Soft tip vs Hard tip

[TheNewSharkster]

Hi everyone,

I have read in numerous books and heard on TV that the pro players like to use a hard tip on a cue. My question is why?

My best guess is it gives more control over the cue ball. It seems like a softer tip would impart more spin on the cue ball (don't flame me if I am wrong please ). Also a softer tip wouldn't need to be scuffed as much. That leaves cue ball control being the only advantage I can think of.

As a disclaimer I have only really shot with a medium tip. Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[SupaFoo]

Hard tips hold their shape better than soft and thus need less tending-to and replacing. Pros don't need the increased spin benefits of softer tips because, well, because they're pros

 

[TheNewSharkster]

Hard tips hold their shape better than soft and thus need less tending-to and replacing. Pros don't need the increased spin benefits of softer tips because, well, because they're pros

What you are saying makes sense but I would rather reshape the tip every couple weeks rather than scuff it almost every time I play.

 

[dr_dave]

I have read in numerous books and heard on TV that the pro players like to use a hard tip on a cue. My question is why?.

FYI, I have many comments on this topic from me and others here:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/cue_tip.html#hardness​

Check them out.

Regards,
Dave

 

[CrownCityCorey]

Hi everyone,

I have read in numerous books and heard on TV that the pro players like to use a hard tip on a cue. My question is why?

Feel and Shape.

If you use a very hard tip, you'd best be sure to have the stroke to back it up.

 

[Tom In Cincy]

Feel and Shape.


Thee hard tips keep their shape longer than the soft and medium

What you are saying makes sense but I would rather reshape the tip every couple weeks rather than scuff it almost every time I play.

 

[Cuebuddy]

What you are saying makes sense but I would rather reshape the tip every couple weeks rather than scuff it almost every time I play.

I never scuff mine and its so hard a cat couldn't scratch it A quality tip holds chalk well and usually gets harder the more you play with it. I used to like soft tips until I made the switch and I could not go back now. I have more confidence and can apply more spin because of my confidence.

 

[TheNewSharkster]

FYI, I have many comments on this topic from me and others here:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/cue_tip.html#hardness​

Check them out.

Regards,
Dave

Thanks for the link Dr. Dave. I think I had actually read that before on your site.

 

[TheNewSharkster]

I never scuff mine and its so hard a cat couldn't scratch it A quality tip holds chalk well and usually gets harder the more you play with it. I used to like soft tips until I made the switch and I could not go back now. I have more confidence and can apply more spin because of my confidence.

What brand of tip do you use. I shoot with a OB1 shaft and I think it has a moori medium on it and it needs to be scuffed every now and then . If you have a hard tip that you don't scuff and it holds chalk I want to get one of those :grin:

 

[bankshot76]

Experience

I think It all depends on the amount of stroke you've got, I've got a decent stroke, and I can use my phenolic tipped break cue and shoot halfway decent. I think that a soft tip is great for a beginner level player so that they can see how the cueball reacts easily to english, and as they become better move up to a little harder tip as they develope a decent stroke. My personal favorite tip is the Moori Medium, it holds it's shape well and doesn't seem to require alot of maintenance. Like most things it's always up to the individual player no different than shaft diameter, taper length, or whatever.

 

[IanCt]

I think It all depends on the amount of stroke you've got, I've got a decent stroke, and I can use my phenolic tipped break cue and shoot halfway decent. I think that a soft tip is great for a beginner level player so that they can see how the cueball reacts easily to english, and as they become better move up to a little harder tip as they develope a decent stroke. My personal favorite tip is the Moori Medium, it holds it's shape well and doesn't seem to require alot of maintenance. Like most things it's always up to the individual player no different than shaft diameter, taper length, or whatever.

You would be well to take this gentlemans advice, except I would recommend a sniper tip, I have been using the same sniper tip for 2 years, needs almost no maintenance, and feels great. I think it is the best tip for the ob-1 shaft as well.

 

[deanoc]

would someone please pm me with some information,i like my current tip,i don't know if it is hard or soft,i don't even know how to test it.could someone please tell me how to determine if i have a hard,medium,soft etcand hoh to test it so i can always get exactly the same on all my future cues

dean

 

[Cuebuddy]

What brand of tip do you use. I shoot with a OB1 shaft and I think it has a moori medium on it and it needs to be scuffed every now and then . If you have a hard tip that you don't scuff and it holds chalk I want to get one of those :grin:

I do not use Moori's but I have read posts that the new ones will glaze and need a little scuffing. I use Talisman tips and have for years, they get rock hard but don't glaze unless you are playing on very dirty tables(dust and diesel smoke). I have heard only good things about sniper tips but haven't tried one yet.

 

[JimS]

I prefer Super Pro's.

 

[ShootingArts]

let me make things perfectly unclear . . .

Some of the very best in the world use hard tips.

Some of the very best in the world use soft tips.

Not all hard tips are created equal.

Not all soft tips are created equal.

All of the above is also true about "medium" tips.

The way you play, your cue shaft, your ferule, will all help determine the right tip for you. I played with a single milk dud for years at a time with next to no maintenance and it was a fairly soft tip. Even the old plain Elk Master needed very little care if you got a good one. I have also had hard tips that never settled down and flattened and mushroomed until they were gone.

Soft tips and hard tips may be able to put the same spin on a cue ball for different reasons so a lot has to do with the sound and feel you like. If you find a tip that suits you perfectly buy a box of them.

Hu

 

[edd]

Hi everyone,

I have read in numerous books and heard on TV that the pro players like to use a hard tip on a cue. My question is why?

My best guess is it gives more control over the cue ball. It seems like a softer tip would impart more spin on the cue ball (don't flame me if I am wrong please ). Also a softer tip wouldn't need to be scuffed as much. That leaves cue ball control being the only advantage I can think of.

As a disclaimer I have only really shot with a medium tip. Thanks in advance for any replies.

I'm not certain of this, but I believe there may be a golf analogy here. The pros, given their superior technique, prefer forged irons with steel shafts; whereas, amateurs can benefit from the oversized cavity clubs with titanium, etc, shafts which are more forgiving. Therefore, I suspect the pro/accomplished players may prefer the hard tips.