Which Tip to break with in BCA

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AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
With the restrictions that BCA has what is the hardest legal tip? They outlawed everything but leather didn't they?

Thanks, Ron
 
There are many options. My recommendation IMO is a Samsara, it is a leather layered tip formulated to perform just as good as phenolic if not better for some, along with being legal in all tournaments and the BCA league. I have done atleast 50 re-tips recently and counting with the Samsara and have received 100% positive feed back from my clients.
Hook Em'
 
Super Pro is a good option. I use one on one of my break cues.
White Diamond is advertised as being made of natural fibers I believe.
Beyond that I have no idea what they are made of.
 
X-Breaker
Ice Breaker
Black Future
Any tip with Bakelite, G10, fiberglass, phenolic, or any other non-leather material exposed on any part of the contacting surface.

This list is not necessarily all-inclusive. If you have questions about a specific tip that is not on this list, please contact Mr. Bill Stock, BCAPL Rules Administrator, bill@playcsipool.com or 702-719-7665.

White Diamond is considered illegal

This was posted in another thread by tatcat2000
Buddy Eick
BCAPL National Head Referee
BCAPL Director of Referee Training
Technical Editor, BCAPL Rule Book
bcapl_referee@cox.net
 
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I had heard that G10 was legal for a break cue tip an even thought I don't play BCA I got an inexpensive j/b with this tip to try out and flip later.

It may be that this one was too round but I hated it. I knocked it off and replaced it with a Hercules tip. Now this cheap-o j/b has replaced my custom Jerry Olivier j/b that has a phenolic ferule/tip. I just get more consistent breaks with the hard leather.
 
I had heard that G10 was legal for a break cue tip an even thought I don't play BCA I got an inexpensive j/b with this tip to try out and flip later.

It may be that this one was too round but I hated it. I knocked it off and replaced it with a Hercules tip. Now this cheap-o j/b has replaced my custom Jerry Olivier j/b that has a phenolic ferule/tip. I just get more consistent breaks with the hard leather.

good for you slicing that g-10 off! g-10 was the whole reason this started in the bca. g-10 resin is harder than the phenolic resin the balls are made of and can cause damage (regular phenolic tips are exactly the same hardness as the balls and can, but are less likely to, cause damage). so they outlawed all phenolic on break cues - you can still have it on a jumper, which makes no sense at all. imo g-10 should be banned for use in all leagues / tournaments. there is no need to have a substance that hard on a tip. if you can't jump and break with a regular phenolic tip or something like the samsara j/b tip you really suck and should quit - and i say that because i really suck and i can jump and break just fine with the samsara or regular phenolic.
 
Samsara J/B tip is what a lot of guys are switching to. Ask Steve Lomax to put one on for you. I saw he had some a Valley Forge.
 
The White Diamond is great but illegal (Not made of leather). I use the Samsara (hard leather, legal) which is very good. I have two break cues, one with the white Diamond and the other with the Samsara. I actually like the White Diamond better, but like I said, not made of leather. By the way, anyone wanting White Diamonds, someone is selling them on ebay, three for $11.99 plus ($1.00 + shipping). Received mine in about 2 days, each in its original package.
 
Samsara J/B tip is what a lot of guys are switching to. Ask Steve Lomax to put one on for you. I saw he had some a Valley Forge.

I agree that Samsara is the best BCA legal leather tip for the combination of breaking power and control. It's super hard for leather.

It's OK for jumping but I still like phenolic better.

The Tiger Ice Breaker with the combination leather and G-10 is fantastic if someone wants a j/b tip - but it's not legal for breaking in the BCA. It's the only j/b tip that I've tried that I liked for both jumping and breaking.

Chris
 
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I ran into a BCA senior referee at the Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge, and he told me that they were going to be testing tips over the next few weeks, and he had done some unofficial testing on his own. According to his tests, the Samsara tip would not be legal in May. According to this person, the Samsara tip is a leather tip that is soaked in resin, so ends up being just as hard as resin. The test that will be performed is to see if a pin is able to puncture the surface of the tip. This is the best recollection of the conversation that a buddy and I had with him about a week and a half ago. I think I remember hearing that a list of acceptable tips may be published in the next couple of weeks. I had the Samsara tip on my BK2 and loved it, but have since switched to a more conventional leather tip. Hopefully they will allow the Samsara and I can go back. I'll post again if I hear anything new, as I am trying to keep in touch with this referee.
 
