Tip Diameter Forgiveness

ArizonaPete

ArizonaPete

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I like to shoot with a 11.75mm tip diameter. I feel I can more accurately strike the cue ball exactly where I want to with a smaller tip diameter plus the smaller diameter probably reduces deflection. Does a larger tip diameter (say a 12.75 or 15mm diameter) offer more forgiveness is making a shot? I would appreciate any comments or opinions.
 
In as much as the larger the tip size the less a tip will misscue, I would say yes; but that presumption is not without it's pitfalls.
I would suggest using a tip that was somewhere between one and a half to two inches in diameter. At that size you would probably eliminate all the misscues, but any english you wished to put on the cueball will have pretty much gone down the toliet. :D
 
I like my tips being almost at a point where it needs changed again brand new. I get more english this way. The bigger tip is just "uncomfortable" to me while playing. In other words I get mine brand new almost on the ferrule.
 
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ShootingRazbone said:
I like my tips being almost at a point where it needs changed again brand new. I get more english this way. The bigger tip is just "uncomfortable" to me while playing. In other words I get mine brand new almost on the ferrule.
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razz, you been drinking again? :grin-square:

just messin' with you.

Best,
Brian kc
 
ArizonaPete said:
I like to shoot with a 11.75mm tip diameter. I feel I can more accurately strike the cue ball exactly where I want to with a smaller tip diameter plus the smaller diameter probably reduces deflection. Does a larger tip diameter (say a 12.75 or 15mm diameter) offer more forgiveness is making a shot? I would appreciate any comments or opinions.
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FIFTEEN?! What would you be shooting with, a broom handle?
 
Tramp Steamer said:
I would suggest using a tip that was somewhere between one and a half to two inches in diameter. At that size you would probably eliminate all the misscues, but any english you wished to put on the cueball will have pretty much gone down the toliet. :D
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That would pretty much eliminate any possibility of the "closed" bridge, huh ;):D:D:D???

Maniac
 
I don't know of a scientific way to test whether the larger tip affects the accuracy of the shot, that's kind of tricky. It's fractions of a millimeter. Hard to set up shots that perfectly. My gut instinct says no. Any ball that dropped with a 14mm tip would also have dropped with a 11.75 mm.

In fact that actual area that's striking the ball is pretty small. Check out the size of the chalk mark when you hit the CB hard. Maybe the size of a pencil eraser? It may be that if both tips are shaped to the same radius (either a nickel or a dime) then the amount of tip impacting the ball is pretty much the same for small and large tips. Then the main difference only becomes how it feels as you slide it between your fingers. A tight closed bridge may feel more fluid with the smaller diameter.
 
Not scientific, but all I can seriously offer is that I personally shoot better with a 12.5-13mm tip. I had two Z shafts and sold them both. Great shafts for putting spin on the cueball, but I often have a bit of "waggle" in my stroke and the smaller tip diameter of the Z shaft SEEMED to exaggerate the fact that I wasn't hitting the cueball where I sometimes wanted to. The long, straight-in shots is where this problem really reared its ugly head!!!

Maniac
 
Maniac said:
Not scientific, but all I can seriously offer is that I personally shoot better with a 12.5-13mm tip. I had two Z shafts and sold them both. Great shafts for putting spin on the cueball, but I often have a bit of "waggle" in my stroke and the smaller tip diameter of the Z shaft SEEMED to exaggerate the fact that I wasn't hitting the cueball where I sometimes wanted to. The long, straight-in shots is where this problem really reared its ugly head!!!

Maniac
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I would concur with this. um.... except for the waggly stroke part.
 
Ask me this. Would a Predator 'Fat Shaft' be inherently more accurate than a 314/2? All other factors being equal.
 
How can a shaft be more "Accurate" than another? They're inert pieces of wood. Players are accurate. The shaft is just the shaft. Obviously a bent shaft or a bad tip won't send the CB where you're aiming but only you control the "Where you're aiming" part.
 
I'm going with personal preference on this one. If you think it plays better that way then that's all that matters. That alone will give you the confidence you need. In all fairness it's not the cue, it's the player. Someone also mentioned getting more spin with a thinner tip. Sorry, that's not possible. But again, if you think it does then it gives you the confidence you need. But, you won't get more spin with a thinner tip. You won't get more spin with a thicker tip either as far as that is concerned. The amount of spin you get on the cue ball is directly related to where you strike the cue ball. The thickness of a tip has nothing to do with that.
MULLY
 
ArizonaPete said:
I like to shoot with a 11.75mm tip diameter. I feel I can more accurately strike the cue ball exactly where I want to with a smaller tip diameter plus the smaller diameter probably reduces deflection. Does a larger tip diameter (say a 12.75 or 15mm diameter) offer more forgiveness is making a shot? I would appreciate any comments or opinions.
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Both the tip size and shape affect several things. For detailed info, see "size and shape" here:

Regards,
Dave
 
Thanks Dave. Your article sums it up very nicely. I should have checked your website before I started this thread. However, there were several interesting comments posted.
 
This is one of the first things I learned about pool, I think from Byrnes Standard Book.

Larger diameter tip = more forgiveness with poor hits but less accuracy.

Small tip = more accuracy but will show up your mishits a lot more.

Large radius tip (aka "nickle radius) = more force needed to get spin, but also less likely to mis-cue and/or hit the ball in the wrong spot.

Tight radius tip (aka "dime radius) = spins easier, but you need to pay attention more to how you apply the hit.

For my preferrence I like a dime radius and about a 12.5 -12.7 tip. You can hit softer with that combo and get nice action. I think I got that from how Efren hits the ball.
 
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