Cue Tip Comparison

www.BilliardsDirectOnline.com
Today we'll be discussing cue tips and the many various brands available to today's pool player. Although there are lot of different brands to choose from, we're focusing on just six of them.
Starting at the lower end of the spectrum we have Elk Master. These are standard leather tips. The Elk Master is blue which is due to the fact that it is embedded with chalk. This is a benefit because you won't have to chalk it as often as a regular tip.
Triangle. This is a standard piece of leather and performs quite well for general play.
Le Professional (Le Pro's): This is another standard piece of leather that has been shaped and pressed into cue tip form. They're dubbed "The French Style Cue Tip", so can feel extra fancy using them.
All the aforementioned cues are very similar albeit with different textures. The Elk Master is the softest, with the Le Pro being of average softness and Triangle being the least soft.
Next we have the laminated tips, like Everest. When looking at this tip, you can clearly see the lamination and that it is composed of many different layers. There's also a red line toward the bottom to let you know when it's time to change your tip out.
Next up are Moori tips, which are a very high quality tip. These are laminated as well. The whole point of laminated tips are to prevent mushrooming over extended play. The uniform stays much better and, in the case of the Moori tips, their patented glue stays much better as well.
Finally, we have what I believe are the best tips of the group, which are Kamui Black tips. They come in a variety of hardness, this one in particular is a Soft. The Kamui tips are also coated in a special chemical to maintain their integrity, which makes them last longer and need less frequent changing. They also give more with your left and right english which gives you less deflection on your shots.

[@nibblenibblenomnom]

Hey Brandon! I think it's time for a remake of this video in HD now that there are so much more performance tips out there :).

[@marcrevita4829]

Those were literally his tips for the day

[@mypronounismaster4450]

Four years ago someone on the internet used 'literally' properly.

[@SuperJohncenarko]

I agree man, a kamui black is amazing. We shoot all the time up here in ky, i will be tonight for about 8 hours and tommorrow as well, i had a soft tip at first, no clue what it was i think it was a lapro. But good tip just too soft to do what i really wanted it to do. A guy i shoot with all the time he had a kamui black medium and we all tried his stick and man the first night you have it you just poke around and stand in awe over the english it can give. Truely an amazing tip.

[@kevg724]

Thanks Brandon, been watching a lot of your videos lately. Always learn a lot and are very well done!

[@BilliardsDirect]

Thank you. :D

[@Zhing]

Hi Brandon, do you know what I mean by a "Blue chrome leather tip"? I was wondering if this is either a blue velvet or a triangle leather tip. Do you know where I could purchase triangle leather tips online? I have heard they are no longer available and have developed into the talisman tips but would you be able to confirm this to me? Thank you

[@19ADAM80]

I've always like the Talisman Pro Domed (M) myself.. very good feedback, and has always played well..thanks for the video.

[@mikko730]

Hi brandon, may you answer this question please, im just wondering if the kamui soft tip has to be pressed? I know tips like Elk master has to be, but for kamui im not sure if you have to pressed it or it is made not to be. Thanks in advance :)

[@DBZ-Mousa]

Hello Brandon! I am in search of a new (serious) tip for my cue as I havent yet used any of the big brands! I am hearing left and right about Kamui's, and Onyx Tigers! About the Kamui's, I did read, a lot, that a big (if the only) drawback is the glaze that is created, from hard or extreme english hits! And it worried me a bit because I really dont wanna repair/maintenance the tip day after day! Any suggestions/recommendations?

[@MPC-gk6st]

So Brandon how do you know how long the tips were setting in your store or any other?I have only seen a few that come individually wrapped so with that being said what's the difference between on a cue and in a box ?

[@godjhaka7376]

Good question. They prob all need to be thrown out. I haven't seen a cue shop with a humidifier or anything climate controlled for their "leather" tips. Maybe something for a serious shop to look at. In either case, prob best to order directly from manufacturer

[@bobknight6394]

Hi Brandon.. how do predator tips compare with kamui tips.. im a league hacker apa 6, should i use a soft or medium tip?

[@BloodB4th812]

Can you introduce a good tip shaper for me? thanks. For my Poison cue i have the original sarin tip on the venom shaft.. should i change it?

