Premium Chalks – Are They Worth It?

I have a piece of Taom V10 that is 18 months old and is about 1/2 gone. Two hours of use each day, and as Dr. Dave pointed out, this chalk never leaves a mark on the cueball. Cleanest chalk ever, only have to wash my hands once after the entire session. Table rarely needs cleaning, and I just wipe the balls with a microfiber towel every couple of days. Definitely worth the money. I wrap tape around the sides and bottom so it doesn't roll when it falls of the table.
 

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DJKeys said:
I have a piece of Taom V10 that is 18 months old and is about 1/2 gone. Two hours of use each day, and as Dr. Dave pointed out, this chalk never leaves a mark on the cueball. Cleanest chalk ever, only have to wash my hands once after the entire session. Table rarely needs cleaning, and I just wipe the balls with a microfiber towel every couple of days. Definitely worth the money. I wrap tape around the sides and bottom so it doesn't roll when it falls of the table.
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As much as I hate to admit it...I finally procured a peice of Taom V-10 and used it for the first time last night. I am ashamed to say that I think it is actually worth the price. Everything you say about how clean it is is spot on. Actually, more accurately, it's spot off, lol, as there are now no chalk marks on the cue ball. For $18.99 or whatever I paid, it will stay at my house and I'll use my beloved Masters while at the pool hall...but for home use I'm Taom all the way at this point just for the cleanliness alone.
 
jalapus logan said:
As much as I hate to admit it...I finally procured a peice of Taom V-10 and used it for the first time last night. I am ashamed to say that I think it is actually worth the price. Everything you say about how clean it is is spot on. Actually, more accurately, it's spot off, lol, as there are now no chalk marks on the cue ball. For $18.99 or whatever I paid, it will stay at my house and I'll use my beloved Masters while at the pool hall...but for home use I'm Taom all the way at this point just for the cleanliness alone.
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like you
I have been against taom 10, just based on principle that there was no reason to change from masters
chalk
for whatever reason several weeks ago I decided to try it out again and really loved how clean it is
I don’t think it gives me more spin or anything like that, but it definitely is cleaner on my hands and cleaner for the table
I am now a convert😱
 
For the longest time, MC was touted as the best chalk and I still submit that all chalks are alike in purpose.
And if you apply chalk after every shot correctly, i.e., brush application vs. twisting, every chalk is the same.

The difference that becomes important is twofold……..attentiveness and cleanliness……the latter is the most
important since all chalk brands do the exact same thing. Attentiveness involves the player’s pre-shot routine.

When do you apply chalk? Do you check you tip in between chalking? Why is chalking regularly either distracting
or bothersome to some players? These are really simple questions, however, cleanliness is a entirely different matter.

One of the reasons all my pool cues have ivory ferrules is it is impervious to chalk stains. I find it a distraction and it’s
easy to keep your ferrule clean using toothpaste for a cleaning application. Then there’s the matter of cleaner pool felt.

A year ago I found a TAOM V10 chalk in one of the pockets at my pool hall. No one claimed it after 48 hrs. at the pool
hall so it defaulted to me. I’d never spend that much for a piece of chalk but I must say it really is the best chalk made.

I’ve played with the chalk for a year and I still brush apply chalk but not necessarily on every shot now. But I don’t play a rack without chalking. Every 2-3 shots I lightly brush my tip and the chalk still looks relatively new after a year with 75-80% of the chalk remaining. I could see playing a couple of years before replacing this chalk. It really does make my favorite chalk, Blue Diamond, and other popular brands like MC look relatively anemic. I have so much chalk I’ll never need to buy chalk again but I think I would actually buy a piece of TAOM V 10 chalk to replace the current one. Yup, that darn chalk is the cleanest pool chalk and leaves no mess at all. The only drawback is it might lull you into chalking less so resist that urge and chalk regularly. Make it part of your pre-shot routine but no doubt in my mind, TAOM is the 1st designer chalk that I can state is worth the price if only for its cleanliness but it also applies great. It rates #1, IMO & despite the price, it is a superior chalk.

