Inspired by this thread (and a few others) I decided to take the plunge and install a Recoil hard tip to try out.
TLDR: I love it! I think I've found my new playing tip.
Full version: I prefer hard tips. I've played with Triangles for 12+ years now. I don't know if it's the quality that's gone down or just my patience, but recently I feel like I've gotten more tips that mushroom multiple times to almost comedic proportions, and more tips that flatten out and need to be reshaped/scuffed on a weekly basis, and more flat-out duds. Suffice to say, I was the perfect target for the Recoil's advertising claims.
I was able to try a buddy's red medium Recoil for a few minutes and my first impression was that the hit felt a touch....rubbery almost. It instantly made me skeptical. I played a little while more and kinda got used to it, but I decided it wasn't the tip for me. However, the allure of a tip that is more consistent and needs no reshaping and will last a really long time was always in the back of my mind. And, of course, the reason I like hard tips is I don't like to feel like I'm shooting a cue with little pillows on the end. Would, then, the hard be a better fit for me than the medium?
So when the Triangle on one of my shafts decided to fray and mushroom for the umpteenth time I bit the, er, bullet and ordered two green hards. Earlier this week I had one of them installed by the guy at my local pool hall, replacing the dud Triangle. I immediately got to playing.
My first impression: this tip feels almost as hard as a break tip. It also has a definite plink sound to it. And on harder hits, the sound is closer to a crack. But the sound is not as loud as a break cue; it is definitely much more subdued. I found the tip holds chalk very well and when my first shot resulted in me over-drawing the cue ball right into the side pocket I knew I could do whatever I did with my leather tips.
This tip really works as well as any leather tip I've ever tried. I can do any shot with any english just like with a leather tip. I played for hours and actually felt more confident in my game because unlike any new leather tip, this one looked and played exactly the same as when it was installed. It still had the perfect dime-radius rounded top with absolutely no flattening or mushrooming. I'm no longer concerned with having to reshape or rescuff to avoid miscues; I'm no longer peeking at it mid-match to determine if the ticking time bomb of my tip might sabotage me at any moment. I have that mental space back. Just like carbon fiber shafts simplified the maintenance and care of shafts, this tip really simplifies the maintenance and care of tips.
I had kept my other shaft with the good (for now) Triangle, but as soon as I get a chance I'll have my guy install the other green tip on that shaft. I am a convert.
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*Note: I received no compensation for this review nor have I ever communicated in any way with anyone from Bulletproof Billiards. I paid for both tips out of my own pocket, while full of trepidation for what might be more wasted money on another snake oil product. But these tips are legit.
