Win Kamui Gifts on this thread only! “20 Questions with Kamui”

[POVPOOL]

What is the difference between the tan and black tips of equal hardness and what should I take into consideration when choosing between tan and black?
Is a black soft equal to a tan soft in hardness and so on?

The difference is the action you get on the cue ball. The Black tip is our treated leather that maintains a high flex than the brown. The Black allows the player to move the ball on the pool table with less effort than the Brown. This does not mean the brown is a bad tip. There are players that get the right amount of action on the ball with the brown also. It is all about preference of what you want to do with the ball. So what you want to consider is 2 things.
1. what feel of tip do you like. A super soft tip, Soft, Medium, Hard?
2. What style of player are you. Do you like to move the ball for position on the table or are you a straight shooter, pocketing balls and moving the ball a lot on the table.
We have pro players playing with Black and with Brown.

 

[POVPOOL]

Do you have any products in development you can talk about?

At this moment no. My lips are sealed. We are taking suggestions from our customers.

 

[POVPOOL]

As some one who tries many chalks on the market, what is the difference between your two products and how can I be assured that before an order arrives I would be satisfied with my purchase? I have never tried kumui chalk but am a fan of the clear tips so I could buy chalk if I had assurance I would like it.

I have not had an unsatisfied player come to me telling me that they are not getting what we promised out of the chalk. I have been known to replace product that is defective. We want our pool players happy, if you are not happy. Neither are we.

 

[POVPOOL]

My dog ate my kamui tip. Is it poisonous?

No. We had a customer call us and tell us that their dog ate their piece of KAMUI chalk!... It is also harmless and the poor dog had blue smurf poop for a day.

 

[POVPOOL]

I have heard that Kamui has tried testing tips made of non-leather materials.
Has there been any success in this area?

We have learned a lot about other materials but nothing yet.

 

[POVPOOL]

How long should an average piece of Kamui chalk last? Should it have a longer spam of life compared to any other chalk? What makes Kamui chalk (a $20+ chalk) better than any other chalk for example Masters, Diamond, or Predator (a $1-$3 piece chalk)?

I have had customers come back to me 1 year later telling me that they are still using their piece of chalk. That was when the chalk was not the standard size. Now our .98b and 1.21b are 36% larger (now the same size as standard chalk) so I would assume it would last longer than a year.

 

[POVPOOL]

Would Kamui ever consider selling thier leather to a cue builder to make a leather wrap for custom cue?

We thought about it but the leather we take is the best leather off the hyde and the scraps are not of acceptable size to make a wrap.

 

[POVPOOL]

What quality control and manufacturing measures are in place to make sure that each leather layer of a tip is the same quality and to guarantee that each layer of the tip has the same amount of adhesive between them to provide a consistent hardness throughout the entirety of the tip?

I was in Japan a few years ago to work in the factory, make tips and make chalk. I learned so much in that time and had so much respect for the patience the employees have and pride they have in making the best tips on the market. I saw the QC sheet… it is about 6 feet long and 9pt type. I am not kidding either. We are serious about our product.
What shocked me the most is the waste we go through.. O man I was surprised we were not charging more for our tips. From the beginning of making a tip, we throw out over 50% of the hyde. And we throw out more as we go through the process of making the tips.

 

[POVPOOL]

Is it just me or anyone has ever thought the kamui black clear(maybe some piece) has inconsistent feel?i have been using kamui black regular since it first came out and never had issue like this.

I am not sure I understand the question fully but the KAMUI Clear is the same leather as the original but with the Clear barrier added to it.
I think you may be feeling the full flex of the tip and you may need to go to a harder tip in the clear.

 

[POVPOOL]

1) why were they using Masters @ Mosconi 2013?

(i thought Kamui was a sponsor, but i have the winning piece of chalk, & it's not Kamui.)

2) what Pros use Kamui tips/chalk? and why/why not?

1) why were they using Masters @ Mosconi 2013?
(i thought Kamui was a sponsor, but i have the winning piece of chalk, & it's not Kamui.)

We sponsor players who want to use the KAMUI brand of products. Our sponsored players came to us first. We have not solicited our sponsored players.
As for the Mosconi 2013 we had sponsored players but we were not a major sponsor of the event.
KAMUI Chalk is a specialty item and not intended to replace what is on the table. The room owners and the event promoters will buy what is economical to them.


