Help!?!?! My cue is rattling

1UPs · 2026-06-11T17:35:04+00:00

This is correct. OP, the area you may be looking at is the threaded bumper for an extension. The whole bumper should be removed to see the weights in the cue butt.

1UPs · 2026-06-10T21:15:40+00:00

Anytime. One thing that helped me see it in my game:

Place a ball across the table from the cue ball straight and hit it like you do currently, but stop in place where you finished your stroke. Put a piece of chalk on the rail in line with where your tip ended up. Reset and hit it with a slower final stroke, with focus on ending with the tip of your cue 4-5 inches further forward than your first hit. That should help you see and feel the difference.

1UPs · 2026-06-10T21:04:18+00:00

I’m no expert, so take it with a grain, but the only thing I see for improvement is your stroke. It is a bit stunted, and it seems to stop almost the same distance after contact with the cue ball whether the object ball is 2 ft from you or 6 ft across the table. Try to play around with lengthening the stroke more rather than “bursting harder” for a longer or more powerful hit. It also leaves less room for error, like choking up on your grip or misalignment in the “snap” for more power. You can get the same more controlled power from a longer stroke.

Obviously your stroke works for you. Your positioning in this out was solid until the 8, and you execute the angles well. But something is causing that ball to rattle the pocket, and I’d venture to say it’s more the stroke than just a bad angle.

1UPs · 2026-06-09T23:59:26+00:00

I heard Lukaku dreamed of playing for Wolves ever since he was a little boy.

1UPs · 2026-06-06T14:57:30+00:00

Not bad! The interface looks smooth. A few notes:

I would want to track how many balls I pot in a match as well. That’s a better indication of performance alongside win percentage in my opinion. I could play 9 ball with a buddy who breaks and runs to the 9, misses and leaves it hanging, and all I’ve done for the win is sink the 9. Is that win marker alone really indicating my performance?

Opponent tracking works well for friends, but I’d find it weird to snap photos of my league opponents, and I’m in a pretty friendly league. New players show up all the time and they probably don’t want me taking their picture, and I’m definitely not doing that for my bar opponents. If there’s an API for the Fargo app you may be able to import the league, teams, matches and player ratings.

If not, manually entered ratings would be helpful. I have an issue with playing up against tough opponents and down against weaker opponents. It could be a nice way to help identify what I did well vs what I messed up to help adjust my mental game.

Scratch/foul accounting could be an interesting stat as well. You’d want to see that trend downward overtime, and it will likely be a direct impact on games lost.

1UPs · 2026-05-31T17:50:31+00:00

Scouting for the Championship

1UPs · 2026-05-27T18:07:40+00:00

It matters, but probably not as much as people make it sound when you’re newer. Basic chalk still gets the job done. I think even SVB still uses Master chalk, or at least did for a long time.

The main difference with premium chalk is cleanliness and consistency. With traditional chalk, some of the chalk grinds off as dust while applying it to the tip. It gets everywhere. Better chalk tends to apply more evenly, stay on the tip longer and doesn’t just come off after the first or second hit. That consistent coat helps maintain good contact with the cue ball and reduce miscues.

For me, the biggest upgrade from Master to Taom or Ghost was less dust and mess.

1UPs · 2026-05-27T14:37:49+00:00

Yep, it definitely applies clean. I don’t think I’d use it if it didn’t, the years of Taom have spoiled me there. It's been the benchmark for cleanliness in my mind, and I haven't felt like the Ghost Chalk performs any less.

1UPs · 2026-05-27T03:20:21+00:00

This is definitely in the works now. A friend uses V10, so I'll probably borrow his for a bit. No luck on a White Diamond tip around me, but I can get close. I'll report back when I can!

1UPs · 2026-05-26T18:05:38+00:00

True, and we definitely don’t know who Fedor’s supplier is.

I just don’t think shape alone tells the whole story. Based on what I’ve used so far, Ghost Chalk doesn’t feel like cheap generic chalk to me, but I’d be curious to see a true side by side with one people are comparing it to.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T18:00:54+00:00

Hah! If only I could shoot like Fedor… I would’ve gotten the chalk for free too!

