Triangle Cue Tip Question

Dave-Kat

Dave-Kat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have heard for sometime that their are 'bad' individual LePro's & Triangles when you buy a box and they should be picked through. For me it's primarily the Triangles I am interested in because that's what I play allot.

Can anyone please share your knowledge in regard to picking through them for the best. Not sure if it's possible freshness, temp stored and or humidity have anything to do with the QC when you buy a box.

Thanks in advance for your time and help,

-Davekat:thumbup:
 
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I have not found the inconsistency in Triangle tips but have noticed it in LePros.

The first thing I do with LePros is look at the back of them. If they are smooth they are probably a good tip. The majority of bad ones that I find have a very rough back. The second thing you can do is tap the tips on a hard surface. The sharper (higher?) the sound the solider the tip.
 
Dave-Kat said:
I have heard for sometime that their are 'bad' individual LePro's & Triangles when you buy a box and they should be picked through. For me it's primarily the Triangles I am interested in because that's what I play allot.

Can anyone please share your knowledge in regard to picking through them for the best. Not sure if it's possible freshness, temp stored and or humidity have anything to do with the QC when you buy a box.

Thanks in advance for your time and help,

-Davekat:thumbup:
Click to expand...

They both have about a fifty fifty chance of being a good one. They are both great tips when you have a good one. Expect to toss a lot of both in the trash can after you cut them off and try the next one. The bad ones are easy to identify after installed because they are like marshmallows. Just push on the side after you install a bad one and you will see.
 
Thank you Mase and Jayman. I always have looked at backs. Now, I will be testing for hardness between them and nit picking.

Anybody else ?

Have a good week,

-Kat,
 
I have had good luck with Triangles. I have found a few soft ones. I bit them between my canine teeth. If they feel spongy. They get tossed. I generally toss around 5 out of a box of 50.

Larry
 
Sorry to be negative on the tips, but I don't use triangles and lepro for the very reason that it is too much of a hassle to find the good ones. It is cheaper to by better tips that are more consistent so your not wasting time finding the good ones or replacing a tip because it is junk.
Neil
 
I buy the 15mm triangles. Out of 90+ so far I have had 2 bad and both went on and trimmed perfect and played great for about 2 weeks then sponged out
 
I've only had 3 bad ones right out of the box,but I'm only on my 3rd box of Triangles ever,LOL.

The last box I bought was maybe 3 months ago,but for whatever reason,the tips in this box are discolored. Typically,they are kinda whitish on top. For whatever reason,some of them have reddish brown spots on top. I have no idea what caused it,but don't think it causes any ill effects.

Maybe my results are better than some,but to this point point they are MUCH more consistent in overall quality than Le Pro,I've used 40 of those out of my current box and about HALF of those turned into an accordian-style mess even with fresh utility blades and a sharp lathe cutter.

Even that is a signifigant drop in quality from the last box before that,with only 5 out of a box going bad. Tommy D.
 
The color does not affect them much. What to look for are a deep ridge going across the bottom. Reject those and reject any that have a small crack in them that appears after pressing and sanding them. Also if you press the top middle with your thumb nail and it is rock hard right in the middle those tips will play hard. That is a plus for some, but most will not like it
 
Appreciate the input and feedback gentlemen. I can afford and install any tip I choose and do not choose to play any tips because they are inexpensive which some might mistake for 'junk'.

Have a good day,

-Kat,
 
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Are you turning them on a lathe? I can tell as soon as I make the first or second cut if the LePro is going to be a good one or not. Some mushroom and some are so hard they can't be shaped. The difference between the LePro and the Triangle is the way the leather is treated and processed. The Triangles are said to be more consistent than the LePro.
 
Yes I am turning on my lathe. Fresh blade a must. I'll wet my finger and apply to leading edge then cut. Seems to help out on these harder 1 pc tips when installing.

As I mentioned, I play with Triangles / Dud's and lately I have installed Super Pro's on a few cues that I am really enjoying.

Posted to get some inside 'ask the cuemaker' advice on visual rejects, manual testing for hardness and consistency and or testing secrets.

Thanks again you guy's. I'll be biting and pushing my fingernail into them along with my normal visual inspection prior to install.

-Kat,
 
Triangles are easy ones to figure out, and I'm giving up the sacred secret here! Lol get a bowl of water, drop one tip in , if it hits the bottom of the bowl fast, it's good. Slow sinkers and floaters toss in the trash. Le pros are more difficult. I drop mine on a concrete floor and listen for the tone. Kinda hard to hear at first tinks and thuds are out. I want a nice click like snapping your fingers.. Anyways works for me! Peace.....
 
