REVIEW - Kamui Hard tip

[AuntyDan]

I have had the Kamui tip for a month now. The aspects I like compared to the
previous Talisman Pros and Hercules are as follows:

1) Great surface quality/texture - I think this is often forgotten when
people compare tips, but the surface itself is what it making contact with
the cue ball. As Mr. Zeiler fitted while I watched I was able to see how
quickly and smoothly the tip was shaped. It came straight off the lathe
ready to play, unlike most other tips that start very rough after initial
shaping and require some time to have the excess roughness flattened out by
playing.

2) Robustness - I have had 3 Talisman Pros on this shaft (1 Medium and 2
Hard) and a Hercules Hard. All of them ended up delaminating, with the
smallest topmost layer falling off and leaving a sizeable dimple in the tip
I have to shape down a long way to get an even surface again. (I did not
aggressively TipPik or shape the tips in normal use). The Kamui has
noticeably thicker layers, with maybe 5 or 6 layers to the naked eye as
opposed to 10-12. I imagine this is why the surface is much more even. It is
worth noting I play with a dime radius on my tip. Perhaps tips with 10-12
layers only work well for people who keep a nickel radius?

3) Feel - I have been moving to harder tips and really liked the feel of the
Hercules when I first got it. The Kamui is maybe a hair less hard, but feels
just as good, if not better. (The Hercules had a noticeable "Ping" sound
when struck very hard which I do not notice from the Kamui)

4) Price - This may or may not be important to you, but the Kamui was a
little cheaper than the others from my cue mechanic, and not as expensive as a Moori.

5) Shape - The Kamui has not altered it's shape in any noticable way since installation (Mushrooming, flattening etc) However neither have any of the Talisman or Hercules tips I had previously. For me this is one of the great advantages to layered tips, I used to use Triangles and they always required some maintenance to adjust both the sides and the profile radius after several weeks of use.

NOTE - I have not had a Moori tip yet, so cannot compare it to those.

 

[Hit Man]

Kamui's

I've used the kamui medium tip on a meucci black dot bulls-eye and a predator 314 and was very impressed in all respects. I am always looking for a tip better than a moori medium. So far I've found none, but the Kamui is damn close!

 

[AuntyDan]

I've used the kamui medium tip on a meucci black dot bulls-eye and a predator 314 and was very impressed in all respects. I am always looking for a tip better than a moori medium. So far I've found none, but the Kamui is damn close!

So what do find in the Moori than is still a little better than the Kamui? What would a tip have to do to get better than one? (Ignoring price for the moment)

 

[Hit Man]

moori

I feel the moori's hold chalk just a bit better and require less frequent scuffing. I never had to reshape the sides from mushrooming on the kamui's though which I was impressed with. The only other thing was that both kamui's played much harder towards the last 3 to 4 layers while the moori's feel is excellent into that range. They are both excellent though, and I would buy them again. I guess the answer to your last question would be not to have to replace them so often, cause the moori's burn kinda quick to me but there again, nothing lasts forever. I play a lot, 2 different leagues during the week and practice 6-8 hours every friday and saturday. Maybe thats about average for some pool junkies, but I burned 4 tips last season between 2 different cues. If cost was a factor, I'd probably use the kamui, It felt great on the scruggs for about 1/2 the price.

 

[AuntyDan]

Thanks for the info Hit Man. I am still playing on the first layer of the Kamui, so I'll be interested to see what happens to the feel as it wears. I have not had to roughen it much at all yet.

FWIW I've not had to worry about mushrooming at all since I moved from LePros and Triangles to good quality layered tips. (3 Talisman Pros and now the Kamui) The only exception to this was a Porper's "Majestic" tip. This was supposed to be Medium-Hard but was softest, most awful thing I have ever seen on the end of a cue stick that would change shape radically on every single shot.