Imagine this Snooker fans/players:
- Never having to pick up a piece of Chalk - again - ever.
- Never having to worry about marks on the cue ball.
- Never having to worry about if there's enough chalk on your tip.
- That's because you bought a chalkless tip for your snooker cue!
The Grip Tip
The Grip Tip Chalkless snooker/pool tip isn't new, it's been around for a while since 2011 in fact.
But since the magic chalk Taom was introduced from Finland and causing a frenzy in the snooker world, it's only fair that fans are aware of the alternatives available to Taom Chalk.
Watch top pro Anthony McGill show you how to put on a snooker tip in the video below...
The future?
Chalkless snooker tips offer an alternative to those who just want to get on with the game and not have to worry about kicks, miscues, and, of course, whether they have enough chalk on the cue to get the desired spin.
The chalk less snooker tip resolves all those issues.
I took it for a test drive over the weekend, and here were the benefits I saw:
1) No need to chalk your cue
That's obvious, but for three hours solid, I didn't have to worry about chalking my cue.
As an instinctive player I find chalking my cue slows down my game and without it, I found I was playing quicker and being more instinctive on the shots.
Usually, the first shot you choose is normally the right one.
For some, this may be a turn-off.
If you are someone who enjoys the physical action of chalking your cue and "deciding" what to do for 30 seconds with what shot to play, then these may not be for you.
But, if you are someone who likes to get on with it, then these are!
2) Responsive
Like you, I was sceptical.
Before playing I was asking myself, how responsive will these be? Have I been sold a pup product?
Actually, they were extremely responsive and taught me a valuable lesson on the table: This;
Don't hit the cue ball too hard!
Lots of club players like to "punch" the balls in way too hard.
With this tip, it effectively stops you from doing that because the tip is so responsive. The tip actually taught me to glide the balls in the pocket with minimum effort.
As pros already play on superfine cloths and fast tables, this means you need to be extra careful in your cueing.
This alone improves your game as your mindset gets in the habit of not "jabbing" at the balls but gliding them in the bags.
3) No Kicks
Usually when playing - even on club tables, you experience the odd kick here and there.
I didn't experience any kind of "bad contact" in that three hours of playing time. Although I've not used Taom Chalk - which also boasts no kicks, miscues, and, indeed, no "big" bounces off cushions, this was exactly what I experienced with the chalkless tip.
No kicks, no miscues.
4) Easy to Glue On
Some traditional tips can be a pain to put on. These weren't.
In fact, I found it easier to put one of these on than a normal tip. By ordering the bigger size in 12mm for a 9.5mm cue, I was able to trim down the same as a normal tip and was up and running quickly with it.
5) Price
For six tips, £14 is reasonable. Considering Taom is roughly the same, six tips works out at roughly just over £2 per tip.
The only con I can see from using this is there are the traditionalists who will prefer to use a tip that needs chalking as it has been a traditional feature of snooker since the year dot.
Also, the tip is quite soft - and those who prefer a harder type of tip may well want to stick with traditional tips.
Don't get me wrong, I like the traditional aspects of snooker, but in a changing world, we have to adapt.
The tips were produced in Austraila and on a blogger blog called On Cue in 2011, the blogger wrote he was excited by the prospect of these tips being introduced when they were distributed in the UK.
The tips on the Spinster Billiards website come in the screw-on and glue-on varieties and are available in 10mm, 12mm and 14mm.
To check out these tips and get your six pack to try out, visit spinsterbilliards.co.uk...