Pool Cue Tips Hardness Chart - Pool Cue Tip Guide

With the number of pool cue tips available, it can be overwhelming to find the one that will help you to perform at your best. Spin, ease of maintenance, and overall hitting feel are the most common criterias in the decision making process however hardness is by far the most important attribute in which players pay attention to.

So what are the differences between soft, medium, hard pool cue tips ? By definition soft tips are more elastic with more flex making it easier to transfer spin into the cue ball however this is a double edge sword since it will require players to be much more precise as the risk is to put unwanted side spin into the cue ball which could result in a miss. Soft tips tempt to mushroom or flatten out with each hit of the cue ball thus requiring frequent maintenance as opposed to harder tips.

The number one fear of players who haven't tried hard tips is to not get as much action on the cue ball or jump the cue ball when aiming low for a draw shot. Rest assured that while this is partially true, it's only relevent for inexperienced players who are used to softer tips, harder tips require strong stroke fundamentals in order to optimize their performances. They provide a more solid hit, are at best on long shots with a dead straight stroke and require less maintenance as opposed to softer tips.

For those who want a bit of both worlds than medium tips would be ideal, they quickly grew in popularity and are a good compromise between soft and hard tips.

In this ultimate guide you can see the most popular cue tip brands hardness (Kamui, Predator Victory, Elk Master, Zan tips...) and how they compare with each other in order to get a better idea and help you choose the one that works best for you.

Here below is an excerpt of the ultimate pool cue tip guide featuring the most popular pool cue tip brands hardness: