Tip Replacement - DIY or Professional?

An instructor took a look at my cue tip the other day and said it looked like it needed to be replaced. I've had the same tip / cue for over 5 years, but haven't played regularly until I got a table a year ago. I plan on wearing the tip out more regularly, so I'm wondering if replacing the tip is something I should do myself. The tip replacement stuff at Dick's Sporting Goods looks easy to deal with, but I'm anticipating people on AZ to tell me not to go there. The better tips look like they need shaping that a newbie might mess up. Thoughts? I'm not too afraid to mess up and learn as I go, but I think it will payoff in the long run to do it myself versus bringing it to a pro.

Well.....I am big fan of being able to replace your own tip. But the investment in time and tools to learn to do a really good job might not be worth it to you.

You can get by with sandpaper, a file, and a razor blade. Or you can get more dedicated tools.

My suggestion is to look on youtube, last time I looked there were many videos on how to replace a tip.

I used to have a setup which was a drill and all the right pins and a DIY adapter for shafts that I didn't have the right pin for. With this and various grades of sandpaper I used to do tips for folks and when I was done they looked like brand new from the maker. I was meticulous about it. But back then I only charged $5 to do a tip so it was just gas and snack money for me at tournaments. In the past ten years I have quit doing tips for other people and barely do them for myself. I don't have the patience anymore.

My suggestion is this. Find a good tip guy, ask around because they are not all good, let him do it for $10-20 and you focus on playing. The tip will last you a year probably and you will forget about the sawbuck soon enough.
 
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