Shooter5209
Registered
what tip gets more or better english on the cue ball? hard, soft or medium
tips
- Thread starter Shooter5209
- Start date
The tip
I can shoot full table shot and draw the cue ball full table back, with a Kamui or a phenolic tip like whats on my custom break cue.
I have seen bar cues that you couldn't get any kind of draw with it, then some one else with the same cue can get tons of draw with it.
I dis like Lepro tips but have seen some players get tons of draw with them.
IMO its the player not the tip.
I also think kamui tips are easier to get draw with but if a player focuses he can get draw with almost any tip.
I can shoot full table shot and draw the cue ball full table back, with a Kamui or a phenolic tip like whats on my custom break cue.
I have seen bar cues that you couldn't get any kind of draw with it, then some one else with the same cue can get tons of draw with it.
I dis like Lepro tips but have seen some players get tons of draw with them.
IMO its the player not the tip.
I also think kamui tips are easier to get draw with but if a player focuses he can get draw with almost any tip.
Last edited:
The initial replies so far, albeit well-intended posts by sincere Azers......have failed to answer Tom's question
which never inquired about what brand tip anyone likes to play with. Let's try a re-cue of the original question........
What tip gets more or better english on the cue ball? hard, soft or medium?
I've always held the belief that the longer the cue tip can remain in contact with the cue ball, there's increased opportunity for controlling
the direction and rotation of the cue ball. Under that premise, then the more soft the tip the greater the frictional contact......don't know this
to be absolutely true by way of the laws of physics but more than 50 years of pool playing convinces me this is correct..
When I played a lot of 3 cushion billiards, a soft and super soft dime shaped tip was the best combination for spin and control versus a hard tip or most mediums.
There used to be a hardness chart of tips and if it's reliably accurate, it's a great tool for tip selection but the chart is in need of update for brands and tip versions.
Matt B.
which never inquired about what brand tip anyone likes to play with. Let's try a re-cue of the original question........
What tip gets more or better english on the cue ball? hard, soft or medium?
I've always held the belief that the longer the cue tip can remain in contact with the cue ball, there's increased opportunity for controlling
the direction and rotation of the cue ball. Under that premise, then the more soft the tip the greater the frictional contact......don't know this
to be absolutely true by way of the laws of physics but more than 50 years of pool playing convinces me this is correct..
When I played a lot of 3 cushion billiards, a soft and super soft dime shaped tip was the best combination for spin and control versus a hard tip or most mediums.
There used to be a hardness chart of tips and if it's reliably accurate, it's a great tool for tip selection but the chart is in need of update for brands and tip versions.
Matt B.
Last edited:
Regarding hardness, I totally agree with the previous poster. Softer tips make more spin, atleast for me they do. I still play with Medium Kamui Black and Ultraskin Hard tips, they give me better feel on the shots, SS kamui felt a bit "dead" on many shots, the soft version is nice to play with imo though.
From what I have tested, Kamui, Ultraskin and PureX laminated tips have been the best tips for me to play with. Kamui's and Ultaskins share the 1st podium IMO, the US being a lot cheaper
The PureX is a nice tip, but nothing extraordinary. And I liked the older version more than the new one currently on the market
That being said, I also like a good Le Pro and Triangle, there is very little wrong with them, I just feel more more comfortable woth laminated tips and that's why I use them on my cues
Point being that any good quality leather tips can, and will get draw. Some tips works better for some of us, it's a matter of personal preference and we all have to find out what we like
From what I have tested, Kamui, Ultraskin and PureX laminated tips have been the best tips for me to play with. Kamui's and Ultaskins share the 1st podium IMO, the US being a lot cheaper
The PureX is a nice tip, but nothing extraordinary. And I liked the older version more than the new one currently on the market
That being said, I also like a good Le Pro and Triangle, there is very little wrong with them, I just feel more more comfortable woth laminated tips and that's why I use them on my cues
Point being that any good quality leather tips can, and will get draw. Some tips works better for some of us, it's a matter of personal preference and we all have to find out what we like
Last edited:
prolonged contact of soft tips is one of most popular pool myths.
Believe me, provided you hit the same exact spot on the cue ball the amount of English would be the same. Regardless of tip's hardness. Hardness only does change the way you feel the hit, and how long the tip holds shape (obviously, soft gonna mushroom more than hard).
Believe me, provided you hit the same exact spot on the cue ball the amount of English would be the same. Regardless of tip's hardness. Hardness only does change the way you feel the hit, and how long the tip holds shape (obviously, soft gonna mushroom more than hard).
None of the above.
The quality and quantity of english is dependent on your stroke.
I can draw the CB as much with my break cue (Samarsa break tip) as I can with my player (Kamui Super Soft). I'd trust my player a bit more because it's better at holding chalk, but that's about it.
The quality and quantity of english is dependent on your stroke.
I can draw the CB as much with my break cue (Samarsa break tip) as I can with my player (Kamui Super Soft). I'd trust my player a bit more because it's better at holding chalk, but that's about it.
