Cue Tip Price & Data Comparison
DeadRail has collected data on 16 different tips comparing price, hardness, construction, and available data. It does not prove that any tip plays better, creates more spin, or suits any particular style of shooting. It would be great to have all pool equipment tested in a repeatable and controlled method by an impartial entity. This would give players real data to base their buying and playing decisions on with their equipment. But until then, you get this.
- 16 tips are compared
- Single tip prices ranged from $1.50 to $31
- No long-term independent data on wear was found
What Your Money Buys ... At Least on Paper
$1.50–$2.95
Traditional single-piece pressed leather: Elk Master, Le Pro, and Triangle. Cheap to replace and backed by older third-party hardness measurements, but not by strong comparative durability data.
$9.50–$10
Budget layered leather: UltraSkin and Kamikaze. Multiple hardness choices and 8–9 layer construction at roughly one-third the cost of many premium tips.
$19–$31
Established and premium layered tips. The construction story gets more elaborate, but independent life-cycle testing remains scarce.
Prices are single-tip retail prices captured from cited retailer or manufacturer pages and can change. Hardness numbers appear only when a numerical value was published. Numbers from different test methods should not be treated as perfectly interchangeable.
Available Data describes how complete the published information is relative to the other tips reviewed in this comparison. It is not a performance or quality score.
Complete: price, construction and comparable numerical hardness are available.
Partial: some information is missing or carries a testing caveat.
Limited: no comparable numerical hardness was found.
| Tip family | Price | Construction | Published hardness | Available Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Kamui Original |
$26.00 | 8-layer pigskin | 69.2 SS · 78.1 S · 82.2 M · 92.2 H | Complete |
Kamui Black |
$28.80 | 10-layer pigskin | 67.5 SS · 72.3 S · 78.7 M · 84.8 H | Complete |
Predator Victory |
$29.00 | 8-layer leather | 75.3 S · 79.8 M · 84.3 H | Complete |
Zan Plus |
$31.00 | 9-layer pigskin | No directly comparable Plus-series number; older Zan-family chart: 66.3 S–87.4 H | Partial |
Moori |
$19.00 | 8-layer pigskin | 72.8 S · 75.5 M · 84.4 H | Complete |
Tiger Everest |
$21.00 | Layered pigskin | 75.7 M | Complete |
Tiger Sniper |
$27.00 | Layered boarskin | 77.8–78 M | Complete |
Tiger Onyx |
$27.00 | Layered boar hide | 76.4 M | Complete |
G2 |
$22.40 | 8-layer pigskin | 74.8 S · 80.1 M · 85.5 H | Complete |
UltraSkin |
$9.50 | 9-layer leather | 61.8 Pro–78.7 HH (retailer density ratings) | Partial |
Kamikaze |
$10.00 | 8-layer Japanese pigskin | 62.0 SS · 64.7 S · 72.0 M · 75.5 H (retailer listing) | Partial |
Caiden Fighter |
$30.00 | 10-layer Japanese pigskin | No comparable numeric value found | Limited |
Caiden Warrior |
$30.00 | 10-layer pigskin | No comparable numeric value found | Limited |
Triangle |
$2.95 | Pressed leather | 91.0 | Complete |
Le Pro |
$1.95 | Pressed leather | 88.2; high sample variance noted |
Partial High hardness variation between samples |
Elk Master |
$1.50 | Pressed leather with blue chalk | 66.8 | Complete |
About the hardness data
PoolDawg’s public chart used a Shore A durometer, 1 kg of pressure, three tips per brand, and the average of those three measurements. PoolDawg says the chart is not authoritative. Leather varies, the sample is small, and labels such as “medium” are not standardized. The chart is useful for orientation—not a lab-grade universal scale.
Sources and attribution
- PoolDawg — Ultimate Pool Cue Tip Guide: Shore A method, limitations, and comparative hardness table.
- PoolDawg retailer listings for Kamui Original, Predator Victory, Zan Plus, Moori, G2, Tiger Everest, Tiger Sniper, Tiger Onyx, UltraSkin, and Kamikaze Original Brown.
- Caiden Fighter manufacturer listing and Caiden Warrior retailer listing.
- Tweeten retailer collection for Triangle, Le Pro, and Elk Master prices.
Prices shown are a July 2026 snapshot, not a price guarantee. DeadRail has no affiliate relationship disclosed for these source links.
Wishlist: Cue Tip Lab
The most useful dataset has to come from the table, not a product page.
- Measure new-tip hardness across multiple samples.
- Track compression, mushrooming, and hardness drift on a fixed shot schedule.
- Log shaping and scuffing frequency.
- Run controlled miscue-limit and chalk-retention tests.
- Use blind player testing for feel.
- Report useful life and cost per 10,000 shots.
THE GOAL: No magic. No marketing copy dressed up as a measurement. Just what the tip actually does.
Order trouble? Include your order number.
Collaboration or wholesale? Tell us what you have in mind.
Art, press, or general weirdness? We are listening.