When is it time to change a tip

Pidge

Pidge

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Been using a Kamuii Black SS for the past year and a half maybe longer and the one on my cue now has about 3 layers left on it if that makes sense. Recently it has lost its 'zip' and drawing the CB has become an effort. I've had previous SS tips with less left on them that played like a 1 month old tip, so is it just a 'bad' tip or can other things affect it like getting it wet?

Thanks.
 
i'd say its time to change it whenever it stops shooting the way you want :)

a lot of factors can affect layered leather. heat, dampness, contact with alcohol or oil, etc. a year and a half isn't bad, depending on how much you play.
 
Thanks for the info. It didn't last a year and a half though. Only got 3 months out of this one. Probably just a bad tip. I've probably gone through 20 kamuii tips in the last 2 years on all my shafts and this is the first that's lost its performance so quickly so I can't complain.
 
Pidge said:
Been using a Kamuii Black SS for the past year and a half maybe longer and the one on my cue now has about 3 layers left on it if that makes sense. Recently it has lost its 'zip' and drawing the CB has become an effort. I've had previous SS tips with less left on them that played like a 1 month old tip, so is it just a 'bad' tip or can other things affect it like getting it wet?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

When was the last time you scuffed the tip?
 
I used to tell my customers that a tip change was in order when the old tip was about the thickness of a dime. I've seen tips go to pieces at that thickness, and I've seen ferrules split. A damaged ferrule means more expense because you have to relace it, and the tip.
Remember: If it's a dime, it's time. :smile:
 
Pidge said:
Been using a Kamuii Black SS for the past year and a half maybe longer and the one on my cue now has about 3 layers left on it if that makes sense. Recently it has lost its 'zip' and drawing the CB has become an effort. I've had previous SS tips with less left on them that played like a 1 month old tip, so is it just a 'bad' tip or can other things affect it like getting it wet?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Time to change the tip is when it get's too hard to draw proprly, or when it gets so low the ferrule will get damaged.

It can take a few months or a few years, you never know.
 
I scuff the tip before each session so that's not the reason. It feels like a break tip at the minute. Ill remember to buy tips in bulk next time so I'm not stuck with a dud tip.
 
I change tips about every three months when I'm playing alot, however I do have the new tips taken down to 50% of the original height. Usually I replace them when they start looking pretty thin as I dont want to damage the ferrell
 
As a kid everyone I knew played em until someone noticed they were less than a nickle in height and informed us we were in danger of destroying a ferrule... Man those were the days... Took a month to get used to a new tip because they played so different from the rocks we had pounded the old ones into....

These days players are a wee bit more knowledgeable and know that the minute you start playing with a tip it starts to harden and lose it's elasticity.

For most players they really couldn't care less and they won't notice the decline.. For the players on up the food change a decline in performance can cost them money and points if a tip suddenly quits moving the ball the way they expect it to...

For me I get about 6 weeks at best out of a Kamui SS... Love the tip but quit using them and went back to phenolic so I didn't have to fade the performance fade... The funny thing is Phenolic work hardens after awhile and while the hardness isn't really effected they lose elasticity and have to be changed just like a leather tip... Takes me a bout a year of playing regularly to work harden a BK2 tip... Good thing Blackburn is an authorized repair center......

I am currently working on a hybrid line of tips that have high elasticity and fight the loss of performance for longer periods... I have a COR tester that will be available to pro shops in the coming months that will let you tests tips before they go on your cue and test them after installation to know when they get 10-20% out of spec... You go much past that then you have break in periods during retippings......
 
I was always told to change them when the wall, not the whole tip, is between the thickness of a nickel and dime.
 
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