Tip Question

9 ball

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was watching the royal london watches snooker masters today and I heard the commentators say the smaller the tip the more action you will get on the CB, so here's my question:

I have a playing cue that I want to retip with a 9mm tip but what I would like to know can this still be done even though the tip that is on the cue already is 13mm?

Any help is appreciated
 
sounds like u are wanting to put a 9mm tip on a 13mm shaft? If so i would imagine u would have to have the shaft turned down by a proffesional or have someone make u a 9mm shaft for your cue.
 
9 ball said:
I was watching the royal london watches snooker masters today and I heard the commentators say the smaller the tip the more action you will get on the CB, so here's my question:

I have a playing cue that I want to retip with a 9mm tip but what I would like to know can this still be done even though the tip that is on the cue already is 13mm?

Any help is appreciated
9 ball:

A good question, but I wouldn't necessarily place a lot of emphasis on what a commentator says -- a lot of what they say are meant as "filler" between shots, or are personal observations that are not necessarily borne out in experience, or are just plain conversation. Now, if, say, Ronnie O'Sullivan or Stephen Hendry were to say something like this, and explain the reasons why they feel this is the case, I know my ears were perk up!

It's general regarded that, keeping tip "types" the same for the moment, although a smaller tip may give you more accuracy in aiming (i.e. you have a smaller/more precise target "sight" like on a rifle), a larger tip has more surface contact area with the cue ball, and thus is able to better "grab" that cue ball for spinning purposes. Put it this way, if I were facing you and I poked you with a pool cue on the extreme left side of your chest, the tip may grab or get caught in your clothes, and cause the cue to slide a bit (perhaps bunching-up and pushing your shirt under your left arm) without causing your body to turn to the left. But if I were to poke you with a 2x4 or a baseball bat on that same side, chances are much better that the wider surface contact area with your body, clothed or not, is going to "grab" you and force your body to turn to the left.

Personally, I carry two diameters of shaft in my cue case, both with the same brand/type of tip, to deal with different table conditions. If I'm playing on a normal drop-pocket or ball-return table that uses a normal-weighted cue ball, I use the 11mm shaft. If I'm playing on a bar table that uses an overweight cue ball, I use the 13mm shaft, because I've found without a doubt the wider the tip, the better I'm able to "grab" and put spin on that rock of a cue ball.

I hope this is a helpful explanation!
-Sean
 
Too much

9 ball said:
I was watching the royal london watches snooker masters today and I heard the commentators say the smaller the tip the more action you will get on the CB, so here's my question:

I have a playing cue that I want to retip with a 9mm tip but what I would like to know can this still be done even though the tip that is on the cue already is 13mm?

Any help is appreciated

I would take the comment that smaller tip = more spin with a grain of salt- which commentator said this by the way? For example, in general pool players spin the ball more than snooker players, but typically use 12.75mm compared with the 9/10mm used in snooker. If smaller tips gave an advantage in this area, pool players would have made the change generations ago. There are a list of things you could try if you want to spin the ball more, and I would say that a smaller tip comes a fair way down that list.

I also doubt that a 9mm would really be usable with 2 1/4 inch pool balls (I assume you are playing pool?) and in any event I should think that 13 to 9 may be too big a jump. If you want to try a small tip, why not try 11mm?

For what it's worth, my playing cues range from 13 to 8, but I always choose the one appropriate to the c.b. size & weight, not for any ability to spin the ball more.
 
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