Kaiser Soze

$25 dollar chalk TOTAL HUSTLE?

  • Yes

    Votes: 116 76.3%

  • No

    Votes: 36 23.7%
  • Total voters
    152
Luxury items

Chalk is not really like any luxury items...
We all know how amazing it is that craftsmen with decades of experience build flawless precision works of art. That steak was probably raised butchered aged and prepared by several experts.

are we really putting chalk in the same category as a Gina Cue?

At the same premium as Kamui chalk of 150 times the average price for a cube of chalk each.
A Gina cue would cost $22,500.00 (average cue $150.00 times 150).

Seriously?
 
How much does a bottle of Evian cost, versus tap water?

Premium beer versus Bud.

Prostaff golf balls, or Pinnacle? (I'm quite sure that example is outdated, shows how long it's been since I actively played golf.)

Premium gas for your sports car, or regular?

Those are all "consumable" examples. Given time, we could come up with many more.

Now there is a "premium" brand of chalk, just like most any other "consumable" product out there. Some folks will be able to justify the price, while others will not. That doesn't make it a scam, or some affront to the poolplaying public. If you don't want to pay that much for chalk, cool. Stop *****ing that it's the ruination of pool.
 
RoadHustler said:
Chalk is not really like any luxury items...
We all know how amazing it is that craftsmen with decades of experience build flawless precision works of art. That steak was probably raised butchered aged and prepared by several experts.

are we really putting chalk in the same category as a Gina Cue?

At the same premium as Kamui chalk of 150 times the average price for a cube of chalk each.
A Gina cue would cost $22,500.00 (average cue $150.00 times 150).

Seriously?
Click to expand...

However what is WRONG with someone engineering a better solution to increase the friction between the tip and the ball?

You can buy tires for your car that cost $50 each or you can buy tires that cost $500 each.

With the $500 tires you can take corners better, you are safer on wet roads, safer when you have to suddenly brake etc.... However IF you drive slowly and reasonably then in most situations the $50 will work just fine.

After all why do we pay so little attention to the last thing between the tool and the ball?

I mean let's take Kamui "Chalk" off the table.

You have people paying $6 a cube for Blue Diamond, for Russian Magic Chalk, paying $5 a cube for "Pre-Flag" Masters that people feel is somehow better.

So OBVIOUSLY some people a feeling a difference in chalk that is enough for them to already pay 50x the price of a cube of Masters. And beyond that if it's all about price then I can send you a gross of "Pioneer" brand chalk for $3. You can use a whole cube per game if you like.

The point that is upsetting to me is that some people refuse to believe that MAYBE this is a paradigm shift in how we think about tip coverings and the act of chalking altogether.

Why do the knives come out because of the price along with accusations of theivery and snake-oil?

I would bet a BILLION dollars (cuz it's the new million) that IF this stuff were $5 a cube then 99% of the people on this forum who are ready to burn Kamui at the stake would be erecting a shrine to them instead.
 
Everlasting Gobstopper

justadub said:
How much does a bottle of Evian cost, versus tap water?

Premium beer versus Bud.

Prostaff golf balls, or Pinnacle? (I'm quite sure that example is outdated, shows how long it's been since I actively played golf.)

Premium gas for your sports car, or regular?

Those are all "consumable" examples. Given time, we could come up with many more.

Now there is a "premium" brand of chalk, just like most any other "consumable" product out there. Some folks will be able to justify the price, while others will not. That doesn't make it a scam, or some affront to the poolplaying public. If you don't want to pay that much for chalk, cool. Stop *****ing that it's the ruination of pool.
Click to expand...

I totally agree people are allowed to pay what they want and its none of my business but 150 times the average price of a relatively comparable product is a little steep. Not saying I wouldn't like to try it just saying I would feel like a Maybach owner if i bought the everlasting gobstopper. :thumbup:

I woudnt pay $750 for a bottle of listerine even if it would cure bad breath for a month with each use.
 
