Talisman cue tips

[snookerking1978]

I have been using a Talisman tip for the last few months now and have found that it has really helped my game in terms of feel, consistency, and cue power.

Has anyone else had the same experience when swapping cue tips? I used to be a fan of using Elks and still believe they give you the best feel but I was fed up of replacing my tip every 2-3 weeks and the quality really varied from tip to tip.

My talisman tip is still in perfect condition after 2 months and whilst I have lost a bit of feel from the tip compared to elks, I have found having a tip that you don't have to replace regularly really helps your confidence.

With so much psychology in snooker I thought I would share this advice with other players as I really do believe that without a decent tip your standard will never improve.

[Erwan_BZH]

what sort of Talisman tip do you use?

[snookerking1978]

I'm using a Talisman Pro Soft tip. There's soft, med, and hard. I haven't tried the water buffalo tips yet but the talisman soft seems good with snooker. I have also tried the hard version and it plays well also. They take ages to sand down though because they are so tough, but the plus side is they last for a long time. Well worth the time if you ask me!

[trevs1]

I have been using a Talisman tip for the last few months now and have found that it has really helped my game in terms of feel, consistency, and cue power.

Has anyone else had the same experience when swapping cue tips? I used to be a fan of using Elks and still believe they give you the best feel but I was fed up of replacing my tip every 2-3 weeks and the quality really varied from tip to tip.

My talisman tip is still in perfect condition after 2 months and whilst I have lost a bit of feel from the tip compared to elks, I have found having a tip that you don't have to replace regularly really helps your confidence.

With so much psychology in snooker I thought I would share this advice with other players as I really do believe that without a decent tip your standard will never improve.

Can't understand why you need to change a tip every couple of weeks when you use Elkmasters.......I really don't get that at all.

I regularly change tips for those who play for a living, and once done, don't see many of them until they need it replacing........months later!

Why would you need to change a tip so often???
Why do you believe Talisman are any better than the next brand???
Why do you think it makes you more consistant???
How can it give you more cue power, and in what way???

Improvement in a players standard will have little to do with their 'tip' and more to do with a more correct technique, better understanding and knowledge of playing (experience), more correct shot selection, improved concentration, etc etc etc.......but not a tip brand.

You are right about one thing here though.......the psychology bit.

[cueman]

To be fair I think a lot of players are changing to the talisman and other layered tips partly because the likes of O'Sullivan and Higgins are using them and secondly because they take hardly any time to 'bed in'.

I was a bit sceptical at first and thought could they really make such a difference and the answer is definitely YES.

As I mentioned the main thing is you can put one on brand new and within an hour you are used to it and have full confidence in it. I put my current one on in October and its still got a few months life left in it yet. With Elks they were wearing down after about 6-8 weeks and then you have the hassle of putting on a new tip, finding out its not a good un, and putting on about another 2-3 to find one that's suitable. At least with the talismans you only change about every 3-6 months, probably longer, depending how much you play and you know that it will play well immediately.

As for what you can do with them. Well they definitely give more bite on the cueball and you can get much more fizz out of the white. They feel great too, again probably down to the confidence that you know its a good tip but half the problem with snooker is down to confidence and if you have a tip that works well every time, well that's half the problem solved.

[Erwan_BZH]

To be fair I think a lot of players are changing to the talisman and other layered tips partly because the likes of O'Sullivan and Higgins are using them and secondly because they take hardly any time to 'bed in'.

I was a bit sceptical at first and thought could they really make such a difference and the answer is definitely YES.

As I mentioned the main thing is you can put one on brand new and within an hour you are used to it and have full confidence in it. I put my current one on in October and its still got a few months life left in it yet. With Elks they were wearing down after about 6-8 weeks and then you have the hassle of putting on a new tip, finding out its not a good un, and putting on about another 2-3 to find one that's suitable. At least with the talismans you only change about every 3-6 months, probably longer, depending how much you play and you know that it will play well immediately.

As for what you can do with them. Well they definitely give more bite on the cueball and you can get much more fizz out of the white. They feel great too, again probably down to the confidence that you know its a good tip but half the problem with snooker is down to confidence and if you have a tip that works well every time, well that's half the problem solved.

Exactly Cueman, I start to get a bit fed up to change my tips so often. Moreover, last night my current one broke down to pieces, litteraly, after only 3 weeks of 'life', and I have to change it again today! It's the third bad one on the trot
That's why I'm considering buying a box of Talisman. But what do you recommend, toughness-wise? the soft? the medium? the hard? I've heard the soft version is already much harder than an traditionnal Elkie...

[Wity]

I stuck a Talisman soft on last night. First time i've ever tried anything apart from the standard elkmaster tips. I found it tougher to trim to size maybe because my blade was a bit dull as opposed to the last time I retipped which was an elkmaster onto my old cue 2 or 3 weeks ago but probably because anything laminated is logically harder than a solid. Once shaped though I thought it was softer to touch maybe thats because I was feeling sanded leather not sanded leather inpregnated with chalk or are elkmasters just coloured blue ? I dunno.

Proof in the puddin will come when i've played with it a few times I spose.

