Question for old timers@

1pocketguru said:
This was great! Thank you so much! I have been looking for this info! Vegetable vs chrome and pig vs water Buffalo vs cow... thanks a ton.
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You’re welcome. i wrote this article in 2004, really at the early stages of the multi-layer tip introduction. Since then, a hundred different makers have put out tips, and more study (from Outsville for example) in tip manufacture is available. I was thinking of doing an updated article, but life gets in the way.

Freddie <~~~ still uses Triangle
 
cueman said:
Those being made on the other side of the oceans maybe. But not the USA made single layered tips. They are cow hide.
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There is a quote in the article referenced and written by Cornerman here from the head of Tweeten Fibre Co. He said they only use water Buffalo.
 
cueman said:
Those being made on the other side of the oceans maybe. But not the USA made single layered tips. They are cow hide.
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Most layereds are pig and water buffalo. I don't know anyone that uses a 'cow' for pool tips. As said above all Tweeten tips use water buffalo hides not just any old cow.
 
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WildWing said:
If you're talking most of say, 1960s through 1970s, most players used French Champion tips. That is not to be confused with the later Chandivert tips, which were just not the same. Since you've included Lassiter and Mosconi, Lassiter probably preferred a harder tip, probably LePros. Mosconi, the original French Champion. Getting a good look at their cues when they played the first legends tournament in Atlantic City, Mosconi was definitely using the Champion, and Lassiter was using a single layer tip, so I'm going to assume it was probably a LePro.

Champion and Crown? Not just the lack of a fiber backing. Two completely different tips. The Champions had a lighter color, the Crown, a slightly darker color. I'd have to say the Crowns were a bit firmer too. They were made by the same guy in the old days. I'd have to say the French guy gave the rejects the Crown name, because they had a bit of a black base, but not very consistent, and they didn't play as well.

All the best,
WW

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BB Chandivert is still in business but afaik they don't make the Champion anymore. Been quite a while. I had one on an old R. Black and it played ok but nothing to get all worked up over. I normally used LePro/Tri depending on the cue. Never liked Elks, felt like a wad of bubble gum.
 
1pocketguru said:
There is a quote in the article referenced and written by Cornerman here from the head of Tweeten Fibre Co. He said they only use water Buffalo.
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And the best part is from the shoulder area. One of the reason Triangle's sucked for a while was they were using some stomach hide and thats no good. Leads to very iffy tips. supposedly they've stopped and are using only shoulder leather.
 
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lfigueroa said:
The tech is way over rated -- knowledge, experience, a good set up and a repeatable stroke is not something you can buy.

Much of the new stuff is smoke, mirrors, ballyhoo... and a lot of advertising dollars.

Lou Figueroa
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But dont the backers buy just that ? ;)
 
garczar said:
BB Chandivert is still in business but afaik they don't make the Champion anymore. Been quite a while. I had one on an old R. Black and it played ok but nothing to get all worked up over. I normally used LePro/Tri depending on the cue. Never liked Elks, felt like a wad of bubble gum.
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The pic I posted on the first page of this thread is from a batch I bought of Chandiverts in 90 or 91. I have about 8 blister packs of them, they are in parifin wax and I’d guess not dried out.

Barry gave me a few red back Lepro and a couple black back ones from Gus’s stash. I used a couple red backs up. Wow they were nice. I still have those as well, what I didn’t use.

A friend of mine has a tip collection going back to 85 when he started doing tips. Some of his tips are super rare and old. Pretty cool stuff.
 
garczar said:
BB Chandivert is still in business but afaik they don't make the Champion anymore. Been quite a while. I had one on an old R. Black and it played ok but nothing to get all worked up over. I normally used LePro/Tri depending on the cue. Never liked Elks, felt like a wad of bubble gum.
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If it's not in the old gray and red box, it's really not from the good Champion years. Though the later legitimate ones were in a white box, still red label, and had staples in the corners of the box top.
 
xX-Wizard-Xx said:
the best players use Royal Oak tips. they put Chandivert out of business after they printed Improved on the box and guaranteed each and every tip.

Performance of these tips are legendary almost mythical.

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These tips are so badly made today

I have had some boxes from various eras, and QC was terrible. Triangle and Chandivert tips were the visually best made tips for a long time, just based on seeing large piles of them
 
cueman said:
You are absolutely correct. I have believed wrong on this for decades. I asked Skip at Tweetens and he confirmed they have always used water buffalo hides.
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I wrote this in my InsidePOOL article in 2004 after an onsite interview with Skip in Chicago. I would think it’s required reading for all tip makers by now !!!

Alright, I’m kidding.
 
Cornerman said:
I wrote this in my InsidePOOL article in 2004 after an onsite interview with Skip in Chicago. I would think it’s required reading for all tip makers by now !!!

Alright, I’m kidding.
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Post it up! I would not want to miss any required reading as I am coming out with a Cue Smith Brand tip within a few weeks.
 
cueman said:
You are absolutely correct. I have believed wrong on this for decades. I asked Skip at Tweetens and he confirmed they have always used water buffalo hides.
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That's correct, all tips by Tweeten come from buffalo hides. However, I believe the early Champions in the gray box, red label came from cowhide. Somewhere back in the archives I put up a picture of a Champion alongside the Water Buffalo brand tip. They look nothing alike, either thickness or color. Maybe I can find it.
 
WildWing said:
That's correct, all tips by Tweeten come from buffalo hides. However, I believe the early Champions in the gray box, red label came from cowhide. Somewhere back in the archives I put up a picture of a Champion alongside the Water Buffalo brand tip. They look nothing alike, either thickness or color. Maybe I can find it.
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Here we go, 70s Champion tip compared to the water buffalo brand tip. Looks like two different animals to me, color and thickness. Scroll to post 26.

Water Buffalo Tips - reality

The question on the Schon tips got me thinking, so I'm doing a post to clear it up. Water Buffalo is (was) the common leather for tips. Period. All Tweeten tips (LePro, Triangle, ElkMaster) are water buffalo, despite odd claims otherwise. I wrote about this in the Tip article. I've talked to...
forums.azbilliards.com
 
cueman said:
Post it up! I would not want to miss any required reading as I am coming out with a Cue Smith Brand tip within a few weeks.
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I put this link in this thread in Post #30. Here it is:

Question for old timers@

Anybody know the history of cue tips? What was used during Luther Lassiter and Mosconi and Hoppe time? What was ernie putting on Gina's back in the day? What was on the first balabushkas? Maybe there is some knowledge in the billiards encyclopedia? Anyone care to share some history? Thanks...
forums.azbilliards.com
 
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