Review: A Pro Z Rubber Cue Tip

[dhakala]

Got my new shaft from Sheldon LeBow (www.sheldoncue.com)
Tuesday, and a handsome piece o' work it is! Thanks, Sheldon.

He also installed a "nitro rubber composite" tip I bought from A
Pro Z Rubber Cue Tip Co. (www.aprozrubbercuetip.qpg.com). Here's
how that went the first couple of hours:

First thing you notice is that you've lost your hearing. There
is virtually no sound when the tip hits the cue ball, even when
breaking. That's a little eerie - breaks are supposed to go
BOOM! The hit feels much softer with the same power behind the
stroke, but I got my normal amount of break action.

Next thing is that you learn to stroke softer and stay closer to
the center of the cue ball. That fits my style on 90% of shots
anyhow, so it wasn't hard to adapt. The rubber really grabs the
cue ball, so you needn't strike near the ball's edge to get
plenty of spin.

Third, you find yourself scratching your butt while studying a
shot. I missed my chalk cube for the first couple of games.

Overall, I kinda like this thing. I felt significantly more
confidence in my cue ball control. Made some incredible shots
during practice - even whupped our team's APA 7 for a change,
with a full-table 70-degree 8-ball bank. (God, that felt good!)

Coach insisted that I use my old shaft for my match, lest the
change mess up my mojo. I won the match but I really think I
would've won sooner if I'd used Sheldon's shaft and this tip.

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[astrodabu]

Wow, so maybe all those negative experiences other people had
with rubber tips were cuz they were trying to hit the CB the same
as with a regular tips? Is the tip a perfect dime or nickel
curve? How about the squirt factor, is it harder to hit
perfectly straight. You said yourself, you need hit the ball
less off center to get the same amount of english, so i'd assume
it would just naturally be harder to hit straight shots.

-Dave

[dhakala]

Dave, I think power strokers and extreme-English players would
have trouble with this tip. It's noticably springy, so a hard
hit will amplify any aiming errors. I strive to hit the QB "just
enough and no more" and to stay as close to the center of the QB
as I can. So this tip furthers my shooting goals.

> Is the tip a perfect dime or nickel curve?

It arrived with nice nickel radius. I'm shaping it to a dime,
slowly. This rubber does not grind off as readily as leather.
According to the maker, some people are still on their first tip
after several years of play. I can believe it.

> How about the squirt factor, is it harder to hit
>perfectly straight.

I made plenty of straight-in shots last night (missed a couple,
too), but I can't say for certain what effect the tip has on
squirt. I should've installed this tip on my old shaft instead
of the new one. I've changed two variables simultaneously, so I
can't tell how much change in squirt is attributable to the new
shaft and how much to the tip. But overall, I feel I have less
squirt now.

[dro...@my-deja.com]

Very intersting. Are these tips considered legal? I don't know the
rules. 'course I could walk into my weekly matches with golf clubs and
no one would notice. I just like to stay within the rules cause I'm
such a nice fella.

Thanks for the report and any info.

dave

How many "dave"'s are there in here, anyway?

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[Louis Simoni]

> Next thing is that you learn to stroke softer and stay closer to
> the center of the cue ball. That fits my style on 90% of shots
> anyhow, so it wasn't hard to adapt. The rubber really grabs the
> cue ball, so you needn't strike near the ball's edge to get
> plenty of spin.

Rubber tip + power backhand english = get position using 6 rails.

-louis <---dont give me a rubber tip.

[Patrick Johnson]

dro...@my-deja.com wrote:

> Very intersting. Are these tips considered legal?

No. Tips must be "leather or synthetic leather". Nobody knows
exactly what that means, but it probably doesn't mean rubber.

Pat Johnson
Chicago

[astrodabu]

I always thought that if one did have a rubber tip, then the best
way to reduce squirts would be to actually flatten the very tip
just a *smidgen*. That way, straight shots would have a bit more
contact area. Of course, flattening it too much would make
english shots harder. Maybe flattening would only be useful for
breaks. Now you say that the power on the breaks is the same?
Man, i think i'm going to have to get me one of these things.

-Dave

[dhakala]

The maker's literature says it's approved for use in BCA, APA
and Valley tournaments.

"Space age polymer" may not be "synthetic leather," either. But
the Future Cue Tip has been sanctioned by the BCA since
November, 1990. See the digitized image of the letter at

http://home.flash.net/~jlowery/sancfull.htm

As I recall, the rules on tips were established at the request
of hall owners to avert table damage from plastic, metal and
other rock-hard materials used in early jump sticks. There's no
reason to ban something that's springier than water buffalo hide
or the skin from elks' foreheads.

[dhakala]

astrodabu <dhanNO...@cmcvax.mckenna.edu.invalid> wrote:
>I always thought that if one did have a rubber tip, then the
best
>way to reduce squirts would be to actually flatten the very tip
>just a *smidgen*.

Actually, it does come that way. It'll probably stay that way
for a long time, unless I get industrious about shaping it to a
dime radius.

[dha...@cyberweek.com]

Well, after 10-15 hours of play time the jury's still out on this
thing. 'Tis a harsh mistress, but in ways that seem to improve my game.

When the QB's sitting on the rail, you'd better hit as much of the
ball's top as you can. Otherwise, the tip traps the ball and
embarassing things happen. Same as any miscue, but more obvious.

My long hard shots are going in again, long as I remember to stay
within half a tip-width of centerball. I should've been doing that all
along, but this tip dramatically highlights the error of sloppy strokes.

Using english to get shape has never been easier. Soft stroke + rubber
traction = amazed looks on opponent's face.

We'll see how it works under pressure tomorrow night. I mentioned to
one of my APA teammates that I thought we had a bye this week and would
gather just to practice. He said no, we're playing the first-place
team. "Oh," sez I, "Well, that will be good practice." :-)

[theodo...@gmail.com]

I think that a rubber tip on a pool cue would do three things much better!!! #1 no more miscues.#2 no more chalk ever. #3 no more changing tips periodically. Them three things alone would make this tip a much better choice. And then there's the silence of hitting the cue ball. I'm going to ask my local cue tip mechanic his advice on the rubber tip. If he says it's a good idea, then I'll try it definitely. Ted Hollis, a.k.a.king farouk.

[Bill]

theodo...@gmail.com wrote:
> I think that a rubber tip on a pool cue would do three things much better!!!

Unfortunately, a leather tip will do a few things better than a rubber
one too...