[cueman]

Erwan, I'd go for the soft version, they are still a lot harder than Bd's or Elks. I think they are plenty hard enough though and probably will suit most players. I should imagine the hard version is very hard and will only suit certain players. I have a medium that I might try out once my current one has had its day. Actually to look at and feel it doesn't seem to be too different to the soft version, I'll let everyone know how it plays.

[trevs1]

Erwan, I'd go for the soft version, they are still a lot harder than Bd's or Elks. I think they are plenty hard enough though and probably will suit most players. I should imagine the hard version is very hard and will only suit certain players. I have a medium that I might try out once my current one has had its day. Actually to look at and feel it doesn't seem to be too different to the soft version, I'll let everyone know how it plays.

I wouldn't say that a tip that's a lot harder than a BD or Elk would suit most players at all.

[Erwan_BZH]

Erwan, I'd go for the soft version, they are still a lot harder than Bd's or Elks. I think they are plenty hard enough though and probably will suit most players. I should imagine the hard version is very hard and will only suit certain players. I have a medium that I might try out once my current one has had its day. Actually to look at and feel it doesn't seem to be too different to the soft version, I'll let everyone know how it plays.

Thanks!

I wouldn't say that a tip that's a lot harder than a BD or Elk would suit most players at all.

Most of the players like hard tips. And honnestly, I start to find Elkies a bit soft...So I think those Talisman tips can have a fairly good success.

[Watford]

I have a talisman soft tip on my old cue that I was using up to last week (got them from ADR147)! I have found them a little too hard!
A mate of mine put one on same day as me and only did a week with it (but he likes an excuse if he's playing badly)
I had it on for weeks it's ok but my new cue has an elk on and I will probably stick with elk or bd!
Apparently Mike Wooldridge does pressed tips like bd and elk but more consistent, they are much dearer though!
The reason I tried Talisman was that I often end up retipping me cue about three times when I change it because tips from the same box can be completely different!

[trevs1]

I have a talisman soft tip on my old cue that I was using up to last week (got them from ADR147)! I have found them a little too hard!
A mate of mine put one on same day as me and only did a week with it (but he likes an excuse if he's playing badly)
I had it on for weeks it's ok but my new cue has an elk on and I will probably stick with elk or bd!
Apparently Mike Wooldridge does pressed tips like bd and elk but more consistent, they are much dearer though!
The reason I tried Talisman was that I often end up retipping me cue about three times when I change it because tips from the same box can be completely different!

Totally correct, and I might add an opinoon shared by many many people.

By the way, the Wooldridge pressed tips are not really any different to the others and are in no way worth 'any' extra money.

Spend spend spend....that's what much of the tip thing is about truth be told.

[cueman]

I wouldn't say that a tip that's a lot harder than a BD or Elk would suit most players at all.

I think the point you and others are missing is that the tip is hard to begin with, much like how a standard elk becomes after its taken time to 'bed in'. With an Elk or BD they tend to be soft and take a while to harden up, they also lose shape and mushroom pretty quickly. Whereas a talisman doesn't mushroom or lose shape or become harder either, they stay the same from the moment you put it on, until it has worn down almost completely to the ferrule, I've found them very consistant.

Ronnie and Higgins and a lot of other pro's can't be wrong!

[trevs1]

I think the point you and others are missing is that the tip is hard to begin with, much like how a standard elk becomes after its taken time to 'bed in'. With an Elk or BD they tend to be soft and take a while to harden up, they also lose shape and mushroom pretty quickly. Whereas a talisman doesn't mushroom or lose shape or become harder either, they stay the same from the moment you put it on, until it has worn down almost completely to the ferrule, I've found them very consistant.

Ronnie and Higgins and a lot of other pro's can't be wrong!

Can't they???

I'd beg to differ. Because someone is a professional at a sport, it doesn't mean they'll have all the answers about the equipment they use.

The thing is, tips are not the same for all players are they? We all know some like soft tips and some like hard tips, with many liking something in between.

A 'good' Elkmaster tip, bedded in properly before it's even stuck a ball can, and will, last for months, even used full time by someone playing every day.
The same tip will generate as much action one the white as 'ANY' other good tip..FACT.

[cueman]

Trouble is though Trevor, a lot of players, myself included, find it very frustrating that tips like Elks or BD's are so inconsistant in quality over the past few years. I don't know why, whethers its the manufacturing process but they seem to be very hit or miss when it comes to picking one out of a box and putting it on your cue. I've lost count over the past 18 months or so that I've put on tips on my own cue and for others only to find that they aren't very good and to be honest I got very annoyed wasting my time in trying to find a decent bit of leather! When you think of the cost as well, I've probably chucked away about £10 worth of tips over that time, just to find a few decent ones. When you consider you can buy a talisman for £5 which will guarantee performance and last a whole lot longer, can you blame anyone for changing?

What I can certainly vouch for, and what nearly everyone who has used a Talisman is that they are always consistant, probably 98%+ of these tips play exactly the same as the last one. That is all any player asks for in a cue tip.

I totally agree with you that if you find a good Elk or BD that they will generate just as much spin and perform all the shots that you want but over the past couple of years, sadly this hasn't been available to many. Hence why so many people are changing over to layered cue tips.

Also with regards to preference of tips again I agree that some prefer a softer tip and I would discourage anyone that does for using a talisman.