As I mentioned in my previous post, in order to get an accurate reading for our pool cue tips, there must be consistency in the testing process. Here are the parameters we used:
- Standard Shore A Durometer
- 1Kg (2.2 lbs) of pressure
- Average of three tip measurements
- 0-100mm scale
We’ve logged our results on our handy new ultimate pool cue tip guide, but in case you don’t feel like clicking the link, here’s what we’ve got so far. Keep in mind that our results might vary from others. These are specific to the Shore A Durometer, so if you test with a different Shore scale durometer (I believe there are 12 different Shore scales), you might see different results.
| Tip Brand | Tip Size | Density | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Master | 10-14mm | 66.8 | Click for Price |
| Kamui Black (Super Soft) | 14mm | 67.5 | Click for Price |
| 5280 Red Line (Tiger) | 14mm | 69.2 | Click for Price |
| Kamui Black (Soft) | 14mm | 72.3 | Click for Price |
| Moori (Soft) | 14mm | 72.8 | Click for Price |
| Moori (Medium) | 14mm | 75.5 | Click for Price |
| Tiger Everest | 14mm | 75.7 | Click for Price |
| Tiger Emerald | 14mm | 76.0 | Click for Price |
| Tiger Laminated (Soft) | 14mm | 76.7 | Click for Price |
| Tiger Sniper | 14mm | 77.8 | Click for Price |
| Kamui II (Soft) | 14mm | 78.1 | Click for Price |
| Tiger Laminated (Medium) | 14mm | 78.2 | Click for Price |
| Elite 11 Layer | 14mm | 78.3 | Click for Price |
| Kamui Black (Medium) | 14mm | 78.7 | Click for Price |
| Talisman Pro (Soft) | 14mm | 79.6 | Click for Price |
| Great White | 14mm | 79.6 | Click for Price |
| Tiger Dynamite | 14mm | 80.8 | Click for Price |
| Tiger Laminated (Hard) | 14mm | 81.7 | Click for Price |
| Talisman Water Buffalo (Medium) | 14mm | 82.0 | Click for Price |
| Kamui II (Medium Soft) | 14mm | 82.2 | Click for Price |
| Stingray | 14mm | 82.6 | Click for Price |
| Talisman Water Buffalo (Hard) | 14mm | 83.2 | Click for Price |
| Kamui II (Medium) | 14mm | 83.4 | Click for Price |
| Talisman Pro (Medium) | 14mm | 83.5 | Click for Price |
| Moori (Hard) | 14mm | 84.4 | Click for Price |
| Talisman Pro (Hard) | 14mm | 84.4 | Click for Price |
| Kamui Black (Hard) | 14mm | 84.8 | Click for Price |
| Scorpion | 14mm | TBD | Click for Price |
| WB Water Buffalo | 13-14mm | 88.2 | Click for Price |
| Talisman Pro (Extra Hard) | 14mm | 88.7 | Click for Price |
| Elk Master | 10-14mm | 66.8 | Click for Price |
| Triangle | 12-14mm | 91.0 | Click for Price |
| Triumph | 14mm | 92.0 | Click for Price |
| Kamui II (Hard) | 14mm | 92.2 | Click for Price |
| Samsara Jump Break | 14mm | 95.5 | Click for Price |
| Le Pro | 10-14mm | 96.3 | Click for Price |
| Tiger Jump | 14mm | Phenolic | Click for Price |
| Mezz Ignot | 14mm | Phenolic | Click for Price |
Once we get the Scorpion tips back in stock, we’ll add them to the tip guide, along with any new tips that we’re planning on carrying (I know there are at least a few more brands that we should have for this fall).
Google+Today’s the day! We just got our fancy new durometer in the mail, so let the cue tip testing begin!
What is a durometer you ask? Simply put, a durometer is a tool that allows you to check the density or hardness of material. For the purpose of these experiments, we’ll be using the Shore A chart, which is most common for softer materials and soft plastics, with a scale rating of 0-100. To give you a point of comparison, here are some measurements for common household items:
| Material | Density |
|---|---|
| Rubber Band | 25 |
| Door Seal | 55 |
| Automotive Tire Tread | 70 |
| Soft Skateboard Wheel | 75 |
| Hard Skateboard Wheel | 98 |
Because there will naturally be some variance in density from tip to tip (as not all leather, pig skin, etc. is uniform), we’ll be testing three tips and then taking the average of the three to get our final density measurement. What makes it tricky is that there are 12 different Shore scales, so it is necessary to make sure you’re using the most appropriate scale for the material you’re measuring. Based on everything I’ve read, Shore A seems to make the most sense.
I’m off to play mad scientist. My buddy Steve Spangler would be proud.
Google+One of the most frustrating aspects of selling billiards equipment is the lack of clear information available. Tips are a perfect example of this. One of the more frequent questions we’ll get is asking about the difference between a soft, medium and hard tip. There are some numbers floating around but these often create more questions than they answer.
For example, a Moori soft tip has a “density rating” of 63.8 whereas a Kamui medium tip rates at 74.2. What isn’t clear is what is being used to measure the density. So, we re going to see what we can do to take some of the mystery out of these ratings.
We’re in the process of ordering some equipment to help measure the density of all the tips that we sell. In the meantime, feel free to check out our new cue tip guide (which we’ll be adding to and updating as we get more information). The current guide includes density measurements that have been commonly reported, but over the coming weeks we’ll be updating this chart to show our own measurements.
Google+