I’m told my box of Willie Hoppe chalk is highly collectible. As you can tell, the chalk has never been used and I doubt
I ever would use it because of its rarity and scarcity. Anyway, TAOM blows away other chalks for absolute cleanliness.
That’s why I like it so much otherwise it does what all other chalks do which is to create friction. I’d buy it in the future.
 

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I managed to hold of some navigator chalk for £12 with free shipping. Here in the uk. That was great find, considering they retail for 25. The reviews I've read are right, about this chalk from Japan, not to messy, stays on the tip well. Its like perfect peice of masters, without the mess.
 
if you dont grind the chalk on the tip you get very little mess.
my hands are never very dirty after playing and i wash them anyways. and my table doesnt get chalk infused either.
maybe the taom chalk leaves less mess is because it costs 30 bucks a cube and people use it sparingly unconsciously.
in any case in life do what you like and believe what you like. and of course there is always something that is a little better.
 
and the miscue limit being one half the radius of the cueball doesnt seem to be a fixed point.
there are variables that move that point. some might be chalk on the tip, slickness of the cueball, and angle of the cue hitting the cueball.
 
Where I am playing currently has Master Chalk on every table...

I can play here for free, and have a designated table. So, I decided to keep a set of my own balls here.

I use the pink Taom as a friend gave me a couple of pieces... it leaves very few marks on the balls (if any), and I'm less than half way through the first piece of chalk. That is playing between 3-5 days a week, for nearly the whole time I've been playing on American tables (about a year now).

When playing others, it absolutely annoys the hell out of me having to clean the White ball after every rack, or during the rack if the opponent breaks, due to the fat blue marks on the ball.

The science behind what exactly causes 'kicks' is questionable, but I will be blaming the opponents application of chalk before humidity, cleanliness of the cloth or anything else lol
 
i dont worry about how dirty my hands get as i need to wash the after i play no matter what.

masters or whatever chalk is there is what is use and hardly ever mis cue. and when i do its a shot i pushed the outside hit.
i allow for throw so if my opponent doesnt its a big advantage to use dirty chalk.
 
I'm a traditional cue, no glove, Masters Chalk kind of guy. I switched over to Taom when I realized how much chalk dust was on my table when I used Masters at home. I now use it all the time when playing at pool halls, but it is a double-edged sword in that it tempts you into chalking infrequently and you may miscue if you go too long without chalking. Otherwise it's near perfect.
 
i use masters or triangle and dont chalk very often. unless its a draw shot or more than a tip of english.
and dont mis cue

no reason to chalk on a close to center line ball hit.
 
dr_dave said:
FYI, I just posted a new video that objectively tests the most popular new “premium” chalks to see how they compare to traditional Master chalk. The chalks tested are the medium hardness Predator Pure, Kamui Roku 6, and Taom V10. They are tested for miscue limit, persistence on the tip, persistence on the CB, and cling/skid/kick. Check it out:


Contents:
0:00 - Intro
0:49 - Miscue Limit
3:22 - # of Shots Before Miscue
5:17 - Chalk Mark Persistence
---- 5:38 – cling definition and demonstrations
---- 6:19 – FSR and SVB cling examples
---- 7:07 – chalk tests
8:42 - Cling/Skid/Kick
10:56 - Wrap Up

As always, I look forward to your feedback, comments, questions, complaints, and requests.

Enjoy!
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When TAOM V10 chalk came out I thought anyone who bought it would be stupid,$20? No way!!! I have always used a magnetic chalk holder, I hated having to walk around the table and having to look for it, having right at my side just made my pre-shot routine, more routine, so I bought a new chalk holder, the catch was I needed to spend $20 more to get free shipping which saved me $10, so I got the chalk for $10, I really didn't expect much but I have been using it ever since, I piece of chalk lasts me about 2 years, so it's less than 25 cents a week, I agree it doesn't perform any better but it's cleaner, cleaner on the table, cleaner on the balls, hope this helps if you're on the fence about trying Taom V10 chalk.
 
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Some people over Chalk, some people do not understand with Chalk there is right & wrong way to apply, see people try and make Chalk work on a Tip that is Smoother then a Newborns Skin.

Chalk gets blamed for a lot of People Problems.
 
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