2) what Pros use Kamui tips/chalk? and why/why not?
We have over 125 pro players sponsored by KAMUi worldwide. Most of them are using the chalk and the others are learning what the chalk is doing for their game. We do not force our product on our sponsored players. We want them to discover what is working for them and offer what we have to improve their game and abilities.

 

[POVPOOL]

Does Kamui have any plans for a single layer tip?

At the moment no. We have not found a material that can function like or better than a layered tip.

 

[POVPOOL]

Are you contemplating releasing a tip shaping tool to go along your gator grip for scuffing?

At the moment, no. It is not necessary to shape the tip. If your tip is losing shape it is most likely due to how you are using the abrasive chalk and only chalking the top of the tip and that is wearing the crown of the tip out of shape.

 

[POVPOOL]

Did the humidity and temperature of Japan have a major role in the design of Kamui tips and chalk, or were they intentionally designed for dryer climates (such as America)?

Good question. Our tips are humidity resistant. We wanted this attribute for the consistency sake of the traveling player.

 

[POVPOOL]

What is the story of the Kamui/POV partnering?

What is the story of the John Bertone/Kamui partnering?



btw: great products and thanks for helping keep POV/Daniel streaming.

Q:
What is the story of the Kamui/POV partnering?
A:
I sought out the live streamers as the last line of pool’s existence in the media. Since ESPN dumped pool for poker, live stream is where it is at and I am happy to support the guys who are working hard to promote pool and bring great content to our TV/computers.

Q:
What is the story of the John Bertone/Kamui partnering?
A:
12 years ago I had my own retail store and web site. And the one thing I learned from the BCA was to support my local cue maker. I sought out my local cue maker Kerry Zeiler and began a relationship with him. With him, I learned what the cue makers and repair shops go through in trying to make a living. I also learned a lot about cue making and a ton about tips. Kerry had me repairing hundreds of one piece cues shaping the tips with a file, not a razor blade like the installers do today. It was very “Old Skool” with Kerry. His philosophy about cues and cue making are real. That man had a lot of heart for the game and for the cues he made. He made cues with no fancy stuff. It was real player cues that made magic happen on the table. I have a beautiful Olive wood cue pictured in the Blue Book of Pool Cues 3rd edition that he made for me.(My playing cue) and a few others he made. It was Kerry who introduced me to Masato back in 2004 when Masato was making tips by hand himself. Kerry had passed away a few years ago right as KAMUI was starting to get its legs and on the path to becoming popular.
Masato and I have passed between us over 10,000 emails in growing the KAMUI brand. And we are both proud we are still here still growing. We plan on being here for a very long time.


btw: great products and thanks for helping keep POV/Daniel streaming.

You are very welcome! I plan on being here for a long time.

 

[Hits 'em Hard]

I am not sure I understand the question fully but the KAMUI Clear is the same leather as the original but with the Clear barrier added to it.
I think you may be feeling the full flex of the tip and you may need to go to a harder tip in the clear.

Maybe I misunderstood the question, or maybe you did. But everything I've heard and everything I've experienced is that the Clear tips play harder than the non-Clear tips. I have a Clear Soft Brown on one shaft that plays exactly like Medium Brown on another shaft, but the clear just feels harder.

The difference is the action you get on the cue ball. The Black tip is our treated leather that maintains a high flex than the brown. The Black allows the player to move the ball on the pool table with less effort than the Brown. This does not mean the brown is a bad tip. There are players that get the right amount of action on the ball with the brown also. It is all about preference of what you want to do with the ball. So what you want to consider is 2 things.
1. what feel of tip do you like. A super soft tip, Soft, Medium, Hard?
2. What style of player are you. Do you like to move the ball for position on the table or are you a straight shooter, pocketing balls and moving the ball a lot on the table.
We have pro players playing with Black and with Brown.
View attachment 346929

I have an issue with that second half showing the 'extra' spin you get with the Blacks. The 'normal' rebound angle is that of a firmly center ball hit, not the lower right they are claiming. Why the deliberate false advertising?

 

[fastone371]

POV POOL (Daniel Busch) just informed me that I won a Kamui Gator Grip because they used my question during the broadcast, thank you POV, Daniel, & Kamui!!!