The curse of finding the right cuetip for your game

[Nico]

I've been doing a lot of experimentation with tip selection and have come to a few realizations.

It's safe to say that 99% of players are looking for four basic elements when trying to find the tip that they will commit to for the next 100 years.

1. Will the tip hold it's shape well or mushroom constantly?
2. Will the tip apply spin easily or require more effort?.
3. Will I suffer fewer miscues or more miscues?
4. Will the tip be durable or wear out quickly?.

Problem is, the answers to these four question completely contradict one another. There is no one tip that has the best of all these characteristics, and so we jump from tip to tip, never satisfied.

Hard tips hold their shape well but don't generally apply as much spin as a softer tip. A softer tip will generally mushroom and move more than a hard tip, but again, you have the ability to spin the ball easier. Question is, which aspect is more important to you and how much time do you want to spend on tip maintenance?.

Harder tips should theoretically last longer than a softer tip, problem is, harder tips generally require more scuffing as they tend to glaze over. Scuffing wears the tip down. Softer tips seem to mushroom and flatten out over time and need to be reshaped more frequently than hard tips. Reshaping also wears the tip down. Does one kind last longer than the other?. Depends on how you maintain the tip. I've had a soft tip that lasted years and a hard tip that lasted months.

A poorly maintained mishapen soft tip can be prone to miscues, but a well maintained hard tip is also prone to miscues. How frequesnt the miscues depends on how diligent a person is about chalking and tip maintenance. Stands to reason that a hard tip will maintain a more consistent radius, but hard tips rarely hold chalk as well as soft tips. Again, no clear winner here.

So I can resign myself to one basic truth in the end. Use a tip that feels like the right hit, don't over maintain it and stick with it. Problem is, I haven't found the right hit yet, so I'm still looking. Things were so much easier when I just used the tip that came with the cue.

 

[CaptainJR]

You are going to get some disagreement here. I think especially on 'if a softer tip applies more spin'. My personal opinion is they do. Especially when using a soft or slow stoke. The faster the stroke the less difference it makes. The one thing I'm certain of is that harder tips don't hold chalk as well. As long as you chalk before every shot like you should, that wouldn't make any difference.

Another factor that I don't see you mention. The ball speed factor. Another dilemma this causes for me is the extra speed you get from a harder tip. I feel I can be more accurate the slower I stoke but I like the feel of a soft tip. With a harder tip I like being able to stroke slower and get the same speed.

I like the feel of a soft tip. With a harder tip I like being able to stroke slower and get the same speed.
I like the feel of a soft tip. With a harder tip I like being able to stroke slower and get the same speed.
I like the feel of a soft tip. With a harder tip I like being able to stroke slower and get the same speed.
I like the feel of a soft tip. With a harder tip I like being able to stroke slower and get the same speed.
I like the feel of a soft tip. With a harder tip I like being able to stroke slower and get the same speed.
I like the feel of a soft tip. With a harder tip I like being able to stroke slower and get the same speed.
SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chris' Cues]

I'm just the opposite, I get better spin from a hard tip. I use the Talisman WB hard. Good solid hit without garing your elbow. Doesn't mushroom. Spins the ball well, and the only time I have a problem with misques is when I put extreme side spin on a real soft shot. If I go ahead and stroke through the ball its not a problem, considering I only chalk once or twice during a game.

 

[dirtydog48]

Try these

Talisman Pro hard domed. Best tip to fill all your criteria that I have seen in 30 years.

 

[Nico]

Another factor that I don't see you mention. The ball speed factor. Another dilemma this causes for me is the extra speed you get from a harder tip. I feel I can be more accurate the slower I stoke but I like the feel of a soft tip. With a harder tip I like being able to stroke slower and get the same speed.

Didn't bring that up because that's easily compensated for by an adjustment to stroke speed. The four factors I mentioned are in relation to the properties of a cuetip, under any shot situation.

Talisman Pro hard domed. Best tip to fill all your criteria that I have seen in 30 years.

I've been using Talisman Pro Hard tips on all my playing cues for 4 years now.

I'm just the opposite, I get better spin from a hard tip. I use the Talisman WB hard. Good solid hit without garing your elbow. Doesn't mushroom. Spins the ball well, and the only time I have a problem with misques is when I put extreme side spin on a real soft shot. If I go ahead and stroke through the ball its not a problem, considering I only chalk once or twice during a game.

You chalk once or twice during a game?. That's absolutely brutal.

Softer tips apply more spin than harder tips because they absorb the cueball more than a harder tip. This results in a longer contact time with the cueball, which creates more friction which equals more spin. It's not really a perception thing, more fact.

I use Talisman pro hard on a very stiff shaft and I get great spin. However, when I get a crooked old house cue with an elkmaster I always overspin the cueball because I'm used to working harder to get spin. It's a compromise I'm willing to make. Less spin, but better feel and cueball control.

 

[alstl]

Talisman Pro hard domed. Best tip to fill all your criteria that I have seen in 30 years.

What's the difference between them and the talisman WB hard?

 

[Chris' Cues]

The WB is made of Water Buffalo. To me they have a slighty softer feel and spin the ball a little bit better.
And using the same stroke with my wifes cue whitch has a Talisman Pro soft I will not back the CB up as much on a length of the table shotas I will with mine using the WB hard.