I'm not looking for any argument, but I think one should really think for themselves about the statements you made here in their entirety.
You basically start off saying that their is no difference & then you list 2 or 3 differences.
Why do you think there are those differences you list?
Contact time is between 1 & 2 thousandths of a second. 2 is double 1.
It's kind of like saying hitting a baseball with a soft rubber coated baseball bat is the same as hitting it with an aluminum or high tech material baseball bat. Or hitting a tennis ball with loose strings is the same as hitting it with tight strings or hitting a hard core & cover golf ball is the same as hitting a soft core & soft cover golf ball.
For the sponge rubber bat to hit the ball the same it would need significantly more velocity to overcome the cushioning of the rubber.
If there is a difference then there needs to be another difference to get the exact same outcome. If there is just one difference with ALL else equal then there will be a difference in the outcome.
Even a change in the sound of a tip, a difference, could yield a difference in how one then starts to actually strike the ball. That would be based on perception if it was only the sound that was different but the resulting difference would be real. Also what is causing a tip to sound different? If it sounds different then something must be different about it to cause it to sound different.
Naturally all of the above is just my take & my opinion & based on my experience.
Everyone should do their own thinking, experiments, & make their own determinations.
Best to You & All,
Rick
Last edited:
Don't know exactly about hardness, but in a test me and a friend did a while ago, the most spin we got was with a layered tip (I think an Emerald or Black King) with a Predator shaft. Least was a regular tip with a regular shaft, a layered tip with a regular shaft and a regular tip with a LD shaft were very close to being tied in between those two.
I find I have more confidence in my stroke with a soft tip, it does not feel like it's going to slip off the side of the cueball, so that very likely affects how much spin I put on the ball and how hard I hit it with spin. That would equal more spin with a soft tip for me. Now if that is an actual physical thing, I don't know, but if you can't bring yourself to hit the cueball the same way if you use a hard vs a soft tip, then it amounts to the same thing.
Last edited:
Just had one put on a shaft today. Shot a couple of games with it, seems like it is going to be good. Haven't had enough time with it yet, but from the few shots I've taken, seems like it will be a good tip.
I'll answer a different question. If you want a consistent hit, I think the hard tip will be better. Maybe that counts as "better" English.
An excellent observation. Maybe you have that feeling due to having had a bad, hard tip that didn't take chalk well.
Similarly, you see a lot of one-year players who refuse to hit the ball off center because they never learned to chalk well and whenever they try draw or side spin they miscue.
I THINK the "shape" of the "part of the tip" that actually touches the cue ball upon impact has an effect on how much English is applied.
The portion of the tip that touches the cue ball changes shape, no matter how little, to try to conform to the shape of the cue ball when they impact. A softer tip "bends" more when it hits the cue ball and therefore "adheres" a millisecond longer and applies more friction to the cue ball. A heavier tip "bounces off" quicker and doesn't "reshape" or "adhere" as much as a softer tip. The difference in contact time in milliseconds between the two types of tips may be very slight, but I don't think it can be left out of the equation.
If the tip is too soft it changes shape too much and may feel mushy. I think the key is to find the tip that YOU feel has the RIGHT feel and "cling time".
This is my story and I'm sticking to it. If it sounds good, it has to be TRUE.
Notice I said "I THINK" at the beginning.
The portion of the tip that touches the cue ball changes shape, no matter how little, to try to conform to the shape of the cue ball when they impact. A softer tip "bends" more when it hits the cue ball and therefore "adheres" a millisecond longer and applies more friction to the cue ball. A heavier tip "bounces off" quicker and doesn't "reshape" or "adhere" as much as a softer tip. The difference in contact time in milliseconds between the two types of tips may be very slight, but I don't think it can be left out of the equation.
If the tip is too soft it changes shape too much and may feel mushy. I think the key is to find the tip that YOU feel has the RIGHT feel and "cling time".
This is my story and I'm sticking to it. If it sounds good, it has to be TRUE.
Notice I said "I THINK" at the beginning.
Maybe a tip brand issue Bob, but I tried a few harder tips, and anything past medium feels to me like the cueball gets pushed away from the tip faster rather than the tip torqueing the cueball with spin, then releasing it. I guess it may be tough to explain but I hope that did it.
I also look for a softer hitting shaft and joint combination as well, which is why I went from a steel to a wood to wood large pin cue and am as picky about feel in the shaft as how it plays with pure numbers like deflection or stiffness.
I believe there is no good answer for this question. sorry to say that but i think its different for every player. no two guys have the same stroke and I also believe the cue itself has something to do with it also. so my thought is whatever tip makes you confident to spin the ball is the one to use.
one more thing.... anything action bob jewett has to say is worth listening to !!!
one more thing.... anything action bob jewett has to say is worth listening to !!!
One can roll down 6 diamonds and draw back 12 diamonds with a phenolic tip--IF (the BIG if) you know how to deliver the tip to the proper point on the CB.
