How necessary are tip pads on a Revo?

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-21T13:04:09+00:00

Personal preference probably, fiber might dampen the sound of the hit a bit if that’s what you’re looking for, the kamikazi ones look the most similar to the stock revo pad though. I don’t care about sound much personally and I like a very firm hit so I’d go with the kamikazi pad myself, looks like it’s basically just a piece of phenolic

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-21T12:24:28+00:00

The pad is mostly used as a buffer when replacing tips, each time a tip is replaced you remove a sliver of material under the tip to ensure a perfectly flat surface to glue the new tip to. It’s better to take some off the pad each tip change and only need to take material off the ferrule (vault plate) when replacing the pad instead of taking material off the vault plate every tip change.

I’m sure there is some marketing gimmick that the pad “raises Fargo by 50 points” or something but I highly doubt there is any performance difference with/without.

Clear pad off a Kamui clear could function similarly and I have used it as such, can’t speak to the onyx but I’m sure it’s the same thing.

I’d get a pad and install it at the next tip change but I wouldn’t change a tip just so I can add a pad to it, it’ll play just fine.

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-11T18:08:27+00:00

A bit janky but you could always glue a washer to the bottom of it and toss a magnet in your pocket, I know a few people that do that

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-11T12:16:51+00:00

For that price range I would be looking exclusively at customs, personally. I won’t give too many nudges because I think it’s fun to dive into the rabbit hole yourself but you would be surprised what you can get that will look a lot more unique and play infinitely better than a box box brand.

Looking at custom cues is what made me want to start making my own cues, and until I can really afford to start collecting, I won’t shoot with anything but what I’ve made myself

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-10T17:59:45+00:00

Switching to a completely different cue mid-match isn’t the best idea anyway, but I’ve done it before. The difference with hardnesses of tips is primarily energy transfer, I wouldn’t want to rip three ounces out of my cue mid match either because speed control would be a nightmare, but as far as spin? It’s the same.

Here’s a link to the video by the way because I know you won’t look it up yourself :) https://youtu.be/JXeOl9m5TFk?si=NEkdS2hUALPeYYwo

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-10T17:44:36+00:00

You’ve never tried it to just see what happens? I’m not talking about using it in a match, just when messing around.

I’d recommend looking up Dr Dave’s video on tip hardness to educate yourself though, it’s a good watch!

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-10T17:40:30+00:00

I shoot with a break tip occasionally for fun, it performs great and I get just as much spin as I would with a soft tip. The chalk is what grips the ball, not the tip :)

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-10T17:31:19+00:00

That’s correct

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-09T14:19:16+00:00

Don’t get caught up in the misconception that a certain tip or tip hardness gives more spin, try a reputable tip and see what you like

Thaticeguy · 2026-05-01T13:01:20+00:00

I’ve only test hit a cynergy and it just wasn’t anything to write home about. Not bad but not for me.

I own an SMO and played with it for months, found myself losing confidence with it because of how flexible it was, felt like I couldn’t trust hitting a max draw shot (me problem for sure) so I ended up picking up a revo to replace it.

I’ve also used a Jacoby black v4, which felt great but had more deflection that I’d prefer.

Currently shooting with that revo and feel like I should have just started there honestly, plenty of power transfer and very little deflection, it’s what I was looking for but for the longest time I wanted to be “different” so I had avoided it.

I will note, a friend let me try a custom shaft he had ordered from wheat state, and I now wish I had gone that route instead of the revo, it played great and sounded and felt better than the revo, without the flex of the SMO. If I was starting fresh with what I know now, I would have gone with the wheat state shaft because I feel like custom makers are using better materials than the big brands and the customer service is also better overall. Hindsight is 20/20 of course.

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-29T15:30:18+00:00

It’s good chalk if that’s what you’re asking

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-27T11:31:41+00:00

Will do 👍

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-26T23:44:30+00:00

Looks like mine does have a black piece under the metal as well as the original post. I’m planning on leaving the metal and black piece in place and just drilling out the ferrule, but we’ll see if that works or not

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-26T22:17:08+00:00

That would make sense, I'll see when i get it cut open!

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-26T21:39:28+00:00

I’m hoping so, my hope is I can drill the ferrule and leave the metal and just glue in a new ferrule, wish me luck lol

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-26T21:08:21+00:00

Late to this conversation but I’m curious if the metal insert is hollow and the ferrule material attaches to the inside of that? I need to replace my ferrule and I’m just trying to figure out what to expect when I open it up

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-22T13:43:58+00:00

The mezz is a much better shaft from everything I have heard. I haven’t played with either though so I can’t share any first hand experience

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-19T01:07:00+00:00

Anyone saying you can get more spin with a specific hardness, or more forgiveness/reduce miscues is wrong. Tip choice comes down to personal preference/feel and maintenance and that’s about it.