[@mah175175]

thanks, that's sound music. Do you recommends any clips on youtube for fitting the tip and cut it to size, I don’t have any machines nor anybody around I’m so glad that this piece of leather travels overseas to reach me and don’t want to cut it wrong

[@MrElPoderozo1]

HI Brandon!! I have a question for you, Can I benefit from using a softer tip on my cue? I am using a Everest medium tip right know and I was wondering if going to a SOFT TIP will be better, I am just wondering how can affect my game for better or worst,thanks.

[@Koyoo11]

What do you think about the Zan super soft tip compared to kamui or predator

[@MichaelAirbnbHost]

So how old does that Kamui tip get until it gets sold?

[@VioloTube]

Hi, what do you think about the new Laminated tip Tiger ONYX-LTD ?

[@kuhkri24]

How are Collapsar tips in comparison to some of the others? Low, medium or high end?

[@mattmcrae88]

Have you ever tried using the Wooldridge Single Layer tips. They're good in my opinion.

[@javierjavier5468]

brandon 1 question the super pro tip is good?

[@whocares4464]

I'm relearning pool and my game has came to a point where I'm wanting to change over too a soft layered tip. I've always used medium elk masters or Le pro but I think I'm ready for a change

[@MrWARGODS]

Brandon what’s your take on the new cue soul tips

[@robnobles3174]

what if i put embossed side up on tiger emerald tip?

[@pmayh3m]

Too bad there's no new videos. Really enjoyed them

[@countrylapi9245]

Excellent video. Thank you!

[@l1e1n1n1a1r1t1]

Does a soft tip, like the elk master, last less long than a hard tip?

[@jwalkerj28]

I am looking to buy a cue but they are pushing 9mm can I switch to 13 mm

[@uvafan940]

Over the 30+, almost 40 years, I have played and been around pool I have tried about everything out there (single layer and layered). The best imo is still the old French Champion tips made in France (still have quite a few of them), I am NOT speaking about the later Chandivert Champion tips either btw. Those come later on. I have always bought all I could of them over the years. They are the tips others tried their best to be like. Like a LePro with their eiffel tower on the box heh. No comparison though.

[@ghassanahmed9596]

first thank you for all videos you made .. second I have hybrid mezz shaft with new moori tip but before i used master tip snd I found master has more spin reflection and better than moori tip s

[@jeddfarley]

I really believe it comes down to preference. I've heard it All from novices to pro players. Some want SS so you can spin the ball etc. Some want the hardest tip because hard tip to hard ball = no give etc. I've seen it all and listened to everyone. I've played with ss, soft, med and Hard. I really like kamui original soft and tiger med. They have always played well and are good for me.

[@marshalcraft]

yeah really think this is one area you just have to figure out for self, as well as putting on and tip care and life time. I found with my everest medium, i have no idea how tip behaved, but hit a real sweet spot at about 6 months playing it (regularly, several days a week for hours). Played great only reason i pulled it off was to try soft, and because i had shaped it 1 too many times and was down to ferrel.

[@marshalcraft]

That said new tips, for some reason I play like complete shit, couldn't hit wrong side of a barn. Not sure if tips or me, just small correlation with new tips and shooting like crap.

[@drix7074]

Can you explain the difference between Kamui black and kamui black clear? Is the clear just for show, or does it have some other use?

[@klieu90210]

Kamui black clear has 2 polycarbonate layers at the bottom (for better adhesion to your ferrule) and 1 (?) polycarbonate layer at the top. I never really bought into that, hence why I use Kamui black

[@dougdabandit2003]

if elk master tips are good enough for efren reyes then they are good enough for me

[@gtownhvac1640]

Doug Guelich...... u right bro

[@soundautomatic1]

Milk duds tho, not standard Elkmaster.

[@BladeRunner-td8be]

yes, but there is a caveat to go along with that. Efren does use Elkmaster tips but with a twist. Somebody or some company compresses his Elkmaster tips after soaking them in some mysterious liquid. How much are his tips compressed and what is the mysterious liquid they are soaked in ? I have no idea.

[@commandernoodles2367]

Just press the Elk Master tip with a vise grip overnight and you're good to go.

[@dennisschell5543]

What about phenolic break tips?