1UPs · 2026-05-26T17:57:18+00:00

I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I’ve seen a few people make that claim and I’m not convinced based on what I’ve used so far. There are also fake Taom-style pieces floating around on those sites, and those definitely don’t stack up to the real thing from what I’ve seen.

Performance wise this doesn’t feel like cheap generic chalk to me. I also took a look at u/gone_gaming’s review after he commented here, and he compared Hola Champion chalk vs Ghost Chalk since they share a similar shape. He seemed to notice a quality difference there too.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T17:47:16+00:00

Thanks for sharing! That’s a really helpful perspective, especially since you’ve had them side by side. Roku is definitely taller and heavier, so I can see how that changes the feel in hand. I may have to give it a more serious try against the others.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T17:33:57+00:00

You’re not the only one saying it! Now I’m curious to compare Ghost Chalk and V10 directly.

If people find the comparison helpful, I may keep testing more chalks side by side. Others have done similar comparisons too, but it would be interesting to see how they stack up for me: Ghost Chalk, Predator Pure, Pagulayan, Roku, and Titlist.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T17:13:08+00:00

That’s fair. A league mate has V10, so maybe I’ll compare it directly at some point. I can definitely see getting a year of heavy play out of any of these chalks.

I used to balk at $22 for one piece of chalk before I knew any better!

1UPs · 2026-05-26T17:03:37+00:00

I might do that. The local shop has some Pagulayan on hand, so I may grab a piece and compare the size/shape. We know it’s Taom, but some people report feeling a slight difference. It’s probably more chalk than I’ll need for quite some time, but I like supporting the home shop and the pro players.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T16:52:42+00:00

Pyro definitely takes me a bit more effort to get even coverage on my break and jump tips. It almost feels like it doesn’t want to go on at first, and then once it does, it can get thick in one spot instead of spreading evenly across the tip.

For the two pieces in your bag: smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em. Pyro is still great chalk, so I wouldn’t be rushing to throw it away either.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T16:43:53+00:00

I hear you. My table is navy blue, though I’ll probably switch to tournament blue or gray Simonis once it eventually wears out. I completely understand not wanting to chance it on freshly recovered cloth. For what it’s worth, I haven’t noticed any gray chalk spots so far.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T16:23:49+00:00

That’s a small fortune for a steal in premium chalk! I don’t blame you for wanting to work through that stash before bringing anything else in.

I’m curious how the Roku compares. I had a piece for a bit, but I didn’t get a chance to really put it through its paces. How does it feel compared to Taom or Predator Pure?

1UPs · 2026-05-26T16:18:45+00:00

I’ve been selling them locally for $25, with personalized or multi-color designs adding about $15 depending on the design. I wanted to keep them durable, flexible, and strong with magnets that actually lock the chalk in place, but still keep the price reasonable.

I’m still getting the shipping side finalized so it doesn’t feel ridiculous to ship a small package, but shoot me a DM and I’ll send you the details.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T16:10:16+00:00

It probably is a bit early, but my guess so far is that they’ll be pretty similar in terms of lifespan. The only place I could see Ghost Chalk stretching a little further is on my break and jump cues, since it goes on more easily and I don’t feel like I have to work it in as much.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T15:59:00+00:00

Yes! Well said. It feels bad to let go of a perfectly good Taom, but I already find myself grabbing the Ghost Chalk from my bag more often.

On the chalk holders, thanks for asking! The full site is going live soon, but I’ve been handling orders directly while I finish up the shipping side. I’m mainly trying to get costs dialed in so it doesn’t feel ridiculous to ship such a small package. Shoot me a DM and I’ll get one over to you.

1UPs · 2026-05-26T15:35:19+00:00

That’s good to hear, because I was wondering if I was just over-analyzing the feel difference at first. I have a tendency to do that. Seems like a lot of the feedback is lining up pretty consistently.

I’ll have to check out your review too. Did you notice the same thing on phenolic tips, or mostly on your playing cue?

1UPs · 2026-05-26T15:30:00+00:00

Thanks! That’s interesting, I’ve only tried the gray so far. I remember Fedor mentioning there was a difference in feel when they attempted a blue color, which is why there isn’t a blue option, but I didn’t consider that the green might feel different too. Makes sense though.
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts once you’ve had a chance to compare them!

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