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$5 worth it

JB Cases said:
However what is WRONG with someone engineering a better solution to increase the friction between the tip and the ball?

I would bet a BILLION dollars (cuz it's the new million) that IF this stuff were $5 a cube then 99% of the people on this forum who are ready to burn Kamui at the stake would be erecting a shrine to them instead.
Click to expand...

If it were $5 a cube I would buy it. Just to try it out.
 
RoadHustler said:
If it were $5 a cube I would buy it. Just to try it out.
Click to expand...

And at $25 a cube you will just make fun of people who do buy it but will certainly "try" it as long as someone who owns a cube is being generous enough to let you.

We all know how that works. I love to ride in my friend's Porsche but make all sorts of reasoning why my car does the job just fine and that a Porsche is not "needed".

However if I had the money and I wanted to have 300hp available to me at all times then I'd buy the Porsche.

We can go on all day making analogies that fit perfectly. The point is that everyone knows that the Porsche is better than the Yugo. Kamui is better than Masters but not everyone knows that yet. It's pricey, shockingly so, but that doesn't mean it's not a product that is s scam.

If it's good then someone will reverse engineer it and offer a cheaper version. That's why we have Lexus and Mazda in between Porsche and Yugo.
 
JB Cases said:
If it's good then someone will reverse engineer it and offer a cheaper version. That's why we have Lexus and Mazda in between Porsche and Yugo.
Click to expand...

And I will buy you a box of it when they do.:thumbup:
I can squeeze 3 nickels out of a dime.
 
branpureza said:
Why is everyone so butt hurt over a piece of chalk?
Click to expand...

I don't think "butt hurt" is the emotion that is being felt by the naysayers.

Now, some people who think they might be getting laughed at for paying $25 (or more?) for a cube of chalk may actually be feeling pain in their glutes, but it seems like the ones who have are happy with their purchases, and that's all that matters, I guess. :D
 
TheThaiger said:
Did your friend buy the chalk? I miscue A LOT, too. It's the bane of my existence, or one of them. I'd snatch the hand off anyone who said they could eliminate even 10% of my miscues for $25. Money. Well. Spent.
Click to expand...

If you use a cube a month, thats 300 per year. For 275, Ill give you stroke lessons that will eliminate about 90% of your miscues. For another 25, Ill teach you how to manicure a tip and chalk properly that should eliminate most of the rest.
Those lessons will last a lifetime, and will only cost you one years worth of chalk money. ;)
Chuck
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
Alternatively, it may have been my Hai Karate cologne. :

Best,
Brian kc
Click to expand...

I think I still have a bottle of Hai Karate cologne or after shave. I will check this weekend to see if I can find it.

Maybe it will give me the edge in a pool match. 30-35 year old cologne....could do wonders for my game.
 
TheThaiger said:
Great poll, wrong target. How about "The Greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince people to buy a $2,500 custom cue, when $250 will get you one just as good, and eliminates the russian roulette of deflection?"
Click to expand...

Before I comment, I want to say I also agree with your logic in cue prices, with respect to how it plays, however, dollar for dollar, this target of chalk by the OP is right on.

Your cue stick example is showing an extra cost expenditure of 10 times the cost of a good playing cue. While in the case of this ridiculous chalk price, we are talking OVER 100 times the cost of a perfectly good piece of chalk.

So in that respect, these chalk people are blatantly targeting their market to those of us who seek novelty and are either well to do or mad at their money.

(and as soon as I can figure out a way to to sell something at 100 times + it's value, and have takers, you can be sure to see my product on the market also.)

Now, in defense of cue makers, if I may draw an analogy, lets say to one of us building a car in our garage at home.

While it may not be a better car than lets say a new Mercedes, it would certainly cost us a ton more to build as a "one off", than it would to just go out and just buy a Mercedes.

