Pool stuff you bought🤮, tried or used, and said never again.🤮

[JazzyJeff87]

I got a porper tip shaver or something like that when I first started playing. I don’t remember much about it other than messing up my ferrule lol.

A pool glove is the only optional accessory that I consider a necessity. Everyone needs chalk. Some hate on gloves but I live in MD where it’s humid most of the time. Once you get used to a glove it’s the only way to go. I want the least friction possible and if you have a wood shaft the glove covers the feel of most nicks and stuff like that.

I got stuck playing once in the summer without a glove and there was no powder anywhere to be found. I couldn’t draw the ball and even my open bridge was jerky and catching. It was a terrible match that led to me carrying around backup gloves and powder for like a year lol.

 

[measureman]

Predator chalk. It came next day from Amazon. So why not try it. Works great except after about 2 hours of play my hands are dyed blue and I have to vacuum my table. Literally leaves piles of fine dust on hard hits with a soft tip. Had to wash my cue ball 3 times to get that stuff off.

Me too,way too messy.
It's like you killed a Smurf with your bare hands.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Any tip tool by Porper creations.

Maybe I am wrong but their Black Color mushroom tool works good, if your careful.

Friend who has long Cue has one of their extended Cue Cases that he loves.

Porper is no longer in biz Apprently, Joe died.

 

[boogieman]

Any tip tool by Porper creations.

Porper Prikstik Tacker Tool is 100% a good product, probably the best on the market. I've had no luck with their mushroom grazer or their burnisher. Their tip clamp tool works good as long as the tip fits and you are smart enough to use it.

 

[9ball5032]

Porper Mushroom Grazer didn't work for me. The blade would get stuck in tip. I did better with a brand new utility blade out of its holder.

Porper Tip Burnisher burnishes the tip alright, but at an angle, like a conehead. Your better off with a piece of hard leather.

Predator Chalk for some reason I had miscues. I even bought another pack and same thing.

 

[pwd72s]

Yes, all those $pendy chalks...just stick with master, make chalking part of your pre shot routine. (Guess I should include a confession here. Yes, I suckered for some of them.)

 

[boogieman]

Yes, all those $pendy chalks...just stick with master, make chalking part of your pre shot routine. (Guess I should include a confession here. Yes, I suckered for some of them.)

The only exception IMO would be Taom Pyro and that is all about it's cleanliness, no magic, just clean.

 

[Straightpool_99]

Too many to even list, but I'll try to list the ones I remember:
1. Taom chalk. Got one of these for free in a major tournament. I lost it and because it was round it rolled through almost the entire venue. That was embarrassing. Really, all the performance chalks are bunk, IMO. Triangle or master will do the job just as well.
2. Third eye stroke trainer. Same as the previous person to mention it, plus it broke almost instantly.
3. Whatever that TAOM break/jump tip is called. I installed it on my jump cue, and it's the worst tip I've ever had on it. I can't even describe it, other than that I couldn't make a ball with it OR put any action on the ball. Worst tip EVER. I bought the cheapest, rock hard layered tip I could find, which cost about 1/10th of the TAOM and suddenly everything was all right again. The TAOM was also the first tip I'd had professionally installed in a decade and there won't be any more of that, either. What a ripoff.
4. I bought a B.A.T trainer. It's an aim training device. I found out that it's faster, easier and far better to set up shots without it.

 

[Straightpool_99]

TOTALLY worthless.


Jeff Livingston

If those are TWEETEN elk master tips and Master chalk, that's not so bad. Also that tip shaper half tube is not so bad either. As for the clamps, glue and other stuff, I agree.

 

[iusedtoberich]

-The European stick 10 years ago that had a spring in the forearm to help identify stroke flaws.
-Cue accelerometer digital devices.
-The AI iPhone app just released (I beta tested it).
-Schmelke cues.
-eBay cues made in the Philippines.
-The cheap, thin, template racks Amazon/eBay sells (The Magic Rack Brand is perfect).
-Bugs bank tapes. Unwatchable.
-Omega streamed matches. Too many changes mid-session.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure more that I forget about.

 

[Hoogaar]

The only exception IMO would be Taom Pyro and that is all about it's cleanliness, no magic, just clean.

As for all the other claims by other chalks for better performance, might be marketing as much as anything.

But I've been using Taom Pyro at home for about 2 months now and it is objectively significantly cleaner than any other chalk I've ever used. Certainly much more than the Kamui and Predator I'd been using lately. I can play for hours on end on my table now and my hand is still perfectly clean. Absolutely worth it for your home table IMO.

