Before I begin this review let me make some disclaimers. I've not done this before so it'll probably suck. I don't write well so it'll probably suck. My tests weren't scientific like Dr. Dave's so it'll probably suck. I don't own any Kamui chalk to compare with so it'll probably suck. You get the idea: as a review this will probably suck.
All that being said, I can tell you that Magic Chalk doesn't suck. This stuff is awesome. I bought 6 boxes from ChicagoRJ a month ago and have been using the same single cube exclusively since then. During that time I've had a lot of gambling matches and been hitting the ball better than I can remember doing for the last year. Allow me to describe my experiences with this great product.
First off, the seller has been a terrific guy to deal with. I used PayPal to order my 6 boxes from ChicagoRJ and within a few hours he sent me a confirmation email letting me know when to expect delivery. The chalk arrived within the specified time range and was packaged well. The product itself was in perfect condition with no problems. The customer service has been all I could ask for and I recommend ChicagoRJ as a very reputable dealer. Try him out, you can't go wrong.
Now for the chalk. The day it came in I couldn't wait to get to the pool room. I put the chalk in my Chalk Shark magnetic holder and started shooting extreme draw shots. For me this is a consistent test. If I can keep my stroke pure and control draw I know I'm on the right track. It's all subjective I admit, but if something is amiss, I can just "feel it" hitting extreme draw. The first thing I noticed was that I didn't experience any kind of slippage on the draw stroke using Magic Chalk. The tip (an elkmaster milk dud I made) grabbed the Measles ball and I could both feel and see the back spin take perfectly, the cue ball spinning effortlessly back into the corner pocket from center table. The Magic Chalk grips so well that stroking the ball truly feels effortless. That's the only word I know to describe it: effortless.
After the draw test I decided to throw out racks of nine ball and just run them out, freewheeling. I virtually could not miss. Due to the controlled grab of the tip I was able to draw perfectly with a medium stroke and have at least three times the draw I would with Masters. I could use various combinations of side spin with follow and draw with confidence that I would not miscue, even if I was at the very edge of the maximum allowable spin point on the cue ball. I compared it with Blue Diamond (which is a very good performer itself and was my previous choice of chalk) and my control with Magic was still a great deal better. The first night I used Magic I decided to show off with it to a good friend on a very fast Diamond table doing extreme inside English draw shots. I was able, with one application of magic chalk to easily draw the ball all the way around the table and spin it back to where I started from a great number of times. Mike Massey would have been proud of the spin. But here's the thing, I chalked once and then placed the chalk away from the table so as not to use it again. I did this extreme English draw 37 times and never miscued!! Not once! I didn't always get a perfect hit I admit (my stroke being the culprit, not the chalk!!), but my friend was dumbfounded at the amount of juice on the ball every time. Finally we got bored waiting for a miscue and gave up!!
A couple days later I made the long trip down to the metro Atlanta area to visit Ozone Billiards. I frequently go there to buy stuff and play a little free pool on their Diamond tables. Their instructor, J.P., was there and I showed him the chalk, doing the same kind of extreme English/draw/follow shots while using one of their demo model Predator cues. The cue had a terribly glazed over, flattened Tiger Everest tip, yet with one application of the Magic Chalk I juiced the ball 40 (we gave up at forty!!) times without a miscue. J.P. witnessed it and could only shake his head and say he wanted some. We looked at the tip after the fortieth shot and it didn't even look like it had chalk left, just a light covering (almost an embedded cake) of crushed blue dust. Yet this awful glazed tip still didn't cause a miscue with extreme English.
For the last month I've used the same cube, as I mentioned before. I've been playing long hours about 4-5 nights a week on average and have had a number of gambling matches almost every time. In all that time I've counted 4 miscues!! Four!! I hate to admit it but all four were my fault, not the chalk. One was while using the mechanical bridge at an awkward angle. I shanked it. Another was being jacked up over a ball frozen to the cue ball at an extreme stretch and I shanked it. The third was a drag draw shot and I nipped it. On the fourth, I was frozen to the rail after a horrible positional error. I was on the hill and two balls away from running an entire $100 set and just plain choked (thankfully I won the set anyway). The shot was very tedious and I damn near missed the entire cue ball and it lodged between my ferrule and the cloth.
The bottom line with Magic Chalk for me is that it gives me the confidence that if I dress my tip properly and do my part in stroking the ball, the cue ball will react the way I expect and won't be slipping off the tip. I can honestly say that it has improved my game a great deal as of late and I am more consistent now than I have been in a year. That's enough for me to use it exclusively when a shot is important.
This stuff is either angelic or maybe brimstone from hell. Or it may be nuclear rock from Chernobyl and end up making me glow in the dark one day. Either way, I don't care. I'll never use anything else if cash is on the line.