[@vnneh]

i used to play with mooris, then jumped on the kamui hypetrain, now im using onyx tips and they are in my opinion, far better than any kamui (brown, black, clear) tip, much more english and they dont glaze over that quickly aswell using the kamui chalk, at the end its all personal so i'd say test them and see which one contents you

[@theevilone1646]

vnneh kamui is a joke and to overpriced

[@ericou812]

brandon,my cue came with Blue Elf tip,im not sure if its a soft,medium or hard,whats your thoughts of Blue Elf tips?

[@BilliardsDirect]

+ericou812 I'd never heard of Blue Elf cue tips before but I looked online and it seems like Medium hardness is standard for those.

[@antoniobabich3583]

I have used a lot of tips throughout the past five years. Moori Medium, Tiger - (Everest, Emerald, Sniper, Onyx, Sarin), Predator Victory, Molavia Medium, G2, Kamui Brown, and Kamui Black. Out of all of them, the one I liked the most and stick to when I replace tips is the Kamui Black. As he said, it doesn't dry out as fast. I've had mine for 7 months now and it still hits like it did when it was new. The Tiger ONYX is over priced. It gets dry and hard too quickly.

[@guneetify]

these black and leather tips are for pool or snooker? coz i have never seen a black/leather tip on a snooker cue

[@antoniobabich3583]

guneetify I would imagine you could put them on a snooker cue. You would just have to cut off a couple layers so it wouldn't be too long. It's really all personal preference. I have a Tiger Everest on my snooker cue and it works like a charm.

[@MrElPoderozo1]

@BrandonBilliardGuy Thanks for answering me,you help me a lot .I will try the softer tip and see what happens!! Thanks for your time.

[@lakmeister]

wow he knows his stuff!!! but no mention of blue diamond,a popular tip?

[@godjhaka7376]

@1:55 6 months??? I have had a HXT15 for 2-3 years and never changed the kamui tip. Then I live in Colorado that's very dry. Now you have me thinking

[@BilliardsDirect]

I have heard of it but I have not tried it myself yet.

[@mah175175]

thanks dear Brandon for you efforts, I really liked you clips. I just received the Soft KAMUI black tip, and I can’t figure out whither is it a real or fake one since this is my first time to hold it in my hand. And I’m still waiting my McDermott star S4, and I’m wondering if the KAMUI tip fits on that could please advice

[@klieu90210]

real, new Kamui tips have an ID# imprinted on the top you can check for authenticity.

[@kianiano]

Dear Brandon, Thank you for your very much useful videos - PERFECT! I have questions about LEATHER CUE TIPS: 1) Should I chalk up leather tips or leather tips should NEVER be chucked? 2) Tell us about the softness and hardness of the tips and their uses. 3) Should I buy the whole set or select one? 4) I'm trying to learn Swerves and strong Curves which is difficult for us. So what kind of Tip do you recommend us? I'm not a pro but I play well enough with my friends as a hobby. But each day we are getting better. This is very important to me. Waiting to hearing from you soon. Your time and consideration is greatly appreciated. Regards, Kian IRAN - Great Persia!

[@rootykazooty351]

Chalk every tip.

[@davids11131113]

The best player I know myself, he will break and run 9 ball racks in a row, he uses an old pawn shop Viking cue and plays with a medium press Elk Master non layered tip, same as what Efren Reyes uses.

[@johnholland67]

Lepro is my favorite tip and I've played with almost every brand.

[@tomashernandez2215]

Subtítulos por favor

[@manggudo5872]

whats the best cue tip for draw shots? hard tip? soft? or medium?

[@BilliardsDirect]

Soft is best for draw shots.

[@tslabjr7]

Milk duds. Get a medium milk dud and you can draw with ease.

[@TheIcemanModdeler]

Replaced the tip with an Elk Master on my cheap cue, it’s much better but the process is so unnecessary. Why hasn’t a standard been created so all the tips are easier to apply like how some cheap tips are already glued on plastic ferrules or how some tips have brass screw for easy assembly. This is how all tips should be, need to replace a tip mid tournament, just unscrew the old and screw the new one back on.

[@halmain7406]

Good video

[@boblebeau]

Thanks!

[@SirNoobs]

@ChazTThompson If you're replacing a tip on a proper cue (that's not a screw in tip), you can get any cue tip from the billiard store. What the repairman would do is cut off the old tip and glue the new one on and trim it to fit good. Screw on tips are bad!!!