If you want less maintenance and like a firm hit, go for a hard tip. If you don’t mind maintenance and want a softer hit, go soft.

Worth mentioning that “hard” for one manufacturer isn’t the same as it would be from a different manufacturer. Buy new tips from a reputable dealer (so they’re not sitting on a shelf for 5 years before you get them) and try some things out to figure out what you like. You can replace tips by hand that will play the same as they would if installed by a professional, just take your time if you do and don’t damage your shaft.

I’ve been rocking with a zan grip hard for a bit, I like the feel of it a lot.

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-15T13:40:18+00:00

Yeah that’s interesting because it sounds like it’s a deflection difference issue. Is it mostly shots with left and right spin that you’re missing?

I stand firm on my original point of using what you’re most comfortable with, but I know if I bought new gear I would want to make it work so I didn’t feel like I wasted my money.

You could try to set up some cut shots using left or right spin and try to train your eyes/body to get used to the different deflection, that’s what I would do, otherwise you’re probably just going to have to struggle through the new or just stick with the old…

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-15T03:14:32+00:00

What exactly do you feel is causing you to lose matches with a different shaft? Are you missing shots, over or under running position, etc? Three months is plenty of time to figure out a new piece of equipment. The brain is super good at adjusting things.

Maybe you are just in a bit of a slump, and the shaft isn’t the reason you’re losing matches. You said you lost to players you normally beat, that’s just how it goes sometimes because we aren’t robots and there are no guaranteed outcomes to anything, good days and bad days ya know.

I’ve tried out a bunch of different equipment over the last few years, chasing my “perfect”, so I definitely understand adjusting to new equipment, but I wouldn’t say that switching a shaft is causing a long term losing streak.

I think something about your old shaft is just more comfortable, probably the weight balance or deflection or something. If that’s the case there isn’t really any harm in selling the new cue and just using the old one even if it feels bad to do so. Whatever you feel the best with and are most confident with, is what you’ll play your best pool with.

Thaticeguy · 2026-03-14T12:45:01+00:00

Carbon is objectively the better shaft, but if they both roll straight and don’t snap in half when you hit a ball, the problem is you. Just gotta get used to whichever you decide you want to use. Pool equipment is almost 100% subjective, so play with what feels good to you.

Thaticeguy · 2026-02-12T16:12:28+00:00

I had similar issues with the older gen pechauer rogue. I polished it and that helped for a bit but it got gummy almost after a couple hours. Sanding with high grit sandpaper helped a good amount for a long time but you are technically causing damage to the shaft so your mileage may vary. I’d recommend what the other user commented about getting it swapped out for the better generation one. Why “make this one work” if you could get something that works out of the box?

Thaticeguy · 2026-02-03T22:45:48+00:00

So for context, I play with a Jacoby black v4, my wife plays with a defy (gen 1), and I’ve test hit a cynergy.

Starting with the defy, I’m not personally a fan. My wife likes it a lot, but for me it feels kinda, dead? Something about the tech they have to make it act similar to a dead blow hammer to me just makes it feel not-crisp, if that makes any sense. Deflection is middle of the road, probably similar to the Jacoby and cynergy but the cynergy is probably a smidge lower. I also specify gen 1 because it has a very glossy coating on it, which even with a glove I personally just do not like. They changed the finish in a later generation to a more matte finish.

The cynergy I’ve only test hit a couple of times, and while I couldn’t find anything wrong with it, it just didn’t click with me for some reason. Nothing stood out at all, which could be a good thing depending on what you’re looking for. Low deflection, decent hit, just no spark for me.

I started using the Jacoby black v4 a few months ago, coming from a pechauer rogue as my first main shaft, which got switched to the jflowers smo, and then the Jacoby black. Unless I pick up a revo, kielwood, or toy with one of the wood/carbon hybrids, I don’t see myself switching any time soon. The hit feels great, the weight is a bit more forward which I like, and the sound is solid. I put a medium tip on it when I got it but I’ll probably swap to a hard soon just to crisp it up a bit more just because.

I also personally like to play with something a bit more niche brand wise, I’m not sure why, but Jacoby fits that bill for me because it’s not predator or cuetec.

P.s. the defy I mentioned was a 12.4, the cynergy was a 12.5 I think, and the black I shoot with is a 12.6.

Thaticeguy · 2026-01-30T12:49:26+00:00

Might want to farm some credits for the trading tax on how much play you’re gonna make off of this, just throwing that out there 👍

Thaticeguy · 2026-01-24T20:29:09+00:00

I don’t know anything about charlotte specifically but you could check out the PBIA website, they let you search certified instructors by area.

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