Tip Longevity

[poolgoddess]

My basic question is, how long is a tip good for, before you should change it? Does it
get hard and brittle over time? I play 5 days a week, for 3 hours a day. There's the
guide line. Will it be different if the tip is layered, or one piece of leather? And last,
will it be different, if you have a layered, soft, medium, or hard? Thanks for your time.

 

[qbilder]

By playing that much, your tip will wear away long before it "expires". Old leather can eventually get brittle, but that takes a very long time, as in decades. With you playing that often, your tip will wear down simply from chalk and maintenance. When worn down to when the sidewall is as thick as a nickel, then you should change it. That said, even very soft tips are hard when they are that thin, so you won't be getting the benefit of a soft tip. If you like soft & medium tips, then you should leave more meat & change them more often. If you like harder tips, then letting it get thin isn't a big deal. With ANY tip, letting it get too thin will risk damaging the ferrule, so at least a nickel thickness on the sidewall is a good idea.

 

[cueman]

To me a tip should be replaced when it no longer performs the draw shot correctly or when it is worn down pretty low. My triangle tip has been on my playing cue for a few years now.