Is that White Diamond tip legal? If so I think it's another good option.

NO PHENOLIC/SYNTHETIC TIPS AT ALL, PERIOD!
Be careful since BCA referees are really, really reinforcing the rule, the white diamond and other G10 tips were the reason why that ban is in effect. I will be trying the Samsara this week on my Mezz PBII.
 
I ran into a BCA senior referee at the Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge, and he told me that they were going to be testing tips over the next few weeks, and he had done some unofficial testing on his own. According to his tests, the Samsara tip would not be legal in May. According to this person, the Samsara tip is a leather tip that is soaked in resin, so ends up being just as hard as resin. The test that will be performed is to see if a pin is able to puncture the surface of the tip. This is the best recollection of the conversation that a buddy and I had with him about a week and a half ago. I think I remember hearing that a list of acceptable tips may be published in the next couple of weeks. I had the Samsara tip on my BK2 and loved it, but have since switched to a more conventional leather tip. Hopefully they will allow the Samsara and I can go back. I'll post again if I hear anything new, as I am trying to keep in touch with this referee.

If they ban the Samsara tip, there are going to be a lot of P*ssed off people. That seems to be the tip of choice for BCA with the new rules.
 
I'm not positive about the samsara J/B being all leather...

I have had mine for a long time. I starting using it before they were even for sale on the market...I have the same samsara J/B tip on my cue now for almost two years. I break and play with it. I have only shaped it one time and scratched it up maybe three times.

I am not being paid to say this.

Remember Steve Lomax is the man with the tips.
 
Break Tip

If they ban the Samsara tip, there are going to be a lot of P*ssed off people. That seems to be the tip of choice for BCA with the new rules.

I switched to the Samsara, myself, and know of many others that did as well, believing that they were complying with the new rules.
 
I switched to the Samsara, myself, and know of many others that did as well, believing that they were complying with the new rules.

I think they should just legalize non-leather tips for breaking. The Samsara tip is a good example of how someone can get around the rules - and how people wil be lobbying to pass gray area tips. It is nearly as hard as phenolic - you can hear it click like two balls hitting. Even at full length, it is unlikely to deform.

Balls bang against each other hard all day long, but a phenolic tip damages the cue ball? Really! Great logic there. Cue balls do get banged up in normal play.

What I like about the Samsara tip is it holds chalk really well. Otherwise, if a super hard tip doesn't hold chalk, it's pretty much worthless for breaking - unless someone can put a perfect stroke on the break shot every time.

The Samsara and Tiger's Ice Breaker tip are the closest I've seen to a tips that are good for both jumping and breaking - true j/b tips.

Chris
 
I ran into a BCA senior referee at the Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge, and he told me that they were going to be testing tips over the next few weeks, and he had done some unofficial testing on his own. According to his tests, the Samsara tip would not be legal in May. According to this person, the Samsara tip is a leather tip that is soaked in resin, so ends up being just as hard as resin. The test that will be performed is to see if a pin is able to puncture the surface of the tip...

Predator (and all) -

BCAPL referees do not make any rules policy for the BCAPL, nor are they involved in any testing performed by the BCAPL. All interpretations, decisions, and testing are the sole responsibility of the BCAPL National Office staff.

I will discuss this issue with the National Office ASAP. While it is certainly never my intention to ever throw a colleague under the bus, I am also charged with ensuring BCAPL referees do not act outside of their capacity regarding a BCAPL issue. That having been said, I feel safe in predicting that any information you believe you obtained from a BCAPL referee regarding the decision on the Samsara tip was purely speculative, not official, and likely misinformed. (If I am wrong, by the way, I will gladly eat crow.:smile:)

The disclaimers in my signature pertain. If your information was from a referee of a different organization, or referencing WSR instead of BCAPL, then it's anyone's guess.

I will also try to determine if a final decision has been made on the Samsara tips in question. As of COB 3/29/10, to my knowledge they were being considered legal. I will report further tomorrow.

Buddy Eick
BCAPL National Head Referee
BCAPL Director of Referee Training
Technical Editor, BCAPL Rule Book
bcapl_referee@cox.net

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I put a leather tip on my bk2 break cue. I wish i would have done it a long time ago.

Won 2 tournments in a row with it.

More cue ball control. Just need to adjust to how it was before.

Before was good................
 
I use a LePro milk dud as a break tip, and my break works fine and helps me win matches. My break works as well as the guys who still use phenolic break tips.
 
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