Cue Tip Hardness and How It Affects Your Game

Pool table Phoenix, AZ
Updated: February 9, 2024

Whether you play competitively or just for fun, pool can be both a challenging and thoroughly enjoyable pastime. Still, if you want to take your game to the next level then it’s important to arm yourself with the right pool cue. This means understanding the differences between soft and hard cue tips in order to choose the best one for your particular playing style.

Choosing the Right Pool Cue Tip

When shopping for pool cue tips, the main factor you’ll need to consider is hardness. Choosing between soft, medium and hard tips mostly comes down to your personal preference, but it’s still important to know what the differences between them are.

How Tip Hardness Affects Your Shot

Soft tips absorb or cushion more of the impact when your tip strikes the ball. One major advantage of this is that it allows you to put more spin on the shot whenever you strike the ball off the center. Essentially, the softer the cue tip is the more feel and spin control you’ll have. One major drawback to softer cue tips is that they do tend to get misshapen more easily and wear out more quickly. This means that they usually require much more maintenance and will need to be replaced more frequently.

Compared to soft tips, hard cue tips tend to impart much less spin and are more likely to result in a missed hit whenever you strike the ball off of the center. However, many players still find that they are able to shoot far more consistently with harder tips since they minimize the amount of spin and thus eliminate one major variable from the shot. Nonetheless, the majority of pool players tend to choose medium hardness tips as they combine the added control found in a softer tip with the increased consistency of a harder tip.

Phenolic Tips for Breaking Cues

If you’re the type of player that likes to have both a playing cue and a breaking cue, you may also want to check out carbon fiber or Phenolic tips. These tips are as hard as the ball itself, which allows them to impart far more power to your shot. For this reason, they are the go-to choice for most pros when it comes to their breaking cues.

Find Your Perfect Pool Cue and Tips Today

If you’re in the market for a new pool cue, pool cue tips or any other pool accessories then you’ve got to check out the wide selection at Billiard Gallery. Conveniently located in northwest Phoenix, we carry a wide range of pool tables, cues and other accessories as well as tons of other game room furniture, such as poker tables, shuffleboards, jukeboxes and more. Don’t hesitate to stop by or give us a call to see how we can help take your game to the next level.

Call Billiard Gallery today!