Soft Tips Get Harder?

Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Fargo 1000 on VP4
Silver Member
I use hard layered tips because:
1. they don't compress and change hardness over time
2. they deliver more power
3. they don't mushroom much

Soft tip users often say they agree with #2 & 3, but I don't think I've ever heard anything about #1, which is the most important factor to me.

Soft tip users: do you notice your tip getting harder over time, or am I imagining things again?

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I use hard layered tips because:
1. they don't compress and change hardness over time
2. they deliver more power
3. they don't mushroom much

Soft tip users often say they agree with #2 & 3, but I don't think I've ever heard anything about #1, which is the most important factor to me.

Soft tip users: do you notice your tip getting harder over time, or am I imagining things again?

pj
chgo
Click to expand...
Pressed elk master (dry)
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I use hard layered tips because:
1. they don't compress and change hardness over time
2. they deliver more power
3. they don't mushroom much
Click to expand...



I use hard layered tips exclusively because of reason's No 1 and 2.
But reason 1 is almost the only reason.
90% or more and the other 10% is the power thing.

I can't stand those soft tips that so many people, at least on this board, seem to like.
Talking about spin and all that.
If someone isn't getting enough spin they're not hitting the cueball correctly.
The contact time is so short anyway. This has become one more pool myth.

Probably myth no 2, with the whole LD shaft thing being no 1.
 
Layered tips DO get harder. Especially the soft ones! They also eventually glaze over and have to be taken down. I can't believe people can't feel the tip get harder? With a Moori M tip the first 2 weeks it plays better than any tip available and then gradually looses it's performance. It will last for at least 6 months of HEAVY play before the performance is no longer at the highest level and be acceptable for about a year in my experience. A Kamui black S or SS will hit like a wet sock when you get it and grip the cueball like crazy. The feeling of these tips are, however, awful IMHO. They will almost instantly become harder, glaze and still feel like shit. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside, the worst possible combination for feel. The performance will however be ok. I do feel I get less draw with the soft tips, but I would't bet on there being a measurable effect.
 
Stupid question about layered tips.

What keeps the layers together ? For example, a 9 layer tips consists of 9 individual pieces stacked and I assume held together with some kind of adhesive.

Been using the same brand of layered tip in medium softness for a few years across my 3 playing cues. My last tip change on 1 of my cues, all was going well until I suddenly had a big problem with miscues. I had to constantly scruff the tip to get it to hold chalk. I guess this is what some people call glazing.

This lasted about a month and now, no problem. Maybe I had a bad layer or a layer that had too much adhesive ?
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I use hard layered tips because:
1. they don't compress and change hardness over time
2. they deliver more power
3. they don't mushroom much

Soft tip users often say they agree with #2 & 3, but I don't think I've ever heard anything about #1, which is the most important factor to me.

Soft tip users: do you notice your tip getting harder over time, or am I imagining things again?

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

All 3 of those are valid PJ...

1 - All layered tips will end up at about 74 on a shore D durometer if they start out lower than that as a soft or medium... Even our treated single layered tips will harden, just not as much and at a slower rate.... So by choosing a hard layered tip you are already higher than 74 so you won't have to worry bout much in the way of further compression... This is one of the reasons I have said anyone can make a good hard tip.....

2- Energy transfer is 100% accurate... A hard tip will transfer more energy/ Have a high COR reading than a medium or soft version of the same tip.... COR is related to Hardness but they are bell curves and they are not 1 to 1... You can also have some tips that may be softer than a competing tip but have higher COR of similar grade... This is where chemical and proprietary tanning can show the greatest promise...

3- Because of the glue layers holding onto the leather layers it is harder for a layered tip to mushroom. Soft and medium ones can and do.... Single Layered depend on a good burnish and usually still move a little bit... By choosing a hard layered tip between the lack of compression and the glue layers helping out you normally won't have to deal with mushrooming......

The one you didn't mention is a function of number 1 but it's break in period... You can switch to a new tip and not have to wait since it already starts out as hard... The pro players either play with hard tips or they change tips on a schedule... That way the tip they are playing with is always within spec.....

Shoot straight and may all your racks be tight...

Chris
 
^ Great reply Chris :)

I do agree with this too, soft tips do harden with time and play. Part reason why im slowly crawling up in hardness too, next tip will be a hard one. I hate trimming tips down costantly and i cant stand to play with a mushroom either. My current Kamui Black M has been trimmed twice now and seems to hold its shape for the time being.
Glad im not the only person bothered by this :thumbup:
 
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