The value in a custom cue lies in it's art factor. It's playability is secondary in reality. If you look to a custom cue for it's playability only, then you certainly are over spending.

While I have been playing for over 50 years, I'm not an art collector, nor am I wealthy, so I'd never spend 10 times the value of a good playing cue to own a custom cue.

The value and cost of a custom cue with respect to it's art factor has little to nothing to do with an outright rip off of 100 times inflation for a stinking piece of chalk that has absolutely no artistic value at all. :(
 
Frank Zappa once said...

"The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe."

Okay, so maybe that doesn't adequately resolve the issue at hand here. Or, the one in hand, either.

How could there not have been a resolution with references to Yugos, Porsches, hot women and Hai Karate? :D

My .02 cents:

If you think buying the comparatively expensive Kamui chalk will dramatically decrease or eliminate miscues, and, if this is of such high import to you, and, you're willing to shell out the money to buy it, I say more power to you. And, I promise, I won't poke fun at you. Seriously.

I voted that, yes, I thought it was a scam but maybe I clicked too fast without fully considering everything.

I think that if the chalk really is superior, and if you are a pro, or a serious tourney/money player, any edge should be welcomed.

Since I don't fit into the above categories, and, frankly, since I don't miscue a whole lot, for me, it would be hard to justify the expense for this chalk.

I wholeheartedly agree with what River City said about stroking the cue ball better and keeping our tips properly manicured so as to better avoid the dreaded miscue. I think if we follow this advice, then even the Yugo chalk might work pretty good. :thumbup:

I will say there is an aspect of using the Kamui chalk that really troubles me. I like the habit (a very good one) of chalking my tip after every shot. I believe there is a potential downside to applying chalk every 4?, 8?, 12? shots. Even if the chalk is supposed to hold up.

Best,
Brian kc
 
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3andstop said:
Before I comment, I want to say I also agree with your logic in cue prices, with respect to how it plays, however, dollar for dollar, this target of chalk by the OP is right on.

Your cue stick example is showing an extra cost expenditure of 10 times the cost of a good playing cue. While in the case of this ridiculous chalk price, we are talking OVER 100 times the cost of a perfectly good piece of chalk.

So in that respect, these chalk people are blatantly targeting their market to those of us who seek novelty and are either well to do or mad at their money.

(and as soon as I can figure out a way to to sell something at 100 times + it's value, and have takers, you can be sure to see my product on the market also.)

Now, in defense of cue makers, if I may draw an analogy, lets say to one of us building a car in our garage at home.

While it may not be a better car than lets say a new Mercedes, it would certainly cost us a ton more to build as a "one off", than it would to just go out and just buy a Mercedes.

The value in a custom cue lies in it's art factor. It's playability is secondary in reality. If you look to a custom cue for it's playability only, then you certainly are over spending.

While I have been playing for over 50 years, I'm not an art collector, nor am I wealthy, so I'd never spend 10 times the value of a good playing cue to own a custom cue.

The value and cost of a custom cue with respect to it's art factor has little to nothing to do with an outright rip off of 100 times inflation for a stinking piece of chalk that has absolutely no artistic value at all. :(
Click to expand...

But the chalk might mean you actually play better, due to less miscueing. I'd rather pay 100x the value of something that makes me PLAY better than 10x more for something that LOOKS better.

Anyway, enough already with kamui chalk!
 
RiverCity said:
If you use a cube a month, thats 300 per year. For 275, Ill give you stroke lessons that will eliminate about 90% of your miscues. For another 25, Ill teach you how to manicure a tip and chalk properly that should eliminate most of the rest.
Those lessons will last a lifetime, and will only cost you one years worth of chalk money. ;)
Chuck
Click to expand...

I reckon a cube would last as least a year. I don't lose chalk - it goes in my back pocket and stays there. So, would you teach me how to eliminate 90% of my miscues etc for $25? Moot point anyway as my stroke is fine - my tips, on the other hand, are a complete nightmare, and always have been.
 
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