Tip Softness/Effect on Draw

W

wizard77

New member
I have pretty much always played with a medium tip and recently switched to a Kamui soft tip, but I also switched cues. I do not seem to be getting anywhere near as much draw as I am used to. Opinion on whether this is due to the tip or possibly more to do the the cue? I made no change to my stroke. I went from a cuetec Avid cue to a Lucasi Hybrid. TIA
 
this could be a thread going sideways very easily ;-)

I bought quite a few ultraskins to test them all out and find the most comfortable softness for me. I arrived at Soft for me, but: none of them changes how much you can draw or spin. I can apply as much spin or draw with my break tip, if I want. What does change is deflection. Once I had SuperSoft on, I missed shots as my aiming was off. Once I went back to Soft it all went away.

Somebody in some youtube video was talking about deflection changing with softer tips. Might have been Scott Frost on his whats-in-the-bag with Karls Boyes. I can confirm.
 
Sounds to me that you simply need to learn the new equipment.
Changing 2 things makes things hard.

While back I accidentally put on a hard tip when used to med. Ended up liking it. Then needed to replace it and the new tip was softer than expected. Same brand. Had to shop around to find what I wanted.

I'm pretty much sure its all in my head. I like the feel. Didn't notice any difference with CB action.
 
OP, do you know the tip brands you used? Hardness ratings show many cases of one brand's soft being harder than another brand's medium.
 
NathanDetroit said:
OP, do you know the tip brands you used? Hardness ratings show many cases of one brand's soft being harder than another brand's medium.
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This.
Use the hardness chart.
You can't always trust hard, soft, medium to translate across the brands.
I use milk duds and feel they are more consistent (hardness), than most.
 
I can draw 1½ table lengths with a hard tip.

{{Heck, I use a jump cue with phenolic tip as a short cue at the local bar and I can draw with that cue, too.}}
 
maha said:
the tip is so important all the top players and very good ones use the same tip.
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which is...?
Like most things, players will endorse many things, whether that's what they are using or not is up for debate... tried and tested is usually the way they go...
Like snooker players with Elkmaster tips, you'd have to give my dad some pretty convincing reason to switch. I gave him some layered tips to try. they have sat in his case for nearly 5 years now lol
 
It is in your mind. You are feeling less comfortable with knowing the tip is different, and are cueing closer to center than you think you are. Pay careful attention and you will see this is true.
 
If it’s something physical (as opposed to your brain), it’s probably the diameter of the new tip/shaft, or the shape of the new tip, as compared to the old. When you are sighting a shot, you sort of see the outer edges of the shaft/tip. But the tip to CB contact point is not centered within those edges. So a shot that looks the same in your sighting will apply a different amount of spin.
 
Def cue change over tip change imo. Different cues have a different feel to them. A different weight or balance plus kick point in a shaft (sorry the pool term escapes me rn but for golf shafts it is called kick point), will all affect the timing of your delivery. You can feel like you are doing the same thing but with a different tool in your hand, the effect isn't the same. Get used to the new cue and you will be drawing it just fine imo.

Have you tried them back to back confirming it isn't just something you are doing? Some cues 'fit' better than others. I mostly use 3 cues but only one feels like butter with my favorite technique to use and I seem to have best timing with it and consequently highest quality of spin. That said, I can rip the ball back with any cue, it's just the amount of spin at low speeds that varies between them for me and again, that is a timing thing for my stroke and how it fits my move rather than difference in the equipment performance imo. I could have gone full Earl and just blamed the cues in the past, but when my #1 baby was in for repairs for a while and I had to play another wand, I eventually figured out how to stroke it and get my regular results anyway.... different tips, different shaft diameter, different weight, different balance. They all work fine. You just have to get used to whatever you're using.
 
wizard77 said:
I have pretty much always played with a medium tip and recently switched to a Kamui soft tip, but I also switched cues. I do not seem to be getting anywhere near as much draw as I am used to. Opinion on whether this is due to the tip or possibly more to do the the cue? I made no change to my stroke. I went from a cuetec Avid cue to a Lucasi Hybrid. TIA
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Here, anecdotally, is my effort to narrow the variables and test this.

I took two identical $100 production cues --can't remember the brand. On one I put softest tip I had (Kamui super soft) and on the other a hard tip--tinkier sound. I shaped them the same, and a player couldn't tell which cue he had on each shot until hearing the sound.

I then set up a slightly off angle backcut along longrail into corner pocket of 6X12 snooker table. Objective was to make shot and have cueball hit opposite long rail as far back as possible.

I then had a good player (725 or so rating) try about 30 times for maximum draw. Each time I handed him a cue randomly switching between the soft and hard-tip cues.

There was no difference of note. My conclusion is while people can argue all they want for reasons there might be a difference--and certainly there CAN be, any difference is at best small. I'd advise against changing from a hardness whose feedback you otherwise like in an effort to get more spin.
 
Not all tips are equally the same.
I went from a Moori S (64) to a Kamui SS (68) a Kamui soft is 72.
Also looks like you went from Standard Deflection to a low deflection. A stiffer shaft effects things we have no info on the diamaeter of the butt. A loose grip helps alot with draw.

In other words we need more info
 
nataddrho said:
It is in your mind. You are feeling less comfortable with knowing the tip is different, and are cueing closer to center than you think you are. Pay careful attention and you will see this is true.
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I'll second this too. When i was using LePro's years ago as soon as you get I have a bad tip in my head I'd rip it off and put a new one on.
 
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