 

[hang-the-9]

My personal top pick is this.. Like the Swiss Army Knife of Pool accssories, does many things, but nothing well.

My biggest issue with that tool is that it's not made for the modern LD shafts with tips under 13 mm so that burnisher is pretty much useless.

The only thing that I really though I would use more but don't is the stroke training tools like the QMD3 TRAINING TOOL and the Digicue. Once you know what the issue is, I don't see using it much past that. Good for training to share with people, but you can usually see the issues with someone's mechanics without those specific things. Seeing how the balls are pocketed and the position you get is pretty much all the feedback you need.

 

[mikemosconi]

I have settled after 45 years of using every tip tool imaginable on just using my chosen sandpaper grit ( 300-400) folded around a hard cardboard 6X3 inch rectangle to shape my cue tip by hand and eye, and to burnish the sides with a simple 1/4 inch thick piece of 3X3 leather. For me, nothing ever worked better.

As for cleaning a shaft. I only use 91% isopropyl alcohol on a clean cotton cloth, once the shaft dries, burnish with a microfiber cloth - that is it.

As for shaft dent removal, after first cleaning the shaft as above; a teapot steam directed from 6 inches away towards the dent, followed by using a thick glass rod rubbed vigorously over the dent area lengthwise with the shaft, followed by a full shaft burnish with 2000 grit paper, followed by a microfiber finish. I consider myself an expert cue shaft dent remover with this process.

Trial billiard items that I rejected almost immediately: low deflection shafts, CF shafts, phenolic break/jump tips, heavy break cues, any chalk other than Master chalk, any pool balls not of the highest quality; ANY pool table with pockets that consistently reject what I consider a properly executed pool stroke and accurate object ball contact point.

Need to smooth out a linen wrap that is getting a little rough? Get a heavy thick glass beer mug, hold the cue butt a 75 degrees and rub the linen wrap lengthwise from top to bottom of the wrap as you slowly rotate the cue butt. follow this by rotating a quality wax paper slowly and lightly around the linen wrap ( circular, not linear) from top to bottom. My wraps come out perfect.

Household items are the KING of cue maintenance- need to clean a dirty ferrule- magic eraser coated lightly with 91% isopropyl alcohol - just rub over the ferrule area ONLY- while rotating the shaft. You can cover your tip with painters tape if you are a little shaky

 

[MurrayNevada]

As for all the other claims by other chalks for better performance, might be marketing as much as anything.

But I've been using Taom Pyro at home for about 2 months now and it is objectively significantly cleaner than any other chalk I've ever used. Certainly much more than the Kamui and Predator I'd been using lately. I can play for hours on end on my table now and my hand is still perfectly clean. Absolutely worth it for your home table IMO.

Elephant brand practice balls are made to hold chalk so you can see where you are hitting the ball. It won't hold any Taom Pyro chalk. It's just too clean. I must use other chalks when using those practice balls.

 

[jay helfert]

Sardo Rack, and only $135!

What a joke that was and they sold thousands of them. Good marketing strategy by sponsoring pro tournaments that used their rack. How many do you still see around being used anywhere?

 

[measureman]

-The European stick 10 years ago that had a spring in the forearm to help identify stroke flaws.
-Cue accelerometer digital devices.
-The AI iPhone app just released (I beta tested it).
-Schmelke cues.
-eBay cues made in the Philippines.
-The cheap, thin, template racks Amazon/eBay sells (The Magic Rack Brand is perfect).
-Bugs bank tapes. Unwatchable.
-Omega streamed matches. Too many changes mid-session.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure more that I forget about.

I guess you had a bad experience with a Schmelke cue.
I use one as a daily player and so far it's been great.

 

[jimmyco]

Me too,way too messy.
It's like you killed a Smurf with your bare hands.

That must be why there always seems to be a near new on mixed in with all the Masters in the chalk box at Felt.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

I ripped off a tip with that thing once. Garbage

My experience was similar my tip tools are 220 Sandpaper, Willard Shaper, Tip Tapper, and last Porper Mushroom tool.

A new Dollar bill will double as Mushroom Tool & Shsft Burnisher.

 

[measureman]

That must be why there always seems to be a near new on mixed in with all the Masters in the chalk box at Felt.

Yeah I grabbed one 2 weeks ago out of the chalk box at Felt.
I'm using it but dont know why, guess I just couldn't resist grabbing it.
You dont come in on Saturday anymore?

 

[jimmyco]

Yeah I grabbed one 2 weeks ago out of the chalk box at Felt.
I'm using it but dont know why, guess I just couldn't resist grabbing it.
You dont come in on Saturday anymore?

No, been too tired or too sore.

Thanks for noticing.