolics to play as well as my milk duds.
Flex