Thanks Kevin. Long time no see brother. Avatar fooled me for a second. Yes that was the Triangle 'secret' I was hoping for. The sinker test. I had heard of this test in in pool folklore but forgot how it was performed.

Thanks for sharing and good rolls:thumbup:
-Kat,
 
You asked about Triangles, but I'm not sure anyone's really hit on it. I'll offer what I've found.

It depends on whether you want a medium or more medium hard tip. The sides and the bottoms don't tell you much, as they have a coating on them. Look at the tops of the tips, right out of the box. The softer ones, which I would consider medium, have a shaggy, coarse look to them. The medium-hard ones have a smoother look, less coarse. That's how they finish.

This does not apply to LePros, which have a finish around the entire tip. Hope this helps. There's a good deal of variation to the Triangle tips, and I understand the frustration. By the way, even a "softer" Triangle can end up pretty good with some play and breaking in. And the harder ones may be too hard for you. Anyhow, take a good look at the top of the tips, which come abraded, rather than sealed. The smoother the tops, the harder the tip.

All the best,
WW
 
Hmmmmm very interesting WW and thank you. I prefer a faster tip over a medium. I will go through my next box which will be ordered soon and look for the 'slicker' top ones. Then I will drop in a bowl of water real quick per BD's golden nugget.

I cut all my tips down out of the gate and pound racks when fresh so that tends to firm them up a tad. Problem I have is right when they get in their 'sweet spot' or on the edge ( short) they are the best to me.

It's real tough for me to take the knife out when the tip/cue combo feels so right and start over. I tend to rotate cues so I get a few months on my tips maybe more between changes.

Thanks again gentlemen,

-Kat
 
Dave-Kat said:
Hmmmmm very interesting WW and thank you. I prefer a faster tip over a medium. I will go through my next box which will be ordered soon and look for the 'slicker' top ones. Then I will drop in a bowl of water real quick per BD's golden nugget.

I cut all my tips down out of the gate and pound racks when fresh so that tends to firm them up a tad. Problem I have is right when they get in their 'sweet spot' or on the edge ( short) they are the best to me.

It's real tough for me to take the knife out when the tip/cue combo feels so right and start over. I tend to rotate cues so I get a few months on my tips maybe more between changes.

Thanks again gentlemen,

-Kat
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You might want to try pressing them in a vise before installing and eliminate that break in period you are having to do. The tip will play right off the bat very close to the way it will play for the life of the tip.
 
cueman said:
You might want to try pressing them in a vise before installing and eliminate that break in period you are having to do. The tip will play right off the bat very close to the way it will play for the life of the tip.
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^ That. Or maybe even try switching to a harder tip. My favorite tip was the old Sumo tips, as they were hard even with a lot of meat, yet played well & held chalk well.
 
I've tried laminated tips and don't get on with them. I recently switched to Triangle from Le Pro precisely because it's so hard to find a good Le Pro tip anymore. So far, I've only had one bad triangle and it was obvious as I was shaping it. You can just hear and feel it's too soft.

Going to try the dunking in water trick.

Speaking of tricks, anyone have a trick to keep triangles from developing little "hairs" around the edges? I'm finding that I have to reburnish them smooth almost every time I play. I have found that using carnuba wax and burnishing with the Porper burnisher really does a nice job getting the sides good and shiny, but I still develop these little hairs sometimes, even on the rock hard ones.

Thanks for any help!
 
john coloccia said:
I've tried laminated tips and don't get on with them. I recently switched to Triangle from Le Pro precisely because it's so hard to find a good Le Pro tip anymore. So far, I've only had one bad triangle and it was obvious as I was shaping it. You can just hear and feel it's too soft.

Going to try the dunking in water trick.

Speaking of tricks, anyone have a trick to keep triangles from developing little "hairs" around the edges? I'm finding that I have to reburnish them smooth almost every time I play. I have found that using carnuba wax and burnishing with the Porper burnisher really does a nice job getting the sides good and shiny, but I still develop these little hairs sometimes, even on the rock hard ones.

Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

Like I said above, chrome-tanned tips like the Triangle (and Elk Master) do not burnish on the sides nicely like the vegetable tanned tips. Just rub the sides now and then with your thumb; that's about as good as they'll get. If you do it often, it gives it a nice black look over time.

All the best,
WW
 
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