[@godjhaka7376]

Le pro super inconsistent. The first time a pro shop put one on, it came off in 2 days. Whole time was mushrooming and cracking bad, had to keep reshaping and burnishing between racks. I brought a tweeten home repair kit and never looked back. First elkmaster was a win.

[@TC_318]

looks like he needs some sleep in this video

[@wrenchinrock]

I disagree on kamui they require more maintenance than most hard tips I shoot with I find if you don't scuff the kamui alot it will indeed cause miscues

[@VioloTube]

never mind ! thanks a lot !! ciao :D

[@Zazmiz]

Since they only last for like 6 months, why are they stored in just regular cardboard boxes, and not some special vacuum packaging?

[@davids11131113]

The best playing tip in my opinion is the Tiger Everest, best of all worlds it plays great, holds chalk for a 9 ball rack, lasts long, I have a few several years old still great, and theyre inexpensive.

[@BilliardsDirect]

davids11131113 I always recommend changing pool cue tips every 6 months since they dry out after about that long. Tiger Everest are good enough to be installed standard on a lot of cues so I would agree that they're good tips, though not the best.

[@davids11131113]

I just had a Black Heart tip installed on a G-core shaft, not the most hyped up tip but seems to play great.

[@randybear2070]

NO disrespect M8 but the volume of your many posts is horribly low...otherwise ? love your stuff!

[@Kentucky_Blue]

Randy Bear agreed. Volume on my ipad is maxed and can barely hear you

[@suckerolo]

you can have your tip on longer than 6months! steve davis has a cue on which the tip is on for 13 years now

[@davids11131113]

I have a 25 year old McDermott Elvis cue, original tip still plays fine.

[@BladeRunner-td8be]

Ok, I would love to see your stroke and know how much pool you play. Steve Davis might have a tip on a cue he owns that has been there for 13 years. No way that's the cue he uses everyday. And people who have tips on their cues for extended periods of time most likely don't play that often and when they do play their tip is not shaped correctly. Most likely it is VERY flat. You need to have a good amount of chalk actually sticking to the tip if you want to do anything with the cue ball and roughing it up is part of that. Yes, using the needle tool is a big help in that regard but if you hit shots with any force you're going to need to continually shape the tip which involves removing leather.

[@walk50]

I have tried the kamui,orignai,black,kamui clear well the orignal is good for advanced players it gives the most spin without much effort its a lot different to tiger or other tips the black is good because it has a solid hit without giveing u that funny feeling when playing with a hard tip and the kamui clear is same as black the clear piece is only to make the tip bond well with the ferruel so it wont fall off when u play stun or draw sometimes it has a funny sound but its just the way it works ur not miscueing but u hardly hear the sound it only happens sometimes but its the best quality and nice feel tip no regrets

[@hujklnm23]

Do a chalk comparison

[@ricardogil-ventura3993]

we need to change the phenolic tips on a break cue

[@BladeRunner-td8be]

Yeah, I agree. Those phenolic tips are ridiculous in that it's almost impossible to get a feel for where to hit the cue ball when breaking. The effect is an out of control cue ball more often than not. I changed mine out for a Kamui Brown / Hard. it's much better but I'm sure there are better tips than that even to use with the break cue.

[@nugenki]

Tips of the day? I see what you did there.

[@johnlegere1612]

Can't hear you.

[@alfawoof1]

This sounds like every golfer that spends a months salary or more on a new clubs every other year trying to make up for not putting in the time to get better. Any high level player will make whatever equipment at their disposal work. That said, Elk Master tips are just fine for an old school stick like me.

[@dnbmania]

Yes they lose shape quite quickly

[@chodaidiii]

ahhhhhhh "tips for the day"

[@BladeRunner-td8be]

Everest laminated tip shown here has a red line around the circumference of the tip showing when the tip needs to be replaced. HAH! You've got to be kidding me. By the time the tip shown here is shaped to match up with a dime held up against it, you're already below that red line. And just look at how much leather is under that red line going to waste if you replace it when they say to. I've done some research to see what tips the pros use and they seem to use the Le Pro tip much more than than the Kamui Black tip