Damn My Tip is Hard…
Wondering about the whole pool cue tip thing? Here’s what you need to know. Tips come with different densities. Tip density effects mushrooming. Get a soft cue tip like an Elk Master and you’ll be shaping the thing all the time. Get a hard tip like a Water Buffalo and you won’t need to shape it much, but its a bitch to scuff.
From what I can tell, the big advantage to a soft tip over a hard tip is control. If you use a soft tip, you should be able to get more english on the ball. If you’re a duffer like me though, you’ll probably want to go with a nice medium tip that will give you equal levels of control and durability. My Predator shaft has a Tiger Everest tip, which seems to work just fine.
As for different animal skins, I have no idea. Leather, pigskin, boar (wait… isn’t that just fancy talk for wild pig?), buffalo. There seems to be a tip for every tasty critter, but damned if I can tell the difference between playing with a leather tip or a pig tip. Just for you, my one and only loyal reader, I ganked the tip densities from Terry Macioge’s book “How To Tip A Pool Cue“:
Soft (Density = 60-65)
Elk Master – 60.1
Royal Oak – 66.5
Blue Knights – 61.2
Silver King – 60.3
Chandivert Eureka – 64.4
Porper Ram – 64.1
Stratos – 65.8
Tiger Laminated – 65.3
Moori – 63.8
Talisman – 64.3
Medium (Density = 66-75)
Tiger Sniper – 66.9
Chandivert Super Royal – 75.8
Porper Ram – 75.1
Tsunami – 75.8
Tiger Everest – 75.1
Tiger Laminated – 74.5
Moori - 74.2
Talisman – 73.9
Medium Hard (Density = 76-80)
Le Pro – 78.2
Triumph – 76.9
Chandivert Champion – 74.2
Chandivert Crown – 77.1
Chandivert Comprime – 78.7
Tiger Dynamite – 77.2
Wild Boar – 77.8
Talisman Pro – 77.0
Porper Majestic – 77.4
Hard (Density = 81-85)
Sumo – 82.0
Triangle – 81.4
Tsunami – 82.4
Stratos – 81.1
Tiger Laminated – 81.0
Stingray – 83.5
Chandivert Rocky – 82.1
Moori - 82.7
Talisman – 81.4
Extra Hard (Density = 86+)
Talisman – 86.1
Stratos – 87.3
Tiger Jump/Break – 99
Well it’s nice to know some one is reading my book. Glad the density chart has come in handy for some one. These densities were calculated with the use of the tip density machine developed by none other than Joe Porper. Glad you found a use. The densities tell a lot about the tip. There’s no part of the pool stick more important than the tip itself.
Best Regards,
Terry Macioge
Author
“How To Tip a Pool Cue, The Laymen’s Guide”
Dude, your book freakin’ rocks! It is an absolute must read for anyone new to the game. I wouldn’t have even tried to replace my own tip without your book.
Guys, after six years, thanks to all of you who have purchased this book, I have received many compliments from many of you and I thank you for your interest in “How To Tip a Pool Cue, the Laymen’s Guide”. To my knowledge this book still remains the only book of it’s kind on the market that reviews the Tips, the Densities, the Ferrules, and many key points that every laymen should know before attempting to replace his own tip. Thank to all of you and the many sources that make this book available to our elite group of billiard players, it continues to sell now world wide. I’m humbled that so many have gotten so much from so few pages. It was something that was needed in our industry and I thank all those who encouraged me to write it and to Bob Byrne for his guidence and recommendations during the year and a half that it took to get it in to publication. Thank YOU.
Terry Macioge
Author
How to Tip a Pool Cue, The Laymen’s Guide
Thanks for the compliment. Past the word. A lot went into the book to bring the novice the important information needed to help his game. I hope the word gets out. To date I don’t think there is still any other reference book that brings together all the information I’ve put into these 114 pages. Anyone interested can purchase books direct from my Publisher, Author House Publishing in Indiana Thanks so much. Best wishes for success with your game.