Best tip for UK 8-ball

[Roofus]

Just ordered a new GBL Champion cue from Green Baize and Stu has said that I can get any tip on the cue that I want. It is pool spec cue with tip size 8.6mm. I have only ever played with blue diamond, and I am fishing for any advice. Is it the case that soft tips are better for pool? Any advice much appreciated.

[Wright Cues]

Hi Roofus, I personally prefer Blue diamond. 9mm tip is what i found to be the best for me.
Cheers Reg

[james250t]

Just ordered a new GBL Champion cue from Green Baize and Stu has said that I can get any tip on the cue that I want. It is pool spec cue with tip size 8.6mm. I have only ever played with blue diamond, and I am fishing for any advice. Is it the case that soft tips are better for pool? Any advice much appreciated.

I have tried a lot of different tips over the years and have come to the conclusion that for me blue diamond are too hard for english pool, Elkmaster are for me far better, they allow you to play more spin and provide far better feel than the blue diamonds!
I have also tried the mike woolridge supertips and they are in between the Elkmaster and the blue diamond but still slightly hard for english pool, they are better suited to snooker and I would probably go as far to sat they are the best tip I have ever used for snooker!
The Elk's due wear out quickly so be prepared to change it quite often depending how much you play of course!
Hope this helps!

[Mick Dundee]

Try a load of different tips and you'll soon find what you like
I'd get stu to put you on one of his pro granites you can't
go too far wrong with them
they are hard but plenty of grip good for snooker or pool
and take virtually no time to play in,probably the best pressed
tip about
all that said I use tan kamui tips as I prefer laminated to pressed
tips

[DocJ]

The elk gets my vote. I've tried blue diamond but agree that it was way too hard for my liking. I also find that an elk is much better at holding the chalk compared to a blue diamond as well.

[crispian jones]

as someone else has suggested on here in a previous thread, try putting a elk in a press vive over night with a bit of pressure !
i was doing this for a while then read to leave it overnight (i was doing it for 10 mins max) it seems to give a concistant tip every time.
and they seem to last mutch longer to !
anyone with a bench press vice should try this as im quite sure it works for me and it would be good to get a bit more feedback as we all know there is a lot of inconcistancy within a box of tips !

[the_paz]

i always thought the blue diamonds to be softer than elks?

but always elks for me, akes a little while for them to be played in but once they are their great.

only my opinion :)

[kurtweston]

always used elkmaster until recently.

neiltippary from this forum kindly gave me a mw supertip and a granite pro because i didnt no which to buy.

loved the granite pro but changed it to give the mw supertip ago.

i think i prefer the granite pro although i think people can think too much into tips. if you cant get enough side or screw on a pool ball with a 8-9mm tip then i think u need to be asking tips about your cue action not tips. so i wouldnt choose ur tip on get more screw back. try a couple over the next few months and see what gives you the most comfort when striking the cueball.

i will be purchasing some granite pro tips tho just felt best.

[Watford]

I moved to elk 10 years ago and have one on at mo.
Tried a few inc talisman when things have come out; always gone back to Elk. Not tried a pro granite yet but heard good things.

You do get variation between tips with Elks you can push your nail in the tip to gauge how hard it is.

[BoBnoGG!n]

i think the problem with soft tips is that, they go hard eventually anyways. and having them change consistency as u play it in more, means youre never getting consistency with tips. sure they grip well, but i think you can get a lot more from a firmer tip. firmer tips wont change shape much, u always get more cue power, u work less to get the same amount of work.

I use to love SUPER SOFT SPONGY tips, until, i tried a hard tip. didnt know what the pro's or con's were, but after i spent a few months getting use to it, i worked out, that it just improved my game so much. there are limits to a soft tip, and the fact you change them so often because you like the soft feel means you never really work out your game to a consistend level. while with a hard tip, at least you get long periods of time where you play with the tip at that exact same consistency. some people say they overhit everything with a harder tip, but IMO its better to over hit then learn to tone down your power, than to under hit shots when u need that extra power.

Give hard tips a go, and i dont mean, put one on, hav a hit for one session, hav a sob cause u hit bad, then complain that the tip isnt for you. really give it a go. leave it on for a few months, try NEW things with it. 5 yrs from now, it could be the best move you made in improving your game.

its like my mate told me, a well played in elk or BD should be really firm n responsive. then i gave him a pro granite to test out, n he told me he loves them because its like an elk thats been played in.

IMO pro granites are the shiz! they are awesome. love them! =]

[Roofus]

Thanks for the opinions. I have a feeling I will give the Pro Granite a go.:)

[gus]

I just changed from a soft Talisman to a MW Supertip which I think is quite soft as well.
I'd like to know what the best ones are too, these rock hard new ones could be more consistent I suppose. It seems like the soft ones allow for a bit more feel but I could quite easily just be imagining that.

Does it even really make a difference?

[tonybevins@googlemail.com]

i always liked hard blue diamonds , if you could find one , until i put a talisman soft on my cue .....i'll never go back to the pressed leather tips , laminated tips all the way for me !!! they just play 100% consistently well from the off in my opinion .

[hatterboard]

just had a kamui black on mine, feels very nice.

[ger]

For medium tips, try either Triangle or else the GBL tips. For slightly harder tips, I have used both Talisman soft and Hercules H2 as well as Tweetens Triumph tips. My personal favourites for 8 ball were the talisman and triumph, but having said that, I've currently got a GBL on my main playing cue. If you get a good elk, they are fine, but a large percentage of them sometimes have an 'iffy' feel to them and never play in properly.

For most players, you won't go wrong with the GBL tips or something like the Tweetens Triangle tips, but as has been mentioned here, hard tips such as Talisman/Kamui etc really do play very well once you get used to them.

:snooker:

[Gamma]

I have been using a Talisman Soft now for about 8 months, and i can honestly say they are the best tip i've had on my cue. They are consistent, firm, but not rock solid, and i can get more than enough spin with it.

The only thing is that laminated tips don't hold the chalk quite as well as pressed ones, but i just rough it up with the tip shaper every now and then, or use a tip pik.

Am starting to think about the pro granite tips though as a lot of people rave about them, so i might give them a go.

G

[totlxtc]

Am starting to think about the pro granite tips though as a lot of people rave about them, so i might give them a go.

G

Pop over i'll fit one for you when your in need of having it done mate.

[Gamma]

Cheers Dan,

Fancy a few frames at the weekend?

[totlxtc]

Cheers Dan,

Fancy a few frames at the weekend?

Comp down Ernie's place this weekend bud, so sure. Tables reclothed so no more excuses from me :D

[Linus]

Trial and error. For me it definetely takes a while to adjust to a new tip- but also, more importantly, to actually settle on it once shaped. To let it be rather than constantly feeling the need to fiddle with it...to perfect it. Re-shaping it all the time will just end up wearing it down all the more quickly. Sandpaper is like a drug though and feels good in my hands...hmmm,

Expirementing is good, i like my tip to "mushroom" a bit over the ferrule. I think i have an elk on now- its fine, it fits perfectly (maybe a tad small) but realistically i can't say there are any issues with my cues playability. I think maybe its finding the right shape that is important...kinda.