[sgengaro86]

When people talk about “best hitting” cues, it seems like many mention stiffer, crisper hits like the Southwests. Are there cues people like that have a very soft hit? For example, I have a production Pechaeur with a stainless joint and I love the soft hit. I hate the weighting of the cue so I don’t play with it, but love the soft feeling. Does anyone have any favorite customer cues that have a solid but soft hit?
Thanks!

[DecentShot]

Originally Posted by sgengaro86

When people talk about “best hitting” cues, it seems like many mention stiffer, crisper hits like the Southwests. Are there cues people like that have a very soft hit? For example, I have a production Pechaeur with a stainless joint and I love the soft hit. I hate the weighting of the cue so I don’t play with it, but love the soft feeling. Does anyone have any favorite customer cues that have a solid but soft hit?
Thanks!

That verbiage is a throwback before we had low deflection and carbon fiber shafts. So "hits a ton" simply translates to stiff. Higher end cuemakers made it a race for stiffest hit.
Its a lot like (I know this analogy is a little left field but it works) surfboards. Sure a guy could work his whole life developing his own legendary style of shaping the boards, but Channel Islands uses a computer and makes a far superior board.
With that said, it comes down to two camps. The "give me the best equipment available" guys, and the "soul" guys. I have enough "soul", tyvm.
Often times with a pool cue the hit feel will depend on the type of tip. But to directly answer your question, Mcdermott has the "softest" hit of any cue I've ever played with.

[ChrisinNC]

Originally Posted by DecentShot

That verbiage is a throwback before we had low deflection and carbon fiber shafts. So "hits a ton" simply translates to stiff. Higher end cuemakers made it a race for stiffest hit.
Its a lot like (I know this analogy is a little left field but it works) surfboards. Sure a guy could work his whole life developing his own legendary style of shaping the boards, but Channel Islands uses a computer and makes a far superior board.
With that said, it comes down to two camps. The "give me the best equipment available" guys, and the "soul" guys. I have enough "soul", tyvm.
Often times with a pool cue the hit feel will depend on the type of tip. But to directly answer your question, Mcdermott has the "softest" hit of any cue I've ever played with.

I second that - McDermott

[Bavafongoul]

The first thing to examine is the brand tip you are using, how much tip remains, and what’s its hardness?

Tips will vary a great deal from brand to brand, especially so with the hardness. A long time ago someone
came up with a tip hardness chart and it contained information I considered interesting, as well as helpful.
The tip is what makes initial contact with the cue ball & how hard it is has a huge significance on the feel.

[Snooker Theory]

Originally Posted by DecentShot

That verbiage is a throwback before we had low deflection and carbon fiber shafts. So "hits a ton" simply translates to stiff. Higher end cuemakers made it a race for stiffest hit.
Its a lot like (I know this analogy is a little left field but it works) surfboards. Sure a guy could work his whole life developing his own legendary style of shaping the boards, but Channel Islands uses a computer and makes a far superior board.
With that said, it comes down to two camps. The "give me the best equipment available" guys, and the "soul" guys. I have enough "soul", tyvm.
Often times with a pool cue the hit feel will depend on the type of tip. But to directly answer your question, Mcdermott has the "softest" hit of any cue I've ever played with.

You a surfer?

[CocoboloCowboy]

The idea of hitting a ball "SOFT" is easy with any Cue, the only thing it take two things. Thought and not hitting the ball like a banger.

Think about what what you want to accomplish with each shot, plan what you thought about, then execute it.


Most people talk about practicing, the but is playing is not practicing

Work on your weaknesses, like shooting soft. It actually hard. Someone told me long ago thing about how men 360 degree revolutions it take to move the Cue ball from Position A at strat of shot, to Position B were you want it at end of shot.

[Boxcar]

Some shafts "sing." Some shafts "tunk." Take a handfull of shafts and drop them one-at-a-time on a hardwood floor. The one that "sings" will hit crisp. My remarks are TOTALLY subjective. Results may vary widely.

[DecentShot]

Originally Posted by Snooker Theory

You a surfer?

Yes sir, 22 years now. I even have "surfer's ear." Apparently cold water "promotes" bone growth.

[j13smiley]

Originally Posted by Bavafongoul

A long time ago someone
came up with a tip hardness chart and it contained information I considered interesting, as well as helpful.

Anyone have a link to this? Was it a thread here?

[Bavafongoul]

j13 smiley,

I checked my computer's pool related documents library; this is what I was referring to.
It's by no means complete and likely a little outdated as well but it's all I could locate.

Matt B.

[deanoc]

I can not say that I can get this down to an operational definition

,but I prefer a cue with stiff shafts and a soft hit


Sometimes I confuse the two in my thinking

I never like a hard hit,it feels so unresponsive and cold


After playing the very best players and discussing things like this with friends
well respected in the pool industry
I can not say that I could actually offer you one solid piece of advice


A funny thing is that as poor as i play ,i seem to know when a cue hits good,
more knowledgible people have often laughed at my uncanny ability to pick
good hitting cues

All i ever did was either pick it up and hit it or order to the specs of cues that I liked before

Soft anf firm seems to describe what I like

[mikemosconi]

McDermott from the 90s hit soft- I don't know about other McDermotts. I had a flat faced non ivory jointed Capone cue 2003 - a six pointer that hit soft - both cues had Moori soft tips back then.

[asbani]

Originally Posted by Bavafongoul

j13 smiley,

I checked my computer's pool related documents library; this is what I was referring to.
It's by no means complete and likely a little outdated as well but it's all I could locate.

Matt B.

I appreciate the file that shows hardness, but as I am looking at it, it lists Le Pro as 78, and Tiger Sniper as 78 as well.

But I really doubt it, there's absolutely no way that Le Pro's are the same as Sniper in hardness, these are the only two tips that I play with and based on my own feeling, it is clear that Sniper is soft, while the Le Pro upon installation is a little hard, but not too hard, then few sets in and it feels like rock hard.

To me, and again this is just how I feel.

Sniper -- Soft to medium
Le Pro -- Hard.

So is my feeling wrong? or is the list wrong? we can't both be right.

[asbani]

Originally Posted by asbani

I appreciate the file that shows hardness, but as I am looking at it, it lists Le Pro as 78, and Tiger Sniper as 78 as well.

But I really doubt it, there's absolutely no way that Le Pro's are the same as Sniper in hardness, these are the only two tips that I play with and based on my own feeling, it is clear that Sniper is soft, while the Le Pro upon installation is a little hard, but not too hard, then few sets in and it feels like rock hard.

To me, and again this is just how I feel.

Sniper -- Soft to medium
Le Pro -- Hard.

So is my feeling wrong? or is the list wrong? we can't both be right.

I did a little google search, and it seems that this list got it right.

https://www.pooldawg.com/article/poo...-cue-tip-guide

[Boxcar]

This scale for tip hardness can be found in Mueller's catalog.
These tips are rated on a scale of 1 (softest) to 4 (hardest).
Individual tips vary.

Elk Master: 1
Blue Knight: 1
Royal Oak: 2
Triumph: 2.5
Chandivert Match: 2.5
Triangle: 3.5
Chandivert Crown: 3.5
Chandivert Champion: 3.5
Le Pro: 3
Chandivert Rocky: 4