All that being said, I can tell you that Magic Chalk doesn't suck. This stuff is awesome. I bought 6 boxes from ChicagoRJ a month ago and have been using the same single cube exclusively since then. During that time I've had a lot of gambling matches and been hitting the ball better than I can remember doing for the last year. Allow me to describe my experiences with this great product.
First off, the seller has been a terrific guy to deal with. I used PayPal to order my 6 boxes from ChicagoRJ and within a few hours he sent me a confirmation email letting me know when to expect delivery. The chalk arrived within the specified time range and was packaged well. The product itself was in perfect condition with no problems. The customer service has been all I could ask for and I recommend ChicagoRJ as a very reputable dealer. Try him out, you can't go wrong.
Now for the chalk. The day it came in I couldn't wait to get to the pool room. I put the chalk in my Chalk Shark magnetic holder and started shooting extreme draw shots. For me this is a consistent test. If I can keep my stroke pure and control draw I know I'm on the right track. It's all subjective I admit, but if something is amiss, I can just "feel it" hitting extreme draw. The first thing I noticed was that I didn't experience any kind of slippage on the draw stroke using Magic Chalk. The tip (an elkmaster milk dud I made) grabbed the Measles ball and I could both feel and see the back spin take perfectly, the cue ball spinning effortlessly back into the corner pocket from center table. The Magic Chalk grips so well that stroking the ball truly feels effortless. That's the only word I know to describe it: effortless.
After the draw test I decided to throw out racks of nine ball and just run them out, freewheeling. I virtually could not miss. Due to the controlled grab of the tip I was able to draw perfectly with a medium stroke and have at least three times the draw I would with Masters. I could use various combinations of side spin with follow and draw with confidence that I would not miscue, even if I was at the very edge of the maximum allowable spin point on the cue ball. I compared it with Blue Diamond (which is a very good performer itself and was my previous choice of chalk) and my control with Magic was still a great deal better. The first night I used Magic I decided to show off with it to a good friend on a very fast Diamond table doing extreme inside English draw shots. I was able, with one application of magic chalk to easily draw the ball all the way around the table and spin it back to where I started from a great number of times. Mike Massey would have been proud of the spin. But here's the thing, I chalked once and then placed the chalk away from the table so as not to use it again. I did this extreme English draw 37 times and never miscued!! Not once! I didn't always get a perfect hit I admit (my stroke being the culprit, not the chalk!!), but my friend was dumbfounded at the amount of juice on the ball every time. Finally we got bored waiting for a miscue and gave up!!
A couple days later I made the long trip down to the metro Atlanta area to visit Ozone Billiards. I frequently go there to buy stuff and play a little free pool on their Diamond tables. Their instructor, J.P., was there and I showed him the chalk, doing the same kind of extreme English/draw/follow shots while using one of their demo model Predator cues. The cue had a terribly glazed over, flattened Tiger Everest tip, yet with one application of the Magic Chalk I juiced the ball 40 (we gave up at forty!!) times without a miscue. J.P. witnessed it and could only shake his head and say he wanted some. We looked at the tip after the fortieth shot and it didn't even look like it had chalk left, just a light covering (almost an embedded cake) of crushed blue dust. Yet this awful glazed tip still didn't cause a miscue with extreme English.
For the last month I've used the same cube, as I mentioned before. I've been playing long hours about 4-5 nights a week on average and have had a number of gambling matches almost every time. In all that time I've counted 4 miscues!! Four!! I hate to admit it but all four were my fault, not the chalk. One was while using the mechanical bridge at an awkward angle. I shanked it. Another was being jacked up over a ball frozen to the cue ball at an extreme stretch and I shanked it. The third was a drag draw shot and I nipped it. On the fourth, I was frozen to the rail after a horrible positional error. I was on the hill and two balls away from running an entire $100 set and just plain choked (thankfully I won the set anyway). The shot was very tedious and I damn near missed the entire cue ball and it lodged between my ferrule and the cloth.
The bottom line with Magic Chalk for me is that it gives me the confidence that if I dress my tip properly and do my part in stroking the ball, the cue ball will react the way I expect and won't be slipping off the tip. I can honestly say that it has improved my game a great deal as of late and I am more consistent now than I have been in a year. That's enough for me to use it exclusively when a shot is important.
This stuff is either angelic or maybe brimstone from hell. Or it may be nuclear rock from Chernobyl and end up making me glow in the dark one day. Either way, I don't care. I'll never use anything else if cash is on the line.
man, as much as you come in the MC threads, I'm willing to throw you a free box. Do you live anywhere near The Thaiger. I will mail it to him, and you guys can share it 
